[Ti-Shay]

people, the workers -- were
their slaves. They could do what they liked with you. They could ship you
off to Canada like cattle. They could sleep with your daughters if they
chose. They could order you to be flogged with something called a cat-o'-
nine tails. You had to take your cap off when you passed them. Every
capitalist went about with a gang of lackeys who--'
The old man brightened again.
'Lackeys!' he said. 'Now there's a word I ain't 'eard since ever so
long. Lackeys! That reg'lar takes me back, that does. I recollect oh,
donkey's years ago -- I used to sometimes go to 'Yde Park of a Sunday
afternoon to 'ear the blokes making speeches. Salvation Army, Roman
Catholics, Jews, Indians -- all sorts there was. And there was one bloke --
well, I couldn't give you 'is name, but a real powerful speaker 'e was. 'E
didn't 'alf give it 'em! "Lackeys!" 'e says, "lackeys of the bourgeoisie!
Flunkies of the ruling class!" Parasites -- that was another of them. And
'yenas -- 'e definitely called 'em 'yenas. Of course 'e was referring to
the Labour Party, you understand.'
Winston had the feeling that they were talking at cross-purposes.
'What I really wanted to know was this,' he said. 'Do you feel that
you have more freedom now than you had in those days? Are you treated more
like a human being? In the old days, the rich people, the people at the
top--'
'The 'Ouse of Lords,' put in the old man reminiscently.
'The House of Lords, if you like. What I am asking is, were these
people able to treat you as an inferior, simply because they were rich and
you were