But there had been a moment - he did not know how long, thirty seconds, perhaps - of luminous certainty, when each new suggestion of O'Brien's had filled up a patch of emptiness and become absolute truth, and when two and two could have been three as easily as five, if that were what was needed.
Но был такой период - он не знал, долгий ли, может быть, полминуты, - светлой определенности, когда каждое новое внушение О'Брайена заполняло пустоту в голове и становилось абсолютной истиной, когда два и два так же легко могли стать тремя, как и пятью, если требовалось.