No More Learning

But he did not want to hurt the
man and had only taken hold of him very lightly. Nonetheless, the man
cried out as if K. had grasped him not with two fingers but with red hot
tongs. Shouting in this ridiculous way finally made K. tired of him, if
he didn't believe he was indicted then so much the better; maybe he even
thought K. was a judge. And before leaving, he held him a lot harder,
shoved him back onto the bench and walked on. "These defendants are so
sensitive, most of them," said the usher of the court. Almost all of
those who had been waiting had now assembled around the man who, by now,
had stopped shouting and they seemed to be asking him lots of precise
questions about the incident. K. was approached by a security guard,
identifiable mainly by his sword, of which the scabbard seemed to be
made of aluminium. This greatly surprised K. , and he reached out for it
with his hand. The guard had come because of the shouting and asked
what had been happening. The usher of the court said a few words to try
and calm him down but the guard explained that he had to look into it
himself, saluted, and hurried on, walking with very short steps,
probably because of gout.

K. didn't concern himself long with the guard or these people,
especially as he saw a turning off the corridor, about half way along it
on the right hand side, where there was no door to stop him going that
way. He asked the usher whether that was the right way to go, the usher
nodded, and that is the way that K. went. The usher remained always one
or two steps behind K, which he found irritating as in a place like this
it could give the impression that he was being driven along by someone
who had arrested him, so he frequently waited for the usher to catch up,
but the usher always remained behind him. In order to put an end to his
discomfort, K. finally said, "Now that I've seen what it looks like
here, I'd like to go. " "You haven't seen everything yet," said the
usher ingenuously.
"I don't want to see everything," said K. , who was also feeling very
tired, "I want to go, what is the way to the exit? " "You haven't got
lost, have you? " asked the usher in amazement, "you go down this way to
the corner, then right down the corridor straight ahead as far as the
door. " "Come with me," said K. , "show me the way, I'll miss it, there
are so many different ways here. " "It's the only way there is," said
the usher, who had now started to sound quite reproachful, "I can't go
back with you again, I've got to hand in my report, and I've already
lost a lot of time because of you as it is. " "Come with me! " K.
repeated, now somewhat sharper as if he had finally caught the usher out
in a lie. "Don't shout like that," whispered the usher, "there's
offices all round us here. If you don't want to go back by yourself
come on a bit further with me or else wait here till I've sorted out my
report, then I'll be glad to go back with you again. " "No, no," said
K. , "I will not wait and you must come with me now. " K. had still not
looked round at anything at all in the room where he found himself, and
it was only when one of the many wooden doors all around him opened that
he noticed it. A young woman, probably summoned by the loudness of K. 's
voice, entered and asked, "What is it the gentleman wants? " In the
darkness behind her there was also a man approaching. K. looked at the
usher. He had, after all, said that no-one would take any notice of K. ,
and now there were two people coming, it only needed a few and everyone
in the office would become aware of him and asking for explanations as
to why he was there. The only understandable and acceptable thing to
say was that he was accused of something and wanted to know the date of
his next hearing, but this was an explanation he did not want to give,
especially as it was not true - he had only come out of curiosity. Or
else, an explanation even less usable, he could say that he wanted to
ascertain that the court was as revolting on the inside as it was on the
outside. And it did seem that he had been quite right in this
supposition, he had no wish to intrude any deeper, he was disturbed
enough by what he had seen already, he was not in the right frame of
mind just then to face a high official such as might appear from behind
any door, and he wanted to go, either with the usher of the court or, if
needs be, alone.

But he must have seemed very odd standing there in silence, and
the young woman and the usher were indeed looking at him as if they
thought he would go through some major metamorphosis any second which
they didn't want to miss seeing. And in the doorway stood the man whom
K. had noticed in the background earlier, he held firmly on to the beam
above the low door swinging a little on the tips of his feet as if
becoming impatient as he watched. But the young woman was the first to
recognise that K. 's behaviour was caused by his feeling slightly unwell,
she brought a chair and asked,
"Would you not like to sit down? " K. sat down immediately and, in order
to keep his place better, put his elbows on the armrests. "You're a
little bit dizzy, aren't you? " she asked him. Her face was now close in
front of him, it bore the severe expression that many young women have
just when they're in the bloom of their youth. "It's nothing for you to
worry about," she said, "that's nothing unusual here, almost everyone
gets an attack like that the first time they come here. This is your
first time is it? Yes, it's nothing unusual then. The sun burns down
on the roof and the hot wood makes the air so thick and heavy. It makes
this place rather unsuitable for offices, whatever other advantages it
might offer. But the air is almost impossible to breathe on days when
there's a lot of business, and that's almost every day. And when you
think that there's a lot of washing put out to dry here as well - and we
can't stop the tenants doing that - it's not surprising you started to
feel unwell. But you get used to the air alright in the end. When
you're here for the second or third time you'll hardly notice how
oppressive the air is. Are you feeling any better now? " K. made no
answer, he felt too embarrassed at being put at the mercy of these
people by his sudden weakness, and learning the reason for feeling ill
made him feel not better but a little worse. The girl noticed it
straight away, and to make the air fresher for K. , she took a window
pole that was leaning against the wall and pushed open a small hatch
directly above K. 's head that led to the outside. But so much soot fell
in that the girl had to immediately close the hatch again and clean the
soot off K. 's hands with her handkerchief, as K. was too tired to do
that for himself. He would have liked just to sit quietly where he was
until he had enough strength to leave, and the less fuss people made
about him the sooner that would be. But then the girl said, "You can't
stay here, we're in people's way here . . . " K. looked at her as if to
ask whose way they were impeding. "If you like, I can take you to the
sick room," and turning to the man in the doorway said, "please help
me". The man immediately came over to them, but K. did not want to go
to the sick room, that was just what he wanted to avoid, being led
further from place to place, the further he went the more difficult it
must become. So he said, "I am able to walk now," and stood up, shaking
after becoming used to sitting so comfortably. But then he was unable
to stay upright. "I can't manage it," he said shaking his head, and sat
down again with a sigh. He remembered the usher who, despite
everything, would have been able to lead him out of there but who seemed
to have gone long before. K. looked out between the man and the young
woman who were standing in front of him but was unable to find the
usher. "I think," said the man, who was elegantly dressed and whose
appearance was made especially impressive with a grey waistcoat that had
two long, sharply tailored points, "the gentleman is feeling unwell
because of the atmosphere here, so the best thing, and what he would
most prefer, would be not to take him to the sick room but get him out
of the offices altogether. " "That's right," exclaimed K. , with such joy
that he nearly interrupted what the man was saying, "I'm sure that'll
make me feel better straight away, I'm really not that weak, all I need
is a little support under my arms, I won't cause you much trouble, it's
not such a long way anyway, lead me to the door and then I'll sit on the
stairs for a while and soon recover, as I don't suffer from attacks like
this at all, I'm surprised at it myself. I also work in an office and
I'm quite used to office air, but here it seems to be too strong, you've
said so yourselves. So please, be so kind as to help me on my way a
little, I'm feeling dizzy, you see, and it'll make me ill if I stand up
by myself. " And with that he raised his shoulders to make it easier for
the two of them to take him by the arms.

The man, however, didn't follow this suggestion but just stood
there with his hands in his trouser pockets and laughed out loud.
"There, you see," he said to the girl, "I was quite right. The
gentleman is only unwell here, and not in general. " The young woman
smiled too, but lightly tapped the man's arm with the tips of her
fingers as if he had allowed himself too much fun with K. "So what do
you think, then? " said the man, still laughing, "I really do want to
lead the gentleman out of here. " "That's alright, then," said the girl,
briefly inclining her charming head. "Don't worry too much about him
laughing," said the girl to K. , who had become unhappy once more and
stared quietly in front of himself as if needing no further explanation.
"This gentleman - may I introduce you? " - (the man gave his permission
with a wave of the hand) - "so, this gentleman's job is to give out
information. He gives all the information they need to people who are
waiting, as our court and its offices are not very well known among the
public he gets asked for quite a lot. He has an answer for every
question, you can try him out if you feel like it. But that's not his
only distinction, his other distinction is his elegance of dress. We,
that's to say all of us who work in the offices here, we decided that
the information-giver would have to be elegantly dressed as he
continually has to deal with the litigants and he's the first one they
meet, so he needs to give a dignified first impression. The rest of us
I'm afraid, as you can see just by looking at me, dress very badly and
old-fashioned; and there's not much point in spending much on clothes
anyway, as we hardly ever leave the offices, we even sleep here. But,
as I said, we decided that the information-giver would have to have nice
clothes. As the management here is rather peculiar in this respect, and
they would get them for us, we had a collection - some of the litigants
contributed too - and bought him these lovely clothes and some others
besides. So everything would be ready for him to give a good
impression, except that he spoils it again by laughing and frightening
people. " "That's how it is," said the man, mocking her, "but I don't
understand why it is that you're explaining all our intimate facts to
the gentleman, or rather why it is that you're pressing them on him, as
I'm sure he's not all interested. Just look at him sitting there, it's
clear he's occupied with his own affairs. " K. just did not feel like
contradicting him. . The girl's intention may have been good, perhaps she
was under instructions to distract him or to give him the chance to
collect himself, but the attempt had not worked. "I had to explain to
him why you were laughing," said the girl. "I suppose it was
insulting. " "I think he would forgive even worse insults if I finally
took him outside. " K. said nothing, did not even look up, he tolerated
the two of them negotiating over him like an object, that was even what
suited him best. But suddenly he felt the information-giver's hand on
one arm and the young woman's hand on the other. "Up you get then,
weakling," said the information-giver. "Thank you both very much," said
K. , pleasantly surprised, as he slowly rose and personally guided these
unfamiliar hands to the places where he most needed support.
As they approached the corridor, the girl said quietly into K. 's ear, "I
must seem to think it's very important to show the information-giver in
a good light, but you shouldn't doubt what I say, I just want to say the
truth. He isn't hard-hearted. It's not really his job to help
litigants outside if they're unwell but he's doing it anyway, as you can
see. I don't suppose any of us is hard-hearted, perhaps we'd all like
to be helpful, but working for the court offices it's easy for us to
give the impression we are hard-hearted and don't want to help anyone.
It makes me quite sad. " "Would you not like to sit down here a while? "
asked the information-giver, there were already in the corridor and just
in front of the defendant whom K. had spoken to earlier. K. felt almost
ashamed to be seen by him, earlier he had stood so upright in front of
him and now he had to be supported by two others, his hat was held up by
the information-giver balanced on outstretched fingers, his hair was
dishevelled and hung down onto the sweat on his forehead. But the
defendant seemed to notice nothing of what was going on and just stood
there humbly, as if wanting to apologise to the information-giver for
being there. The information-giver looked past him. "I know," he said,
"that my case can't be settled today, not yet, but I've come in anyway,
I thought, I thought I could wait here anyway, it's Sunday today, I've
got plenty of time, and I'm not disturbing anyone here. " "There's no
need to be so apologetic," said the information-giver, "it's very
commendable for you to be so attentive. You are taking up space here
when you don't need to but as long as you don't get in my way I will do
nothing to stop you following the progress of your case as closely as
you like. When one has seen so many people who shamefully neglect their
cases one learns to show patience with people like you. Do sit down. "
"He's very good with the litigants," whispered the girl. K. nodded, but
started to move off again when the information-giver repeated, "Would
you not like to sit down here a while? " "No," said K. , "I don't want to
rest. " He had said that as decisively as he could, but in fact it
would have done him a lot of good to sit down. It was as if he were
suffering sea-sickness. He felt as if he were on a ship in a rough sea,
as if the water were hitting against the wooden walls, a thundering from
the depths of the corridor as if the torrent were crashing over it, as
if the corridor were swaying and the waiting litigants on each side of
it rising and sinking. It made the calmness of the girl and the man
leading him all the more incomprehensible. He was at their mercy, if
they let go of him he would fall like a board. Their little eyes
glanced here and there, K. could feel the evenness of their steps but
could not do the same, as from step to step he was virtually being
carried. He finally noticed they were speaking to him but he did not
understand them, all he heard was a noise that filled all the space and
through which there seemed to be an unchanging higher note sounding,
like a siren. "Louder," he whispered with his head sunk low, ashamed at
having to ask them to speak louder when he knew they had spoken loudly
enough, even if it had been, for him, incomprehensible. At last, a
draught of cool air blew in his face as if a gap had been torn out in
the wall in front of him, and next to him he heard someone say, "First
he says he wants to go, and then you can tell him a hundred times that
this is the way out and he doesn't move. " K. became aware that he was
standing in front of the way out, and that the young woman had opened
the door. It seemed to him that all his strength returned to him at
once, and to get a foretaste of freedom he stepped straight on to one of
the stairs and took his leave there of his companions, who bowed to him.
"Thank you very much," he repeated, shook their hands once more and did
not let go until he thought he saw that they found it hard to bear the
comparatively fresh air from the stairway after being so long used to
the air in the offices. They were hardly able to reply, and the young
woman might even have fallen over if K. had not shut the door extremely
fast. K. then stood still for a while, combed his hair with the help of
a pocket mirror, picked up his hat from the next stair - the
information-giver must have thrown it down there - and then he ran down
the steps so fresh and in such long leaps that the contrast with his
previous state nearly frightened him. His normally sturdy state of
health had never prepared him for surprises such as this. Did his body
want to revolt and cause him a new trial as he was bearing the old one
with such little effort? He did not quite reject the idea that he
should see a doctor the next time he had the chance, but whatever he did
- and this was something on which he could advise himself - he wanted to
spend all Sunday mornings in future better than he had spent this one.




Chapter Four
Miss Burstner's Friend

For some time after this, K. found it impossible to exchange even
just a few words with Miss Burstner. He tried to reach her in many and
various ways but she always found a way to avoid it. He would come
straight home from the office, remain in her room without the light on,
and sit on the sofa with nothing more to distract him than keeping watch
on the empty hallway. If the maid went by and closed the door of the
apparently empty room he would get up after a while and open it again.
He got up an hour earlier than usual in the morning so that he might
perhaps find Miss Burstner alone as she went to the office. But none of
these efforts brought any success. Then he wrote her a letter, both to
the office and the flat, attempting once more to justify his behaviour,
offered to make whatever amends he could, promised never to cross
whatever boundary she might set him and begged merely to have the chance
to speak to her some time, especially as he was unable to do anything
with Mrs. Grubach either until he had spoken with Miss Burstner, he
finally informed her that the following Sunday he would stay in his room
all day waiting for a sign from her that there was some hope of his
request being fulfilled, or at least that she would explain to him why
she could not fulfil it even though he had promised to observe whatever
stipulations she might make. The letters were not returned, but there
was no answer either. However, on the following Sunday there was a sign
that seemed clear enough. It was still early when K. noticed, through
the keyhole, that there was an unusual level of activity in the hallway
which soon abated. A French teacher, although she was German and called
Montag, a pale and febrile girl with a slight limp who had previously
occupied a room of her own, was moving into Miss Burstner's room. She
could be seen shuffling through the hallway for several hours, there was
always another piece of clothing or a blanket or a book that she had
forgotten and had to be fetched specially and brought into the new home.

When Mrs. Grubach brought K. his breakfast - ever since the time
when she had made K. so cross she didn't trust the maid to do the
slightest job - he had no choice but to speak to her, for the first time
in five days. "Why is there so much noise in the hallway today? " he
asked as she poured his coffee out, "Can't something be done about it?
Does this clearing out have to be done on a Sunday? " K. did not look up
at Mrs.
Grubach, but he saw nonetheless that she seemed to feel some
relief as she breathed in. Even sharp questions like this from Mr. K.
she perceived as forgiveness, or as the beginning of forgiveness.
"We're not clearing anything out, Mr. K. ," she said, "it's just that
Miss Montag is moving in with Miss Burstner and is moving her things
across. " She said nothing more, but just waited to see how K. would
take it and whether he would allow her to carry on speaking. But K.
kept her in uncertainty, took the spoon and pensively stirred his coffee
while he remained silent. Then he looked up at her and said, "What
about the suspicions you had earlier about Miss Burstner, have you given
them up? " "Mr. K. ," called Mrs. Grubach, who had been waiting for this
very question, as she put her hands together and held them out towards
him. "I just made a chance remark and you took it so badly. I didn't
have the slightest intention of offending anyone, not you or anyone
else. You've known me for long enough, Mr. K. , I'm sure you're
convinced of that. You don't know how I've been suffering for the past
few days! That I should tell lies about my tenants! And you, Mr. K. ,
you believed it! And said I should give you notice! Give you notice! "
At this last outcry, Mrs. Grubach was already choking back her tears,
she raised her apron to her face and blubbered out loud.

"Oh, don't cry Mrs. Grubach," said K. , looking out the window, he
was thinking only of Miss Burstner and how she was accepting an unknown
girl into her room. "Now don't cry," he said again as he turned his
look back into the room where Mrs. Grubach was still crying. "I meant
no harm either when I said that. It was simply a misunderstanding
between us. That can happen even between old friends sometimes. " Mrs.
Grubach pulled her apron down to below her eyes to see whether K. really
was attempting a reconciliation. "Well, yes, that's how it is," said
K. , and as Mrs. Grubach's behaviour indicated that the captain had said
nothing he dared to add, "Do you really think, then, that I'd want to
make an enemy of you for the sake of a girl we hardly know? " "Yes,
you're quite right, Mr. K. ," said Mrs. Grubach, and then, to her
misfortune, as soon as she felt just a little freer to speak, she added
something rather inept. "I kept asking myself why it was that Mr. K.
took such an interest in Miss Burstner. Why does he quarrel with me
over her when he knows that any cross word from him and I can't sleep
that night? And I didn't say anything about Miss Burstner that I hadn't
seen with my own eyes. " K. said nothing in reply, he should have chased
her from the room as soon as she had opened her mouth, and he didn't
want to do that. He contented himself with merely drinking his coffee
and letting Mrs. Grubach feel that she was superfluous. Outside, the
dragging steps of Miss Montag could still be heard as she went from one
side of the hallway to the other. "Do you hear that? " asked K. pointing
his hand at the door. "Yes," said Mrs. Grubach with a sigh, "I wanted
to give her some help and I wanted the maid to help her too but she's
stubborn, she wants to move everything in herself. I wonder at Miss
Burstner. I often feel it's a burden for me to have Miss Montag as a
tenant but Miss Burstner accepts her into her room with herself. "
"There's nothing there for you to worry about" said K. , crushing the
remains of a sugar lump in his cup. "Does she cause you any trouble? "
"No," said Mrs. Grubach, "in itself it's very good to have her there, it
makes another room free for me and I can let my nephew, the captain,
occupy it. I began to worry he might be disturbing you when I had to
let him live in the living room next to you over the last few days.
He's not very considerate. " "What an idea! " said K. standing up,
"there's no question of that. You seem to think that because I can't
stand this to-ing and fro-ing of Miss Montag that I'm over-sensitive -
and there she goes back again. " Mrs. Grubach appeared quite powerless.
"Should I tell her to leave moving the rest of her things over till
later, then, Mr. K. ? If that's what you want I'll do it immediately. "
"But she has to move in with Miss Burstner! " said K. "Yes," said Mrs.
Grubach, without quite understanding what K. meant. "So she has to take
her things over there. " Mrs. Grubach just nodded. K. was irritated all
the more by this dumb helplessness which, seen from the outside, could
have seemed like a kind of defiance on her part. He began to walk up
and down the room between the window and the door, thus depriving Mrs.
Grubach of the chance to leave, which she otherwise probably would have
done.

Just as K. once more reached the door, someone knocked at it. It
was the maid, to say that Miss Montag would like to have a few words
with Mr. K. , and therefore requested that he come to the dining room
where she was waiting for him. K. heard the maid out thoughtfully, and
then looked back at the shocked Mrs. Grubach in a way that was almost
contemptuous. His look seemed to be saying that K. had been expecting
this invitation for Miss Montag for a long time, and that it was
confirmation of the suffering he had been made to endure that Sunday
morning from Mrs. Grubach's tenants. He sent the maid back with the
reply that he was on his way, then he went to the wardrobe to change his
coat, and in answer to Mrs. Grubach's gentle whining about the nuisance
Miss Montag was causing merely asked her to clear away the breakfast
things. "But you've hardly touched it," said Mrs. Grubach. "Oh just
take it away! " shouted K. It seemed to him that Miss Montag was mixed
up in everything and made it repulsive to him.

As he went through the hallway he looked at the closed door of
Miss Burstner's room. But it wasn't there that he was invited, but the
dining room, to which he yanked the door open without knocking.

The room was long but narrow with one window. There was only
enough space available to put two cupboards at an angle in the corner by
the door, and the rest of the room was entirely taken up with the long
dining table which started by the door and reached all the way to the
great window, which was thus made almost inaccessible. The table was
already laid for a large number of people, as on Sundays almost all the
tenants ate their dinner here at midday.

When K. entered, Miss Montag came towards him from the window
along one side of the table. They greeted each other in silence. Then
Miss Montag, her head unusually erect as always, said, "I'm not sure
whether you know me. " K. looked at her with a frown. "Of course I do,"
he said, "you've been living here with Mrs. Grubach for quite some time
now. " "But I get the impression you don't pay much attention to what's
going on in the lodging house," said Miss Montag. "No," said K.
"Would you not like to sit down? " said Miss Montag. In silence, the two
of them drew chairs out from the farthest end of the table and sat down
facing each other. But Miss Montag stood straight up again as she had
left her handbag on the window sill and went to fetch it; she shuffled
down the whole length of the room. When she came back, the handbag
lightly swinging, she said, "I'd like just to have a few words with you
on behalf of my friend. She would have come herself, but she's feeling
a little unwell today. Perhaps you'll be kind enough to forgive her and
listen to me instead. There's anyway nothing that she could have said
that I won't. On the contrary, in fact, I think I can say even more
than her because I'm relatively impartial. Would you not agree? " "What
is there to say, then? " answered K. , who was tired of Miss Montag
continuously watching his lips. In that way she took control of what he
wanted to say before he said it. "Miss Burstner clearly refuses to
grant me the personal meeting that I asked her for. " "That's how it
is," said Miss Montag, "or rather, that's not at all how it is, the way
you put it is remarkably severe. Generally speaking, meetings are
neither granted nor the opposite. But it can be that meetings are
considered unnecessary, and that's how it is here. Now, after your
comment, I can speak openly. You asked my friend, verbally or in
writing, for the chance to speak with her. Now my friend is aware of
your reasons for asking for this meeting - or at least I suppose she is
- and so, for reasons I know nothing about, she is quite sure that it
would be of no benefit to anyone if this meeting actually took place.
Moreover, it was only yesterday, and only very briefly, that she made it
clear to me that such a meeting could be of no benefit for yourself
either, she feels that it can only have been a matter of chance that
such an idea came to you, and that even without any explanations from
her, you will very soon come to realise yourself, if you have not done
so already, the futility of your idea. My answer to that is that
although it may be quite right, I consider it advantageous, if the
matter is to be made perfectly clear, to give you an explicit answer. I
offered my services in taking on the task, and after some hesitation my
friend conceded. I hope, however, also to have acted in your interests,
as even the slightest uncertainty in the least significant of matters
will always remain a cause of suffering and if, as in this case, it can
be removed without substantial effort, then it is better if that is done
without delay. " "I thank you," said K. as soon as Miss Montag had
finished. He stood slowly up, looked at her, then across the table,
then out the window - the house opposite stood there in the sun - and
went to the door. Miss Montag followed him a few paces, as if she did
not quite trust him. At the door, however, both of them had to step
back as it opened and Captain Lanz entered. This was the first time
that K. had seen him close up. He was a large man of about forty with a
tanned, fleshy face. He bowed slightly, intending it also for K. , and
then went over to Miss Montag and deferentially kissed her hand. He was
very elegant in the way he moved. The courtesy he showed towards Miss
Montag made a striking contrast with the way she had been treated by K.
Nonetheless, Miss Montag did not seem to be cross with K. as it even
seemed to him that she wanted to introduce the captain. K. however, did
not want to be introduced, he would not have been able to show any sort
of friendliness either to Miss Montag or to the captain, the kiss on the
hand had, for K. , bound them into a group which would keep him at a
distance from Miss Burstner whilst at the same time seeming to be
totally harmless and unselfish. K. thought, however, that he saw more
than that, he thought he also saw that Miss Montag had chosen a means of
doing it that was good, but two-edged. She exaggerated the importance
of the relationship between K. and Miss Burstner, and above all she
exaggerated the importance of asking to speak with her and she tried at
the same time to make out that K. was exaggerating everything. She
would be disappointed, K. did not want to exaggerate anything, he was
aware that Miss Burstner was a little typist who would not offer him
much resistance for long. In doing so he deliberately took no account
of what Mrs. Grubach had told him about Miss Burstner. All these things
were going through his mind as he left the room with hardly a polite
word. He wanted to go straight to his room, but a little laugh from
Miss Montag that he heard from the dining room behind him brought him to
the idea that he might prepare a surprise for the two of them, the
captain and Miss Montag. He looked round and listened to find out if
there might be any disturbance from any of the surrounding rooms,
everywhere was quiet, the only thing to be heard was the conversation
from the dining room and Mrs. Grubach's voice from the passage leading
to the kitchen. This seemed an opportune time, K. went to Miss
Burstner's room and knocked gently. There was no sound so he knocked
again but there was still no answer in reply. Was she asleep? Or was
she really unwell? Or was she just pretending as she realised it could
only be K. knocking so gently? K. assumed she was pretending and
knocked harder, eventually, when the knocking brought no result, he
carefully opened the door with the sense of doing something that was not
only improper but also pointless. In the room there was no-one. What's
more, it looked hardly at all like the room K. had known before.
Against the wall there were now two beds behind one another, there were
clothes piled up on three chairs near the door, a wardrobe stood open.
Miss Burstner must have gone out while Miss Montag was speaking to him
in the dining room. K. was not greatly bothered by this, he had hardly
expected to be able to find Miss Burstner so easily and had made this
attempt for little more reason than to spite Miss Montag. But that made
it all the more embarrassing for him when, as he was closing the door
again, he saw Miss Montag and the captain talking in the open doorway of
the dining room. They had probably been standing there ever since K.
had opened the door, they avoided seeming to observe K.