The Castle: Chapters 21–25

“Frieda asked only one thing of me, that I should rescue her from those frenzied and doggishly licentious assistants.”

The general tenor of the conversation concerned their not being allowed to wait in the building and having to stand outside in the snow.

Something must therefore have changed on your side, through the insinuations of strangers or for other reasons.

K. couldn’t leave that easily now; disgruntled, he gazed at the sumptuous but unfortunately not empty bed, remembered the question, and gave his name.

K. couldn’t leave that easily now; disgruntled, he gazed at the sumptuous but unfortunately not empty bed, remembered the question, and gave his name.

Without knowing anything about the circumstances attending the summoning of K., the difficulties it had encountered in the community and at the Castle, about the complications that had already arisen during K.’s stay here or that were in the offing—without knowing anything about all this...he offered without further ado, simply with the help of his little notepad, to resolve the matter.

But if they have actually become a necessity, then—I would say—that is still, indirectly at any rate, a result of the regulations, and to carp at the nature of the nighttime interrogations would almost mean—I am naturally exaggerating a little and can therefore allow myself, simply as an exaggeration, to make the following remark—that would almost mean to carp at the regulations.

Who—even if he were the greatest worker—could keep together on his desk the ramifications of the smallest incident?

First it sounded like the jubilation of children getting ready for an excursion, then like wake-up time in a henhouse, like the joy of being in complete accord with the awakening day...

The intransigence of this servant was especially pleasing to him.

At some distance behind him, his wife now appeared as well; she too ran with her arms extended, but her steps were small and mincing and K. thought that she would arrive here too late, for by then the landlord would already have taken care of everything.

Wouldn’t the landlord and the landlady and their entire staff have come running over a long time ago if they had only dared to appear unsolicited before the gentlemen in the morning, even if only to bring help and then to disappear at once.

She gave an order that Pepi, who at a call from her had appeared out of the dark, unkempt, tired, casually holding a broom, should throw K. a cushion.

They consoled Pepi: after all, Frieda didn’t dress very prettily either and traipsed about so sloppily at times that the guests would rather be served by the cellar boys than by her.

Gerstäcker gave only a cursory answer, he needed K.’s help with the horses, he himself now had other business, but K. shouldn’t let himself be dragged along like this and make things needlessly difficult for him.