Someone must have framed Joseph K., because one fine morning he was arrested for no reason.The landlady's cook always brought breakfast at eight o'clock every day, but she did not show up on this day, which had never happened before. K. waited a little longer, leaning on the pillow, and looked at an old lady across the road, who seemed to be looking at him with a curiosity that was perhaps rare for her. Feeling angry and hungry, K rang the bell.Then there was a knock at the door, and a person he had never seen in the house entered.The man was slender, but rather solidly built, and wore a well-cut black suit, with various pleats, pockets, and buttons, and a drawstring, and was dressed like a tourist.Everything about him therefore seemed to serve a purpose, although it was not quite clear why he was dressed in this way now. "Who are you?" asked K., rising from the bed.But the man ignored K.'s question, as if his presence was self-explanatory; he just said: "Did you ring the bell?" "It's time for Anna to bring me breakfast," said K.Then he silently and attentively pondered over that person, intending to find out who it was.The man did not keep K. thinking for long, then turned and walked towards the door, which he opened a crack in order to report to someone who was obviously standing behind it: "He said it was time for Anna to bring him breakfast." A short burst of laughter was the answer; it sounded like it was coming from several people.Although the stranger didn't hear anything from the laughter, and he didn't know much about it, he said to K. as if making a statement: "That won't work." "That's really new," K. said loudly.He jumped out of bed and hurriedly pulled on his pants. "I'll have to see who's next door and see how Mrs. Grubach can explain this to me." He realized at once, however, that he shouldn't say that aloud; way of acknowledging that the stranger has a right to watch his actions.However, he felt the matter was irrelevant at the moment.But the stranger really understood K.'s words in this way, because he asked: "Don't you think it would be better for you to stay here?" "If you don't say who you are, I will neither stay here nor let You talk to me." "I've said enough," said the stranger.Then, on his own initiative, he flung the door open. K. walked into the next room more slowly than he had expected; at first glance it seemed that everything in the room had been laid out the night before.This is Mrs. Grubach's living room; it is full of furniture and furnishings, carpets, china, and photographs.Perhaps there was more space in the living room than usual, but you wouldn't notice it on first entering, especially since the main change in the house was the presence of a man sitting by the open window reading a book.The man raised his eyes and glanced at K. "You have to stay in your own room! Didn't Franz tell you?" "Yes, but what are you doing here?" asked K., taking his eyes off the man he had just met. Move to the man named Franz—Frantz still standing by the door.Then K. looked back again. K. glanced again at the old lady opposite through the open window; with the curiosity typical of old people, she went to the window directly opposite, intending to see what was going on here. "I'd better go to Frau Grubach..." said K.He seemed to want to get rid of those two people (although they were quite far away from him), and to go out of the house. "No," said the man sitting by the window.He threw the book on the table and stood up. "You can't go out, you're under arrest." "So that's what happened," said K. "But why arrest me?" he added. "We have no right to tell you. Go back to your room and wait there. A case has been made for you, and everything will be told to you in due course. I am talking to you so casually, It is beyond the limits of the instructions I have been given. But I hope that no one has heard me except Franz; Franz has been too easy with you just now, and violated the express instructions given to him. In You are lucky in the choice of guard for you; if you continue to be so lucky, you can feel at ease with the final result." K. felt that he should sit down, but he found that the whole room, except for a chair by the window, was empty. There is nowhere to sit. "You'll soon find out that what we tell you is the truth," Franz said.He and the other man approached K. at the same time.The man was much taller than K. He kept patting K on the shoulder.They both looked at K.'s pajamas carefully and said that he should not wear such fine clothes now, but they would take care of it and his other underwear; Give it back to him. "It's much better to give these things to us than to put them in the warehouse," they said, "because there are a lot of thefts in the warehouse; besides, after a while, they sell everything, regardless of your problems." Is it settled. You never know how long a case like this can drag on, especially these days. Of course, at the end of the day, you get some money from the warehouse, too; but first they pay you less It's pathetic, because they sell your stuff to the most sophisticated briber, not the highest bidder; and secondly, it's well known that every other year, every time the money goes through someone's hands, it loses a lot K. paid no heed to this advice, he did not think that other people had the right to control what was his own; it was therefore all the more important for him to have a clear understanding of his situation; but with these two people by his side, He couldn't even think about it.The second guard—they must be the guards, it can't be anyone else—has always been quite friendly against his stomach.As soon as he raised his eyes, he saw a face that did not match the chubby body of the guard: it was a shriveled, thin face with a large nose twisted to one side.He seemed to be exchanging views with the other guard over K.'s head.Who could they be?What are they talking about?What authority might they represent? K lives in a country with a formal constitution, where all the laws are at work.Who dared to arrest him in his apartment?He had always been inclined to be indifferent to things, and only when the worst happened did he believe that it could be so bad; even if the danger was imminent, he did not worry about tomorrow.But he felt that such an attitude was not the best policy at the moment; and he could certainly have taken it all to be a joke; a poor joke concocted by his colleagues at the bank for some unclear reason.Perhaps because today is his thirtieth birthday, it is certainly possible.Maybe he just had to smile knowingly in these two faces and they would laugh with him.Maybe they were just porters working on a street corner--they looked a lot like porters; therefore, with just one look at the man named Franz, he decided not to relinquish for the time being what he might have in front of these two. Advantage.Later on, his friends might say that he didn't know how to joke; there was such a small danger.Although he is not used to learning from experience, he also recalls that on several occasions of lesser importance, he ignored the advice of all his friends and did not think about the consequences. He insisted on going his own way and finally had to pay extremely high the price.It must never happen again, at least not this time; and if it was a comedy, he would see it through.

He is still free. "Excuse me," he said, and passed between the two guards, and walked quickly to his house. "Looks like he's sensible," he heard one of them say behind his back.As soon as he entered the room, he drew out the drawers of the desk: everything was in order; but, in his excitement, he did not find at once the papers which would identify him, which he was looking for.At last he found his bicycle licence, and was about to take it to the guard when he suddenly realized that such a licence was of no use.So he kept searching until he found the birth certificate.He had just re-entered the adjoining room when the opposite door opened and Frau Grubach showed her face.He saw her only for a moment, for Frau Grubach, visibly embarrassed by the sight of him, apologized hastily, and then withdrew, closing the door carefully behind her.He had time to say to her, "Come in, come in." But he just stood in the middle of the room, ID in hand, looking at the door that never opened again.He did not wake up until the guard yelled; he found two guards sitting at a table by the window, wolfing down what was supposed to be his breakfast. "Why won't she come in?" "She won't come in," said the tall guard, "because you're under arrest." "What, am I under arrest? Arrested in such a ridiculous way? What's going on here?" ?” “So you want to start all over again now?” said the guard, dipping a piece of buttered bread into the honey pot, “We don’t answer questions like that.” “You should,” said K. Said, "Here are my papers, now please show me your papers, first the arrest warrant." "Oh, my God," said the guard, "I hope you understand your situation, I hope you don't Don't bother us both in vain, we've probably treated you better than anyone else in the world, we've cared more about you than anybody else." "It's true, you can believe it," said Fran Ci said.He was holding a coffee cup in his hand, but he didn't raise it to his mouth, but looked at Zheng for a long time, seemingly meaningfully, but unbelievably. K found himself involuntarily exchanging meaningful glances with Franz.Despite this, he patted his ID with his hands and said, "This is a ID to show my identity." "What does your ID have to do with us?" The tall guard yelled, "What you are doing now is not as good as A kid. What are you trying to do? Do you think you're going to get this delicate case of yours over sooner by arguing with us, your guards, under the pretext of papers, arrest warrants, and the like? We just Minor clerks whose names are hard to find in official papers; we have nothing to do with your case, we are only tasked with watching you for ten hours a day, for which we are paid. That's all about us. We are well aware that the high authorities we serve must have a good understanding of the reasons for arrest and the characteristics of the prisoner before ordering the arrest of a person. You can't go wrong in this regard. As far as I know, our officials-I only Know the lowest-ranking officials among them-never go to the people to find crimes, but like the law says, they are attracted by crimes, and then send us guards. This is the law. How can it go wrong? ""I don't understand the law," said K. "It's too bad for you," the guard replied. "The law probably exists only in their own heads," said K.Somehow he wanted to master the minds of the guards, to give him the upper hand over them, or to adapt himself to them.But the guard just said in a disappointing tone: "You will break the law." Franz interrupted him: "You see, William, he admits that he doesn't know the law, but he also declares that he is innocent. "You're quite right, but you'll never make a man like him rational," replied the other guard. K made no reply. "Should I," thought he, "should I be more confused by the ramblings of these two wretches? They have, by their own admission, told all about themselves. They don't understand it themselves. It's sheer stupidity that makes them so confident. A few words with someone on my level of intellect can make everything clear; Even an hour can’t do this.” He paced back and forth in the room for a while; he saw the old lady across the road again: she was holding an older man by the waist and dragging him to the window. forward. K felt that the farce should be brought to an end. "Take me to your chief," he said. "I'll take you there when he gives the order, not now," the guard named William replied. "Now I advise you," he went on, "to go back to your room and stay there quietly until a decision is made about you. Our advice to you is, don't let yourself be disturbed by idle thoughts. You have to think carefully, because a series of big questions are going to be asked of you. You are not as friendly and kind to us as we are to you; you forget that whatever we are, at least compared to you, we are Free. That's no small advantage. Still, if you've got the money, we'd like to go to the café across the road and buy you some early ones."

K stood where he was for a while longer, without answering the guard's proposal.If he went to open the door of the next room, or the door to the living room, perhaps those two men would not have the guts to stop him, and perhaps it would be the easiest way to settle the whole affair and bring it to an end.But they might catch him too; as soon as he was caught, he would lose the advantage he still had in a sense.He therefore rejected the quick solution, opted for a sure course, and let the matter take its course; and he went back to his room.Neither he nor the guard said another word. Lying in bed, he took a nice apple from the washstand; it had been there the night before, for breakfast.Now, this apple is all the breakfast he can eat.After a few bites he was convinced that, after all, the apple was much better than the ones you could buy in the sleazy all-night cafes.The obliging warden promised to go there and buy him something to eat.He felt at ease and confident; it was true that he could not be at the bank this morning, but his absence could easily be tolerated because of his higher position.Should he tell the real reason for his absence?He thinks it should be done.If they didn't believe it -- which was understandable in the circumstances -- he would have Mrs. Grubach testify, or even the two strangers across the road who might now be back on the road again. to the window of his room. It seemed strange to K., at least when he thought of what the two guards had done: they had sent him back to his room and left him alone; there he had plenty of opportunities to kill himself.However, at the same time, he also looked at the problem from his own point of view, and asked himself: Under what circumstances would it be possible for him to commit suicide?Was it because two guards sat next to him and snatched his breakfast?Suicide is a meaningless act, and even if he wanted to commit suicide, he would not allow himself to take that path, precisely because the act is meaningless.If the stupidity of the two guards had not been so obvious, he would have thought that they both felt no danger in leaving him alone, for the same reason.They now have every right to monitor his movements.He went to the sideboard, which contained a bottle of fine brandy; he filled a glass, drank it to make up for the loss of breakfast, drank a second glass to embolden himself, and drank a last glass with Come to the bottom to deal with the unexpected.

He was taken aback by a sudden shout from the next room, his teeth chattering on the glass. "The Ombudsman tells you to go," was the cry.But what surprised him was the tone of the shout: rough, reckless, like a military order.He would never believe that it was the voice of the guard Franz.In fact, the order itself was welcome to him. "There's news at last," he called back in return; then, closing the cupboard, he hurried into the adjoining room.The two guards stood there, and they immediately pushed K. back into his room, as if it was a matter of course. "What do you want?" they yelled. "You think you can go to the Ombudsman with only a shirt on? He'll give you a hard time, even us." "It's up to me, damn it " said K. loudly; but he was pushed to the wardrobe by this time, "you dragged me out of bed, don't expect me to be neat and well dressed." "You can't do otherwise," said the guard.As soon as K. raised his voice, they became cheerful, even a little depressed, trying to confuse him, or to some extent bring him back to his senses. "Boring form!" he said angrily.He took a coat from the chair and held it on his hands for a moment, as if to let the guard see if it would fit.They shook their heads. "A black dress must be worn," they said.Then K. threw the clothes on the floor and said to them: "It's not a death sentence." He didn't know what he meant by these words.The two guards smiled and insisted on the original statement: "You must wear black clothes." "If it's to make my case go faster, then I don't care," replied K.He opened the closet, rummaged through a lot of clothes for a long time, and finally found his most beautiful black jacket.It was a well-tailored plain suit, and acquaintances were full of praise when they saw it.Then he picked out another shirt and began to dress up carefully.He thought to himself: In any case, in order to get the proceedings started quickly, he had managed to make the two guards forget to ask him to take a bath.He sneaked a glance at them to see if they would remember to ask him to take a bath; of course, it would never occur to them.Wilhelm, however, did not forget to send Franz to report to the inspector that K. was changing.

When he was all dressed, he set out on his journey; William followed closely behind him.He went through the now empty adjoining room and into the next room: both doors of this room were open. K. knew very well that this room had recently been rented by a typist named Burstner.She went to work very early every day and came home very late, and K. only spoke to her a few words when he met her.Now the small coffee table beside her bed had been pushed into the middle of the room to serve as a desk; the Ombudsman was sitting behind it, legs crossed, one arm thrown over the back of the chair. Three young men were standing in one corner of the room, looking at some of Burstner's photographs; the photographs were framed and hung on the wall.The window was open, and a white blouse hung from the latch, swinging to and fro.Behind the window across the road, the two old men reappeared, but their circle was widened, for there was another figure standing behind them.The man was a head and shoulders taller than they were, with his shirt collar unbuttoned, fingers constantly running along his reddish goatee. "Joseph K.?" asked the inspector, probably just trying to direct K.'s absent-minded eyes to himself. K. nodded. "You probably feel very strange about what happened this morning, don't you?" the inspector asked. , as if these things would be useful for his interrogation. "Of course," said K.; he was very glad that he had finally found a reasonable man with whom he could talk about the matter. "Of course, I find it strange, but I don't think it's very strange." "Not very strange?" asked the Inspector, who put the candle in the middle of the coffee table and placed other things around the candle. "Perhaps you have misunderstood me," K. added hastily, "I mean..." At this point K. stopped talking and looked around for a chair. "I suppose I could sit down?" he asked. "It is not customary," replied the inspector. "I mean," said K., who stopped beating around the bush, "of course I find it very strange; but a man like me who has been in the world for thirty years and fought to break out of it, Strange things have become insensitive and take them less seriously, especially this morning." "Why this morning especially?" "I don't mean that I took this morning's This was taken as a joke, because, if it was, the series of preparations seemed to have been done too well. Everyone in the apartment, and all of you, were involved; it was too much for a joke. A little. So I don't think it's a joke." "Exactly," said the Inspector, who seemed to be trying to find out how many matches were in the box. "But, on the other hand," continued K., turning his face to everyone in the room, trying to attract the attention of the three young men standing next to the picture, "on the other hand, It's not a big deal either. I say this on the basis of fact that although I've been charged with something, I can't recall any wrongdoing that I'm now charged with. However, Even that doesn't matter, I just want to ask: Who is the one who charged me? What institution is in charge of the trial? Are you judges? None of you are in uniform," he said, turning his head to Franz. "If your clothes don't count as uniforms either. However, it's more like tourist's luggage. I ask you to give a definite answer to these questions. I trust that after explaining, we can talk to each other quite amicably. Goodbye." The Inspector threw the matchbox on the tea table. "You're thinking wrong," said he. "Neither the gentlemen here nor I myself have any place in your case, and we know virtually nothing about it. We can wear the most formal uniforms." , your case isn't going to get any worse. I'm not even sure, if you've been charged with a crime; or rather, I don't know if you've been charged. You've been arrested, it's true Exactly; I don't know much more. The guards may have given you another impression, but they were just talking irresponsibly. But while I can't answer your question, I can at least give you A piece of advice: think less about us, less about what will happen to you, and more about yourself. Don't shout like that to show your innocence. You've made a good impression in other ways. It would be bad. You should also keep your mouths to a minimum, and almost everything you say could be added to your record of performance; it will not do you any good under any circumstances."

K stared intently at the inspector.Does he need to let someone who may be younger than himself teach him how to behave in the world?Will he be accused and punished for being outspoken?Could it be true that he could not find out why he was arrested and who sent to arrest him? He got a little fidgety and started pacing up and down—no one stopped him.He rolled up his cuffs, touched the front of his shirt with his fingers, and played with his hair."Pure nonsense!" he said as he passed the three young men, and they turned back with sympathy.Serious eyes, however, watched him; at last he came up to the Inspector's desk. "Attorney Hastler is a personal friend of mine," he said, "may I give him a call?" "Of course," replied the Ombudsman, "but I don't see the benefit What's the point, unless you have some personal business to discuss with him." "What's the point of calling him?" cried K., rather surprised than angry, "who the hell are you?" You're asking me to be sensible, and you're acting so boring only you can imagine! That's enough to make a dog hate it. You break into my house and hang around in it; and I'm racking my brains , thinking in vain of the reasons for my arrest. What's the point of calling a lawyer now that I'm under arrest? Well, I won't call." "Call if you want," said the Ombudsman. said, waving his hand in the direction of the hall, where there is a telephone, "Go and call, please." "No, I don't want to call now," said K.; and he went to the window.The three people on the other side of the road were still watching the spectacle, and they were enjoying it; when K appeared at the window, their enjoyment was slightly affected for the first time.The two old men moved as if they were about to stand up, but the man behind him reassured them as if nothing had happened. "There are still a lot of spectators!" shouted K to the inspector, pointing at the three. "Go away," he called across the road.The three immediately took a few steps back; the two old men almost hid behind the young man; the young man protected them with his burly body, judging from the movement of his lips, he was talking; but due to the distance It was too far away to hear what he was saying.However, they did not leave, as if waiting for an opportunity, they quietly returned to the window. "Meddling, inconsiderate bastard!" said K., turning again into the room.Glancing sideways, he thought, maybe the inspector thought so too.But it is also possible that the Inspector was not listening at all, for he pressed one hand tightly on the table, as if comparing the lengths of his five fingers.Two guards sat on a wooden box, dangling their legs; the wooden box was covered with an embroidered cloth.The three young men pressed their hands on their hips and looked around aimlessly.The room was quiet, like in some empty office. "Come on, gentlemen," cried K., who for a moment thought he was in charge of all those present, "I can see from your eyes that my matter is settled. My opinion is that now is the best time." Don't worry about whether your behavior is legal or not, shake hands and settle this matter in a friendly way. If your opinion is the same, then why..." He walked towards the inspector's desk, held out his hand.The inspector raised his eyes, bit his lip, and stared at K.'s hand which was extended towards him. K. believed that the inspector would take the offered hand; but on the contrary, the inspector stood up, picked up the round hat which was lying on Miss Burstner's bed, and carefully held it with both hands. Put it on your head carefully, as if trying it on for the first time. "You take everything too simply!" he said to K., putting on his hat. "Do you think we can settle this amicably? No, it's absolutely impossible. But I'm not Advise you to give up hope. Why are you giving up hope? You were arrested and nothing else. I was ordered to inform you of this. I did and I noticed your reaction. That's it for today , we can say good-bye to each other, although only temporarily, which is quite natural. I think you should go to the bank now?" "To the bank?" asked K. "I think, I was arrested just now, wasn't I?" asked K. slightly defiantly.Although his offer to shake hands had gone unheeded, he still felt increasingly irrelevant to these people, especially now, when the Inspector stood up to leave.He was playing with them.He really wanted to run after them when they were going out, chase them all the way to the gate, give them a general, and let them take him away as a prisoner.So he said it again: "How can I get to the bank now that I'm under arrest?" It is true that you are under arrest, but it does not prevent you from doing business; it does not prevent you from continuing to live a normal life." "Then being arrested is not a very bad thing," K. went The inspector came forward and said. "I never said it was a bad thing," the Ombudsman said. "In that case, there seems to be no particular need to tell me. I'm under arrest," said K., coming closer.Others also came forward.They were all gathered together by the door now.In a small place. "It's my responsibility," the Ombudsman replied. "A foolish duty," said K. sharply. "Perhaps so," said the Inspector, "but we needn't waste time in this argument. I thought you'd be willing to go to the bank just now. Since you're so picky about your words, I'll add. : I am not forcing you to go to the bank, I just guess that you will be willing to go. For your convenience, in order to let you reach the bank smoothly, as unhindered as possible, I leave these three gentlemen here , they are your colleagues, at your disposal." "What?" exclaimed K, looking at the three men dumbfounded.These three penniless, anemic young men--he had just seen them standing next to the photograph--were indeed employees of the bank; A flaw in the all-encompassing knowledge ofBut, anyway, they are really low-level employees in the bank. How could K not have noticed this just now?He might have been so focused on the inspector and the guard that he didn't recognize the three young men.The stern Rabensteiner shakes his arms, the dashingly handsome Kulisch has deep-set eyes, and Kaminel wears an unbearable smile on his face due to chronic muscular twitches . "Hello!" said K. after a short pause; he held out his hand to the three men, who nodded politely to him. "I didn't recognize you just now. Well, let's go to work now, okay?" The three young men smiled and nodded eagerly, as if that's why they waited so long.When K. turned and wanted to go back to his room to get the hat he had left there, the three young men rushed to help him, much to his regret. K. stood where he was, looking at them through the two open doors; Rabensteiner, who was of course the last of all, was walking forward with small graceful steps.Caminel handed him the hat, and K. had to remind himself that Caminel's smile was not on purpose, that even if he wanted to, he couldn't. K. had to remind himself of this often at the bank.And Frau Grubach, who didn't seem particularly guilty; she opened the front door and let the couple out. As usual, K. looked down at her apron belt; she was round and fat, and the apron belt pinched her waist and sunk into the flesh incredibly deep. K. went downstairs, took out his pocket watch, glanced at it, and decided to call a taxi so as not to delay the trip to the bank, since he was already half an hour late.Caminel ran to the corner to ask for a car, and the other two were clearly trying to distract K.Suddenly Kulishi pointed to the door of the opposite house: the tall man with a reddish goatee appeared at the door, he was a little embarrassed because his whole body was exposed, so he immediately retracted his body and leaned against the wall reclining.The two old men were probably going downstairs. K. was annoyed to find that Kulig still wanted him to pay attention to that person, because he had already recognized him, and he had been looking forward to seeing him just now. "Don't look across the street," he said hastily, not minding how strange it would be to speak to a grown man in that tone.But there was no need to explain, for the taxi had already arrived; they were seated, and the car set off.At this moment K. remembered how he hadn't noticed how the inspector and the two guards had left; The official forgot all about it.This showed that he was absent-minded, and K decided to pay more attention to it.He turned involuntarily and stretched out his neck to peer out the back of the car for the possibility of spotting the inspector and warden.But he turned back at once and settled himself in the corner of the car, because he didn't want to see any of them at all.Contrary to what one might think, he was happy to hear a word or two from his companions at this moment; but they seemed suddenly tired.左边，只有卡米乃尔正面对着他，脸上挂着那个令人害怕的笑容；可惜的是，基于人道主义的考虑，这种笑容不能作为谈论的话题。

那年春天，Ｋ习惯于用这种方式消磨晚上的时光：下班以后——他一般在办公室里呆到九点——只要时间允许，便独自或者和几个同事一块散一会儿步，然后走进一家啤酒店，在一张大多数情况下由年长者付钱的桌边坐下，一直到十一点才离开。但是，这个惯例也有几个例外：当银行经理请他乘车出去逛逛，或者请他到乡间别墅中吃饭时便是这样。经理对他的勤快和可靠有很高的评价。另外Ｋ每星期要去看一次一位名叫艾尔莎的姑娘；她在一家酒吧间里当侍应女郎，每夜都要通宵达旦，白天则在床上接待来访者。 但是这天晚上——白天工作很忙，许多人热情友好地向他祝贺生日，一天时间很快就过去了——Ｋ决定直接回家。白天上班时有几次短暂的休息时间，每次休息时他都在想着这件事；他也不大清楚是为什么，但他总觉得格鲁巴赫太太全家都被今天早晨发生的事情搅得一塌糊涂了，使这个家恢复正常是他一个人的任务。只要问题一解决，这些事情的痕迹将荡然无存，一切便会恢复常态。那三个职员本身没有任何东西值得害怕，他们重新被纳入银行的庞大行政机构中，在他们身上没有发生任何变化。Ｋ曾经好几次把他们单个或一起叫进办公室，目的仅仅是对他们进行一番观察：每次请他们退出办公室时，他心里都很平静。 当他九点半到达他住的那栋房子时，发现沿街的大门口站着一位年轻小伙子；小伙子两腿叉开，嘴里叨着烟斗。“你是谁？”Ｋ马上问道；他把自己的脸凑近小伙子的脸，因为门口较暗，看不大清楚。“我是看门人的儿子，先生，”小伙子说，他放下烟斗，走到一边去了。“看门人的儿子？”Ｋ问道，并不耐烦地用手杖敲敲地面。“你需要什么东西吗，先生？我是不是去把父亲叫来？”“不，不，”Ｋ说；他的语调令人宽慰，好像小伙子干了件错事，不过可以得到原谅。“没事，”他说完便走进门去，但是在登上楼梯之前，又回头看了一眼。

他本想直接到自己的房间里去，但是他又想和格鲁巴赫太太谈一谈，所以便在她门口停下敲了敲门。她正坐在桌边织补东西，桌上摆着一堆旧袜子。Ｋ局促不安地表示道歉，因为这么晚了还来敲门；不过，格鲁巴赫太太倒很客气，请他不必解释，她什么时候都愿意和他聊一聊。Ｋ知道得很清楚，自己是她最好的、最受尊重的房客。Ｋ环顾了屋子一眼：屋里已经完全恢复了老样子，早晨放在窗旁桌子上的那些盛早点的盘子好像已经拿走了。女人的手可真勤快，他想道。如果是他的话，很可能会当场把这些盘子全打碎，而决不会心平气和地把它们拿走。他怀着某种感激的心情看了格鲁巴赫太太一眼。“你为什么这么晚还干活？”他问。现在他们两个人都坐在桌边，Ｋ不时把自己的一只手伸进袜子堆里去。“活儿很多，”她说，“白天我的时间归房客所有；只有在晚上才能料理自己的事情。”“我担心今天给你增加了额外负担，我要对此负责。”“你说的是什么意思？”她问道，并把织补活搁在膝上，顿时变得紧张起来。“我指的是，今天早晨来了那几个人。”“噢，是那件事，”她说道，一会儿就恢复了镇静，“这没给我添多少麻烦。”她又拿起了织补活，Ｋ默默地瞧着她。（“当我提起这件事的时候，她似乎感到惊讶，”他想，“她好像觉得我不该提这件事。越是这样，我越要提这件事，因为我不能跟别人讲，只能跟这位老太太说一说。”）“这肯定给你增加了不少麻烦，”他最后说，“不过，以后再也不会发生了。”“对，不会再发生了。”她肯定地说，脸上露出了几乎是凄凉的微笑。“你这话当真？”Ｋ问。“对，”她轻松地说，“不过，首先你不必太多心。在这个世界上什么事情都会发生！Ｋ先生，既然你跟我讲话很坦率，那么我也可以向你承认，我在门背后听了一会儿，那两个看守还告诉了我几件事。这关系到你的幸福，我确实很关心，也许关心得过分了，因为我只不过是你的房东而已。好，我接着说吧，我听说了一些事情，不过，我不能说，这些事特别坏。不。你被捕了，这是事实，但你和被捕的小偷不一样。如果有人因为偷东西而被捕，这当然是坏事；但是你的被捕……我总觉得是因为某种很深奥的原因，请原谅，如果我讲了蠢话；我觉得是因为某种抽象的东西，我不理解这点，我也不必去弄明白。”

“你刚才讲的话一点也不蠢，格鲁巴赫太太，至少我也部分同意你的观点。不同的是，我认为这一切要更严重，对我的控告不仅抽象，而且完全是无中生有。真是出乎我的意料之外，这就是一切。如果我醒来后，不苦苦琢磨安娜为什么没有来，而是立即起床，并且不管有没有人阻拦，到你这儿来的话，我就可以换个地方，在厨房里吃早饭，并且可以让你到我房间里去把我的衣服拿来。总之，如果我的行为明智一点，后来的那些事就不至于发生了，一切就会被消灭在萌芽状态中。但是，我当时毫无准备。在银行里，我总是胸有成竹，类似的事情在那儿是不可能在我身上发生的；我有自己的侍从，直线电话和内部电话就摆在我面前的办公桌上，顾客、职员接踵而至；更重要的是，我总是全神贯注地投入工作，一直保持警觉。An果这种情况突然出现在银行里，我会着实感到愉快的。哎，事情已经过去了，我不想重提啦，只打算听听你的看法，听听一个明智的太太的看法。我很高兴，咱们的观点一致。现在请你伸出手来，咱们握握手，证明咱们的观点确实是吻合的。” “她会同我握手吗？监察官是不会这样做的，”他想道，同时用一种审察性的异样目光打量着那女人。她站了起来，因为Ｋ已经站起来了；她有点困惑不解，因为没有完全听明白他说话的意思。由于困惑，她讲了一些违心的话，这些话说得很不是时候。“不必过虑，Ｋ先生，”她说，声音中好像包含着眼泪，她当然忘了握他的手。“我并不认为我为这件事过虑了，”Ｋ说；他突然疲倦了，发现她同意或者不同意自己的意见都无关紧要。

他在门口问：“布尔斯特纳小姐在家吗？”“不在家，”格鲁巴赫太太回答道，她在作出这个干巴巴的回答时，诚恳地笑了一下，好像对此表示关切。“她去看戏了。你想问她点什么事吗？需要我给她留个口信吗？”“噢，我只想和她说一两句话。”“我怕不知道她什么时候才能回来；她去看戏时，一般回来得很晚。”“这没关系，”Ｋ说，他低垂着脑袋，转身朝门口走去。“我只想向她解释一下，今天借用了她的房间。”“这完全没有必要，Ｋ先生，你太认真了，小姐什么也不知道，她从今天早晨出去后，一直没有回来过，所有的东西都已放回原处，你可以自己去看看。”她打开布尔斯特纳小姐的房门。“谢谢，我相信你，”Ｋ说，但还是穿过打开的门走进屋内。柔和的月光洒进这间黑洞洞的房间。眼睛所能看见的每样东西确实已经放回原处，女上衣已经不在窗闩上摇晃了。床上的枕头看起来高得出奇，一部分被月光照着。“小姐常常很晚才回家，”Ｋ说，他看着格鲁巴赫太太，好像她应该为此受到嗔责。“年轻人都是这种样子，”格鲁巴赫太太用为小姐辩护的口气说。“当然，当然，”Ｋ说、“不过，也许会闹出事来。”“这是可能的，”格鲁巴赫太太说，“你说得多对呀，Ｋ先生！也许，在目前这种情况下更是如此。我不想说布尔斯特纳小姐的坏话，她是一个可爱的、心地善良的姑娘，文雅、正派、精明、能干，她身上的这些品质都使我甚为欣赏；但是有一点不可否认：她应该更有自尊心一点，少和男人来往。光是这个月里，我就已经在郊区的马路上碰见过她两口，每回跟她在一起的先生都不一样。我很担心，Ｋ先生，不过，除了你以外，我没有对任何人讲过，这是千真万确的，就像我现在站在这儿一样地千真万确。但是我担心不会有希望了，我得找小姐本人谈一谈。况且，使我对她产生怀疑的还不单单是这件事。”“你这样说不对头，”Ｋ说，他的话中带着怒气，他很难掩饰，“你显然误解了我对小姐的看法，我指的不是那种意思。事实上，我要坦率地提醒你别对小姐提任何事情；你大错特错了，我很了解小姐，你讲的话里没有一句是真的。但是，我可能管得太宽了。我不想干预这件事，你愿意对她讲什么都可以。晚安。”“Ｋ先生，”格鲁巴赫太太用恳求的口气说，并匆匆跟着他走到他门口。Ｋ已经打开了门。“我现在肯定不会对小姐讲任何事情，我没有这个意思，我当然还要等一段时间，看看会发生什么事，然后再决定怎么办。我只和你这么推心置腹地谈过。不管怎么说，我想保持我这栋房子的声誉，这只会对我的所有房客有好处，这就是我为这件事情操心的全部原因。”“声誉？”Ｋ透过门缝大声说道，“如果你想保持你这栋房子的声誉，你就必须先把我撵出去。”他接着“呼”的一声关上门，不再理睬门上传来的轻轻的敲门声。

但是，他毫无睡意，决定不上床，乘此机会看看布尔斯特纳小姐几点钟能回来。也许等她回家时，不管有多晚，他也可以和她聊几句。他闭上疲惫不堪的双眼，在窗前踱步，一时真想劝布尔斯特纳小姐和他一起搬走，以这种方式来教训教训格鲁巴赫太太。不过，他马上发现，这种行为太过分了。他开始怀疑，自己想搬家，是因为今天早晨发生了这些事情。没有别的举动会比这更不明智，更无聊和更卑鄙了。 他看着外面空荡荡的街道，开始觉得不耐烦了，便把门厅的大门开了一条缝，然后躺在沙发上。这样，任何人只要一进门，他就能看见。他平心静气地躺在沙发上，吸着雪茄，一直到十一点左右。后来他无法再躺下去，便朝着门厅走了一两步，好像这样布尔斯特纳小姐就会早点回来似的。他觉得没有特别的兴趣要见她，他甚至记不太清楚小姐的长相了；不过他现在想跟她谈谈，他想到小姐的姗姗来迟可能会把这一天的最后一段时间搞得更加乱糟糟的，因此很恼火。她还应该受到斥责，因为她害得他没吃晚饭。他本来今晚要去看艾尔莎的，也因为小姐的缘故而推迟了。这两件事都有可能弥补，这是真的，只需直接到艾尔莎工作的那家酒馆里去就行了。他决定晚点去，和布尔斯特纳谈完话以后去。 十一点半多一点，他听见有人上楼梯。刚才他沉浸在思索中，把前厅误作自己的房间了，还在里面来回踱了一阵步；现在他赶紧跑回自己的卧室，走到门背后。是布尔斯特纳小姐进来了。她关上正门，打了一个哆嗦，立即用披巾裹住自己瘦削的肩膀。一分钟之内，她就该走进自己的房间了；时间这么晚，Ｋ当然不能进她的屋；因此，他只能现在和她谈，但是糟糕的是，他忘了把自己房间里的灯打开。所以，如果他冒黑出去，小姐就会以为他想要拦路抢劫，或者至少会大吃一惊。不能再浪费时间了，他无可奈何地透过门缝低声叫道：“布尔斯特纳小姐。”他的声音听起来像是在哀求，而不是在叫人。“谁在那儿？”布尔斯特纳小姐问，她瞪大眼睛朝四周扫了一遍。“是我，”Ｋ走上前来说。“噢，Ｋ先生！”布尔斯特纳小姐微笑着说。“晚上好，”她朝Ｋ伸出手。“我得跟你讲一两句话，你允许我现在这么做吗？”“现在？”布尔斯特纳小姐问，“必须现在谈吗？有点不合适，对不对？”“我从九点钟开始，就一直等着你。”“噢，我在剧院里；你要知道，我不晓得你在等我。”“我只想跟你谈谈今天发生的事情。”“好，可以，我并不特别反对，只不过我实在太累了，连站也站不稳了。这样吧，你到我屋里来呆几分钟。我们不能在这儿谈话，会把大家都吵醒的，我讨厌这样做，不单单是为别人着想，更重要的是为我们自己着想。你在这儿等一会儿，我进屋把灯打开，然后你就可以把这儿的灯关掉了。”Ｋ熄掉灯，在原地等着，直到布尔斯特纳小姐在房间里低声请他进去为止。“请坐，”她指着沙发说，自己却在床脚边站着，虽然她刚才说已经累了；她甚至连头上那顶插着鲜花的高级小帽也没有脱掉。“到底是什么事，我真有点好奇了。”她的两脚交叉着。“你也许会说，”Ｋ开口道，“用不着那么着急，非得现在谈不可，但是……”“我从来不听开场白，”布尔斯特纳小姐说。“这对我来说就更方便了，”Ｋ说，“今天早晨，你的房间被人稍微弄乱了一点，从某种意义上说，是我的过错，这是几个陌生人违背我的意愿干的；不过，正像我刚才说的那样，还是我的错；我请你原谅。”“我的房间？”布尔斯特纳小姐问，她没有看着Ｋ，而是仔细看了一遍自己的房间。“是的，”Ｋ说，现在他俩的目光第一次相遇了，“到底是怎么发生的，就不必说了。”“不过，真正令人感兴趣的部分还是应该说一说，”布尔斯特纳小姐说。“不，”Ｋ说。“那好吧，”布尔斯特纳小姐说，“我不想刺探秘密；如果你坚持认为，谈这些没有意思，我不想为此与你争论。你请我原谅，我现在就爽爽快快地原谅你，尤其是因为我根本看不出来我的房间曾经被人弄乱过。”她张开双手，按在自己的髋骨上，在房间里走了一圈。她在嵌有照片的镜框跟前站住了。“你瞧这儿，”她高声说道，“我的照片全弄乱了！真讨厌。看来，确实有人进我的屋了，他是没有权利进来的。”Ｋ点点头。暗地里诅咒那个名叫卡米乃尔的职员：那个人从来也不能控制自己不去做毫无意义的傻事。“真有意思，”布尔斯特纳小姐说，“我现在只好禁止你去做你应该禁止自己做的事情了，也就是说，我不许你在我不在的时候走进我的房间。”“但是，我已经对你解释过了，小姐，”Ｋ一面说，一面走到照片跟前，“乱动这些照片的不是我；既然你不信，我不得不告诉你，审讯委员会带来了三个银行职员，其中的一个动了你的照片。只要一有机会，我就开除他。”小姐向他投来一瞥询问的眼光，他又说了一句，算是回答：“是的，今天审讯委员会到过这里。”“是为了你而来的？”小姐问。“是的，”Ｋ回答道。“不对！”姑娘笑着大声说道。“是的，是为了我而来的，”Ｋ说，“怎么，你以为我不会犯罪？”“噢，不会犯罪，”小姐说、“我只是刚才听你说了一句，不想作出什么定论，很可能会有许多伏笔。另外，说实在的，我并不很了解你。不过，不管怎么说，如果专门为某人成立了一个审讯委员会，这意味着他的罪行准是很严重。但是，你不可能犯了大罪，因为你仍然是自由的，至少从你的眼光中可以看出，你并不是刚刚从监狱里跑出来。”“你说得对，”Ｋ说，“审讯委员会有可能发现，我并不清白，只不过我犯的罪不像他们想像的那么重而已。”“当然，这是可能的，”布尔斯特纳小姐十分警觉地说。“瞧，”Ｋ说，“你在法律方面经验不多。”“对，我缺乏经验，”布尔斯特纳小姐说，“我常常为此而懊恼，因为我想了解一切应该了解的东西，法院尤其使我感兴趣。法院很吸引人，使人感到很好奇，对不对？不过，我在这方面的无知状态马上便要结束了，因为下星期我将到一位律师的办公室里去当职员。”“这太好啦，”Ｋ说，“这样你就可以在我的案子中助我一臂之力了。”“当然可以，”布尔斯特纳小姐说，“为什么不呢？我很愿意尽量利用我的知识。”“我说这话是认真的，”Ｋ说，“至少是半认真的，就像你一样。这桩案子无关紧要，用不着去请律师；不过，如果有个人给我出出主意，那就好办多了。”“我明白了；不过，要是让我给你出主意的话，我得先知道到底是怎么回事，”布尔斯特纳小姐说。“事情糟就糟在这儿，”Ｋ说，“连我自己也不知道是怎么回事。”“这么说来，你只不过是拿我开开玩笑而已，”布尔斯特纳小姐极为失望地说，“完全没有必要选择这么晚的一个时候来开这种玩笑。”她从照片跟前走开，他俩一块在这儿站了很长时间。“可是，小姐，”Ｋ说，“我并没有拿你开玩笑。你为什么不相信我的话呢？我已经把我知道的一切都告诉你了。不，我对你讲的，已经超过我所知道的，因为事实上它并不叫审讯委员会。我这么称呼它，是因为我不知道该怎么称呼它才好。并没有进行审讯，我只是被捕了；不过，它确实是个委员会。”布尔斯特纳小姐坐到沙发上，又笑了起来。“这个委员会是什么样的，能告诉我吗？”她问道。“很可怕，”Ｋ说，但是他不再考虑自己在说些什么了，因为他正全神贯注地看着布尔斯特纳小姐：她一只手托着脑袋，肘部支在沙发垫上，另一只手慢悠悠地摸着自己的髋骨。“说得太笼统了，”她说。“怎么大笼统了？”Ｋ问。他恢复了正常，问道：“我把事情经过跟你说说，好吗？”他想在屋里走动走动，不过还不想离开。“我累了，”布尔斯特纳小姐说。“你回来得太晚啦，”Ｋ说。“好，你倒责备起我来了，这是我自找的，因为我根本就不该让你进来。况且，显然没有任何必要让你进来。”“有必要，我马上就向你解释，”Ｋ说，“我可以把你床边的小茶几挪开吗？”“你在起什么怪念头！”布尔斯特纳小姐嚷道，“当然不行！”“那我就不能向你说明，事情是怎么发生的了，”Ｋ说；他很激动。好像受了莫大冤枉。“噢，如果你为了说明问题，必须挪茶几，那你就尽管挪好了，”布尔斯特纳小姐说；停顿了一会儿以后，她又轻声补充了一句：“我太累了，你爱怎么办就怎么办吧。”Ｋ把小茶几挪到屋子中间，自己坐到茶几后面。“你可以自己设想一下所有的人呆的准确位置，这会很有意思的。我是监察官，那边的箱子上坐着两个看守，照片跟前站着三个年轻人。窗闩上——我只不过附带提一句而已——挂着一件白上衣。现在我们可以开始了。噢，我把自己忘了，我是最重要的人物；喏，我就站在这儿——茶几前面。监察官逍遥自在地架起腿，一只胳臂搭在椅子背上。瞧，就是这个样子，活像一个乡巴佬。现在我们真的可以开始了。监察官喊叫着，好像要把我从梦中惊醒似的，他简直是在怒吼；我很害怕，为了让你相信，我得像他那样吼叫才行。不过，他只是吼叫着我的名字。”布尔斯特纳所得入了迷，她伸出一个手指，按在嘴唇上，请Ｋ别嚷嚷。但是已经太晚了，Ｋ完全进入了角色，他扯开嗓门高叫道：“约瑟夫·Ｋ。”他的喊声不像他刚才形容的那么可怕和那么响亮，然而却具有一种爆发性的力量，在空中滞留了一会儿以后，才慢慢在屋里散布开来。 突然，隔壁房间有谁在敲门，声音响亮、清脆、有规律。布尔斯特纳小姐脸色发白，用手捂着胸口。Ｋ大吃一惊，过了一阵子以后，他的思想才从早晨发生的那些事情中解脱出来；他不再在姑娘面前表演了。他刚恢复常态，便跑到布尔斯特纳小姐面前，抓住她的手。“别害怕，”他低声说，“我来应付一切。会是谁呢？门后只有一间起居室，谁也不在那儿睡。”“不，”布尔斯特纳小姐在他耳旁轻轻地说：“从昨天起，格鲁巴赫太太的侄子，一个上尉，在那儿睡。他没有别的房间。我刚才忘得一干二净了。你干吗要这么大声嚷嚷呢？我的心绪全乱了。”“确实没有必要，”他说。她坐到垫子上，Ｋ吻了吻她的前额。“走吧，走吧，”她说，同时很快坐直了身子，“快走，现在就走，你在想什么呢？他在门背后听着呢，他什么都听得见。你真会折磨人！”“我不走，”Ｋ说，“等你稍微平静一点以后，我再走。咱们到那个屋角里去吧，咱们在那儿讲话他听不见。”她听凭他把自己带到那儿去。“你忘了，”他说，“虽然这使你不愉快，但不会有任何危险。格鲁巴赫太太在这方面是有决定权的，特别因为上尉是她的侄子；你知道她对我是很尊重的，绝对相信我说的每一句话。我可以说，她也依靠我，因为她从我这儿借了一大笔钱。咱们为什么呆在一起，你可以编出各种理由来，我都可以证实，哪怕是最站不住脚的理由也没关系，我保证让格鲁巴赫太太不但表面上接受你的解释，而且内心里也确实相信这种解释。你丝毫不必为我操心。如果你想说是我侵犯了你，格鲁巴赫太太知道后会相信的，但她不会失去对我的信任，因为她对我十分信赖。”布尔斯特纳小姐一言不发，显得有点无精打采，她两眼瞧着地板。“格鲁巴赫太太怎么会相信，我会来冒犯你呢？”Ｋ补充道。他凝视着她的头发；她那头微微发红的头发梳得很整齐，中间分开，脑后束成一个堕云譬。他盼着她能抬起头来看他一眼，但是她却一动不动地说：“请原谅，我感到害怕的是突然传来的敲门声，而不是上尉在这儿可能造成的任何后果。你喊了一声以后，屋里立即鸦雀无声，不一会儿敲门声便猛地响起，这是把我吓成这个样子的原因，何况我正挨着门坐着，敲门声好像就是从我身边发出来的。谢谢你的建议，不过我不想采纳。我愿意为我房间里发生的任何事情负责，不管谁来询问都一样。你居然没有发现，你的建议中包含着对我的侮辱，这使我很惊讶；当然，你的意图是良善的，我对此甚为赏识。但是，现在请你走吧，让我一个人呆着吧，我现在比任何时候都更需要安静一会儿。你只恳求跟我谈几分钟，现在已经过去半个多钟头了。”Ｋ紧紧握住她的手，然后又捏住她的手腕。“可是，你没有生我的气吧？”他问，她甩脱他的手回答道：“不，不，我从来不生任何人的气。”他又抓住她的手腕，这回她听之任之，并且把他带到门口。他下定决心离开。但是到了门口他却又停了下来，好像他并没想到门会是在这儿；布尔斯特纳小姐乘机甩脱了他的手，打开门，走进前厅，在那儿轻声说：“现在请你出来吧！你瞧，”她指指上尉的门，门下透出了一道光亮，“他开着灯，正在欣赏我们的狼狈相呢。”“我这就来，”Ｋ说。他奔进前厅，抱住她，先吻了吻她的嘴，然后在她的脸上盖满了吻印，好像一头口燥舌干的野兽，在贪婪地喝着渴望已久的清冽泉水一样。最后他开始亲她的脖子，他的嘴唇贴在她的颈项上，过了很长时间才离开。上尉屋里传出的一个细微声响使他抬起头来望了一眼。“我现在要走了，”他说；他想直呼布尔斯特纳小姐的名字，但不知道她的名字是什么。她软绵绵地点了一下头，伸出手听凭他吻；她半侧着身子，好像她并不知道自己的所作所为，然后便低着头走进了自己的房间。此后不久Ｋ便上了床。他差不多马上便睡着了，不过在进入梦乡之前，他稍稍思考了一下自己的作为，他感到高兴；但他也为自己没有感到更高兴而奇怪；由于上尉的缘故，他很替布尔斯特纳小姐担心。