Chapter 10 nine in the cathedral

An Italian colleague was visiting the city for the first time, and he was one of the most influential customers of the bank; K was ordered to receive him and accompany him to visit the art treasures and cultural relics in the city.In the old days, K. would have considered it an honor to accept the job; but now, when he had to do his best to preserve his reputation in the bank, he was reluctant to accept the job.Every hour spent outside the bank was a trial for him.Of course, he was no longer able to make the most of his working hours as he had done before; he was only pretending to be doing serious business, but wasting his time for nothing.But it would be worse if he wasn't sitting behind his desk.He had an image of the deputy manager in his mind: the deputy manager was always watching him, slipped into his office once in a while, sat down at his desk, looked through his files, received old friends who had become K.'s friends for many years. customers, snatched them away from K., and perhaps made trouble in his work. K himself knew that mistakes in his work were constantly threatening him, and he could no longer guard against them.Therefore, if an errand assigned to him--even one that would attract the limelight--required him to leave the office, or even go on a short trip, he would certainly suspect that it was a conspiracy to send him away. , in order to audit his work, at least to prove that it is not impossible to do without him in the office.Errands of this sort happened to fall upon him frequently of late.He could easily turn down most errands; but he dared not do so, because even if his suspicions were not entirely fanciful, refusing to travel would give the impression that he had something on his mind.For this reason he accepted every errand with an outward frankness.Once, he was expected to go on a business trip for two days; he was suffering from a severe cold, which might be aggravated by the wet and cloudy autumn weather;When he came back in a daze, he found that he had been selected to accompany the Italian guests the next day.The desire to refuse once was strong, especially since the task entrusted to him this time was not closely related to business; however, it was a social duty to a colleague.No doubt the duty was important, but it was of little importance to him, for he knew that he could hope only if he did his job well; It was of no use to him either.He avoided leaving his job as much as possible, never leaving for a day, because he was terribly afraid that he would not be allowed to return.He also knew that he was worrying too much, but the fear still tormented him.The difficulty this time was to find a plausible excuse; although he was not proficient in Italian, he was still able to cope with the errands; Pass.His knowledge of art was exaggerated to an absurd degree in the bank, for for a time he had been a member of the Society for the Preservation of Antiquities in connection with his work.It was said that the Italian was also a connoisseur, and if his reputation was worthy of his reputation, it was only natural that he should choose K. to accompany him.

The air was humid and windy that morning; at seven o'clock K was in the office early.He was annoyed at the work plan before him; however, he decided to get at least a few things done before the guests arrived.He was very tired, because he had spent half the night reading a book of Italian grammar to make some preparations; the window had become more attractive to him. He had been in the habit of standing still for a long time; however, he resisted the temptation and sat down to work.Unfortunately, the waiter appeared just at this time and said that the manager had sent him to see if Mr. Assistant had come to work; The gentleman has arrived. "Very well," said K.He stuffed a small dictionary into his pocket, and under his arm he carried a travel album that he specially prepared for this guest, walked past the deputy manager's office, and entered the manager's office.He was thankful that he had come so early, and he could arrive as soon as the manager called, which probably no one expected.The assistant manager's office was, of course, empty, as in the dead of night; the waiter had probably been ordered to call the assistant manager to attend, but he hadn't. When K entered the anteroom, the gentlemen got up from the soft sofa.The manager was obviously very pleased to see K, smiled at him affectionately, and immediately introduced him.The Italian shook K.'s hand enthusiastically, said with a smile: "So-and-so has fallen out of bed very early." K. did not quite understand what it meant, because the sentence was so strange that its meaning was suddenly unclear. K. exchanged some pleasantries, to which the Italian replied with another smile, while nervously stroking his bushy, iron-gray mustache.His mustache was clearly perfumed, and one wanted to get up close and smell it.They sat down again and began a preliminary conversation. K found that he could only understand part of what the Italians said; he was disturbed.When an Italian speaks slowly and in a steady tone, he understands almost everything.But this kind of situation rarely happens. The population of Italy is overwhelming, shaking their heads, as if admiring their own eloquence.Besides, when he was enjoying himself, he always switched to the dialect; K could not recognize that it was Italian, but the manager could both understand and speak it. K. should have expected this, since the Italian was from the southernmost tip of Italy, and the manager had been there for several years.All in all, K. understood that the chances of him getting through with the Italians were slim, the Italians spoke French which was difficult to understand, and it was equally useless to speculate on the meaning of his lip movements, which were overshadowed by the dense Mustache covered. K. began to have a premonition of troublesome things, and temporarily gave up trying to understand the conversation—since the manager was present and could understand everything the Italian said, he didn't have to worry about it.K. then began to observe the Italian sullenly, and nothing else.He saw the Italian sitting carefree on the sofa, tugging at the corners of his small, short coat from time to time, and once raised his arms, gesticulating his hands lazily, to explain something. Although K leaned forward and watched his every gesture, he still did not understand what it meant.Later, as K. sat there, not taking part in the conversation, but mechanically watching the two of them chattering, he fell back into the grip of his earlier weariness and found himself absent-mindedly trying to stand up. He got up, left the two people behind, and left; he was startled, but fortunately he stopped himself in time.At last the Italian looked at his watch, jumped up, said goodbye to the manager, and went up to K.He was so close that K. had to move his chair back to give himself room.Undoubtedly, the manager could see from K's eyes that K. was in a very awkward position because he couldn't understand the Italians, so he interjected a few words tactfully and tactfully. It was to briefly explain to K. the whole meaning of the Italian's repeated interruptions just now.K. then learned that the Italian had some urgent business to attend to; unfortunately, he was short of time, and therefore did not intend to see all the sights and monuments in a hurry, but just wanted to see the cathedral.However, you have to look carefully, of course it depends on whether K agrees or not, it is completely up to K to decide.It was a great pleasure for him to have the opportunity to visit the cathedral in the company of such a learned and enthusiastic gentleman—this was his description of K. K tried not to listen to him, but remembered as quickly as possible what the manager had said: the Italian asked K to meet him at the cathedral, if it was convenient, within two hours, say around ten o'clock.The Italians believe they can get there by then. K agreed, and the Italian shook first the manager's hand, then K's, and then the manager again.The manager and K. followed the Italian, who turned half-turned, spoke to them again, and went towards the door. K. stayed with the manager for a while longer.The manager seemed particularly ill that day, and he felt obliged to explain it to K. He said—they were standing very close—at first he wanted to accompany the Italian himself, but then he thought about it—he didn't say anything. Not knowing the exact reason——, it was decided to let K go.If K finds that he doesn't understand the man at first, don't worry, because it won't take long for him to understand what he's saying; People don't care whether others can understand or not.What's more, K's Italian is surprisingly good, so he will be able to handle it with ease.Having said this, the manager sent K back to his office. K used the remaining time to copy from the dictionary some new words that might be useful when visiting the cathedral.This is a particularly irritating affair; waiters with letters in their hands keep rushing in; the clerks rush to make inquiries, and seeing that K. is busy, they stand awkwardly at the door, but wait until they can get an answer from him. He didn't want to leave; the assistant manager didn't miss this opportunity to bother him, and came in a few times, took the dictionary from him, and casually flipped through it; They nodded, hoping to attract attention, but they wondered whether they could attract attention—all these activities revolved around K, as if he were the center of everything.At the same time, he was busy collecting useful words, looking through dictionaries, copying, practicing pronunciation, and finally trying to memorize them by heart; his once excellent memory seemed to betray him.He was often angry with the Italians for causing him so much trouble.He stuffed the dictionary under the pile of papers, determined not to prepare any more; but he also felt that he could not keep silent when accompanying Italians to see the treasures of the cathedral, so, with greater anger, he went again Take out the dictionary.

At nine-thirty, as he was leaving, the telephone rang; Leni wished him good morning and asked how he was doing; K. thanked her hurriedly, saying that there was no time to talk to her, since he had to go to the cathedral. "To the cathedral?" Leni asked. "Yes, to the cathedral." "But why the cathedral?" said Leni. K. tried to explain a few words briefly, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Leni said suddenly: "They are pushing you so hard." But when he hung up the phone, he muttered in a low voice: "They're pushing me so hard." This was half to himself, and half to the distant girl who could no longer hear him.

It was getting late, and he was afraid that he would not be able to make the appointment on time, so he hurriedly called a taxi; before getting into the car, he remembered the picture book.Before that, he didn't have a suitable opportunity to send it out, but now he can take it.He put the picture album on his lap and tapped the cover restlessly with his fingers.The rain was much less, but it was cold and gloomy; there wasn't much to see in the cathedral, and standing on the cold flagstones for hours would no doubt make K's cold much worse. The cathedral square was empty; K. remembered that this long and narrow square had made a deep impression on him when he was a child, because the surrounding houses almost without exception had curtains on the windows.Of course, in weather like today, it is easy to understand.The inside of the cathedral is also empty, and of course people don't have a lot of interest in visiting it at this time. K walked through the two side chapels, and saw only an old woman in a scarf kneeling under the statue of the Virgin, looking reverently at the Virgin.Later he saw from a distance a hall steward limping into a door in the side wall and disappearing. K. arrived on time, just struck ten when he entered the cathedral, but the Italian had not yet arrived. K. went back to the gate, stayed there for a while hesitantly, and then walked around the outside of the cathedral in the rain. The Italian was not waiting at any of the side gates, he was nowhere to be seen. .Maybe the manager got the time wrong?Who can guarantee that they can understand what the Italian said correctly?In any case, K. would have to wait at least another half an hour for him. K. was tired and wanted to sit down and rest, so he went back into the cathedral.He found what looked like a carpet on one of the steps, and tiptoed it to a nearby bench; he wrapped his overcoat tighter, turned up his collar, and sat down on the bench.To pass the time, he opened the picture-book and leafed through it absent-mindedly; but he was soon obliged to give up, for the cathedral was growing dark.He raised his head, and it was difficult to make out even the things in the side hall which was very close.

In the distance, the holy candles were arranged in a large triangle, flickering on the high altar; K did not dare to say whether he had seen these holy candles before, maybe they had just been lit.The professional habit of the hall guard is to walk lightly, and no one will notice when they pass by. K. accidentally turned around and noticed that not far behind him was burning another sacred candle, this one thick and long, stuck on a colonnade.The candles were very pleasing to the eye, but they were not enough to illuminate the altarpieces that hung in the dimly lit chapels on either side, and made the chapels appear still darker.The fact that the Italian did not come was, on the one hand, a disrespect, and on the other hand, it was very sensible, because even if he did come, he would not be able to see much, at most he could only look at a few fragments of pictures in the light of K's flashlight, Talk to masturbate. Driven by curiosity, K went into a nearby chapel, climbed a few steps, walked up to a low marble fence, leaned forward, took out his flashlight, and looked at the altar to see what would happen. what effect.The light of the flashlight moves back and forth across the screen, as if it were an unexpected visitor. The first thing K saw—and partly guessed—was a large knight in armor painted on the edge of the frame.The knight held the hilt of his sword, and the blade was in the bare ground, where nothing grew but a grass or two.The knight seemed intently watching an event unfolding before his eyes.One wondered why he had to stand where he was, instead of going nearer to the scene of the accident.Perhaps he was assigned to stand guard there. K. hadn't looked at the picture for a long time, and he looked at the knight for a long time, although the greenish light from the torch made his eyes sore.Moving the torch around to illuminate the rest of the altarpiece, he realized that it was the Tomb of Christ, apparently recent, but in much the same style as was usually seen.He put the flashlight in his pocket and returned to where he had been sitting.

-------- ①The main hall of a relatively large church is generally composed of a nave and two side halls; the nave and side halls are bounded by colonnades. —— Annotation ②Church Keeper: The clergy who guard the church, light the holy candles, clean up and keep it clean. —— Annotation It seemed that there was no need to wait for the Italian any longer.However, it was probably pouring rain outside, and the cathedral was not as cold as K had expected, so he decided to stay inside for a while.Near him was the great pulpit, with a small, vaulted top, on which were two gold crucifixes slanted, crossed at the top.The outer railings and the stone carvings connecting the pillars of the railings are decorated with leaf patterns, and many little angels are carved between the leaf patterns, some are lively and some are quiet. K walked up to the grand dais and observed it carefully from various angles; the stone carvings were delicate and transparent, and there were deep and dark caves in Yejian and Yehoulou. The darkness seemed to be caught here and could never escape. K put his hand into a stone cave and touched the wall.He never knew there was such a pulpit here.Suddenly he spotted a hall watchman standing behind the nearest row of benches.The vicar, in a loose black cassock, held a snuffbox in his left hand; he was looking at K. "What is he trying to do?" K thought. "Is my appearance suspicious? Is he trying to ask me for alms?" Seeing that K noticed him, the hall guard raised his right hand and pointed in any direction, pinching his fingers. With a pinch of snuff.His gestures seemed meaningless. K. hesitated for a moment, but the steward continued to point here and there, and nodded frequently, emphasizing the importance of the gesture. "What on earth is he trying to do!" whispered K., not daring to raise his voice here; then he took out his wallet and walked along the bench to the clerk.But the steward immediately refused, shrugged his shoulders, and limped away. K. used to imitate a horseman when he was a child, and he took this light, quick, and bumpy step. "A very childish old man," thought K., "only smart enough to be a hall watchman. See, when I stop, he stops too, to see if I'm still following him!" K. The hall followed the hall guard all the way to the front of the altar.The old guard was always pointing at something, and K deliberately didn't look back to see what he was pointing at. This gesture had no other purpose, it was just to get rid of K.In the end, K. stopped following the custodian, he didn't want to alarm the old man too much; besides, if the Italians came, it was better not to frighten the only custodian away.

-------- ①The ancillary buildings in the church are generally located on the side of the colonnades adjacent to the nave and side halls. A ladder for priests to go up to preach. —— Annotation K. went back to the nave and looked for the seat on which he had left the album; beside it he found a small pulpit built on a stone pillar near the choir seats.The pulpit is simple in shape and made of light-colored stone blocks without texture.The pulpit is small, and from a distance it looks like an empty alcove where a statue of a god will be placed.The preacher could not take a big step back from the stone railing, because the place was too small.Although the arched stone altar has no ornaments, it is also very low, and the front part is tilted upwards. Therefore, even a person of medium stature cannot stand upright under the round arch, and can only lean against the stone railing.The whole structure was designed to torture the preacher; why should this pulpit be designed in this way, while the other is so large and richly decorated?Can't seem to find a reason to explain it.

K. would not have noticed if the pulpit had not been lit by a lamp; the lighting of the lamp usually meant that a sermon was about to begin.Is there a service now?Was it held in this empty church? K. stared down at the short section of stairs leading to the pulpit. The steps spiraled up around the stone pillars. The steps were narrow and looked like decorations on the stone pillars rather than stairs for people to walk on.At the bottom of the stairs, however, a priest was actually going up; K smiled in surprise.The priest held on to the railing and looked at K.He gave K. a slight nod; K crossed himself and bowed, which he should have done long ago.The priest swayed slightly up the stairs; moving his feet nimbly, he ascended the pulpit with small steps.Is he really going to preach?Perhaps the warden was not such a fool as to try to lure K. to the preacher's side; in this deserted church, that was exactly the way it should be done.But somewhere in the church there was an old woman standing in front of the Madonna; she too was supposed to come to the sermon.If there is a service, why doesn't the organ play first; the organ is silent, its long rows of pipes looming in the darkness.

K. wondered whether he should leave immediately; if he didn't leave now, he would have no chance to leave as soon as the service began, and he would have to stay until the end; it was too late to go to the office, and there was no need to wait for the Italians. ;He looked at his watch, it was eleven o'clock.But, do you really want to preach? Can K alone represent the entire congregation?What if he was just an outsider visiting the cathedral?He is in a similar situation now.The idea of ​​a sermon starting at eleven o'clock in the morning on a Sunday in such bad weather was absurd.The priest—and that was undoubtedly a priest, a young man with soft features and a swarthy complexion—had stepped up to the pulpit, evidently only to blow out the lamp, which had been a mistake to light.

This was not the case, however; the priest looked at the holy lamp, turned it higher, and turned slowly, holding the angular edge of the balustrade with both hands.He stood like this for a while, his eyes looking around, but his head didn't move. K. stepped back a good distance, resting his elbows on the foremost bench.He didn't know where the guard was, but he vaguely felt that the old man with a slightly bent back was resting peacefully, as if he had completed his duties.How silent it was in the cathedral at this moment!However, K. had to break the silence, because he had no intention of staying here for long.If it is the mission of the priest to preach at this very moment, regardless of the circumstances, then let him preach; he can deliver the sermon without K.'s cooperation, just as K.'s presence certainly would not. The same effect as enhancing his preaching.So K. began to move his feet slowly, tiptoed, and walked in the direction of the bench until he reached the spacious corridor; The sound of the sound and the faint, but persistent echo from the vault, the echoes intertwined and grew louder. K. walked forward, he had a feeling of being abandoned, he was alone among the empty benches, maybe the priest's eyes were following him; he was surprised by the spaciousness of the cathedral, which was close to what humans could tolerate. The limit is reached.He walked past the place where the picture album was left just now, and without waiting to stop, he picked up the picture album with one hand.He had almost reached the end of the bench, and was about to step into the space between himself and the door when he heard the priest raise his voice--the priest's voice was loud and well-trained.It echoes in this cathedral that awaits the sound!But the priest was not addressing the congregation, he was speaking unequivocally and clearly, he was shouting: "Joseph K!"

Startled, K stared blankly at the floor in front of him.He is still free for the time being, he can continue to walk his own way, and he can slip through the small dark wooden doors not far ahead and escape.It would show that he didn't understand the cry, or that he understood it but didn't take it seriously.But if he turned away, he would be arrested, because it would be an admission that he did understand, that he was the one the priest greeted, and he was willing to obey.If the priest called K.'s name again, he would have continued on; but, although he had stood and waited for a long time, there was no sound; he could not help turning his head a little to see what the priest was doing.The priest stood quietly on the rostrum as before, and he had evidently noticed that K. had turned his head.If K. did not turn around and face him, they would be playing hide-and-seek like children. K. turned and the priest beckoned him to come closer.Now that there was no need to avoid it, K. hurried back towards the pulpit in three steps at a time—he was curious and anxious to shorten the duration of this interview.He stopped in front of the first few rows of seats, but the priest felt that the distance was too far, so he stretched out an arm, and with his index finger straight, pointed to a place in front of the pulpit. K. did as well; when he had taken his place, he had to throw his head back so hard that he could see the priest. "You are Joseph K.," said the priest, raising a hand from the balustrade in a casual gesture. "Yes," said K.He thought, how calm he used to be when he gave his first name, but recently his name has become a great burden. Now, those who have never met before seem to know his title.What a pleasure it would be to introduce yourself before being recognized by others! "You are a defendant," said the priest, in a low voice. "Yes," said K., "that's what I've been told." "Then you're the one I'm looking for," said the priest, "I'm the prison priest." "Oh," said K. "I called you here," said the priest, "to have a talk with you." "I didn't know that," said K., "but I came here to accompany an Italian to see the cathedral. ""That's a digression," said the priest. "What are you holding in your hand? A prayer book?" "No," replied K., "it's a picture book showing sights of the city worth seeing." Let it go," said the priest. K threw the album with all his strength, and it opened in the air, then fell to the ground with scattered pages, and slid forward a little."Do you know how bad your case is?" asked the priest. "I think so myself," said K., "I have done everything I can, but so far to no avail. Of course, my first complaint The books haven't been handed in yet." "What do you think the result will be?" asked the priest. "At first I thought there would be a good outcome," said K., "but now I am often full of doubts. I don't know what the outcome will be. Do you know?" "No," said the priest, "but I am afraid It's bad. You're considered guilty. Your case will probably never go up in the lower courts. It's said that your crime has been proven, at least for now." "But I'm not guilty," said K. "It's a misunderstanding. Besides, how can anyone be said to be guilty when things really have come to that? We're just ordinary people, all the same." "That's true," said the priest, "but everything That's what guilty people say." "Are you prejudiced against me, too?" asked K. "I have no prejudice against you," said the priest. "Thank you," said K. "However, everyone involved in the proceedings is prejudiced against me. They even influence outsiders. My situation is becoming more and more difficult." "You misinterpreted the case, said the priest. "The verdict does not come suddenly. The proceedings gradually approach the verdict." "So it is," said K., bowing his head. "What are you going to do next?" asked the priest. "I'm going to ask for more help," said K., raising his head again to see how the priest would react to these words. "There are several possibilities that I haven't explored." "You seek too much outside help," said the priest disapprovingly, "especially from women. Don't you think that kind of help is not justified?" "In some In cases, even in many cases, I can agree with you," said K., "but not always. Women have a great influence, and if I can mobilize a few women I know to work for me, then I'm sure I'll win the case. Especially in front of this court, whose members are almost all lustful. If the examining judge sees a woman from a distance, he will knock down the desk and the report and run away. Come to her." The priest leaned over the stone balustrade, evidently feeling for the first time the pressure of the vault above his head.It must have been terrible weather outside, and now there was not even a faint light in the church, and night had fallen.None of the stained glass in the large windows allowed a gleam of light to illuminate the dark walls.At this moment, the hall guard began to blow out the candles on the altar one by one. "Are you angry with me?" K. asked the priest. "You probably don't understand the nature of the court in which you serve." He received no answer. "These are only my personal experiences," said K.Still no answer above. "I didn't mean to offend you," said K.Hearing this, the priest snarled from the pulpit: "Can't you look a little farther?" scream. The two of them were silent for a long time.Of course the priest could not see K clearly in the darkness, but K could see him clearly by the light of the small lamp.Why didn't he step down from the pulpit?He did not preach, but only told K a few news, which K thought would only hurt him, not help him.K. felt, however, that the priest's good intentions were beyond doubt.As soon as the priest leaves the pulpit, it is possible for them to reach an agreement; it is possible for K to receive decisive and acceptable advice from him, for example, he may show K the way, of course not for K to go to the powerful He is a person who mediates his case, but prevents K from being involved, so that he can completely escape from this case and live freely outside the jurisdiction of the court.There must be such a possibility, and K. has been thinking a lot about it lately.If the priest knew of this possibility, he would probably have told K. what he knew if K. begged him, even though he himself belonged to the court and would forget his gentle nature when he heard the court was accused. K. shouted and shouted. "Don't you want to come down?" said K. "You don't have to preach. Come down, come to me." "I can come down now," said the priest, probably regretting that he had been too sentimental just now.He took the Holy Lamp from its stand, and said: "I must first speak to you from a distance. Otherwise, I am too impressionable, and forget my duty." K. was waiting for him at the bottom of the steps.The priest held out his hand to K. before he came down the steps. "Could you take a moment to talk to me?" asked K. "Talk as long as you like," said the priest, handing the little holy lamp to K. to carry.Although they were already very close, the priest still maintained a certain reserved air. "You have been very kind to me," said K.They paced up and down the dimly lit nave side by side. "Among those who belong to the court, you are an exception. I trust you more than others, though I know many of them well. I am willing to speak freely in your presence." "Don't be deceived," said the priest. Say. "How could I be deceived?" asked K. "You deceive yourself about the court," said the priest. "The preamble to the law describes this particular deception: A gatekeeper stands guard at the gate of the law. A man from the country walks He went to the gatekeeper and asked to see the law. But the gatekeeper said that he could not be sent now. The countryman asked after a little thought if he could go in later. 'It is possible,' replied the gatekeeper, 'but Not now.' Since the gate to the law was open as usual, the gatekeeper stepped aside, and the countryman leaned out and looked in. The gatekeeper saw it and said with a smile: 'Since you are so Interested, might as well try to go in without my permission. However, you have to pay attention, I have rights, and I am just a low-level gatekeeper. The halls inside are connected one by one, each There are gatekeepers standing at the door of the hall, each more powerful than the other. It is the appearance of the third gatekeeper that I dare not even look at.' These are difficulties that the countryman did not expect. He originally He thought that anyone could come to Fa at any time; but he took a good look at the gatekeeper in a leather coat, with a large, pointed nose, and a long, thin, thin Tartar beard. Later, it was decided that it would be best to wait for permission before entering. The gatekeeper gave him a stool and told him to sit by the door. And there he sat, waiting day after day, year after year. He tried again and again. , hoping to be allowed in, pestered the gatekeeper with annoying requests. The gatekeeper often chatted with him, asking him about his family and other matters, but the tone of the questions was very indifferent, which is what the big men ask. and it always ends with the same sentence: You can't let him in yet. The countryman takes a lot of things with him when he goes out; he gives everything he has, no matter how valuable it is, in the hope that he can bribe the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper It is not wrong to accept it, but every time you receive a gift, you always say: "I accept this, just so that you will not think that there is something you should do." In those long years, the country people Watching the gatekeeper almost constantly. He forgot about the other gatekeepers, thinking that this gatekeeper was the only obstacle between him and the law. In the first few years he cursed his own doom aloud; He could only mutter to himself. He became childish; from years of observation, he even became acquainted with the fleas on the gatekeeper's fur collar, and begged for their help in persuading the gatekeeper to change his mind. At last His vision was blurred, and he didn't know if the world around him had really darkened, or if his eyes were just deceiving him. However, in the darkness, he could now see a ray of light continuously shooting out from the gate of the Law. Right now他的生命已接近尾声。离世之前，他一生中体验过的一切在他头脑中凝聚成一个问题，这个问题他还从来没有问过守门人。他招呼守门人到跟前来，因为他已经无力抬起自己那个日渐僵直的躯体了。守门人不得不低俯着身子听他讲话，因为他俩之间的高度差别已经大大增加，愈发不利于乡下人了。 '你现在还想打听什么？ '守门人说。 '你没有满足的时候。 ''每个人都想到达法的跟前，'乡下人回答道，'可是，这么多年来，除了我以外，却没有一个人想求见法，这是怎么回事呢？ '守门人看出，乡下人的精力已经衰竭，听力也越来越不行了，于是便在他耳边吼道：'除了你以外，谁也不能得到允许走进这道门，因为这道门是专为你而开的。现在我要去把它关上了。 '" “就这样，守门人欺骗了乡下人，”Ｋ马上说。他被这个故事深深吸引住了。 “别忙，”教士说，“不能不假思索便接受一种看法。我按照文章里写的，一字一句地给你讲了这个故事。这里并没有提到欺骗不欺骗。”“可是，这是显而易见的，”Ｋ说，“你对它的第一个解释十分正确，守门人只是在拯救的消息已经对乡下人无济于事的时候，才把这个消息告诉他。”“乡下人在这以前并没有向守门人提这个问题，”教士说，“另外，你还应该注意到，他只不过是一个守门人而已，作为守门人，他已尽到了自己的责任。”“是什么使你认为，他已尽到了自己的责任？”Ｋ问，“他没有尽到责任。他的责任应该是把所有外人轰走，但应该放这个人进去，因为门就是为这个人开的。”“你不大尊重原文，在篡改故事情节了，”教士说，“这个故事中，关于是否可以走进法的大门，守门人讲了两句重要的话，一句在开头，一句在结尾。第一句话是：他现在不能放乡下人进去；另一句话是：门是专门为乡下人而开的。如果两者有矛盾，你就说对了，守门人是骗了乡下人。不过，这里并没有矛盾。相反，第一句话里甚至包含了第二句话。人们几乎可以说，守门人在暗示将来有可能放乡下人进去的时候，已越出了自己的职责范围。当时，他的职责显然是不让人进去；许多评论家见到这个暗示确实很惊讶，因为守门人看来是个严守职责、一丝不苟的人。那么些年来，他从来没有擅离岗位，直到最后一分钟，他才把门关上；他明白自己的职务的重要性，因为他说过：'我是有权的。'他尊敬上级，因为他曾讲过：'我只不过是一个级别最低的守门人。'他并不多嘴，因为那么些年来，他只提了几个不带感情色彩的问题；他不会被贿赂，因为他在收礼时声明：'这个我收下，只是为了使你不至于认为有什么该做的事没有做。'只要是和他的职责有关，苦苦哀求也好，暴跳如雷也好，他都无动于衷，因为我们知道，乡下人曾经'用烦人的请求缠着守门人'。最后，甚至他的外貌——那个又大又尖的鼻子，那把细长而稀疏的鞑靼胡子——也让人联想到，他的性格一定很迂腐守旧。谁还能想像出一个比他更忠于职守的守门人呢？然而，守门人的性格中也包含着其他方面，这些方面似乎对所有求见法的人都有利，这也使我们易于理解，他为什么会越出自己的职责范围，向乡下人暗示将来有可能获准走进法的大门。我们不能否认，正因为他头脑有点简单，他也就必然有点自负。例如，他提到自己是有权的，其他守门人更有权，那些人的模样连他也不敢看一眼时，说过几句话。这几句话我觉得是符合事实的，但是，他讲这几句话的方式却表明，头脑简单和自负把他的理解力搞乱了。评论家们就此指出：'对同一件事情的正确理解和错误理解并不是完全互相排斥的。 '不管怎么说，我们应该承认，这种简单和自负尽管表现得不很突出，但很可能削弱了他守门的能力；它们是守门人性格中的缺陷。还得附带说明一件事实：守门人看上去是位天生和蔼可亲的人，并非一直摆出盛气凌人的官架子。刚开始的时候，他就开玩笑似地建议那人不妨在严格禁止人内的情况下闯进去；后来他也没有把那人撵走，而是像我们所知道的，给他一张凳子，让他坐在门边。这么多年来他耐着性子听那人的苦苦哀求，和那人作些简短的交谈，接受那人的馈赠，客客气气地允许那人当着他的面大声责骂应由他自己负责的命运——所有这些都使我们推断出，他具有同情心理。并非每个守门人都会这样做。最后，那人对他作了个手势后，他就低低俯下身去，让那人有机会最后提一个问题。守门人知道一切就此结束了，他讲的那句话'你没有满足的时候'只是一种温和的嗔责。有人甚至把这种解释方式再向前推进一步，认为这句话表达的是一种由衷钦仰的心情，虽然其中并非没有某种恩赐的口气。总之，守门人的形象与你所可以想像的很不相同。 ”“对于这个故事，你比我研究得仔细，花了更多的时间，”Ｋ说。他俩沉默了一阵子。然后Ｋ讲话了：“这么说，你认为那人没有受骗？ ”“别误解我的意思，”教士说，“我只是向你介绍了关于那件事的各种不同看法。你不必予以过分重视。白纸黑字写着的东西是无法篡改的；评论则往往不过是反映了评论家的困惑而已。在这件事中，甚至有一种说法认为，真正受骗的是守门人。 ”“这种说法太牵强附会了，”Ｋ说，“它有什么根据？ ”“根据在于，”教士回答道，“守门人的头脑简单，理由是他不明了法的内部，他只知道通向法的道路，他在路上来回巡逻。他的关于法的内部的想法是幼稚的。而且他自己也害怕其他守门人，认为他们是拦住那人去路的妖怪。实际上他比那人更怕他们，因为那人听说里边的守门人模样可憎以后，还是准备进去，而守门人却不想进去了，至少据我们所知是这样。还有的人说，他一定已经到过里头，因为不管怎么说，他已受雇为法服务，这项任命只能来自里头。这种说法遭到了反驳，理由是，很可能是里头传出来的一个声音任命他当守门人；无论怎么说，他在里头不可能进得很深，因为第三个守门人的模样就已经使他不敢看一眼了。此外，这么多年来，除了有一次提到那些守门人外，没有任何迹象表明，他讲过什么话，能表明他了解里头的情况。也许禁止他这么做，但是关于这一点也没有提及。有鉴于上述种种，人们得出的结论是，他对里头的情况和重要性一无所知，因此他处于一种受骗状态。在看待他和乡下人的关系方面，他也是受骗的，因为他从属于乡下人，而自己却不知道他反把乡下人当作自己的下属来对待，许多细节可以说明这点，你一定还记得。根据对故事的这种解释，十分明显，他是从属于乡下人的。首先，奴隶总是从属于自由人的。乡下人确实是自由的，愿上哪儿就上哪儿，只有法的大门对他关着，只有一个人——守门人——禁止他走进法的大门。他接过凳子，坐在门边，待在那儿，一直到死，完全是自愿的；故事里从来没有讲起有谁强迫他。可是，守门人却被职责强制在岗位上，他不敢走到乡下去，显然也不能走进法的门里去，即使他想进去也不行。另外，虽然他为法服务，但他的岗位只是这一道门；换句话说，他只为这个乡下人服务，因为这道门是专为乡下人而开的。从这方面讲，他也从属于乡下人。我们可以设想得出，乡下人从小到大的那些年间，守门人的工作从某种意义上说只是走过场，因为他必须等待一个人的到来，也就是说，要等一个人长大；因此，他必须长期等待，以便实现自己的工作目的；此外，他还得等那人高兴，因为那人只有当自己想来时才来。守门人职责的期限也取决于那人的寿命，所以，归根结底，他是从属于那人的。故事里始终强调，守门人对所有这些显然一无所知。这本身并不奇怪，因为根据这种解释，守门人在一件重要得多的、直接影响到他的职责本身的事情上，同样也是受骗的。例如在故事末尾，他提到法的大门时说：'现在我要去把它关上了，'但是，故事开头部分却说，通向法的大门一直敞开着；如果它一直是开着的，这就意味着不管乡下人是死是活，这门在任何时候都应敞开着；既然这样，守门人就不能把它关上。至于守门人说这话有什么动机，有几种不同看法，有人认为，他说要去关门，只是为了回答乡下人而已；有人说这是他强调自己是忠于职守的；也有人断言，这是为了使那人在弥留之际感到懊丧不已。不过，人们还是同意这个观点：守门人没有能力去关门。很多人认为，在智力上他也不如乡下人，至少在故事结尾部分是如此，因为乡下人看见法的大门里射出了光线，而守门人站岗的位置却决定他要背对着门；何况他也没有讲任何话，证明他发现了这种变化。 ”“说得有理，”Ｋ低声向自己复述了教士讲的几个理由以后说道，“说得有理，我倾向于同意这种观点：受骗的是守门人。不过，这不能使我抛弃原先的看法，因为这两个结论在某种意义上是并行不悖的。守门人精明也罢，受了骗也罢，无关大局。我说过，乡下人受骗了。如果守门人头脑精明，也许有人会对此起疑；但是，如果守门人自己受了骗，那他的受骗必然会影响到乡下人。这就使守门人实际上不可能成为骗子，而是一个头脑简单的人，真是这样的话，就必须立即解除他的职务。你不应该忘记，守门人的受骗对他自己固然无害，但会给乡下人带来无穷无尽的危害。 ”“对这种看法也有反对意见，”教士说，“许多人断言，故事本身不能使任何人有权来评论守门人。不管他会给我们留下什么印象，他终究是法的仆人；这就是说他属于法，因此他完全超出人们所能评论的范围。在这种情况下，我们不敢相信，他从属于乡下人。虽然他受职守的制约，必须守在法的门前，但是他却比世界上任何人都要伟大得多，别人无法和他相比。乡下人只能求见法，守门人却已经固定在法的身边。是法把他安置在守门人的位置上；怀疑他的尊严就等于怀疑法本身。 ”“我不同意这种看法，”Ｋ摇摇头说，“因为，我们如果接受这种看法，那就必须承认守门人讲的每一句话都是真的。可是，你自己也已充分证明，这样做是不可能的。 ”“不，”教士说，“不必承认他讲的每句话都是真的，只需当作必然的东西而予以接受。 ”“一个令人沮丧的结论，”Ｋ说，“这会把谎言变成普遍准则。 " Ｋ用下断语的口气讲了这句话，但这不是他的最后论断。他太疲倦了，无力逐一分析从这个故事中引出的各个结论；由此产生的这一大堆思想对他来讲是陌生的，是不可捉摸的；对法官们来说，这是一个合宜的讨论题目，但对他来讲并非如此。这个简单的故事已经失去了它清晰的轮廓，他想把这个故事从头脑中驱赶出去；教士现在表现得情感细腻，他听凭Ｋ这样说，默默听取他的评论，虽然无疑地并不同意他的观点。 他们默默无言，来回踱了一阵；Ｋ紧挨着教士，不知自己身在何处。他手里提着的灯早就熄灭了。几位圣徒的银像由于银子本身的光泽在他前面很近的地方闪烁了一下，立即又消失在黑暗中。Ｋ为了使自己不至于大依赖教士，便问道：“我们离大门口不远了吧？”“不对”，教士说，“我们离大门口还远着哩。你想走了吗？”虽然Ｋ当时没想到要走，但是他还是马上回答道：“当然，我该走了。我是一家银行的襄理，他们在等着我，我到这里来，只是为了陪一位从外国来的金融界朋友参观大教堂。”“好吧，”教士说，他朝Ｋ伸出手，“那你就走吧。”“可是，这么黑，我一个人找不到路，”Ｋ说。“向左拐，一直走到墙跟前，”教士说，“然后顺着墙走，别离开墙，你就会走到一道门前。”教士已经离开他一两步了，Ｋ又大声嚷道：“请等一等。”“我在等着呢，”教士说。“你对我还有别的要求吗？”Ｋ问道。“没有，”教士说。“你一度对我很好，”Ｋ说，“给我讲了这么多道理，可是现在你却让我走开，好像你对我一点也不关心似的。”“但你现在必须离开了，”教士说。“好吧，这就走，”Ｋ说，“你应该知道，我这是出于无奈。”“你应该先知道，我是谁，”教士说。“你是狱中神父嘛，”Ｋ说。他摸索着又走到教士跟前；他并不像刚才说的那样，必须立即赶回银行，而是完全可以再待一会儿。“这意味着我属于法院，”教士说，“既然这样，我为什么要向你提各种要求呢？法院不向你提要求。你来，它就接待你；你去，它就让你走。”