Chapter 2 Chapter two

At the bend in the road K. recognized them as being very close to the inn, and was surprised to see that dusk had fallen.Has he been running all day?According to his estimate, that would be no more than an hour or two at most.It was morning when he went out.He didn't feel like he needed to eat anything.It was only a short period of time ago that it was still day everywhere, but now night fell over them. "How fast the days are, how fast the days are," he said to himself, slipping down from the sleigh, and walking towards the inn. The innkeeper stood at the top of the orange steps at the gate, holding a bright lantern in a gesture of welcome. K. suddenly remembered his coachman, stopped, and there was a cough from the shadows behind him, and there he was.Well, he'll see him again soon.The innkeeper greeted him humbly.When he stood side by side with the innkeeper, he saw two people standing on both sides of the gate.He took the lamp from the innkeeper, and shone it on them; it was the two men he had met, their names were Arthur and Jeremiah.Now they salute him.It reminded him of his old service days, his happy days, and he laughed. "Who are you?" he asked, looking from one to the other. "We are your assistants," they replied. "It's your assistant," the innkeeper confirmed in a low voice. "What?" said K. "Are you the two old assistants I was expecting to follow me at my behest?" They answered him in the affirmative. "Very well," said K. after a short pause. "I'm glad you're here." "Well," he said, pausing for a moment, and then adding, "You're so lazy for arriving so late." "It's been a long way up here," among them one said. "Long way?" K. repeated. "But I met you just now from the castle." "Yes," they said, without further explanation. "Where are the measuring instruments?" said K. "We have nothing," they said. "Where are the instruments I gave you?" asked K. "We have nothing," they repeated over and over. "Ah, you are wonderful fellows!" said K. "Well, do you know what measurement is?" "No," they said. "But if you are my old assistants, then you should know a little bit of measurement," said K.They didn't answer. "Well, come in," said K., pushing them into the room.

So the three of them sat down around a small table and drank beer together, K sitting in the middle and the two assistants on either side, and they talked very little.Here, as on the previous evening, there were only a few peasants occupying the other table. "It's a difficult question to deal with you," said K., looking at the two of them as he had already done several times. "Teach me how to tell the two of you apart? The only difference between the two of you is your name, other than that, you're identical, like..." He paused, and then he couldn't help but continue: "You are as alike as two snakes." They smiled slightly. "But we've always been clearly identified," they defended themselves. "I'm sure they can do that," said K., "as far as I'm concerned, I can only see with my own eyes, and my eyes just don't know who you are. So I want Think of you as one, and call you both Arthur, and it's a name between you, and it's yours, isn't it?" he asked one of them. "No," said the man, "I'm Jeremiah." "That's all right," said K. "I'm going to call you both Arthur. If I tell Arthur to go somewhere, you both have to go. If I tell Arthur to do something for me, you both have to do it, It is certainly to my disadvantage that I cannot send you separately to my errands, but the advantage of this is that you are both equally responsible for what I have ordered you to do. As for the two of you Division of labor, that's none of my business, as long as you don't use it to blame each other, for me, you are just one person." They thought about it and said: "We don't like this." "I don't think so," K. said, "Of course you don't like it, but it has to be." A peasant was sneaking around their table, K. had noticed; said something. "Forgive me," said K., putting his hand on the table and getting up from his chair. "These two are my assistants, and we are discussing a private matter. No one has the right to disturb us." "I'm sorry, sir, I'm sorry," murmured the peasant uneasily, and drew back to his friends. "This is one of the most important orders I can give you," said K., sitting down again. "You can't talk to anyone without my permission. I'm a stranger here, and if you are really my old helpers, you are strangers too. We three strangers must therefore support each other and hold your hands Reach out and assure me of that." Both assistants eagerly extended their hands to K. "Don't take offense when I reprimand you," he said, "but remember, I mean what I say. Now I'm going to bed, and I advise you to go to bed too. Today we missed a day of work, But to-morrow we have to start early at work. You must get a sleigh to take me to the castle, and have it ready outside the gates at six o'clock to-morrow morning." "Yes," said an assistant.But another interrupted him: "You say yes, but you know it can't be done." "Shut up," said K., "you two are already thinking about disunity." But at this moment, the first A man interrupted: "He's right, it can't be done, and strangers can't enter the castle without a permit." "Where do you get the permit?" "I don't know, maybe Apply to the Warden." "Well, let's call and apply, and you two go and call the Warden at once." They rushed to the telephone and asked to put the line through--how eagerly they did it!From the outside they looked ridiculously docile—then they asked each other if K. could go up to the castle with them tomorrow morning.Even K, who was sitting at the table, heard the answer "No" on the phone.But the other party continued to answer, and it sounded clearer, and said on the phone: "Not tomorrow or any other time." "I have to call myself," said K., getting up.K. and his assistants had received little attention until now, except for the incident with the peasant just now, but his last words attracted general attention.They all stood up while K. was on the phone, and although the innkeeper tried to drive them away, they crowded around the telephone and formed a semicircle around K.They talked a lot, and it was generally agreed that K. would not get an answer at all. K. had to beg them to be quiet, saying that he did not want to hear their opinion.

A chirping sound, such as K. had never heard on the telephone, came from the receiver.It seemed to be the humming of innumerable children--not a hum, but an echo of singing from afar--inconceivably blending into one high and loud sound. , it is vibrating in your ear, it seems that it is not just to make you hear it, but to pierce your eardrum. K rested his left arm on the stand of the telephone and listened, not wanting to call any more. How long he stood there he did not know, but he stood until the innkeeper came and pulled his coat and told him that a messenger had come to speak to him. "Go away!" K. yelled in a fit of rage, perhaps into the receiver, because immediately someone answered from the other end of the line.And so began the following conversation: "I am Walswald, who are you?" a stern and haughty voice spoke up, which seemed to K. to be slightly flawed, and the speaker Trying to cover up this flaw with a stern tone of bravado. K. hesitated whether to give his name or not, because he was completely at the mercy of the telephone. If the other party could shout him down or hang up the receiver, it would mean blocking an unusual passage. K.'s indecision made the man impatient. "Who are you?" asked the man repeatedly, and then added: "I would be very grateful if there were fewer phone calls down below, but someone called a minute ago." K. Ignoring his words, he suddenly decided to inform himself: "I am the land surveyor's assistant." "What land surveyor? What assistant?" K. recalled the conversation on the phone yesterday, and said briefly. : "Ask Fritz." To his own surprise, the words had an effect.But what surprised him even more was not the effect of his own words, but how well organized the castle's offices were.The other replied: "Ah, yes, the endless land surveyor. There is such a thing. What's the matter? Which assistant?" "Joseph," said K.He was a little annoyed by the murmurs of the peasants behind him, who evidently disagreed with his strategy.But he didn't have time to chat with them, because all his attention was absorbed in talking to them. "Joseph?" came the question. "But the names of the two assistants are..." There was a pause, obviously to ask someone else, "Arthur and Jeremiah." "They are the new assistants," said K. "No, they're old assistants." "They're new and I'm old; I got behind the land surveyor and arrived today." "No," came the loud answer. "Then who am I?" asked K., as kindly as before.

After a pause, the original tone answered him with the same defect, but in a heavier and more dignified tone: "You are an old assistant." Listening to this new tone, K Zhengyi almost missed the other party's question: "What do you want?" But he wanted to put down the receiver.He never wanted anything from this call.But being compelled to speak, he answered at once, "When will my master go to the castle?" "Not at any time," was the answer. "Very good," said K., and hung up the receiver. The peasants crowded closely behind him.Two of his assistants glanced in his direction several times, trying to drive them back.But they didn't seem to take it seriously, anyway, the peasants were satisfied with the outcome of the call, and were starting to back off.A man parted the crowd, hurried up, bowed before K., and handed him a letter. K. took the letter, but fixed his eyes on this person, who seemed more important to him at this moment.The newcomer was very much like the two assistants, he was slender like them, he wore the same tight clothes, he was just as docile and quick-witted, but he was very different from them. How much K. would have liked to have him as his assistant!He reminded K. suddenly and vaguely of the girl with the baby whom she had seen at the tanner's house.He was dressed in almost snow-white, not of silk, of course; he wore winter clothes like the others, but the stuff he wore had the softness and style of silk.His face was clear and frank, and his eyes were larger than usual.His smile was particularly gay; he raised his hand to his face as though trying to hide it, but could not. "What's your name?" asked K. "My name is Barnabas," he said, "and I am a messenger." His lips were strong, but his words were gentle. "Are you in favor of something like this?" asked K., pointing to the peasants, to whom he was still a strange figure, who stood staring at him with their mouths open and grinning. with parched lips, and faces of torment—their heads looked as if they had been crushed on top of their heads, and their bodies seemed to have been beaten and twisted into what they are now. It looked like that--but they didn't exactly look at him directly, because their eyes often turned away, looked at some insignificant object in the room, and then turned back to stare at K. Look, K. then pointed to his two assistants.The two fellows were standing arm in arm, smiling face to face, but whether the smile expressed submission or sarcasm was uncertain.He pointed to all this as if he were introducing a retinue forced upon him by circumstances, and as if he expected Barnabas - in K.'s case this was a sign of intimacy - to keep him forever. Separate yourself from these people.But Barnabas—apparently, he was too naive—didn't pay attention to the question, and let the question pass lightly like a well-bred servant who ignores what his master obviously said to him casually. , just followed K.'s questions, looked around the room, shook hands with some acquaintances among the peasants, and exchanged a few words with the two assistants. People are very different. Although K. did not receive an answer, he did not feel humiliated, so he picked up the letter in his hand again and opened it.The letter reads: "Dear Sir: As you know, you have been hired to serve the Earl. Your immediate supervisor is the head of the village, and all matters concerning your work and terms of employment will be interviewed by him. You He is responsible. And I myself will give as much attention as I can. Barnabas, the messenger of this letter, will come to you frequently to see what you need so that I can pass it on to you. You will find that, as far as I can possibly , I'm always happy to do what I'm told. I've always wanted to make my staff happy." The signature below was illegible, but a stamp was stamped next to it: "Minister of Department X." "We'll talk about it later!" Barnabas said, and Barnabas bowed to him.Then he asked the innkeeper to show him to his room, as he wanted to study the contents of the letter by himself.At the same time, it occurred to him that although Barnabas was so charming, he was only a messenger after all, so he ordered him a beer.He wanted to see how Barnabas treated the glass of beer. Barnabas was obviously very happy and drank it immediately.Then K. followed the innkeeper away.The inn house was so small that it could not provide K with anything more than a small room in the attic, and even this caused some difficulties, because the two maids who had always lived in this room had to be moved to other places. place to live.In fact, nothing was arranged, but the two maids were driven away.The room was not furnished at all, there was no sheet on the single bed, only a few pillows and a horse blanket, left in the same mess as that morning.There were pictures of holy icons and soldiers on the walls, and the room was not even ventilated, and it was obvious that they did not expect the new visitor to stay long, and therefore did not intend to offer him any hospitality. K. was not offended by this, wrapped himself in the blanket, sat down at the table, and read the letter again by candlelight.

It was an inconsistent letter, part of which treated him as if he were a free man, acknowledging his independence, for example, the way of address and reference to his wishes and so on.But in other places, he is directly or indirectly regarded as a lowly employee who has almost no chance to meet those ministers; the writer is willing to try his best to show "concern" to him, but his boss is just a village chief , in fact, he is only responsible to the village chief, so his only colleague may be the village police.These are places of inconsistency, there is no doubt about it.Since the contradiction is so obvious, it must be faced squarely. K. could not conceive that these contradictions were due to indecision; it would be utterly muddled to conceive of such an organization.He preferred to regard these contradictions as choices frankly offered to him, and let him choose from the letter which he liked, whether he would like to be a country laborer, with a special but only superficial connection with the castle, or to be a country worker. A rural worker in name, but the actual job is decided through the intermediary of Barnabas. K. will make his choice without hesitation. Even if he has just arrived here and lacks the necessary experience to make a choice, he will never hesitate.As a common laborer in the village, as far as possible out of the castle's sphere of influence, he was still confident of being able to do the same work as if he lived in the castle; A villager, if not yet their friend, would begin to chat with him; and if once he had become a figure on par with Raisman or Gaestak --this must be done as soon as possible, because everything depends on it,--then all roads will be open to him, not only will all roads be open to him forever if he only relies on the grace of the gentlemen in the castle. Closed, and can't even see it.There is a danger, of course, that, although the letter has been painstakingly written to be satisfactory, the point is sufficiently emphasized, as if inevitable, that his status will be reduced to that of a workman--at your service, superior. Jobs, terms of employment, responsible staff, etc. - all set forth in this letter, although more personal is included, the correspondence is from the standpoint of an employer .If K. wanted to be a worker, so be it, but he had to work hard, and there was no future for him. K. knew that there was nothing to be afraid of in the form of real discipline, which he was not afraid of, and he was even more fearless under the circumstances, but the pressure of a discouraging environment, the pressure of a debilitating environment, which makes you step back into disappointment Stress, a stress you don't notice but which affects you every moment, is something he's afraid of, it's a danger he has to watch out for.The letter did not let go of the fact that in the event of a dispute K. had to have the courage to stand up first; Ashamed,--which is included in the words "as you know" in the letter referring to the fact that he was hired to serve the earl. K. had already reported for duty, and it was only after reporting, as the letter indicated, that he found out that he was employed.

K. took down a picture from the wall and hung the letter on a nail; this room was where he would live from now on, so this was where the letter should hang. Then he went downstairs into the hall of the inn.Barnabas was sitting at a table with the two assistants. "Oh, you are here," said K., who could not give any reason except that he was pleased to see Barnabas, who got up immediately.It had become their habit for the peasants to get up and surround K. whenever he showed his face—to surround him and follow him. "What do you mean by following me all the time?" K. called.Not angry, they walked back slowly and sat down in their seats again.One of them, with an enigmatic smile on his face as he stings back, and several others who had the same expression, happened to say something apologetic: "There's always something new to hear." Yes." He said while licking his lips, as if the news was what he ate and drank. K. said nothing conciliatory, they should have shown him a little respect, but he hadn't even approached Barnabas when he felt a peasant panting against the back of his head.The peasant said he had only come to get the salt shaker, but K. stomped his feet in anger at this, and the peasant ran back without taking the salt shaker.Indeed, it was very easy to catch K.'s weakness, one had only to stir up these peasants against him, and their incessant disturbance repelled him more than the indifference of others, but otherwise On the one hand, he was not immune to their indifference, for as soon as he sat at their table they were reluctant to stay.It was only because of the presence of Barnabas that he refrained from making a scene.He turned to glare at them and found that they were all looking at him too.He saw them sitting in their own seats, not talking to each other, and there was no obvious tacit understanding, they just stared at him in unison.From their appearance, K. concluded that they were not hostile to him all the time, perhaps they really wanted something from him, but they just couldn't say it, otherwise, it would be pure childishness. Performance.This kind of childish behavior seems to be quite popular in this inn; the proprietor himself, too, stood upright as a log, staring at K., holding a glass that should have been given to K. Wasn't he ridiculously childish to accept a beer from a customer without even looking at his wife who had come out of the kitchen window to call him?

K. turned to Barnabas more calmly; he would have dismissed the two assistants, but he could not think of an excuse.What's more, they are leisurely contemplating the beer in front of them. "The letter," began K., "I have read it. Do you know what it contains?" "No," said Barnabas, whose look seemed to say more than his words significance.K. may have been equally wrong about Barnabas' kindness and the peasants' hostility, but seeing Barnabas was always a comfort. "You are also mentioned in the letter, and I have been appointed to deliver the minister's letters from time to time, so I thought you might know what they were about." "I was only ordered to deliver the letter to you," said Barnabas." Tell me to wait until you have read it, and bring back an oral or written reply, if you think it is necessary." "Well," said K., "I have nothing to write, please address the minister- -By the way, what's his name? I don't recognize his signature." "His name is Klamm," said Barnabas. "Then please pass on my thanks to Mr. Crumb for the appreciation and kindness which I value as a man who has not yet proved his worth here. I will faithfully Follow his instructions. I don't have any special requests today." Barnabas listened intently, and then asked K if he could repeat the message, K agreed, and Barnabas He repeated it verbatim.Then he stood up and said goodbye.

K. had been studying his face, and now he took a final look.Barnabas was about the same height as K., but his eyes seemed to be looking down on K., but there was an almost humble look in his eyes. It was impossible to imagine that this man would humiliate anyone. of.He was, of course, no more than a messenger, and did not know the contents of the letters he delivered, but his winks, his smile, and his demeanor seemed to convey a message, though he probably knew nothing of it.Then K. held out his hand to shake him good-bye, which apparently seemed to surprise him a little, since he had meant to bow and leave.

As soon as he was gone--he leaned his shoulder against the door for a moment, cast a last glance at the room, and then opened it--K said to his assistants: "I'm going to the room and get the plans." Come down, and let's talk about what to do first." They're going with him. "You stay here," said K.They still wanted to go with him. K. had to repeat his order even more severely.Barnabas was no longer in this living room.But he had only just gone out.However, in front of the inn—it was snowing again—K. could not see him either.He called out, "Barnabas!" There was no answer.Maybe he's still in the inn?It seems impossible. K shouted his name with all his strength.Shouts resounded in the night.Then, there was a low voice of agreement from a distance, and Barnabas had gone a long way. K. called him back, and at the same time went out to meet him; they did not meet until they were out of sight of the inn.

"Barnabas," said K., whose voice trembled uncontrollably, "I still have a few words to say to you. I think I'll just rely on your occasional visits and deliveries to me." Going to the castle, that's not a very good arrangement. If I don't catch up with you now--how fast you run, I thought you were still in the inn--who knows how long I'll have to wait before I see you again ""You can ask the Minister," said Barnabas, "that he send me to you at regular intervals of your own choosing." "Even that will not be enough," said K., "I may not have Something to say at a time, but maybe a quarter of an hour after you leave, I'll have something urgent to do."

"Then," said Barnabas, "shall I inform the Minister that another method of correspondence must be established between him and you instead of me?" "No, no," said K., "not at all." I only mention this in passing, because I was lucky enough to catch up with you this time." "Shall we go back to the inn?" said Barnabas. "So you can tell me the message you want me to bring." He had already taken a step in the direction of the inn. "Barnabas, you don't have to go back. I'll walk with you for a while." "Why don't you want to go back to the inn?" asked Barnabas. "I'm sick of being stalked there," said K., "you have seen with your own eyes how stalking those peasants are." "We can go to your room," said Barnabas. "It's a room where the maids live," said K., "it's dirty and stuffy—just because I don't want to be there, I want to walk with you for a while," he added, in order to finally convince Ba Nabas, "You have to let me hold your arm, your steps are more stable than mine." As he said, K took his arm.It was so dark now that K could not see his face, and he could only make out his body. It took him a minute or two to feel his arm. Barnabas relented, and they left the inn and walked on. K. really felt that despite all his strength, he could not keep up with Barnabas, that he was a burden to him, and that even under normal circumstances this little accident was enough to ruin everything, and even more so. Not to mention these country lanes like the ones he had been stuck in that morning, and there was no way he could have gotten out had Barnabas not led him along.But he drove all these worries away, and he was relieved by Barnabas' silence; for if they went on in silence, Barnabas must also feel that their company was made for them. The only reason. They went on, but K. did not know where they were going, he could not make out anything, not even whether they had passed the church or not.Just to continue on his way, he has to give all his energy, so that he has no time to control his thoughts.Instead of walking toward their destination, they run around aimlessly.His mind was constantly welling up and filled with memories of past events in his native land.In my hometown, there is also a church in the market place, surrounded by a part of an old cemetery, and the cemetery is surrounded by a high wall.Few children were able to climb that high wall. For a while K. also climbed, but he couldn't do it either.Children do not want to climb out of curiosity.The cemetery was no mystery to them.They often ran in through a small side door, and they only wanted to conquer the high, bare wall.But one morning—the empty and quiet market place was flooded with sunshine. How often had K seen such a beautiful sight before or since? --he climbed up the wall with amazing ease; there was a place where he had slid down many times, and this time he climbed to the top with a little flag in his teeth. .The stones were still rolling down under his feet, but he was already standing on the top of the wall.He stuck the little flag on the wall, and the little flag was fluttering in the wind. He looked down and looked around, and turned his head to look down at the crosses planted in the ground. There was no one greater than him here and now.But the teacher happened to pass by, and he put on a serious face, forcing K. to get down.When he jumped down, he hurt his knee, and when he walked home, he felt a little hard, but he climbed to the top of the fence after all.At that time, his complacency seemed to be the victory of his life, and he was not stupid at all, so now, many years later, when he walked with Barnabas' arm on a snowy night, he thought of this. A past incident made him more courageous. He grabbed Barnabas's arm even tighter, and Barnabas almost dragged him away, the silence still not broken.As for the way they were taking now, K. judged from the road, only that they had not yet turned into the alley.He swore to himself that no matter how hard the road was, or even how remote the prospect of making it home, he would never stop.There is no doubt that there is always more than enough strength to let yourself be dragged by others.There must be a time when the road runs to the end.It seemed that going up to the castle by day would be easy, and the messenger must have taken the shortest and shortest route. Just then, Barnabas stopped.Where are they now?Is this the end of the road?Was Barnabas going to dump him?Then he can't do it. K gripped his arm so tightly that his hand almost ached.Or something unbelievable happened, have they entered the castle or reached the gate of the city?But as far as K knew, they hadn't climbed any slopes.Or was it that Barnabas had led him up the hill without anyone noticing it? "Where are we now?" K. asked in a low voice, more to himself than to Barnabas. "Home," Barnabas said in the same low voice. "Home?" "Now watch out, sir, or you're going to fall. Let's go down here." "Go down?" "Only a step or two," added Barnabas, and continued He was already knocking on the door. A girl opened the door, and they came to the door of a large room, which was almost dark, except for a small oil lamp which hung empty on a small table at the back. "Who's coming with you, Barnabas?" asked the girl. "Land surveyor," he said. "Land surveyor," repeated the girl in a raised voice, turning away from the little table.There stood up two old men, an old man, an old woman, and a girl.They greeted K.Barnabas introduced his whole family, his parents and his two sisters, Olga and Amalia. K. had barely caught sight of them before he let them take his wet coat to the fire to dry. In this way, only Barnabas arrived home, but he himself did not.But why are they here? K. took Barnabas aside and asked: "Why are you here? Don't you live in the castle precinct?" "The castle precinct?" repeated Barnabas, as if he did not understand. like. "Barnabas," said K., "you left the inn to go to the castle." "No," said Barnabas, "I left the inn to go home, not until early in the morning. To the castle, I never spend the night there." "Oh," said K., "you didn't go to the castle, you just came here."--the man's smile seemed less cheerful than usual, and he The man also seemed less insignificant—"Why didn't you say that earlier?" "You didn't ask me, sir," said Barnabas, "you just said you wanted me to bring a letter, and you didn't." Willing to tell me in the drawing room of the inn or in your room, so I thought you might be able to talk to me quietly here, at my parents' house. If you want to talk to me alone, the others can go away --Besides, you can spend the night here if you like. Am I doing something wrong?" K. made no answer.It's just a misunderstanding, a normal one.毫不足奇的误会，可是刚才Ｋ却完全被它蒙住了。巴纳巴斯穿的那件像丝绸一样闪闪发光的紧身外套本来颇使他动心，现在巴纳巴斯解开以后露出了一件又粗又脏、打满补钉的灰色衬衫，衬衫里面就是一个劳工的宽阔和强壮的胸脯。他周围的环境不仅证实了这一切，而且更加强了这个印象。那位患着痛风病的衰老的父亲，走起路来与其说是用两条直僵僵的腿慢腾腾地挪动，还不如说是靠两只手在摸索的好。那位母亲呢，两只手交叠着放在胸前，因为身体臃肿，也只能迈着极小的步子。这两个人，父亲和母亲，打从Ｋ进屋以后，就从他们的角落里迎上来，可是仍旧离开他很远。两个黄发的姊妹长得挺相像，也挺像巴纳巴斯，只是外貌更结实，是两个高大的乡村妞儿，这会儿在父母跟前转来晃去，等着Ｋ向她们说一句问好的话。可是他说不出来。他深信在这个村子里，每一个人都对他抱着一种想法。他也的确没有想错，就因为眼前这些人，他才感觉不到一点儿兴趣。假使他可以独自一个人挣扎着回客栈去的话，他愿意立刻离开这儿。即使明天一清早有可能跟巴纳巴斯一起到城堡去也吸引不了他。他原指望在夜里挽着巴纳巴斯的臂膀人不知鬼不觉地闯进城堡去，就在他挽着巴纳巴斯的臂膀走的时候，在他的心目中，他还把巴纳巴斯这个人想像成比谁都重要的人物，他以为这个巴纳巴斯比他表面上所处的地位高得多，而且是城堡里的亲信人物。然而，作为像这样一家人家的儿子，一个完全属于这样一个家庭的儿子，现在他正同他们坐在一张桌子上，像他这样一个在城堡里过夜都不准许的人，指望在朗朗白昼跟他一起到城堡去，那是不可能的，这简直是一种荒唐可笑而且毫无希望的想法。 Ｋ在靠窗的一个坐位上坐了下来，他决定坐在这儿过夜，不再接受其他任何照顾。村子里那些把他撵走或者怕他的人，似乎反倒不怎么危险，他们所做的一切只是逼着他依靠自己孤军奋战，有助于他集中自己所有的力量，可是像这些表面上帮助他的人，玩了一出小小的假面戏，把他引到自己的家里来，而不是把他领到城堡去，不管是有意还是无意，这是转移他的目标，只能使他毁灭。因此，他全不理会他们邀请他跟他们一家人坐到桌子上去，只是固执地垂着头坐在他那张凳子上。 接着，奥尔珈，其中比较温柔的一个姑娘，站起身来，多少带着一点少女的窘态，跑到Ｋ这边来邀他去参加他们的家常便餐，吃一点腊肉和面包，她说她准备出去弄点儿啤酒来。"上哪儿去买啤酒？"Ｋ问。"上旅馆去买，"她说。对Ｋ来说，这是值得欢迎的消息。他恳求她别去弄啤酒，还是陪他回客栈去，那儿有重要的事情正等着他去办。但是，后来才明白，她并不是到他住的那家客栈去，她要去的那个旅馆离这儿近得多，叫赫伦霍夫旅馆。Ｋ还是照样央求她让他陪她一起去，心想，到那儿也许能找到一个过夜的地方；不管那儿多么糟糕，他宁肯睡在那儿，却不愿意睡在这些人可能让给他睡的最舒适的床上。奥尔珈没有马上回答，她向桌子那边望着。她的哥哥站起来，表示赞同地点了点头说："要是这位先生想去，你就带他去吧。"他这一声同意险些儿使Ｋ取消自己的要求，要是巴纳巴斯同意，那么这件事情就不可能有多大价值了。可是既然他们已经在考虑人家是否会准许他上那家旅馆去，而且还在怀疑这种可能性，他也就坚持着要去了，至于自己为什么急着要去，他却连一句动听的借口都不想说；这样的人家应该让他爱怎么样就怎么样，至于他们的利害如何，他根本不用有任何顾虑。可是阿玛丽亚的严峻而逼人的眼光是那么无所畏惧，也许还有一点儿傻气，倒使他感到有点不安。 在他们去旅馆的那一段很短的路上--Ｋ挽着奥尔珈的臂膀，把全身重量都靠在她的身上，就像他早先靠在巴纳巴斯的身上一样，要不这样他就没法儿举步前进--他了解到这家旅馆是专门为城堡里来的先生们备用的，他们碰到要来村子里办事的时候，就在这儿就餐，有时候也在这儿过夜。奥尔珈用一种低低的信任的语调对Ｋ说着；同她在一起走是愉快的，几乎就像和她的哥哥一起走一样愉快。Ｋ竭力抗拒着她给他的这种舒适的感觉，但是这种感觉却滞留不去。 从外面看去，这家新的旅馆很像Ｋ住的那个客栈。村子里所有的房子大致都很相像，可是一眼望去，这儿仍旧看得出一些细小的不同来；这儿门前的台阶上有一排栏杆，大门上边挂着一盏精致的提灯。他们走进大门的时候，感觉有什么东西在他们的头上飘拂着，那是一面绣着伯爵的五彩徽章的旗子。刚走进大厅，他们就碰见了旅馆的老板，显然，他正在巡视各处；他走过的时候用他那对小眼睛瞅了一下Ｋ，他那对小眼睛眯细着，既像是为了打量Ｋ，又像是因为没有睡醒的缘故。接着他说道："土地测量员只能上酒吧间，别的地方都不能去。""是，"奥尔珈说，她立刻站在Ｋ的一边，帮他说话，"他只是为了护送我才来的。"可是Ｋ并不感激她，他放开了她的手臂，把旅馆老板拉到一边去。这时奥尔珈耐心地在大厅的另一头等着。"我想在这儿过夜，"Ｋ说。"我很抱歉，这恐怕不行啊，"旅馆老板说。"你似乎没有发觉，这儿是专为城堡里的先生们保留的旅馆呢。""得啦，也许是这样规定的吧，"Ｋ说，"可是不论在哪个角落里让我睡一夜，那总该是办得到的吧？""要是我能办到的话，那我只有太乐意答应你啦，"旅馆老板说，"可是且不说规定订得那么严格--只有像你这样一个外乡人才能这么说，--此外从另一条理由来考虑也根本办不到；城堡里来的先生们可机灵着哩，我相信他们要是瞧见一个陌生人准受不了；起码也得让他们事先有所准备，否则根本办不到；要是我让你睡在这儿，偶然--而且偶然的事情总是落在先生们那一边的--给他们发现了，那就不单是毁了我，而巴也毁了你。这听起来好像挺荒唐，但却是真实的。"这个个儿高高的、穿了一身有许多钮扣的衣服的家伙，交叉着两腿站着，一只手撑着墙壁，另一只手放在后臀，向Ｋ微微俯着身子，推心置腹地对他说着，似乎跟这个村子里的任何人都不相同，尽管他那身深色的衣服看起来很像一个庄稼汉穿的漂亮服装。"我绝对相信你说的话，"Ｋ说，"我也没有小看这个规定的意思，尽管我话说得辞不达意。我只想指出这一点，我跟城堡有一点儿关系，而且今后会越来越密切，这能保证不让你因为留我在这儿过夜而担受风险，这也是我能回报你给我照顾的一个充分的保证。""哦，我知道，"旅馆老板说，接着又说，"这我都知道。"现在本该是Ｋ更清楚地说出他的要求的时候，但是旅馆老板这个回答使他感到为难，所以他只问了这样一句："今晚有很多城堡里来的先生们住在这儿吗？""就这点来说，今儿晚上倒是挺走运的，"旅馆老板回答说，仿佛带着鼓励的口气，"今儿晚上只有一位先生住在这儿。"Ｋ虽然觉得他不能勉强要人家收留自己，但终究是抱着能够被旅馆收留的希望的，因此只问了一下那位先生的名字。"克拉姆，"旅馆老板随口说道，这当儿，老板娘穿着一件非常破旧的、缀满褶裥的、式样古老然而是城市里精工剪裁的长袍窸窸窣窣地往他们这边走来，旅馆老板朝他的妻子掉过头去。老板娘是来叫她的丈夫的，因为部长要一些什么东西。旅馆老板在答应她以前，再一次转过脸来望着Ｋ，仿佛是否在这儿过夜由Ｋ自己来决定。可是Ｋ一句话也说不出来，原来今晚在这旅馆里住的就是他的保护人，这个发现完全把他愣住了。他自己也说不清楚，为什么一提到克拉姆，他就觉得不像提到城堡里其他的人那样感到行动自由，想起万一在旅馆里让克拉姆瞧见了，虽然他并不像旅馆老板那么害怕，可是总不免使他有点儿不安，就仿佛是轻率地伤害了一个他理应感激的人的感情似的；但同时，又使他感到生气，因为他已经从这种不安的心情里认识到由于自己的身分降低到一个卑下的阶层以后所产生的这些明显的后果，这正是他所害怕的，而且他知道，尽管这些后果是这样的明显，自己目前所处的地位却连反抗都不可能。所以，他咬着嘴唇站在那儿，默默无言。旅馆老板从门口走开以前，又回转头来看了他一眼，但Ｋ只是用眼睛回答他的注视，一动不动地站在那儿，直到奥尔珈走过来把他拉走。"你向旅馆老板要求什么？"她问道。"我向他要求一个过夜的床位，"Ｋ说。"你不是跟我们呆在一起吗！"奥尔珈惊奇地说。"当然，"Ｋ说，让她爱怎么理解这句话就怎么去理解吧。