Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen

It wasn't until evening, when it was already dark, that K cleared the path of the schoolyard, piled up the snow on both sides, and knocked it firmly, and finally finished the day's work.He stood alone at the gate of the quiet and deserted campus.The assistant who had been left behind had been chased away by him hours ago, and he had chased him for a long way, but the fellow had hid himself somewhere between the garden and the schoolhouse, and could not be found, He hasn't been seen since.Frieda was in the house probably doing the laundry, or still bathing Keisa's cat; it was a marvelous sign of trust that Keisa entrusted Frieda with this errand, indeed, it was An unpleasant and extra task which K. would never have put on if K. had not seen their own weaknesses and had not had to take every opportunity to win Keisa's favor.Keisa watched approvingly as he took the baby's tub down from the attic, boiled hot water, and carefully helped put the cat into the tub.So she actually left the cat completely in Frieda's care, because Shivaro came, an acquaintance K. had met the first night in the village, and it was embarrassing for him to bring it along (due to what happened that night. ) again domineering (like a creditor) greeted K., and went with Keisa to another classroom.The two of them are still there for now. K. had been told when he was at the Bridgehead Inn that, although he was the son of a city guard, Schwarz had lived in the village for some time, because he fell in love with Qisa and because of his connections with the authorities, He got himself a position as a little teacher, and he used this position to listen to Qisha's lessons, either sitting in the chair with the children, or simply sitting at the podium by Qisa's feet.His presence no longer bothered anyone, the children had long been at ease, perhaps because Xifaruo neither liked children nor understood their psychology, and he rarely followed Qisha except for taking physical education classes instead of Qisha. They talked, and he was just content to breathe with Kisa, to revel in her warmth and closeness.

The only surprising thing in this respect is that, although Shivaro's actions are ridiculous and unappreciative, at least at the Bridgehead Inn, people always talk about him with a certain respect. In such an atmosphere of respect.It would be unfounded to say that the position of Mr. Schwarzwald held by Schwarzwald was vastly superior to that of K., because such superiority did not exist.A school janitor is an important person to the rest of the school--and even more so to an assistant like Shivaro,--a figure not to be taken lightly, Consideration was not enough to prevent contempt for him, it should at least be appeased appropriately. K. decided to take this to heart, and he also remembered that Schiffer still owed him a debt due to his dealings with him on the first night in the village, and this debt was not relieved, because immediately afterward Judging from the events that happened in the past few days, it proved that the way Xifaruo received him had an impact.Because it must not be forgotten that this reception may determine the development of all subsequent events.Because of Schwarz, K. was completely unknown in the village, without a single acquaintance, for whom the authorities unreasonably focused all attention during the first hour of his arrival. Nor was there a place of shelter for him to choose; he lay on his straw bale, so exhausted from his long journey, at the mercy of the authorities.After one night, everything may have changed completely, and things can be carried out quietly, without making a scene in the city.In any case, no one will know about him, and there will be no doubts about him. At least one day, he will not hesitate to take him in as a lost vagabond, and his neighbors may recognize him. Word of his dexterity and honesty had spread to him, and he might soon find somewhere a sort of servant's board and lodging.The authorities would naturally discover that he had come here.But what happened was quite different: now it was the Central Bureau or whoever was listening to the phone, who woke up in the middle of the night for his sake with a call from Shivaro—who may not have a very good local reputation, although On the surface he asked very politely, but insisted on making a decision immediately; in another case, K. would quietly visit the village chief himself during office hours the next day, and address him in the appropriate name of a vagrant. He reported that he had found a place with a respectable family, and would probably be out of here in a day, unless in the unlikely event that he found some kind of work in the village, only for a day or two, of course. , because he doesn't intend to stay here long.If there were no Xivaruo, the latter situation might have occurred.The authorities will carry out further investigations of their own accord, but they will proceed step by step in accordance with normal business practices, without interference from the parties concerned, who they hate most for their lack of patience.Well, all of this is not K's fault, it's Shivaro's fault, but if Shivaro is the son of the city guard, he behaves very decently, so the matter can only fall on K's head.What is the insignificant reason that caused all this?Maybe it was because Qisha was in a bad mood that day, which made Xifaruo stay up all night, wandering in the street, and vent all her grievances on K.Of course, on the other hand, it was argued that K. should be grateful for Shivaro's attitude.It is the only antidote for the present situation, which K. himself could not, would never have dared to, and it is impossible officially to allow, that is, from the very beginning, without the slightest falsification. To find myself face to face with the official authorities, and quite possibly so close to face to face.Still, this was a doubtful gift, since K. would certainly be freed from lying and maneuvering, but it would also put him in an almost defenseless position, and he would be at a disadvantage in the struggle if he hadn't reminded himself that the official authorities had nothing to do with him. There is such a disparity in strength between himself, and even if he uses all the strategies he can use, he can't change this situation and create a situation that is beneficial to him, so he may have been discouraged.But this was just a review he made for self-comfort. No matter what, Shiva had still owed him a debt and hurt him, so now he could turn to him for help.He needed help in making very small and tentative moves, for once again Barnabas seemed to have failed him.

For Frieda's sake K. did not go to Barnabas's house all day to find out; After finishing, he still stayed outside to wait for Barnabas, but Barnabas did not come.The only thing he could do now was to visit the two sisters. He only had to stand at the door and ask a few words, and he would be back in a minute or two.So he plunged his shovel into the snow and rushed forward.Out of breath, he ran to the door of Barnabas' house, pushed the door open with a bang, and asked without seeing who was in the house, "Has Barnabas come back yet?" ?” After he asked this question, he realized that Olga was not in the room, and the two old people were sitting at the farthest end of the table with no expression. Turning abruptly towards the door, K. later noticed that Amalia was sleeping next to the stove under a blanket. Seeing K.'s sudden appearance, she jumped up in fright and put her hand on her forehead, trying to calm herself down.If Olga had been there, she would have answered right away, and K. would have been able to go back, but Olga was not there, so he had to take a step or two towards Amalia, and held out his hand to her, while she silently Confidently shaking his hand, K. asked her to dissuade the frightened old men from coming, and she said a few words to dissuade them. K. then knew that Olga was chopping wood in the yard, that Amalia had been lying down for a while because she was very tired—why, she didn’t say—and that Barnabas hadn’t really returned, but he would be there soon. Back, because he never spends the night in the castle. K. thanked her for the news and he could have gone away, but Amalia asked him if he would like to see Olga later.But she said he had already talked to Olga during the day.Surprisingly, he replied that there was no such thing, and he asked Olga if she had anything particularly important to say to him.Amalia seemed a little angry, pursed her lips silently, nodded to him, obviously saying goodbye to him, and then lay down again.Lying there, she kept her eyes on K. It seemed strange to see him still standing there.Her eyes are indifferent, clear, and stubborn as usual, and her eyes never look directly at the target she wants to look at, but always look sideways at it with a bit of distress, although not Da can see it, but there is no doubt that it is definitely not looking squarely, obviously not because of her cowardice, nor because of confusion, nor because of a guilty conscience, but because of a strong desire to persist in not wanting to communicate with others, perhaps only her Only he himself understands this expression. K. recalled that he still remembered that it was this look that made him feel uneasy on the first night in the village, and that it might even have been the expression of hers that made him feel an immediate distaste for the whole family. Irresistible, with a hint of modesty and integrity. "You're always so sad, Amalia," said K., "what's tormenting you? Can you tell me why? I've never seen a girl like you in the village. I've never been so surprised. Are you really from this village? Were you born in this village?" Amalia nodded, as if K. had only asked the last two questions, and then she said "So, are you going to wait for Olga?" "I don't understand why you keep asking me that, I can't wait any longer, because my fiancée is waiting for me at home." Amalia raised her arm on her elbows; she hadn't heard of their engagement. K. told her Frieda's name.Amalia didn't know the name either.She asked K. if Olga knew they were engaged. K. thought she knew, because she had seen him with Frieda, and news like this would soon spread throughout the village.But Amalia told him that she was sure that Olga did not know about it, and that it might hurt her very much, because she seemed to be in love with K.She didn't say that bluntly, because she was very reserved, but love always leaked out unconsciously. K. thought that Amalia must be mistaken.Amalia smiled, and that smile, sad though it was, brought a radiance to her melancholy face, so that silence turned into fluent conversation, indifference into intimacy, and opened up the jealousy that had been preserved until now. A secret, a secret that can naturally be hidden again, but it can no longer be completely hidden.Amalia said she was not mistaken, and she was even more sure that K. was also in love with Olga, and that he called several times, ostensibly to ask Barnabas for news or something, but in fact to Look at Olga.But now that she, Amalia, knows all this, he doesn't have to be so strict with himself, and he might as well visit them often in the future.That's what she had to say. K. shook his head and reminded her that he was already engaged.Amalia didn't seem to attach much importance to the engagement, her first impression of K. determined her opinion of him, and she thought K. was still a bachelor, so she only asked K. when he had known the girl. Because he had only been in this village for a few days. When K. told her what had happened that night at the Herrenhof Hotel, she heard only a brief remark that she was very much against taking him to the Herrenhof Hotel.

At that moment Olga came in with a bundle of firewood, and she begged Olga to prove to her that Olga, coming in from the bitter cold outside, looked fresh, refreshed, strong, and alive, unlike her usual self. Compared with the appearance of doing nothing in the house, it seems to be a different person.She threw down the wood, greeted K. frankly, and then asked how Frieda was doing. K. exchanged glances with Amalia, who did not seem at all embarrassed. Reassured a little, K. talked about Frieda in a more deliberate tone (otherwise he would not have been so deliberate), described her difficult situation at school as she was trying to keep the house in order, he narrated in a hurry. Then, because he was eager to go home immediately, when he said goodbye to the sisters, he forgot to invite them to his house to play.But when Amalia accepted the invitation immediately without giving him time to take it back, he stammered at what to say; so Olga had to say that she would like to see it too. them.But K. still only wanted to go back immediately, and felt very uncomfortable under Amalia's gaze, so he didn't hesitate anymore, admitting that he had sent this invitation without consideration, just out of personal impulse, but it was a pity. However, there was a lot of hostility between Frieda and their family, which he couldn't understand, so he couldn't guarantee whether his invitation would come true. "It's not hostility," said Amalia, throwing the blankets back, and sitting up on the couch, "it's not that serious, but she heard it told somewhere, and she followed suit. Come on." Come on, go back to your young woman, I can see you're in a hurry to go. You needn't worry we'll come to you, I meant to play tricks on you at first, just kidding, That's what I said. You can come to see us as often as you like, and no one will stop you. Just say that you have come to ask Barnabas for information, and that will always be your excuse. I can also tell you that even if Barnabas has brought a message from the castle, and he can't go all the way to school to find you, which you can use as an excuse. He can't come and go like that, poor boy, he's already done his job. You're exhausted, you'll have to come here yourself to get the news." K. had never heard Amalia say so many words in one breath before, and it sounded different from her usual tone, with a sort of majesty in it. Obviously, not only K., but also Olga, who was used to her, was impressed.She was standing slightly sideways, with her arms folded, and once again she was stooping a little in the usual stupid way, her eyes fixed on Amalia, but Amalia only looked at Van. "It was a misunderstanding," said K. "You say that I did not come to Barnabas in good faith. This is a huge misunderstanding. My most urgent desire, which is also my only desire, is to obtain a proper settlement of my matter with the authorities. Barnabas must help me in this, on whom I rest most of my hopes. I must say he has disappointed me for a time, but in the cause, my fault was far greater than his. Many; when I first came to this village, I foolishly thought that everything could be solved by just walking a few steps that night, but later it was proved that things that cannot be done are impossible after all, and I Blame it on him. It even affected my opinion of your family and both of you. But all this is in the past, I think I understand you better now, you can even say... . . . " K. was trying to find the right phrase, but couldn't think of any, so for the time being he had to say: "From my experience, you might even have the best minds in the village. But now, Ah Maria, you're taking me off topic again, because you downplay the importance of Barnabas to me, and if you don't downplay the importance of your brother's work, maybe you don't know much about him , if so, it doesn't matter much, but maybe you know about him--and I'm inclined to think so--and if so, it's bad, because it shows your brother is lying to me."" Calm down," cried Amalia, "I don't know his affairs, nothing interests me in them, nothing interests me, not even my concern for you. My attention would not have drawn my attention to his affairs, but my concern for you might have driven me to do many things, because, as you say, we are the best-hearted people. But my brother's affairs It's his own business, and I don't know anything about him, except now and then I hear a word or two against my will. But Olga can tell you all about Barnabas, because She is the one he trusts." After saying that, Amalia walked away, first went to her parents, whispered a few words to them, and then went to the kitchen, she walked away. She didn't say good-bye to K., as if she knew he was going to stay for a long time, so she didn't need to say good-bye to him.