Chapter 18 sixteen

When he got out into the street, he saw dimly in the darkness that the assistant was still prowling not far from Barnabas' house; through the shutters and looked into the house. K called him; he did not show any alarm, but stopped peeking around the room and came towards K. "What are you looking at?" asked K., trying to see if the cane would work on his own leg. "It's you," said the assistant, coming closer. "But who are you?" K. asked suddenly, because this person did not appear to be his assistant.He seemed to be getting older and more tired, with more lines on his face, but his face was fuller than before, and his gait was quite different from the brisk gait of the two assistants, giving the impression of Their joints seemed to be electrified, and they walked a little bit like weak patients. "Don't you know me?" the man asked. "I'm Jeremiah, your old assistant." "I know," said K., tentatively pulling out the cane hidden behind his back. "But you look very different." "It's because I'm all alone," said Jeremiah. "Whenever I am alone, I lose my youthful vigor." "But where is Arthur?" asked K. "Arthur?" Jeremiah asked. "Ask the little chap? He's quit the job. You've been harsh and rough with us, you know, and he can't stand the treatment for such a gentle man. He's gone back to the castle to complain." "What about you, then?" ?" asked K. "I can hang on here," Jeremiah said. "Arthur will sue for me, too." "What can you complain about?" asked K. "That's why you don't know what a joke is. What did we do? We just joked a little, laughed a few times, had a little heart with your fiancée, that's all. We also followed the above That's what I was instructed to do. When Glatter sent us to you..." "Glatt?" asked K. "Yes, Glatter," replied Jeremiah, "he was acting for Klamm at the time. When he sent us to you, he said... I paid attention to what he said, because it was Our duty, he said: You are going down to work as land surveyor's assistants. We replied: But we don't know anything about surveying. He replied: That's not the main problem, if necessary, he will Teach you. The main thing is to make him happy. According to the reports I have received, he takes everything too seriously. When he first arrived in the village, he thought he had a great experience, but it really didn't count at all. What. You must teach him that." "Really?" said K. "Is Glatter right? Have you carried out your mission?" "I don't know," replied Jeremiah, "that was not easy to do in so few days." Yes. I'm not even an employee of the castle, how can I not know how hard work this kind of occupation is, how wrong it is to make work more difficult for poor workers, and how childish it is that you do it so presumptuously You let us freeze on the railing, you showed no mercy, you nearly knocked Arthur down on the bedding with your fist--Arthur was a man who would be sad for a few days at a foul word,--you Chased me all afternoon in the snow, and I was so tired that I only just recovered an hour ago, and I'm not a young man any more!" "My dear Jeremiah," said K. You're right about what you're saying, you should complain about Glatter. He sent you here on his own initiative, I didn't ask him to send you here. And since I didn't ask you to come, I'm at liberty to send you here again. Send you back, and I'd like to send you away as kindly as you say, without violence, but you won't go any other way. Besides, when you first came, why didn't you Explain it to me as frankly as you are now?" "Because I was on official business at the time," said Jeremiah, "that is obvious." "And you are no longer on official business?" asked K. "Yes," said Jeremiah, "Arthur has reported to the Castle that we are resigning from the job, and at least we are taking steps to finally get out of it." "But you still come to me , as if you were still doing the job," said K. "No," replied Jeremiah, "I came to you only to reassure Frieda. She was very sad that you abandoned her for Barnabas's sister, and she was saddened by you." ungrateful, it's not all about losing you, and she knew it was going to happen a long time ago, and she has suffered enough for it. I ran to the window of the school, just to see you Have you become more reasonable. But you weren't there. Frieda was sitting alone on a stool crying. So I went up to her and we made an agreement. Everything was settled. I go to He Lenhof Hotel as a waiter, at least until the castle decides on my job, and Frieda will go back to the bar again. It will be much better for Frieda. She will be your wife for nothing. Makes sense. And you don't know how to value her sacrifice for you. But this kind-hearted person still has some hesitations. Maybe he has wronged you by doing so, she thought. Maybe you didn't talk to Barna after all. Bass girls together. Though there is of course no doubt where you are, I've come here in order to find out once and for all; for after all this trouble, not to speak of myself, Frieda ought to have a good night's sleep. Here I am, not only to find you here, but also to see you dominating these two girls. Especially the black girl—that's a wild cat, --she's flirting with you. Well, everybody likes turnips and greens. But even so, you don't have to go round and round the way out of the next garden, I know the way."

In this way, what K could have foreseen but not prevented has now finally happened.Frieda had left him.This cannot be the final outcome, the situation is not so bad, Frieda can be won back, it is easy for any stranger to influence her, even these two think that Frieda's situation is not the same as The same is true for their own very similar assistants.The fact that they had reported to the Castle prompted her to do the same, but if K. showed himself and reminded her of the loving words he had spoken to him in the past, she would regret it and come back to him. , especially if he could prove that his achievements were entirely due to this visit to the two girls.However, even though he thought it over and reassured himself not to worry about Frieda, he was still worried.Only a few minutes before he had praised Frieda to Olga, calling her his only supporter; Frieda snatched K. away—even such a poor assistant would suffice—this puppet-like figure sometimes gave the impression that he was not a living person at all.

Jeremiah was almost out of sight. K called him back. "Jeremiah," he said, "I would like to have a frank talk with you; and you can also frankly answer a question for me. We are no longer master and servant now, not only to you, but also to me. It is a cause for congratulations, too; so that we need not deceive each other. Now that you see me with this cane, it is against you, and I did not go through the back door out of fear of you, I mean to catch you off guard and give you a few slaps on the shoulder. But don't be angry, it's all over; if the authorities don't impose you as my servant, but introduce you as an acquaintance I, then, we may get along very well, although your appearance sometimes makes me uncomfortable. But we have time to make up for what we lost in the past." "Is that what you think?" the assistant said. Yawning, he closed his eyes wearily and asked, "Of course I can explain this to you in more detail, but I don't have time right now. I have to go to Frieda. The poor child is waiting for me. She She hasn't started work yet, and at my request, the hotel owner agreed to let her rest for a few more hours--she would like to go to work right away, maybe this will help her forget the past--we want to stay at least for a few hours As for your suggestion, I certainly have no reason to deceive you, but I also have no reason to tell you anything about me. In other words, my situation is different from yours. As long as I remain with you Maintaining the master-servant relationship, you are naturally a very important person in my eyes. This is not because of your noble character, but because my duty requires this. I should do whatever you ask me to do, but You are nothing to me now. Even if you cut off this cane, it will do nothing to me. It will only remind me of what a rough master I have had, but it will not make me feel good about you. ""You talk to me like this," said K., "as if you're sure you won't have to be afraid of me anymore. But that's not the case. From all the indications, you can't get rid of me just yet, things won't happen." So fast..." "It's even faster than that sometimes," interposed Jeremiah. "Sometimes that may be the case," said K., "but this time there is nothing to prove it, at least neither you nor I can produce any written evidence. It seems that the matter is only just beginning, I have not yet Use my strength to intervene in this matter, but I will. If it turns out against you, you will know that you are really not in your master's favor, so perhaps it is superfluous to break this cane now after all. Well, you abducted Frieda, you think you are great, even if you no longer have the slightest respect for me, but based on the respect I have for you as a person, as long as I say a few words to Frieda, It is enough to expose the lies you used to deceive Frieda...I am absolutely sure. Because only lies can separate Frieda and me." "Your threats will not scare me," replied Jeremiah, "you You don't need me as your assistant at all, you are even afraid of me as an assistant, you are afraid of everything, and it is because you are afraid that you beat poor Arthur." "Perhaps," said K., "but whether So it doesn't hurt enough? Maybe I can use it many more times to show that I'm afraid of you. Once I find that you don't like doing assistant work, although I'm afraid of you, keep you and I can go again. Give me the greatest satisfaction once. And, next time I will try to take care that you come alone and not with Arthur, then I can show you more concern." "Do you think," said Jay Remia asked, "Am I even the slightest bit afraid of all this?" "I really think so," said K. And I'd be very scared. If not, why don't you go straight back to Frieda? Tell me, are you in love with her, huh?" "I love her!" said Jeremiah. "She's a smart, good girl, a former mistress of Klamm's, and very respectable in every way. Besides, she's been begging me to save her from you, why don't I do her favors?" What? I'll do it without hurting a single hair of your hair, and you're already having fun with those two damned babes from the Barnabas family?" "Now I can see you're frightened, said K., "you're dizzy with fright; you're trying to cover me with lies. All Frieda wants is to get rid of you two assistants who are like dirty pigs, because you Becoming more and more lawless, but unfortunately, I did not have time to fully fulfill her wishes, and now this is the result of my negligence."

"Land surveyor, land surveyor!" someone shouted in the street.This is Barnabas.He came running out of breath, but he did not forget to bow to K. "All right!" he said. "What's the matter?" asked K. "Have you made my request to Klamm?" "That can't be done," said Barnabas, "I've tried my best, but I can't do it. Standing there unnoticed, so close to the office desk, that one of the clerks simply pushed me away because I was standing there blocking his light when Klamm looked up, I raised my hand to report to him--such actions are forbidden--I was the last one left in the institution at this time, and I was left alone with the attendants, but I was lucky enough to see Klamm again. came back, but he didn't come back for me, he just wanted to take another quick look at something in a book, and then went away again; at last, because I still stood there, the attendants almost I'm going to be broomed out of the gate. I'll tell you all about it, so you won't have to complain about my lack of effort." "Nothing has been done," said K. "Barnabas, What is the use of your zeal for me?" "But I am doing well!" replied Barnabas. "As I was leaving my institution--I call that institution my institution--I saw a gentleman coming slowly towards me along a passage which was empty except for him. It was really late at this time. I decided to wait for him there. This is the best excuse to stay there again. Indeed, I would rather wait there anyway, lest turning back will only bring you Disappointing news. Even so, it was worth the wait, for the gentleman was Erlanger. Don't you know him? He was one of Klamm's chief secretaries. A frail, small gentleman who walked I was a little limp. He recognized me immediately, and he was famous for his memory and his acquaintances, and he could remember whoever he frowned, even if he had never seen it, only heard or He also often recognizes people who he reads in papers, for example, it is impossible for him to see me at all. But although he can recognize everyone immediately, he always asks you first , as if he wasn't quite sure. Are you Barnabas? He asked me. Then he said: You know the land surveyor, don't you? Hove Hotel. The land surveyor is supposed to report there. I'm in room 15. But he must be there at once. I don't have much to do there, and I'm leaving for the castle at five o'clock in the morning. .Tell him that this matter is so important that I need to talk to him face to face."

Jeremiah sprinted away.Because of his agitation, Barnabas hadn't noticed his presence until now, so he asked, "Where is Jeremiah going now?" "I want to meet Erlanger before me," Saying this, K set off to chase Jeremiah.He caught up with him, grabbed his arm, and said, "Did you suddenly think of Frieda? I miss her too. Let's go together."