"THE CASTLE based on writtings by Franz Kafka" "K. arrived late one evening." "Good evening." "Could I have a room?" "The landlord did not have any rooms to rent." "But, disturbed by this stranger, he offered him to sleep on a straw mattress." "K. agreed." "Sorry for waking you up." "I'm the Castle manager's son." "You need a permit to sleep here." "You either don't have it or didn't show one." "What's this village?" "Is there a castle here?" "Apparently!" "Good." "I'll go find that paper." "Now?" "At midnight?" "!" "Isn't that possible?" "Why did you wake me up then?" "To tell you that you have to leave the Castle grounds." "You are pushing it, young man." "I will lodge a complaint tomorrow." "These gentlemen are witnesses." "I am the surveyor in service of the Castle." "My assistants and equipment will be here tomorrow." "Good night gentlemen." "Hello?" "Good evening, Schwarzer here." "Schwarzer said he located K." "and that he finds him suspicious, because he claimed to be a surveyor engaged by the Castle." "Yes." "Yes." "I will wait." "Yes!" "Thank you!" "Just as I said!" "No trace of a surveyor!" "A vulgar vagrant!" "A liar!" "As if that is not bad enough!" "The office boss himself?" "Surprising ..." "How to tell it to Mr. Surveyor?" "The Castle appointed him as the surveyor." "K. was close to the church, the school was just behind." "The children and the teacher were coming out." "From afar, K. had noticed this man with narrow shoulders." "K. saluted him first." "The children quieted down." " Can you see the Castle?" " Yes." "I'm not from here." "I arrived yesterday." "Don't you like it?" "Excuse me?" "Do I like the Castle?" "Why wouldn't I like it?" "It is pleasing for foreigners." " Do you know the Count?" " No." "You don't know the Count?" "How could I?" "And the teacher added, whispering in French:" "Mind these innocent ears!" "I will rest for a while." "Can I come to see you later?" "I live next to the butcher's." "Good, I will come by." "The teacher confirmed and set off with his class screaming again." "K. was distracted and irritated by this conversation." "For the first time he felt tired." "For the state that he was in, just forcing himself to reach the Castle entrance, would have been enough." "The street did not go to the Castle, it was coming close, and then it turned and, without moving away, it did not approach the Castle anymore." "Can I enter?" "I am very tired." "But he is drunk!" "Who are you?" "What is he doing here?" "I am the surveyor." "Ah, this is the surveyor." "You know me?" "Of course." "You cannot stay here." "I did not want to stay, just to rest a little." "Who are you?" "A girl from the Castle." "We don't need any visitors." "Who are you?" "Lasemann, the tanner." "Who are you?" " Your assistants." " These are the assistants." "What?" "My assistants that had to rejoin me?" "Yes!" "They saluted." "Remembering the good old days of his military service, K. laughed." "It is good." "Good that you are here." "But you are late, you are negligent!" "It's a long way." "Where is the equipment?" "We do not have it." "The stuff that I entrusted to you?" " Don't have it ..." " Don't have it." "Do you know the job?" "No." "If you were my assistants, you would know the job." "How can I tell you apart?" "It's just for your names, otherwise, you look alike." "Like two snakes." "Usually, we are recognized!" "I will call you both by the same name:" "Arthur." "One of you is definitely named Arthur?" "You?" "No, I am Jeremias." "Good." "Doesn't matter." "Both of you will be Arthur." "If I give an order, it applies to both of you." "That is very unpleasant." "But that's how it is." "I'll go to sleep now." "We already lost a day." "Tomorrow we'll start early." "Find me a sled and be here at 6 am." "Good." "Good!" "You know that's impossible!" "He's right." "If it's for the Castle, he'll need a permit" "Where do you get one?" "I do not know." "Maybe from the manager?" "Then call the manager!" "They complied, ran to the phone and asked if K. could come to the Castle tomorrow." "It was refused." "K. heard it from his table." "And he added:" "Neither tomorrow nor ever!" "I'll call myself." "The peasants made a circle around K." "A majority thought that K. would not get any response." "K. had to tell them to be quiet." "The line was awful:" "K. had never heard such noise." "It was as if voices of innumerable children, strangely formed a single strong and high-pitched voice." "A messenger is looking for you." " Bugger off!" " Oswald here." "Yes?" "Yes?" "I am an assistant of the surveyor." " Which one?" " Joseph." "Joseph?" "His assistants are Arthur and Jeremias." " These are the new assistants." " No, the old ones." "No, the new ones." "But I am the old one, I arrived today." "No." "What am I then?" "You are a former assistant." "What do you want?" "When do we enter the Castle?" "Never." "Good." "Who are you?" "I am Barnabas, the messenger." "Under the orders of the Mayor," "I will keep an eye on you." "The messenger Barnabas, who brought this letter, will come to see what you need, and will pass it to me." "I strive to make my workers happy." "I can't read the signature." " What is the name of your boss?" " Klamm." "Give my thanks to Mr. Klamm for his warm welcome." "I appreciate it." "I need to produce my credentials." "I'll do everything as agreed." "I have no demands." " Should I repeat?" " Go ahead." "Thanks Mr. Klamm." "I appreciate your friendly welcome, even as I have not yet produced my evidence." "I will do absolutely as said." "I have nothing to ask." "Barnabas!" "I am here." "His voice was weak, distant." "Barnabas is not here anymore." "Come back!" "This way!" "K. called him while running towards him." "They met each other outside of the view from the inn." "Barnabas, I wanted to say something to you ." "I think it's not going to work if I have to wait for you to take my messages to the Castle." "Had I not found you, who knows how much time I would have waited for you?" "You can ask the Boss to confirm that I come regularly just as you set it up." "That's not good enough." "I could have nothing to say for a year, then have an urgent message, and you might have just left." "OK, should I tell to the Boss, that you want to communicate with him in a different way?" "No, no, absolutely not." "Let's go back to the inn so that you can tell me what is my new mission?" "The people there bother me." "This is not necessary." "I'll come with you for a bit." "Let me take your arm." "You are firmer on your feet." "And K. took his arm." "They walked, but K. did not know where to." "He couldn't recognize anything, even though they already passed the church." "Judging by the road condition, they were still on the main road." "K. resolved not to let anythig stop him." "By day, the Castle appeared within reach, and Barnabas knew the way." "What's this?" " We are at the house." " At the house?" "Careful not to slip, master." " The path slopes down." " Slopes" "It is just a few steps." "Who is with you, Barnabas?" "The surveyor." "The surveyor!" "K. was greeted." "He was introduced to everyone:" "to parents and to sisters Olga and Amalia." "K. hardly looked at them." "They took his coat to dry it." "K. let them do it." "Why come here?" "Is this a part of the Castle?" "The Castle, this?" "!" "Did we go to the Castle?" "No, master." "I go to the Castle in the morning, I don't sleep there." "Why didn't you say so!" "You did not ask." "You wanted to give me a message, but not at the inn." "Then I thought that you could do it here, at my parents' place." "If you want, they can leave us alone." "If it is more convenient, you could sleep here." "Haven't I done it already?" "It was a misunderstanding, banal and trivial, and K. had a lot of those." "These people expected him to greet them." "But he could not speak." "He would have preferred to leave again." "Take a seat please." "There is bread and bacon." "I'll bring beer." " Where are you going?" " To the inn." "I'll come too!" "I've some business there." "I'm going to another one, Gentlemen's Inn." "It's fine with me." "As you want." "Straight to the bar!" "Sure, he's just kept my company." "I am looking for a room." "Alas, that is not possible." "This is for the Gentlemen of the Castle." "That is the rule, but given my relations with the Castle," "I can just as well sleep in a corner." "I know that, I know." "Are there any Gentlemen here tonight?" "It's rather favourable:" "there is just one here." " And who is he?" " Klamm." "You known Mr. Klamm?" " Would you like to see Mr. Klamm?" " Indeed." "You could look through this hole." "What about all these people?" "The peasants surrounded Olga." "While she danced, they made turns taking her by the hips and making her twirl." "Frieda came towards K." "and pulled him softly." "I can't see if he has the files." "The files are over there." "The peasants had hoarse voices and could only scream." "You known Mr. Klamm?" "Yes, very well!" "I am his mistress." "Do you go to the Castle?" "Isn't it good enough just to be here?" "That is true." "I worked at the stable of The Bridge Lodge." "With these soft hands?" "Olga, letting herself loose, passed from hand to hand." "What do you want from me?" "To take me to Klamm?" "You guessed it:" "I want you for a mistress." "Look what they send to us!" " Who are these people?" " Klamm's servants." "I don't know more than I say." "Mister Surveyor, sorry if it was mean." "It's the fault of these, most repugnant people!" "In the name of Klamm, go to the stables!" "In the name of Klamm!" "she yelled, to the stables, all to the stables!" "To K.'s amazement, without resistance the men rolled towards the exit." "The first ones pushed the door, and, in an instant, disapeared with Frieda who chased them to the stables." "But in this sudden silence, K. heard the steps in the hallway." "He jumped behind the counter, the only possible hiding place." "Even without doing anything wrong, he preferred not to be seen, if he wanted to sleep there." "Frieda!" "Fortunately, Frieda returned, saying that Klamm's people, and not K. are a bunch of pigs, even though she herself was often nice to Klamm." "But over there, he couldn't hear any of it." "And where is the Surveyor?" "The Surveyor?" "I forgot!" "No doubt he's already left." "I didn't see him while I was in the hallway." "But he is not here." "Has he hiden himself?" "To me he appears capable of anything." "He wouldn't have the nerve." "Is he maybe over there?" "No, he's not." "Not knowing whether he left is very upseting." "But you are the one who is in charge of the bar." "I will go look elsewhere." "Good night." "Sleep well." "Before the innkeeper left," "Frieda turned off the light and joined K. under the bar." "My dear!" ""My darling!" "My sweet darling!" she whispered, without touching K." "They were laying on their backs, with outstretched arms, not singing, but rather moaning a little tune." "Seeing K. all pensive, she jumped with surprise and shaked him as a child." "They embraced and rolled around the room, bumped into Klamm's door, and walowed in the pools of beer and dirt that covered the ground." "Hours passed, hours of mixed breaths, of unison hearts, hours during which K. felt that he lost himself or was in a foreign land like no man before him." "In a land where even the air one breaths was nothing like back home, a strangely stiffling air, which left one incapable of anything except following and falling lower." "Frieda!" "Frieda!" "I don't want to go there!" "I will never go back again!" "K. wanted to protest, to incite rejoining Klamm, he picked up the remains of his shirt, but he didn't know what to say, too happy to have Frieda next to him, too happy and too anxious" "for it seemed to him that if Frieda left, he wouldn't have anything anymore." "I am with the Surveyor!" "I am with the Surveyor!" "What are you doing here?" "We are both lost." "I am lost." "But I earned to have you." "Stay calm." "But look at them laughing!" "Who?" "What do you want?" " We looked for you." " We spent the night here." "Why didn't you bring me back?" "Because of this girl?" "We can leave now." "Frieda drew contempt from peasants because of the way she treated them." "One of them even took a stick and pretended to make her jump over it." "She brushed it aside." "When K. woke up, the patron was knitting to his bedside." "I've waited for a long time." "What do you plan to do with Frieda, Mr. Surveyor?" "She is very much troubled by happiness and misfortune." "Why are you concerned with that?" "Out of affection, and concern." "Can we talk about it after I see the Mayor?" "This appointment is important to me." "You talk about work." "I am concerned about a human being." "Madam, then I can tell you, that I plan to marry Frieda, and very soon." "Frieda trusts you, so I can't be against it, but you are not from here, we don't know anything about you, we need assurances." "Of course, I will talk with Klamm about it." "That is impossible." "You, get out!" "What an idea!" "If I can't do it, you got to go there." "Madam, look what he wants!" " You exaggerate." " Why?" "I'll tell you." "I told you: get out!" "What do you have against them, dear?" "No need to hide anything from them, they are loyal." "Loyal!" "They are spying on me!" "Why is it impossible?" "Frieda turned away from K." "Mr. Klamm is from the Castle." "You are not from the Castle nor from the village." "You are nothing else but, alas!" "a foreigner, always an odd number, and in our way, a man of unknown intentions, a man that seduced our dear little Frieda," "who we have to allow him to marry." "You want to speak with Klamm, he doesn't even speak with villagers." "Klamm doesn't want to hear about me any more." "It's not your fault, dear." "You've nothing to do with it." "But I believe that it was because of him that we found ourselves under the bar." "Blessed, and not cursed, be this hour!" "If this is so, no reason to fear talking to Klamm." "You barely arrived here, and you pretend to know more than the locals!" "You are as ungrateful and stubborn as a child!" "Frieda sacrificed herself..." "I gave you a roof..." "Excuse me?" "!" "Young man, if I kick you out, good luck trying to find a place to stay in this town, even a nook!" " A roof, this rathole?" " No, dear!" "Know that I can leave this rathole and find a much better place to stay!" " Which one, if I may ask?" " With Barnabas!" "Look where Mister will hang out!" "With Barnabas!" "Like he didn't stay there!" "But where were you?" "My assistants are not yours, nor caretakers'!" "Do not talk to them that way!" "I don't have to talk to you!" "Don't get upset." "You got Frieda into such a frenzy that she is ready to give everything to happily share in your misery, and you are boasting how you will go sleep at Barnabas'!" "Are you playing important in front of me?" "If you slept over there, you'd be leaving my house pretty darn quick!" "I am not aware of Barnabas' sin." "You have your reasons, just as I had mine when I asked you to leave Frieda and me alone." "As for your 'roof'," "I will inform the police chief about what you gave to us and, once in a new place," "I'll be more relieved than you'd know!" "Mr. Surveyor!" "I beg you, don't try to talk with Klamm!" "Are you afraid of Klamm?" "If I didn't make any measurements, it will be because of your delays." "I thought you've already given up." "But you were so kind to come and see me." "I have to tell you the truth, as unpleasant as it may be:" "We don't need a surveyor." "Someone engaged me as a surveyor." "You wouldn't have anything to do!" "The property lines are all fixed, everything is well registered, and changes are rare." "Why would we need a surveyor?" "That is really surprising." "I can only hope that it's a misunderstanding." "Alas, no." "It is just as I told you." "But I didn't travel so far only to be sent back!" "This matter is not under my jurisdiction." "But I can explain to you how this misunderstanding was possible." "A really old by-law, by I don't know which service, created a post of surveyor." "That did not concern you, because that was years ago." "I would have forgotten, if..." "Mizzi!" "Look in the cabinet to see if the old by-law is there." "It was when I just started." "I still keep it all." "It must be at the bottom!" "This is just a little part of a mountain of work." "A bigger part is in a barn, a lot has been lost, but the rest is not bad." "Have you found the by-law?" "This is a file marked 'Surveyor' and underlined in blue." "It's too dark here." "My wife helps me a lot, but one can't get out of trouble, there are delays, and it ends up in the cabinet." "With my sickness, this is irrecoverable." "Could I help your wife?" "I do not keep any state secrets, but to let you go through the files, this is too much to ask." "Where were we?" "It is so cold outside!" " Who are they?" " These are my assistants." "Don't know what to do - it's freezing outside, but they bother me here." "They don't bother me:" "I know them!" "They bother me." "Help us find a file marked 'Surveyor' and underlined in blue." "So, these assistants are a burden for you." "Nevertheless they are yours." "They were affected to me here." "You mean - assigned." "As if by chance:" "absurd allocation!" "With us, nothing is absurd." "What about my assignement?" "It was conceived after much reflection, but it got complicated." "I'll show you when I find the file." "Except that it can't be found!" "What?" "Mizzi, please hurry up!" "I can do without the file." "We responded to the by-law by saying that we didn't need a surveyor, but, by error, our letter" "was delivered to a wrong service, and, in addition, the file was incomplete:" "the file folder was empty." "So, that service requested us to complete it." "Now, in the meanwhile months had passed, maybe even years, our memories were vague, and our response was that we were unaware of a such nomination, and didn't have any need for a surveyor." "The response was deemed insufficient." "A long exchange of letters ensued, there was surprise that we suddenly don't want a surveyor." "We responded that it was not our idea but the service's, while forgetting that this wasn't the same service," "demanded from us the original, that was lost with the file." "They started visiting the inn, questioning prominent citizens, mostly about me, some flinched, suspecting secret deals, injustices, and suddenly the need to engage a surveyor was swept under the rug." "Brunswick particulary stepped forward." "He is a fool, a poor speaker, but loud, which some appreciate." "You do not know him:" "Lasemann's brother-in-law." " Tanner's?" " Yes." "I did see him." "Middle aged, brown." " With a beard?" " Yes, that's him." "I know his wife." "That is possible." "She's beautiful, but rather pale and sickly." "Does she come to the Castle?" "Don't you go anywhere but your office?" "Yes, but it is them that are important." "In short, Brunswick's demands obliged me to consult the town council that, unanimously of course, rejected the surveyor idea." "That also goes years back." "Brunswick held well." "In the meantime a service controller discovered that, we, in fact, did formerly reply to the first service that we didn't need a surveyor." "We confirmed our response, and all seemed to be in order." "Imagine my disappointment, Mr. Surveyor, when I saw you arrive!" "This whole affair started anew!" "I couldn't tolerate something like that, as you would understand." "I will know how to defend myself." "Whatever you do, have confidence in me." "You always speak of my future assignement, but I already am engaged" "Here is Klamm's letter." "This letter has weight, the signature of Klamm" "appears authentic, but otherwise..." "I don't dare say it..." "Mizzi?" "What are you doing?" "File untracable." "But you already know the story, in fact, we don't need the file anymore." "As with a lot of files it will, without doubt, be found by the teacher." "Come close with the lamp Mizzi, and read this letter to me." "Hurray!" "Hurray!" "Mizzi shares my opinion, that's not an official document, but a private letter." "It doesn't say than you were named surveyor, it just mentiones you working for the Castle." "Further, for more information it refers you to me, your direct superior." "Do you known Schwarzer?" "No." "Do you know him, Mizzi?" "You neither." "No, we do not see." "Interesting!" "It's the son of one of the Castle assistants." "Dear Mr. Surveyor, how could I know the sons of all assistants?" "Well, believe me, Schwarzer is a one of a kind." "The evening I arrived, I had a painful scene with him." "He phoned Fritz, an assistant who told him that I was indeed named a surveyor." "Who told you about that?" "It's very simple." "There is no real direct line to the Castle, nor any telephone switchboard." "When one calls someone from here, it rings with all subordinates." "Actually, it would ring everywhere, if the buzzers were not cut." "But sometimes, especially in the evenings, a bored employee might pick up the receiver, and you get through." "However, such response is only a joke." "Look, at my place, there is no telephone!" "Overall, this is all very obscure and inextricable, except for the fact that I am being thrown out." "No one would dare throwing you out," "Mr. Surveyor!" "In this delicate matter, you will have every respect." "no one will keep you, but no one will throw you out either!" "I'll tell you what is bothering me:" "my sacrifice of leaving home, my difficult voyage, my lack of money, no work back home," "and my fiancée, who is from here." "Ah yes, Frieda." "I know." "But Frieda would follow you anywhere." "For the rest, I'll report to the Castle." "I'll call you if a decision is made, eh?" "No." "I am claiming my duty, not a favour." "Mizzi!" "My leg is hurting again." "The bandage needs to be changed." "I will excuse myself." "There's too much draft." "Mr. Surveyor, I'd like to talk to you." "I don't have the time." "Listen!" "It's urgent!" "Leave me alone, Madam!" "Polish the shoes, quickly!" "Wait!" "Brush the jacket too!" "In a moment!" "The pants too!" "Hurry up!" "I will iron them." "What's this about?" "Excuse me," "I have to visit someone and must be immaculate." "Given my finances, I have to relly on cleanliness." "I come from the Mayor." "You spoke with him harshly." "Has he complained about me?" "The Mayor cannot press the Castle on your case." "For the moment, he's offering you the school factotum position." "What?" "That position is as useless as the surveyor's, as I emphasised to the Mayor, but he wants to help you." "Save your concerns for you." "I refuse that post." "Perfect." "You refuse without hesitation." "Perfect." "Have a good day!" "Come back, please!" "Come, dear." "Please!" "Just come for a moment." "What is it?" "I am cold." " You do not want the post?" " No..." "We can't stay here." "Your shirt is not ironed, Madam wanted to talk to me." "You've hurt that woman." "She's even attempted to intervene on our behalf." "Now, it is ruined." "She says I should stay and that you'll make me suffer." "I'll follow you anywhere, through ice and snow, but Mayor's offer will help us for the moment and if the final decision is unfavourable, we will leave." "Nothing is keeping us here, but while waiting, accept this offer, my dear," "I will bring him back, and you just tell him "I agree", and we'll settle in the school." "Let's wait until afternoon." "I will know some more by then." "Let's respond vaguely to him." "I will find where to stay." " ... with B. if need be." " Don't say that!" "If you want so, we'll refuse." "I'll stay here if you want." "I'll do as you want." "But if you don't get anything from the Castle today, you won't have a place to stay, nor a bed worthy of your future wife." "Would you rather I sleep in a warm place, while you wander in the cold and night?" "Do you know where I want to go?" "Yes." "And you aren't preventing me?" "You face so many obstacles, whatever I say doesn't matter!" "Come!" " We are accepting the postion." " It was offered to him." "I want to hear it from him." "Of course he's accepting it, isn't that right, K.?" "Yes." "Good evening." "Ah, Mr. Surveyor." "My name is Pepi." "Good evening, Pepi." "I've been her since Frieda left, they needed someone." "Before, I cleaned the rooms," "Didn't profit from the change." "Frieda liked being here very much ." "How is she?" "Will she return soon?" "Evenings here are difficult." "It's not surprising that Frieda gave up." "Frieda is my fiancée." "I know." "You want a beer?" "Yes." "Her dress was ridiculous and her protests pretentious, nevertheless, K. thought that by finding Pepi instead of Frieda, she must have links with the Castle." "If that was true, he'll try to wrest away her secret just as he had to do with Frieda." "What do you want?" "Frieda's things?" "Yes." "A white tablecloth." "There is no tablecloth." "If I knew no one is here," "I would take it." "There is nobody." "Klamm takes this room often." "Klamm is not here." "He will leave." "His sled is in the courtyard." "The coachman was one of the peasants who had harassed Olga." "Good evening." "K.'s greetings were not returned." "It was bitter cold." "Arriving at the inn at twilight," "K. found himself in the dark again." "And Klamm did not come." "That could take a while." "What could take long?" "This is where they leave from." "K. didn't understand the coachman, but didn't ask any more questions." "Would you like some cognac?" "Yes." "Open the door." "The bottles are inside." "Drink and pass it to me." "K. opened the coach door and could have taken the bottle that was sitting in the car door, but in front of an open door, he couldn't resist climbing to sit there just for a moment." "The heat was stifling even with the door open." "The idea that it'd be better if Klamm didn't find him there did not even occur to him." "What the hell!" "Fortunately, it wasn't Klamm." "Or unfortunately?" "What are you doing there?" "It was the man who had seen K. come to the inn." "Come with me." "I'm waiting for someone here." "Come." "But I will mess it up!" "You'll mess it up in any case." "You don't know who I am:" "Momus, the secretary of Klamm." "I need you for my files." "I am waiting for Klamm!" "Unhitch the horses!" "...obvious that the Surveyor doesn't like Frieda but is not leaving her hoping to profit from it." "He thinks that by taking his mistress from Mr. Klamm and holding her hostage, he will gain..." "I've come to inform the Services of your acts and intentions make sure that you never stay at my place again." "I have to go back home." "Oh yes, you are the factotum." "But, I need a few moments." "I don't want any of it." "In the name of Klamm, I have a few questions for you." "In the name of Klamm?" "Will he see the report?" " What for?" " Not tonight!" "Halt!" "Sir!" "Stop!" "Mister Klamm!" "Please!" "Stop!" "Mr. Surveyor!" "Is that you?" "We looked for you everywhere!" "Not knowing why, K. was disappointed to see his assistants obviously sent to him by Frieda." "They were not alone," "Barnabas was with them." " Barnabas, are you looking for me?" " Yes!" " I have a letter from Klamm." " A letter from Klamm?" "The letter was difficult to unfold." "Give me some light!" "To Mr. Surveyor, Bridge Lodge." "I am pleased with the surveying work that you have done." "I am also satisfied with the work of your assistants." "This is a misunderstanding." "Mr. Klamm is misinformed." "I didn't survey anything." "As for the assistants, you see what they are worth!" "I will tell him." "And also that, what you told me the other time." "What?" "You did not relay that?" "Father is a cobbler." "I work for him and he's under Brunswick's command." "I will return to the Castle soon." "Klamm isn't waiting for a message, just the opposite, my coming will irritate him." "He'll see me, get up, and leave the office without receiving me." "When I carry messages, they are from me." "Good." "Could you also take a letter tomorrow?" "To Klamm personally?" "And bring his response, right away, tomorrow, early morning, eh?" "I will do my best." "That's what I always do." "Here's the message:" "The surveyor K. is aking for an audience with Mr. Klamm." "He is forced to do it because intermediaries failed to deliver it." "As a proof: he didn't do any surveying work and boss' recent message fills him with shame." "The only solution is to grant me an interview." "I will wait for your decision impatiently." "The surveyor K. is aking for an audience with Mr. Klamm." "He is forced to do it because intermediaries..." "Hush!" "Let K. sleep!" "Don't disturb him!" "It's cold here." "It was hot, dear, but this big place..." "It's not appropriate at all." "Gym equipment the only decoration." " Isn't there any wood?" " In the shed outside." "The teacher has the key:" "to heat it for classes." "Where is the shed?" "I'll put back the wood, dear." "What's with you?" "You can, of course, sleep in the class but I don't want to teach class in your room!" "Done with sleeping?" "Factotum's family is sleeping in!" "Bravo!" "Aren't you ashamed?" "In front of the children!" "Who dared take the wood?" "It was me, Mr. Teacher." "How could we heat the classroom otherwise?" "I didn't dare ask for a key in the middle of the nght." "My finace was with the Gentlemen." "He scolded me when he saw that." "Who forced the door open?" "Our master." "I did it, with an axe." "It was very easy, without asking for any help." "But later, when my fiance returned, and went to see the damages, to repair them if necessary, the assistants followed him, and they saw what happened at that door, and so they say..." "But these are children..." "Who broke down the door?" "Therefore, you either lied, or carelessly accused the factotum?" "Go look for a cane." "They said the truth." "A band of liars!" "Therefore only factotum is left." "This gentleman so easily accuses others of his own wrongdoings." "Well, since Frieda sacrificed for me and the assistants," "it has to be straightened out." "You are dismissed." "Leave now!" "I'm not moving from here." "The Mayor engaged me, only he can dismiss me." "Are you disobeying?" "Get out of here!" "Come!" "Take all your things!" "Trust me, this is not going to last." "Get out of here!" "Out!" "You are dismissed!" "Frieda!" "Do you want me there?" "No." "I don't think you can do anything." "You were at the inn." "I should have left you there." "Yes, my dear." "You should have left me over there." "For my sake, you suffered this tyrant of a teacher, you accepted that pathetic post, and I did nothing in return." "I can't stand living here anymore." "If you want to keep me, we have to go somewhere, to French Midi region, to Spain." "I am here to stay." "You have to stay too, this is your country." "You just miss Klamm." "Me miss Klamm?" "Just the opposite, I had enough, more than enough." "I want to leave to escape him." "I miss you, not him." "Let's leave together." "Look at them." "They are stretching their hands towards you, not towards me." "Did you see?" "Didn't you notice how, at the inn they stayed in a room," "to closely watch over us?" "How tonight one of them took my place next to you?" "How they accused you to chase you away and stay alone with me?" "Haven't you noticed any of that?" "But they always wanted to follow me and not stay with you." "Pure hypocrisy!" "Didn't you understand?" "Why would they chase you if not for that?" "They are freezing!" "Don't you pity them?" " You are watching them!" " But yes!" "I see how ugly they are." "But they do not disgust me." "You think I miss Klamm:" "their shiny, naive eyes have the look of Klamm." " Do you want them back?" " No!" "No, I want to be with you." "Protect me, hold me close." "K. hugged Frieda and kissed her on the neck." "She quivered and, while assistants were knocking on the door, they slipped to the ground, taking their clothes off, breathless, anxious, each wanting to hide in the other as if their desire to enjoy was stolen by someone else." "What do you want?" "The class is next door." "I've come." "So, what?" "Can I help you?" "Help me?" "He wants to help us!" "Who are you anyways?" "Hans Brunswick." "My father is the cobbler," "Madeleine Street." "Ah, good." "He threw you out when you spoke with my mother." "At Lasemann's." "How do you know that?" "I was there." "The woman with the baby, was that your mother?" "Is she at the Castle?" "Were you at the Castle?" "How would you help me then?" "To do what?" "The teacher scolded you because it was not right." "Scolding is in his nature, but it's none of my concern, I am not a student anymore." "However, thank-you for your intention." "Against him, I don't need any assistance." "Go back, you'll get in trouble." "I also want to help you for another reason." "And if I can't, my mother could." "And it will be all right then." "My father does it, when he has problems." "Your mother appears tired." "She is weak, she tires." "Maybe I could help her." "I know about ailments." "Sometimes I am more successfull than doctors." "I'd be glad to see her, for a little chat." "That won't be possible at all." "We have to be careful with her." "She goes out very rarely." "At Lasemann's, that was an exception." "You barely spoke with her and she had to stay in bed for several days." "Father forbade visits." "Could I talk to him?" "To open his eyes?" "No." "My father doesn't like you." "He might treat you like a teacher." "You could speak with my mother the day after tomorrow." "In the evenening, my father will go to the Inn." "He has to meet someone." "I'll come for you, if she agrees." "She talked about you, but I do not know..." "This would be a brief discussion." "Don't come looking for me." "I'll wait hidden close to your house and you will give me a signal." "This conversation with Hans gave K. a new hope, vague and unfounded of course, but so vivid he almost lost Barnabas from view." "But that didn't happen." "Because of Frieda, K. hesitated all day to go to Barnabas'." "And later he was not in the mood." "He'd get started for a moment, but then stop on the threshold." "He will not be late." "It's the surveyor." "I can not wait." "Olga is chopping wood in the courtyard." "I'm off, my fiancée is waiting for me." " Which fiancee?" " Frieda." "I don't know her." "Does Olga know?" "She saw me with Frieda." "She doesn't know anything." "She won't be happy, because she loves you." "That is not possible." "You must be wrong." "I'm not wrong." "I also know that you've come for Olga." "Why pretend to be bringing messages from Barnabas!" "That's not how..." "Then Olga returned, with an armful of firewood, her cheeks red from the cold." "She saluted K. with ease and immediately asked about Frieda." "How is Frieda?" "K. threw a glance to Amalia who did not think much of it." "Annoyed, K. started talking about Frieda, forgetting that he wanted to leave." "To conclude, he even invited the two sisters to pay him a visit in return." "Thank you, we will be glad to come." "If you want." "I said that without thinking." "Seeing the enmity between Frieda and this house, and even if I don't understand it at all," "I withdraw my invitation." "This is not an enmity, but the harping of pigs." "Go find your fiancee!" "You seem to be in a hurry!" "Shouldn't risk coming!" "I said that as a joke, by pure wickedness." "What about her?" "Did Frieda say anything about us?" "Just some allusions." " Not even the innkeeper?" " No, nothing." "So?" "So?" "Once, a senior official," "Sortini, invited Amalia to a village party and summoned her to the Gentlemen's Inn" "with a disgusting letter." "Amalia read the letter ripped it and threw it to the messenger's face." " And ...?" " Nothing." "That's all." "Amalia did not go to the inn." "So?" "Nothing to accuse or punish her for!" "Not in a real trial, but in other ways." "What we are offered by this story of a letter, friends and relations as enemies." "Without hesitation." "Good friends turn very quickly." "Customers pick up the shoes they left for repair." "My father blocked out some lines in the book of records." "Debts: paid." "All without any discussion." "Brunswick, then employed at our place, left to put himself at his disposal." "At first, father tried to reverse the opinion, then tried bribing the officials." "All our money was spent." "Father got sick." "You see what shape he's in." "For two years now, I go twice a week to Inn's stables." "That's how I earn for myself and feed my family." "And I was thus able to introduce Barnabas to the Castle." "And thanks to you he had his first mission." "Thanks to me?" "Yes." "The letter you received was his first job." "And a first good sign in three years." "You played a comedy with me." "Barnabas was a skilled messanger, you..." "Someone knocked on the door." "Olga opened." "The late visitor spoke in a low voice." "Olga replied in the same way." "He wanted to enter at all cost." "Olga had trouble stopping him." "It was one of your assistants." "Frieda is looking for you." "I thought it was better to send him back." "Is there another way out?" "By the courtyard, and the garden next to it." "You have to climb the fence." "Won't you wait for Barnabas?" "Sleep here, it is late." "Who are you looking for?" "You." "Why are you alone?" "Arthur left your service and logded a complaint against you at the Castle." "And you?" "I could stay." "He cancelled for both of us." "The court will set us free." "You are here to do something!" "No: to reassure Frieda." "She suffered a lot when you left her for Barnabas' sisters." "Not because you left her, but because you betrayed her." "Now it is all back to normal." "She's at her counter, and I'm a waiter at the Inn." "That's for Frieda's good." "You have no idea how much she sacrificed for you." "She is so good that she's still wondering whether you really went to Barnabas'." "So I came to put the doubts to rest." "And you didn't need to make this detour:" "I know the way." "Mr. Surveyor!" "I did it." "Did what?" "Gave my message to Klamm?" "No, not that." "I tried, it was impossible." "But I succeeded at something else." "Erlanger, one of Klamm's secretaries, told me:" ""I'm off to the Gentleman's Inn," ""the Surveyor could stop to see me."" ""But right away."" ""I have some appointments, I'll leave again at 5 o'clock."" ""Tell to the Surveyor that I have a lot"" ""to tell him."" "Where is Jeremias going?" "To get to Erlanger before me." "Frieda is missing you, why did you mess it up?" "I miss her just as much, we feel the same." "For secretary Erlanger, it's for Gerstäcker and K. Are they here?" "I work here." "Ah, the Surveyor, loath of questions but quick to reply!" "With me, it had to be simple." "You think about you." "I reply to non official questions." "What else to think about here?" "He's sleeping." "Wait." "I'll ring to wake him up." "Provided that he doesn't have to return to the Castle" "and is not in a hurry..." "Suddenly, at the of the hall, K. saw Frieda." "She looked at him as if she did not know him." "She carried a platter of empty dishes." "He ran over to her, took her by the shoulders as if to resume possession, and asked her harmless questions while watching her in the eyes." "But she was emotionless, playing absent-mindedly with her platter, and then she said:" "What do you want from me?" "Go back to ..." "You know what I want to say." "You were seen leaving their place." "I believed that you worked at the counter." "She looked at him surprised, and caressed his cheek as if to engrain it in her memory." "I am back at the bar, they need me there very much." "Pepi asked to be spared from the shame of being taken off the counter so quickly." "Therefore, she was given a 24 h reprieve." "You left the bar for me, and just before our marriage, you are going back?" "There will be no marriage." "Because of infidelity?" "You don't know that word." "I didn't believe my boss." "She told me:" ""Listen to me, he is not like us,"" ""you better listen."" "I understood it this morning, with the pupil." "Your kind words were only meant to win his confidence, to succeed in your goal." "To get to his mother." "Your careful words betrayed your only concern:" "your selfish interests." "You cheated this woman in advance." "You hoped to reach the Castle." "His mother is the dishwasher there." "It was similar with me." "Similarly, you hung out at Barnabas', knowing how shameful that was for me, and hoping to profit from it;" "you spent the night there." "If you go there, you are not fit for anyone." "Let's not talk about it anymore!" "As for a reason:" "you know why I went there." "And I wanted that boy's mother to help us with her connections at the Castle." "Who did I do that for?" "For us!" "For our benefit!" "You said yourself you couldn't take it anymore." "While Frieda thought about something else for a while," "K. asked her for something to eat, because he hadn't had anything since noon." "Glad about the distraction," "Frieda bussied herself." "She did not go to the kitchen, but through the other door." "In an instant K. had a plate of cold cuts and a bottle of wine." "But those had to be leftovers, just quickly rearranged to cover it up." "Is this from the kitchen?" "No, from my room." "I have a room down below." "You should have taken me there." "I'll go sit there." "I'll bring you a chair." "I don't want to go down and I don't want a chair." "Well, yes, he is down there." "What did you expect?" "In the end, it's all your fault." "If you didn't chase them, if you didn't run elsewhere, we would have had our peace at the school." "Would Jeremias, while in your service, have dared seduce me?" "If you believe that, you don't know how things work here." "When in service, he's afraid of the slightest gesture." "When not in service, nothing scares him." "He came, he took me." "He is my childhood friend." "You left me, I did not resist." "I was closed at school." "He broke the window and took me away." "If your fidelity is like my assistant's loyalty, you better stop now." "Everything is OK, we can say goodbye now." "If I am still hesitating," "it's because I still have some reason to doubt what you told me." "You do not like him." "You see," "every couple has weak points," "and so do we." "We come from very different worlds and over time," "our lives took a new path, we didn't feel sure," "everything was too new." "I am not talking about me, deep down, I was very satisfied" "since the moment I set my eyes on you," "and to get used to be satisfied is not difficult." "Why didn't we emigrate on the very first evening?" "We could have been somewhere safe, never part again," "your hand in mine!" "I need to be close to you." "Without your closeness, I am lost." "Frieda!" "Ah, Mr. Surveyor..." "Excuse me for interrupting." "But I'm not well at all, excuse me." "I think I have a fever." "Bloody school garden!" "I will sure remember it." "I wouldn't want to disturb you." "Come to our room and finish talking to Frieda." "People get used to one another, and when they are separating, they have a lot of things to say." "He's feverish and delirious." "He doesn't know what he's saying." "Don't come in, please" "This is my and Jeremias's room or rather it's my room," "I'm not allowing you to enter." "I would never go back with you." "I'm terrified at the very idea." "I guess you aren't coming, Mr. Surveyor?" "The door was low, lower than the others." "Not just Jeremias, Frieda had to bend herself too." "Inside, it was warm and clean." "There was a murmur, and the door closed again." "K. noticed the silence that reigned in the corridor." "The Sirs managed to fall asleep." "K. was so tired that he daydreamed about entering one of the rooms himself." "Many of them had to be empty." "He could sleep in a nice bed." "He wanted to find Erlanger." "But with the inkeeper and Gerstäcker hidden, he couldn't find him." "Who is there?" "I am the Surveyor." " Do you known Friedrich?" " No." "He knows you." "I am his secretary: my name is Bürgel." "Pardon, I confused your door with another one." "I have been summoned to Mr. Erlanger." "Shame!" "You did not hit the wrong door:" "you were mislead!" "Once awake I can't get back to sleep." "And where do you want to go?" "It is 4 o'clock." "You will wake everyone up." "Getting up starts at 5 o'clock." "Then you will be able to go to your meeting." "Let go of the door and take a seat somewhere." "The place is cramped, you better sit on the edge of the bed." "You are very silent, Mr. Surveyor." "I am very tired." "Everyone is tired here." "If I fall asleep, make no noise, and do not open." "Don't you worry, I won't fall asleep." "Sleep, sleep, Mr. Secretary." "Allow me to take a short nap too." "No, no, I can't fall asleep on command." "I'd rather doze off while talking." "A bureaucratic habit, no doubt!" "OK, this surveyor business?" "I am not pushing .." "It is astonishing." "You are a surveyor without working as such." "I am willing to pursue this matter." "Can't you put up with it?" "I can." "K. laughs, as at the moment he's not suffering at all." ""If I could lie down,"" "he thought, "I'd answer to all."" "At first, the obstacles seemed insurmountable." "Then opportunities appear when, with a word, a look, a sign of confidence, one could achieve more, than by an entire life of efforts." "K. felt that these words should worry him, but he had an aversion to things that worry him." "Imagine someone presenting himself without being announced by one of the secretaries." "That's something unlikely or, better yet, practically impossible." "You might be astonished that this is the case." "You are not familiar with our world." "It is all the same to you a flawless organization..." "K. observed, smiling." "He understood perfectly." "He won't be anxious, he was convinced he'll fall asleep any moment." "The organizatoin wouldn't know how to designate a competent Secretary for every matter." "Certainly, from outside, to constituents, it appears that secretaries are competent." "But, the most competent is not necessarily assigned to this case." "An organization makes decisions based on its current needs." "Mr. Surveyor, you are suggesting a possibility that, for whatever reason, someone could, in the middle of the night, surprise a secretary that have certain responsbilities in the matter." "Do you think that this is impossible?" "You are right, that can't happen." "But let's say one night" "(can't be sure of anything!" ")" "that happens nevertheless." "The constituent is seated there." "Just his mute presence alone may prompt you to get involved with his destitute life." "If you allow that to happen, you are not an official anymore." "In such a situation, very quickly, it becomes impossible to deny a request." "K. fell asleep." "It wasn't a true sleep, he could almost hear Bürgel better than before, when he was tired, and his conscience was clear." "...desperate, disarmed, you tend to the request, knowing that once decided you won't be able to say no," "even if it is against the rules!" "This is what's the worst in this matter." "The constituent doesn't suspect anything." "It thinks that it was purely by chance that, tired and disappointed, he stumbled upon a wrong door." "He's there, unsuspecting, all busy," "(if he can care at all) with his error or just by his fatigue." "Could one remain there?" "Can not." "In a moment of euphoria, you explain it all to him." "You show him how, if he wants, Mr. Surveyor, he could get anything, provided he says what he wants." "But once this is done," "Mr. Surveyor, once important things are done, the rest is just modesty and waiting." "Is the Surveyor there?" "Yes." "He's come at last." "This is Erlanger." "Go quickly, he's impatient." "Go already!" "You can't wake yourself up." "If you delay, Erlanger will come." "Let's avoid that!" "Go already!" "Where are you!" "This is what it's about:" "Sometime ago, certain Frieda was at the bar." "I do not know her." "Sometimes she served beer to Klamm." "Seems another girl replaced her." "Of course, it's an insignificant change." "But, the least change can bother Klamm in his work." "So, this Frieda has to get behind the bar right now." "Maybe her return will bother him too." "Let's get her back." "I hear you live with her." "Let's make sure that she returns." "Without any obligation," "I add that this trifle could serve your interests." "Stop sleeping!" "Gerstecker is looking for you." "Why?" "It's night." "It's evening again." "You slept the whole day." "Frieda came too." "She does not like you anymore?" "She's very bitter." "Thank you." "What do you see in her?" "She's skinny, too young, with sparse hair." "The first time I saw her with messy hair," "it was pitiful!" "Is it becuase of Klamm?" "She knows people, she's not what she seems to be, because no one ever takes a closer look at her." "Her affair with Klamm..." "If you do not believe me, check for yourself, go see Klamm and ask him." "How vile!" "My misfortune is your fault." "But I don't want the same to you." "What misfortune?" "You took her away." "For that, I liked you as I never did anyone." "The boss didn't have anyone, so he thought of me." "I was not qualified to do the rooms." "Note that working here is like working in a mine." "Never a kind word, never any peace, nothing but abuse." "What's good about being a man is that you don't have to do the disgusting housework" "Then, a chance!" "My roommates helped me." "It was an honor that a girl from their group went to the bar." "I could have become an advantage for them." "They sewed me a dress." "But Frieda didn't waste any time." "She watches the inn from the school." "She complains to be confined by you, she bad-mouths me, announces her return and arranges to have Klamm kicked out of the bar to make it look like it is because of me." "What imagination, Pepi!" "The truth is that you are not made for this job." "Your clothes and your hairstyle are very pretty for your friends, but here, they make everyone laugh." "Your suspicions are revealing:" "the bar is a place just like another." "For you, this is paradise, so you come up with your little plot, you feel persecuted," "you cling to those that could help you, you try to woo them, but you bother them, you tire them," "because they come to the inn to have some peace, and not to listen to someone else's problems." "You like Frieda and you defend her." "Yes, you can mock me." "But what can you do?" "Frieda's left you." "You have no work, nor bed." "Come to our place." "My girlfriends will please you." "They'll spoil you." "You will help us." "No one will know you are there." "No strings attached." "You will not be confined to the room." "When the spring comes, if you find another place to stay, or if you don't like our place anymore, you will be free to leave." "We will give you light tasks." "Will you come?" "Please, come to us!" "When will the spring come?" "The spring?" "Around here, the winter..." "You finally woke up!" "Come, follow me." "Where to?" "Come, I said!" "I must go to the school." "But come!" "Forget about that factotum post." "At my place, you will have all that you need." "I waited for you all day long." "My mother is wondering where I am." "I need help with the horses!" "If you want to be paid, I will pay you!" "I don't know anything about horses!" "It doesn't matter!" "You need no training!" "I know why you want me to come." "You think I can put in a word for you with Erlanger." "What else would you want me do to for you!" "The sky will not thunder for that!" "No, it doesn't smell like a storm!" "The only light at Gerstäcker's cottage came from the hearth and the remains of a candle." "Nevertheless someone read a book." "It was Gerstäcker's mother." "Stretching out her trembling hand to K." "she drew him close to her and spoke with difficulty." "It was difficult to understand." "She said..." "AT THIS POINT THE MANUSCRIPT ENDS" "THE CASTLE BY KAFKA"