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The Castle

based on Franz Kafka's work

It was late in the evening
when K. arrived.

'Evening.

Can I have a room?

The landlord had no rooms,

but, surprised by the late arrival,
was willing...

to let K. sleep on a straw mattress
in the parlour.

K. accepted the offer.

Excuse me for having woken you.

I am the Castellan's son.

No one may stay here
without the permission of the Castle.

You do not possess the necessary permit.
At least you haven't produced one.

What village have I strayed into?
Is there a castle here?

Surely.

Then I'll just have to get a permit.

In the middle of the night?

Is that not possible?
Then why did you waken me?

To inform you that you must leave
the Castle limits immediately.

You've overstepped the mark, young man.

I will deal with your conduct tomorrow.

The landlord and these gentlemen are witnesses.

I'm the Land Surveyor summoned by the Castle.

My assistants are arriving tomorrow
with the apparatus.

Good night, gentlemen.

'Evening. It's Schwarzer speaking.

The young man calling himself Schwarzer...

reported that he'd found K.,

seemingly a suspicious character,
who claimed to be

the Land Surveyor summoned by the Castle.

Yes!

Thank you!

Just what I said!

No trace of a Land Surveyor.

A common, lying tramp,

or worse, probably...

The Head of Department himself?

Strange...

How am I to explain it

to the Herr Land Surveyor?

So the Castle had appointed him Land Surveyor.

Behind the village church,
where K. had stopped, was the school.

The children were just coming out
with their teacher.

A narrow-shouldered man,

he had spotted K. from a distance.

As the stranger, K. greeted him first.

Good morning, sir.

At a stroke, the children fell silent.

- You're looking at the Castle?
- Yes.

I'm a stranger here.
Arrived yesterday evening.

Don't you like the Castle?

What? Do I like the Castle?

Why do you assume I don't like it?

Strangers never do.

- I suppose you know the Count?
- No.

What, you don't know the Count?

How should I?

"How should I know him?"

said the teacher softly,
and added aloud in French:

"Remember there are
innocent children present!"

I'm staying here for some time.
May I visit you?

I live in Schwanengasse, at the butcher's.

I'll come.

The teacher nodded...

and moved on with his pupils,
who immediately began shouting again.

K. was disconcerted,
irritated by the conversation.

For the first time since he'd arrived,
he felt really tired.

If he forced himself in this state...

to go on to the Castle entrance...

he would have done more than enough.

The road didn't lead to the Castle,

it only made towards it,

then turned aside as if deliberately,

and though it didn't lead away
from the Castle,

it got no nearer to it either.

May I come in? I'm very tired.

He must be drunk.

Who are you?
Why did you let him in?

I'm the new Land Surveyor.

Oh, it's the Land Surveyor.

Do you know me?

Certainly.

You can't stay here, sir.

I wasn't intending to.

I only wanted to rest a little.

Who are you?

A girl from the Castle.

We've no need for visitors.
Hospitality's not our custom.

- Who are you?
- I'm Lasemann the tanner.

Who are you?

- Your assistants.
- They're your assistants.

What?

You're my old assistants,
whom I ordered to follow me?

Yes!

They saluted.

Remembering his army days,

those happy times, K. laughed.

That's good.

It's good you've come.

By the way, you're very late,
that was rather slack of you.

It was a long way to come.

Where is the apparatus?

We don't have any.

The apparatus I entrusted you with.

We don't have any.

Do you know anything about land surveying?

No.

If you're my old assistants,
you must know something about it.

How am I to tell you apart?

Only your names are different,
otherwise you're as alike as...

you're as alike as snakes.

People can usually tell us apart.

I shall treat you like a single person,
and call you both Arthur,

that's one of your names, yours, isn't it?

No, I'm Jeremiah.

Right, it doesn't matter,

I'll call you both Arthur.

Everything I tell you to do
you will both be responsible for.

That wouldn't be very agreeable for us.

That's how it's going to be.

I'm going to bed now.

We missed a day's work today.
Tomorrow we must make an early start.

Have a sleigh ready to go to the Castle.

Have it ready outside at six.

Very well.

You say "very well",
yet you know it can't be done.

He's right.

No stranger may enter the Castle
without a permit.

Where does one apply for a permit?

I don't know.

Perhaps to the Castellan.

Then telephone to the Castellan,
both of you.

They rushed to the instrument,
obtained the connection, and inquired

if K. might come to the Castle
the next day.

K. heard the "No" of the answer
even at his table.

But it went on, as follows:
"Not tomorrow nor at any other time."

I shall telephone myself.

The peasants crowded round K.

The general opinion among them
was that K. would not get an answer.

K. had to ask them to be quiet.

A hum came out of the receiver,

a hum K. had never before
heard on the telephone.

It was like the hum
of innumerable children's voices...

combined by sheer impossibility
into one high, loud note.

There's a messenger for you.

- Go away!
- Oswald speaking. Who is it?

Who's speaking?

It's the Land Surveyor's assistant speaking.

- What assistant?
- Josef.

Josef? But the assistants are called
Arthur and Jeremiah.

- Those are the new assistants.
- No, they're the old ones!

They're the new ones, I'm the old one.
I arrived today after the Land Surveyor.

No!

Then who am I?

You're the old assistant.
What do you want?

When can my master come to the Castle?

Never.

Very well.

Who are you?

I'm Barnabas. I'm a messenger.

"...engaged by the Count.

You will answer to the village Superintendent.

However, I will not lose sight of you.

Barnabas, the bearer of this letter,

will report to you from time to time...

to learn your wishes
and relay them to me.

my workers to be contented."

Chief of... I can't read the signature.

- What's the gentleman's name?
- Klamm.

Please thank Herr Klamm for his recognition,

and for his kindness,
which I appreciate as one

who has not yet proved his worth here.

I shall comply with his intentions faithfully.

I have no particular wishes today.

- May I recapitulate?
- Please do.

Thank Herr Klamm for his recognition...

and for his kindness,
which I appreciate as one...

who has not yet proved his worth here.

I shall comply with his intentions faithfully.

I have no particular wishes today.

Barnabas!

Here I am!

From a distance came a faint reply.

So far away was Barnabas already.

Come back!

Here!

K. called him back
and went towards him at the same time.

Where they met...

they were not visible
from the inn any more.

I have something else to tell you.

I realise that it's not a good arrangement,

relying on you to turn up by chance
when I need something from the Castle.

If I hadn't happened to catch up with you,

who knows when you might next have appeared.

You can ask the Chief of Department...

for me to report to you...

at definite times appointed by yourself.

That would not be adequate.

I might have nothing to say for a year,

but then something very urgent
just after you'd gone.

So shall I report to the Chief
that another means of communication

should be established between you and him?

No, by no means.

Shall we go back to the inn...

so you can give me
your new instructions there?

The importunity of the people there annoys me.
It isn't necessary.

I'll walk part of the way with you,

but let me take your arm,
since you are surer of foot than me.

And K. took his arm.

They went on,
but K. didn't know where.

He couldn't discern anything,

not even if they'd already
passed the church.

To judge from the state of the road...

they had not yet turned into a side-street.

K. vowed he would not turn back,
however difficult the way became.

By day the Castle had seemed
within easy reach...

and the messenger surely knew
the shortest way.

What is it?

- We're at home.
- At home?

Be careful not to slip, sir.

- The path goes down here.
- Down?

Only a step or two.

Who's that with you, Barnabas?

The Land Surveyor.

The Land Surveyor.

They greeted K.

Barnabas introduced him to everybody,

to his parents and his sisters,
Olga and Amalia.

K. hardly looked at them.

They helped him out of his wet coat
to dry it by the stove.

K. accepted this.

Why did you go home?

Or do you live by the Castle?

By the Castle?

- You left the inn to go to the Castle.
- No, I left to come home.

I don't go to the Castle until morning.
I never sleep there.

Really? Why didn't you say so?

You didn't ask me.

You wanted to give me an order,
but not in the inn parlour,

so I thought you could speak to me
in private at my parents'.

They will all leave us if you wish.

And if you like,
you could spend the night here.

Haven't I done the right thing?

It had been a misunderstanding,

a common, vulgar misunderstanding,

and K. had let himself be deceived.

They were waiting for a
word of greeting from K....

but he could not utter it.
He would have preferred to leave immediately.

Will you not join us at table?
There's bread and ham.

I'll get some beer.

- Where from?
- From the inn.

I'll go with you.
I have important work there.

Your inn's too far away.
To the Herrenhof inn.

That's fine too.

If the gentleman wishes.

The Land Surveyor may only go
as far as the taproom.

Certainly. He's only escorting me.

I'd like to spend the night here.

That's impossible.

It's reserved exclusively
for gentlemen from the Castle.

That may be the rule, but surely
I can sleep in a corner somewhere.

I have some influence at the Castle.

I know that.

Are many Castle gentlemen staying tonight?

In this respect tonight's favourable,
only one gentleman is staying.

- And who is that?
- Klamm.

Do you know Herr Klamm?

- Do you want to see him?
- Yes, please.

There's a peephole here
you can look through.

What about the others?

The peasants circled around Olga,

one dancing up to her
while the others yelled,

grabbed her by the hips...

and whirled her round and round.

Frieda went over to K....

and pulled him to the door
with a hand that was unusually soft.

I can't see if there are
any papers on his desk.

There are no papers.

The yells of the peasants
grew more raucous,

gradually turning into a general howl.

Do you know Herr Klamm well?

Yes, very well.

I'm his mistress.

Have you ever been in the Castle?

Isn't it enough that I'm here in the taproom?

Certainly.

I began as a dairymaid at another inn.

With those delicate hands?

Her hair flying loose,
Olga was reeling from one man to another.

I don't know what you're after.
To take me away from Klamm, perhaps?

You've seen through me.
You should leave Klamm and become my mistress.

That's the sort they send here!

- Who are they?
- Klamm's servants.

I hardly know what I'm saying to you,

Herr Land Surveyor.

Forgive me if it was offensive,

the presence of these people is to blame.

They're the most contemptible creatures!

In Klamm's name! Into the...

"In Klamm's name," she cried,

"into the cowshed with you all!"

and in a panic incomprehensible to K....

the men began to press
towards the back of the room...

and under the impact a door flew open,

night air flowed in,
and they all vanished with Frieda,

who presumably drove them
across the yard into the cowshed.

In the sudden ensuing silence
K. heard footsteps approaching.

For safety, he hid himself behind the bar.

Though he wasn't forbidden

to be in the taproom,

since he wanted to spend the night here,
he had to avoid being seen.

Frieda!

Luckily Frieda returned...

and did not mention K.,

she only complained about the servants.

I have to endure the other servants,
he might have some consideration for me.

But in this matter...

it's no use me pleading.

Where's the Land Surveyor?

The Land Surveyor?
I'd forgotten all about him.

He must have left long ago.

I didn't see him,
and I was in the passage most of the time.

Well, he isn't in here.

Perhaps he's hidden himself.

He struck me as being capable of it.

He wouldn't dare do that.

Perhaps he's hidden down here.

No, he's not there.

I don't like not knowing for certain
that he's gone.

But you're responsible for the taproom,
Fräulein Frieda,

I'll search the other rooms.

Good night. Sleep well!

The landlord had hardly left the room...

before Frieda had turned off the light...

and was under the counter with K.

My darling!

"My darling, my sweet darling",
she whispered,

but she didn't touch K.

As if swooning from love she lay on her back
and stretched out her arms.

She sighed rather than sang
some little song.

Then as K. lay still
in thought she started up...

and started tugging at him like a child.

They embraced, and rolled a little way,

fetching up with a thud
against Klamm's door,

and then lay in little pools of beer
and other refuse...

that the floor was covered in.

Hours passed,

hours in which they breathed as one,

their hearts beat as one,

in which K. had the constant feeling...

he was losing himself,
or wandering into strange country,

further than anyone had yet ventured,

where even the air was constituted differently
to his native air,

where one could die of strangeness...

and in whose absurd enticements
one could only...

go on losing oneself further.

Frieda!

I'm not going,

I will never go to him again.

K. wanted to object,
to urge her to go to Klamm,

began to look for the remnants of her blouse,

but he couldn't utter a word.

He was so happy to hold Frieda in his arms,

and all too fearful in his happiness,

for it seemed to him...

that if Frieda left him,
he'd lose everything he had.

I'm with the Land Surveyor!

What have you done?

We're both lost.

No, only I am lost,

but then I've won you.

Be quiet.

Look at those two laughing.

Who?

What are you doing here?

- We had to look for you.
- We've been sitting here all night.

Why didn't you go home with me?

For a hussy like that!

Now we can go.

The peasants displayed contempt for Frieda,

which was understandable,
since she'd queened it over them till then.

One even held up a stick
as if to prevent her from leaving...

before she had jumped over the stick.

But a look from her quelled him.

When K. woke, the landlady
was sitting beside the bed...

knitting away at a sock.

I've been here a long time.

What are you intending to do about Frieda, sir?

She's upset by so much
happiness and unhappiness together.

Why can't we be left to settle it by ourselves?

Because I love her and care for her.

Can't we talk after I return
from the Superintendent's?

I have important business with him.

That concerns work, this concerns a person.

Then I can tell you...

that I think it best if Frieda and I
marry as soon as possible.

Since Frieda has such confidence in you,
so must I.

But you are a stranger,
your family circumstances are unknown.

You will have to give guarantees.

Of course.
I will speak to Klamm about this.

That's impossible!

Get out!

That's impossible, the idea of it!

If I can't do it, then you must.

See what he's asking me to do?

- You are asking the impossible.
- Why?

I'll tell you...

I told you to stay outside!

Why do you object to the assistants?

We don't need to have any secrets from them,
they're true friends.

But they're always spying on me!

Why is it impossible?

I'll explain to you.

Herr Klamm is a gentleman from the Castle.

You are not from the Castle, or the village.
You aren't anything.

Unfortunately you are something, a stranger,

superfluous and in everybody's way.

Someone whose intentions are obscure,

who's seduced our dear little Frieda...

and to whom we must unwillingly
give her as a wife.

Klamm speak to you?

He doesn't even speak to the villagers.

I don't know if...

Klamm won't want to know me any more.

Not because you came, darling,
that wouldn't upset him.

But I believe it was his work
that we found each other under the counter.

We should bless the hour, not curse it.

If that's so,

then we have even less ground
to fear a confrontation with Klamm.

You've only been here a few days
and already you know better than us!

You're as ungrateful and stubborn as a child!

Frieda has sacrificed herself for you,
I've given you a lodging.

What?

Young man, I'd like to see...

you find a place in the village
if I threw you out,

even if only a dog-kennel!

- If you mean this disgusting hole...
- No, darling, don't!

if you mean this hole,

I can tell you I can get
a much better place any time.

- Where, may we ask?
- At Barnabas's.

Do you hear where the gentleman's been?
At the family of Barnabas!

If only he'd stayed there!
But where were you?

They're my assistants, not yours!

Neither are they my keepers!
I beg you not to speak to them like that!

So I may not speak to you!

Don't be angry.
You must understand why we're upset.

You have snatched Frieda from happiness,

and now where she has exchanged all she had...

for the chance to share your misery,

you flaunt your trump card
of being able to stay at Barnabas's.

Just to show me
how independent you are of me.

But if you had spent the night there,

you'd be so independent of me
that you'd be out of here in a flash.

I don't know what sins
Barnabas's family have committed,

perhaps you're right,
but I'm certainly right in asking you...

to leave Frieda and me
to settle our own affairs.

As for this 'lodging' here,

I will inform the Superintendent

that I've been told to leave,
and if I'm allotted other quarters

I expect you'll heave a sigh of relief,

but not as much as I will.

Herr Land Surveyor!

Don't attempt to speak to Klamm!
Don't do it!

Surely you can't be afraid for Klamm?

...the reason I've done nothing
is because you've been so long in coming.

I almost thought you'd given up the business.

But now you've been so kind

as to look me up,

I fear I must tell you the plain truth:

We don't need a Land Surveyor.

But I've been taken on as Land Surveyor.

There wouldn't be the slightest use for one.

The boundaries of our little properties
are marked out...

and properly recorded,
and they rarely change hands.

Why would we need a land surveyor?

This is a great surprise to me.

I can only hope that it's a misunderstanding.

Unfortunately not. It's as I say.

I haven't made this endless journey
just to be sent back again, surely.

That question isn't for me to decide.

But I can explain
how the misunderstanding came about.

Yes?

A long time ago an order was issued,

I can't remember by which department,

for a land surveyor to be appointed.

This order can't have concerned you,

as this was many years ago,
and I wouldn't have remembered but for...

Mizzi, have a look in the cupboard
for the order.

It belongs to my first years here,
when I used to keep everything.

It must be down at the bottom.

Much work has been done,
and that is only a small part of it.

I have mainly stored it in the barn...

but a greater part has gone missing.

But there's still a lot in the barn.

Will you be able to find the order?

You must look for a document
with 'Land Surveyor' underlined in blue.

It's too dark here.

My wife is a great help to me.

But it's impossible to keep up.

Much remains undealt with,

that's all in that cupboard.

And now when I'm ill,
it gets out of hand.

Couldn't I help your wife to look?

I've no official secrets to keep from you,

but to let you look
through these papers yourself...

would be going too far.

Where were we?

It's so cold outside.

- Who's that?
- Only my assistants.

I don't know where to leave them.

It's too cold outside
and here they're in the way.

They don't bother me. I know them.

They're in my way, though.

Help my wife to look for a document
with 'Land Surveyor' underlined in blue.

So your assistants get in your way.

- But they're your own assistants.
- No,

they started following me around here.

You mean they were assigned to you.

Not much thought can have gone
into the assignment.

Nothing here is done without thought.

What about my appointment, then?

That was also given careful consideration,

but incidental circumstances caused confusion.

I can prove it to you from the papers.

The documents are not to be found.

Not to be found?
Mizzi, please hurry up!

I can explain what happened
even without the papers.

We replied to the order I spoke of with thanks,

explaining that we had no need of a Land Surveyor.

This reply did not reach the original department,
let us call it 'Department A',

but by mistake to Department B.

In addition, the document arrived there incomplete,

that is, only the covering note arrived,

so that the official there
sent notification that completion

was necessary.

Now, since the first communication
from Department A...

many months, if not years, had passed,

so that we had only a vague memory of events...

and could only reply

that we knew nothing
about a Land Surveyor being engaged,

and that there was no need for one.

Naturally they were not satisfied
with this reply.

A large correspondence began to grow.

To the inquiry as to why a Land Surveyor
was suddenly unnecessary...

we answered that the idea had originally come
from the Chancellery itself...

but that this was a different department

to the one originally concerned...

this we had long forgotten.

The first official order was demanded,

but this had been lost with the document.

Then officials came to the Herrenhof...

and every day a formal enquiry took place.

The majority took my side,

only a few held back...

suspecting secret plots or injustices.

And so a matter of course -

that there was no need of a Land Surveyor -

was turned into a matter of doubt.

Brunswick distinguished himself especially,
a stupid man,

no orator, but good at shouting,
and that's enough for some people.

You wouldn't know him,
he's a brother-in-law of Lasemann's.

- The tanner?
- Yes.

I saw him at Lasemann's.
Middle-aged. Dark-haired.

- With a beard.
- Yes, that's him.

I know his wife, too.

That's possible.

She's beautiful,

but a little pale and sickly-looking.
She's from the Castle, isn't she?

You only know the offices at the Castle?

Yes, they're the most important thing.

At any rate, Brunswick's shouting forced me...

to lay the matter before the Council,

which refused by a large majority...

to have anything to do with a Land Surveyor.

But that all happened years ago.

Brunswick persisted,

but in the meantime the Control Office discovered...

that many years before, Department A...

had sent a query

to the Council concerning the affair,
but with no result.

A new query was sent to me
and so the whole business was cleared up.

And now just imagine, sir, my dismay

at your sudden appearance,
with the whole affair

looking to begin all over again.

That I am firmly resolved to prevent this...

you will, I trust, understand?

I will know how to defend myself.

How will you do that?

You can always turn to me
with complete confidence.

You always talk about my being taken on
as Land Surveyor,

but I've already been taken on.

Here's Klamm's letter.

This letter is valuable...

on account of Klamm's signature...

which seems to be genuine,

but all the same...

I wouldn't like to say anything on my own...

What are you doing?

So the document can't be found.

A pity, but you know the story anyway,

we don't really need the document any more.

It's sure to be found eventually,
it's probably at the teacher's,

he has piles of documents.

Come here, Mizzi, bring the torch
and read this letter with me.

Mizzi shares my opinion.

This is not an official letter,

but only a private one.

Not a single word in it...

mentions you being taken on as Land Surveyor.

It just talks about official service...

and refers you to me as your
immediate superior...

for more details.

Do you know Schwarzer?

No,

do you, Mizzi? No, she doesn't.

No, we don't know him.

Strange. He's the son of an under-castellan.

My dear sir,

how am I supposed to know
all the sons of all the under-castellans?

Then you'll just have
to take my word for it.

With this Schwarzer I had
an unpleasant encounter the day I arrived.

He telephoned an under-castellan
by the name of Fritz...

and was informed that I had been
taken on as Land Surveyor.

How do you explain that?

Very simply.

There's no fixed telephone connection
with the Castle,

no central exchange to redirect calls.

If you call up someone in the Castle from here,

all the instruments in the sub-departments ring,

or rather they would all ring...

if nearly all these instruments
weren't off the hook.

But now and then an over-tired official
is in need of distraction,

especially in the evenings or at night,

and replaces the receiver.

Then we get an answer,

but of course it's an answer
that's only a joke.

You see,

although I am concerned with official matters
I have no telephone.

This means that everything is
very unclear and insoluble,

except that I'll be thrown out.

Who would dare to throw you out?

The lack of clarity in the affair...

guarantees you the most courteous treatment.

Nobody is keeping you here,
but you're not being thrown out.

I'll enumerate some of the things
that keep me here:

the sacrifices I've made to leave home,

the long and difficult journey,

my complete lack of funds,

the impossibility of finding
suitable work at home now...

and my fiancée, who lives here.

Oh, Frieda! I know.

But Frieda would follow you anywhere.

As to the rest,
I'll report it at the Castle.

If a decision is arrived at,
I'll send for you, all right?

No,

I don't want acts of favour from the Castle,
but my rights.

My leg's hurting again dreadfully,

we'll have to renew the compress.

Then I'll take my leave.

Yes, it's drawing too strongly.

Herr Land Surveyor,
could have a word with you?

Later. I have no time.

Then make time! It's urgent.

Let me be the judge of that!

Clean my shoes in the yard, quick!

Wait! My jacket! Brush it properly!

Wait!

Here, my trousers. Go on, hurry up!

Wait, I'll iron it for you.

What brings you to me?

You must excuse me,

but I have a visit to pay
where I must be well-dressed.

In view of my straitened means cleanliness
is the best I can offer.

I've come on behalf of the Superintendent.

You were very discourteous towards him.

Did he complain about me?

The Superintendent cannot expedite
the Castle's decision,

but he offers you a temporary post
as school janitor.

What?

We need a janitor
as little as we need a Land Surveyor.

I explained this to the Superintendent,

but he said this post would be
a temporary solution...

You've troubled yourself for nothing,
I'm not accepting the post.

Excellent.

You decline unconditionally.

Excellent. Good day to you.

Just a moment!

Please come, darling.

Don't force me to drag you.

What's the matter? I'm cold.

- He said you wouldn't take the post.
- No. I don't need...

We can't stay here.

I didn't iron your shirt because
the landlady wanted to talk to me.

You've offended her greatly.

She even tried to put in
a good word for us,

but now it's all over.

She said I should stay,
that she'd be sorry if I went with you.

Of course I'll follow you wherever you go,
in ice and snow,

but the Superintendent's offer
would help us for the moment,

and if the eventual decision
should turn out unfavourably,

we can still leave,

there's nothing to keep us here,
but just for now, my dearest,

let's accept the offer.

I've fetched the teacher back.

You've only to say you accept,
and we'll move over into the school.

Perhaps my situation will change
this very afternoon.

We could wait a little
and give the teacher a non-committal answer.

I can always find somewhere to stay,

- if necessary with Barna...
- Don't say that again!

If you want, we can refuse the offer.

If you want, I'll stay on here alone.

I'll do anything you say.

But if you don't get anything
out of the Castle this afternoon,

you won't find anywhere to stay,

any place that I wouldn't be ashamed of
as your wife to be.

Can you ask of me that I sleep here
in the warm...

knowing that you're wandering about
in the cold and dark?

Do you know where I'm going?

Yes.

And you won't hold me back?

You will find so many obstacles,
what could anything I say matter?

Come, now.

- We accept the post.
- It was offered to the Land Surveyor,

he must say the word himself.

Of course. He accepts the post, don't you, K.?

Yes.

Good evening!

Ah, Herr Land Surveyor!

My name's Pepi.

'Evening, Pepi.

As soon as Frieda went away
I was called here...

because they can't have just anyone here.

I was a chamber maid till now,

but it hasn't been a change for the better.

Frieda was quite happy here.

How is she?

Isn't she coming back soon?
The evening work here is very tiring.

No wonder Frieda gave it up.

Frieda is my fiancée.

I know. Do you want a glass of beer?

Yes.

Her clothes were ludicrous.

Her ostensible dissatisfaction with her job
was nothing but arrogance.

And yet K. had to admit...

that if he'd met Pepi here
instead of Frieda,

and had suspected that she had
any connections at the Castle,

and she probably did have some,

he would have tried to snatch the mystery

to himself with the same embraces...

that he'd had to employ with Frieda.

What are you doing here?

Did Frieda forget something?

Yes, in the room next door,

a white table-cloth.

There's no table-cloth there.

If I were certain
that there was nobody in the room,

I'd like to have a look for it.

There's nobody there.

Klamm, for example, often sits in there.

He's certainly not there now.

He's just about to leave,
the sleigh's waiting in the yard.

The coachman was one of the peasants...

who'd been in the taproom.

'Evening.

He didn't return K.'s greeting.

The cold was severe,

and the twilight in which K.
had entered the Herrenhof...

had turned into complete darkness.

And Klamm had still not arrived.

It could be a long time.

What could be a long time?

Before...

K. didn't understand the coachman,
but did not ask further.

Do you want some cognac?

Yes.

Open the door of the sleigh.

In the side pocket are some bottles.

Have some and then pass a bottle up to me.

K. opened the door...

and could have drawn the bottle
from the pocket

fixed to the side of the door.

But now the door was open,

an irresistible impulse drove him...

to get inside the sleigh.

He just wanted to sit there for a moment.

The warmth inside was extraordinary,

although the door, which he dared not shut,
was wide open.

The thought that he had better
not be seen there by Klamm...

intruded only vaguely on his consciousness.

But this is dreadful!

The only consolation
was that it was not Klamm.

Or was that not actually a pity?

What are you doing here?

It was the gentleman...

whom K. had seen on entering the Herrenhof.

Come with me.

I'm waiting for someone.

Come with me.

But I shall miss the person
I'm waiting for.

You will miss him in any case.

Perhaps you do not know who I am.

I am Momus, Klamm's village secretary.

I would like you to answer a few questions
to complete my records.

I'm waiting here for Klamm.

Unharness the horses.

"...it is clear that the Land Surveyor
does not love Frieda,

"but he will not let her go

"while he still has hopes
that things will work out as he plans.

"He thinks he has conquered the Chief's mistress...

"and thus possesses a security...

"redeemable only at the highest price..."

I have come to give the Office

information regarding your behaviour,

and to protect myself
from having you quartered on me again.

I must be going home now.

Of course, your duties as janitor call.

But you must first answer a few questions.

I don't want to.

In the name of Klamm,
I order you to answer my questions!

In the name of Klamm?
Will Klamm read this protocol?

Why should he?

He won't be reading anything else today.

Tell him to stop!

Herr Klamm! Please!

Stop!

Herr Land Surveyor!
We've been looking for you everywhere!

K. didn't know why he was so disappointed...

to see the assistants.

They were coming to meet him,
probably sent by Frieda.

But the assistants weren't alone.

Out of the darkness between them
appeared Barnabas.

- Were you coming to see me?
- To see you,

- with a letter from Klamm.
- A letter from Klamm?

The letter was difficult to unfold.

Shine the torch here!

"To the Land Surveyor:

"The surveying work you have so far carried out...

- "has met with my approval."
- Be quiet!

"The work of your assistants also deserves praise."

It's a misunderstanding.

Herr Klamm has been wrongly informed.
I haven't done any surveying,

and you can see for yourself
what these assistants are worth.

I will see to it.

I will also see to the message
you gave me last time.

What? Haven't you delivered it yet?

My father is a cobbler.

He had orders from Brunswick,
and I'm my father's assistant.

I will be going to the Castle soon.

Look, Klamm isn't waiting for your message.

He gets annoyed when I appear.

He mostly gets up when he sees me,

goes into the next room
and won't receive me.

When I take a message,
it's of my own free will.

All right. Can you deliver
a short message tomorrow?

Will you deliver it to Klamm,

get a reply from Klamm himself,

and do this immediately, tomorrow,

in the morning? Will you do that?

I will do my best.
But I always do that.

This is the message:

"The Land Surveyor begs the Chief
to grant him a personal interview.

"He is forced to make this request

"because every intermediary
has failed completely until now.

"As proof of this he points out
that he has not yet done any surveying.

"Consequently he read the Chief's letter

"with humiliation and despair.

"Only a personal interview with the Chief
can be of any help here.

"In profound respect and extreme impatience
he awaits your decision."

"The Land Surveyor begs the Chief
to grant him a personal interview.

"He accepts in advance any conditions..."

Let K. sleep! Don't disturb him.

It's cold in here.

It was warm, dearest,
but the room's so big...

It's not very cosy here.

Our only decoration is the gymnastic apparatus.

- Isn't there any more wood?
- In the shed outside.

The teacher has the key.
He only allows the stove to be lit during lessons.

Where is this shed?

I was only putting another log on. Dearest!

What's the matter?

You may have permission
to sleep in the classroom,

but I am not obliged to teach
in your bedroom!

Sleep well?

A janitor's family,
lazing in bed into the forenoon.

A nice state of affairs!
Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?

In front of the children?

Who dared to break into the woodshed?

Good morning, sir.

I did it, sir.

If the classrooms are to be heated in time,
the shed had to be opened.

I didn't dare ask you for the key
in the middle of the night.

My fiancé was at the Herrenhof.
He scolded me properly...

when he saw what had happened.

Who broke open the door?

The gentleman.

I broke it open with the axe by myself.

It was very simple.

I didn't need the assistants for that.

But when my fiancé came back in the night...

and went out to inspect

the damage, and if possible repair it,

the assistants ran out after him,

saw him working at the broken door...

and that's why they now say...

They're just children,
who despite their years should still be in school.

Who broke open the door?

So you've been lying?

Or accusing the janitor groundlessly?

Fetch the cane.

The assistants were telling the truth!

Pack of liars!

So it was the janitor.

This fine janitor, who cowardly allows...

other people to be falsely accused
of his own shabby deeds.

Well now,

since Frieda has sacrificed me
to the assistants,

the whole affair must be cleared up.

You are dismissed.
Clear out of here at once.

I shan't move an inch.

The Superintendent appointed me to this post,

and I will only accept dismissal from him.

So you refuse to go?

Get out!

Come with me!

You can spread yourselves out here.

But it won't be for long,
I can assure you.

Get out!

Get out!

You're dismissed!

Take us back, sir!

Frieda!

Are you angry with me?

No.

I don't think you can help what you do.

You were contented at the Herrenhof.

I should have let you stay there.

Yes, dearest, you should have left me there.

For my sake...

you've submitted to that tyrant of a teacher,

taken up this wretched post...

and I give you so little in return.

I won't be able to stand this life here.

If you want me with you,
we must emigrate...

somewhere, to the south of France, or Spain.

I came here to stay.

And you want to stay here, after all,
it's your own country.

Only you miss Klamm.

I miss Klamm?

There's too much Klamm here,

far too much Klamm.

It's to escape from him
that I want to leave.

It's not Klamm but you that I miss.

I want to leave for your sake.

There, look at them.

It's not you they stretch out
their hands to, but me.

Hadn't you noticed?

What?

Didn't you notice...

how we couldn't get them
out of our bedroom at the inn,

how they jealously watched us,

how one of them took my place in bed
beside you last night,

how they accused you in order
to drive you out and be alone with me?

You didn't notice all that?

But they always wanted
to accompany me everywhere...

and not stay with you.

They're deceivers.

Didn't you see through that?

Why did you dismiss them,
if not for that?

Look how cold they are.

Don't you feel sorry for them?

- You're looking at them, not I.
- That's just what I'm saying.

Do you think I don't see how ugly they are?

But they don't repel me.

And you think I'm missing Klamm.

Their eyes... that's Klamm's glance...

- Do you want to go out to them?
- No!

I don't want to go to them,
I want to stay with you.

Protect me, let me stay with you.

K. pressed Frieda to him,
kissing the nape of her neck...

so that she flinched,
and while the assistants beat on the door,

they slid to the floor,
burrowing into each other hurriedly,

breathlessly, fearfully,

as if each sought to hide in the other,

as if the lust they felt...

belonged to someone else
they had stolen it from.

What do you want?
Classes are being held next door.

That's where I've come from.

So what do you want?

Can I help you?

Help us? He wants to help us.

Who are you?

Hans Brunswick.

My father's the master cobbler

in the Madeleinegasse.

Is that so?

Yes. He threw you out...

when you spoke to my mother.

At Lasemann's.

How do you know that?

I was sitting right there.

The woman with the baby,
that was your mother?

She's from the Castle, isn't she?

Have you ever been to the Castle?

And now you want to help me?

Why?

The teachers...

scolded you so...

because you hadn't tidied up.

It's probably in the teacher's nature to scold,

but I don't mind that.
I'm not a pupil any more.

I thank you for your offer of help,

but I don't need any help
against the teacher.

You'd better return,
or you'll only be punished.

I'm willing to help you if you need
a different kind of help, too.

Would you?

And if I can't, I can ask my mother.

Then it's sure to be all right.

That's what my father does,
when he's troubled.

Your mother looks tired.

Yes. She's weak and often tired.

Perhaps I can help her.

I've experience in treating sick people.

I've had success in cases
where the doctors had given up.

In any case,
I would like to see your mother.

- Perhaps I can give her some advice.
- I doubt that would be possible.

She has to take things easy.

She hardly ever leaves the house.

Her being at Lasemann's was an exception.

You only exchanged a few words with her,

but afterwards she had to stay in bed
for several days.

Father doesn't let anybody visit her.

Perhaps I should speak to him.

Your father might not know
what sort of illness it is...

No. Father dislikes you.

He might treat you like the teacher did.

Perhaps you could speak to Mother.

Father's going to the inn
the evening after tomorrow.

He's attending a meeting.

I can come and take you to Mother,

if she agrees.

She asked about you,
but I don't know...

It wouldn't take long.

You don't need to fetch me.

I'll hide somewhere near your house.

You just need to give me a sign.

Talking to Hans had given K. new hopes...

which were admittedly improbable,

wholly groundless even,
but which he could not get out of his mind.

They even superseded thoughts of Barnabas.

He, however, had not turned up.

On Frieda's account, K. had put off...

going to Barnabas's to make inquiries all day.

Now he had no alternative.

He only wanted to stay for a moment,

ask at the door.

He'll be here very soon.
It's the Land Surveyor.

I can't wait.

Olga's in the yard chopping wood.

I can't stay any longer,
my fiancée's waiting at home.

- What fiancée?
- Frieda!

I don't know her.

Does Olga know?

But she saw me with Frieda!

Olga doesn't know anything about it.

It will make her very unhappy.
She loves you.

That's impossible.

I'm sure you're mistaken.

I'm sure I'm not.

I also know that you've come here
because of Olga.

You don't need to pretend
you've a message for Barnabas to come here.

But I'm not, I...

At this moment Olga came in
with an armful of wood,

fresh and glowing from the cold,

threw down the wood, greeted K. frankly...

and immediately asked after Frieda.

How's Frieda?

K. threw a meaningful glance at Amalia,

but she didn't seem disconcerted.

Irritated by this, K. spoke more freely
than otherwise of Frieda,

and in his haste to get home again
so far forgot himself...

when saying goodbye as to invite
the two sisters to pay him a visit.

Yes, we'd love to come.

If you want.

I said that without thinking.

In view of the great hostility
between Frieda and your family,

which I find incomprehensible,

I'm afraid I cannot abide by it.

It's not hostility,

she's just parroting what she hears everywhere.

And now go away, go to your fiancée,
I can see you're in a hurry.

You needn't be afraid we'll come,

I only said it for fun, out of mischief.

What's the matter with her?

Didn't Frieda tell you anything about us?

Only brief mentions.

- What about the landlady?
- No, nothing.

Well?

Well?

Several years ago, one of the older officials,

Sortini by name, noticed Amalia
at the village celebration.

He summoned her by letter to appear
at the Herrenhof.

The letter was couched in the vilest language.

Amalia read it,

tore it up and threw the pieces
in the messenger's face.

- And what happened?
- Nothing. That was all.

The really decisive thing was
that Amalia didn't go to the Herrenhof.

So what? She couldn't be accused
or punished for that.

Not in a regular court.

In other ways she could.

We were overwhelmed with questions
about the letter.

Friends, acquaintances and enemies came,

stayed only a short while,

the best friends were the first to go.

Customers came and looked for the boots...

they'd left to be repaired.

In my father's order-book,

line after line was scored through,

outstanding debts were paid,

there were no disputes.

Brunswick,

who was employed by my father
at that time, gave notice,

he wanted to set up shop on his own.

At first, Father tried to win people round,

he hung around waiting for officials
in order to bribe them,

which used up our savings.

Father fell ill.
You can see what state he's in.

For the last two years

I've been spending two nights a week
with the servants in the cowshed.

I get money for that to feed the family.

Through this connection
I was able to get Barnabas

his position at the Castle.

And now, through you,
he was given his first commission.

Through me?

Yes. The letter to you was his first job...

and the first sign

of grace for our family in three years.

You've been deceiving me.

Barnabas delivered the letter
like an old retainer...

There was a knock.

Olga went to the door and opened it.

The late visitor whispered questions...

and got whispered replies,

but was not satisfied
and tried to force his way in.

Olga was scarcely able to keep him out.

It was one of your assistants.

Frieda sent him to look for you.

I thought you wouldn't want
to be discovered here.

Is there another way out?

Yes, across the yard and the neighbours' garden.

Only you have to climb over the fence.

Don't you want to spend the night here
and wait for Barnabas? It's late.

Who are you looking for?

You.

Why are you alone?

Because Arthur has left the service.

He's gone to the Castle
to complain about you.

And you?

I can stay here.

Arthur has resigned from the service for us both.

Proceedings have been started to release us.

Why were you looking for me, then?

To reassure Frieda.

She was very upset when you left her
for the Barnabas girls.

Not because she'd lost you,
but because of your treachery.

But everything's settled now.

Frieda's back in the taproom,
and I'm a room waiter at the inn.

It's better for Frieda.

You didn't value the sacrifice
she was willing to make for you.

But the good soul still feared
she might be doing you an injustice,

that you might not be with the Barnabas girls.

So I went to make sure,
once and for all.

And you needn't have left via
the next-door garden. I know that way.

Herr Land Surveyor!

Herr Land Surveyor!

It's done!

What's done?
You've delivered my request to Klamm?

That wasn't possible.
I did my best, but it was impossible.

But I was successful.

Erlanger, one of Klamm's chief secretaries,

said to me:

"I'm going to the Herrenhof inn.

"The Land Surveyor is to report to me there.

"But he must come at once.

"I have a few appointments
and will leave again at 5 a.m.

"Tell him that it's important...

"that I speak to him."

What does Jeremiah want?

To forestall me with Erlanger.

Is it a sudden longing for Frieda
that's seized you?

I've got it as well,
so we'll walk in step together.

The first to be admitted to Erlanger

are Gerstäcker and K. Are they here?

I'm a room waiter here.

The Land Surveyor who won't answer questions...

is in a hurry to be examined.
It would have been easier with me.

You only think of yourselves.

I never answer questions
just because of someone's office.

Who should we think of then?
Who else is there?

He's sleeping.

You'll have to wait.
He'll ring when he wakens.

I hope he won't have to leave
for the Castle immediately.

Otherwise he'll be in a hurry...

Suddenly K. saw Frieda
at the turn of the passage.

She stared at him
as if she didn't recognise him.

She was carrying a tray with empty dishes.

Going to her,
he took her by the shoulders...

as if taking possession of her again,

asked her a few irrelevant questions
searching her eyes intensely.

But she did not relax her rigid bearing.

She confusedly tried to rearrange
the dishes on her tray and said:

What do you want from me?

Go back to the...

you know what they're called.

You've just come from them.

I thought you were in the taproom.

She looked at him in amazement...

and then gently stroked his cheek,

as if she wanted to recall
what he looked like.

I've been taken on in the taproom again.

I'm only working here temporarily.

Pepi begged me not to put her
to the shame of having to leave

the taproom at once.

We've given her 24 hours' extension.

You left the taproom because of me...

and now we're just about to get married
you're going back there?

There will be no marriage.

Because I was unfaithful?

You don't know what fidelity is.

I didn't want to believe the landlady
when she said you were different.

She said I should just listen to you once,

really listen, not just superficially.

When you spoke to the boy today
I understood what she meant.

How you won his confidence
with sympathetic words...

to achieve your goal.

The goal was that woman.

Your seeming to worry about them
was clearly nothing...

but the pursuit of your own interests.

You deceived the woman
even before you'd won her.

She was supposed to get you into the Castle,

but she's only the daughter of scullery-maid!

You did the same thing to me.

You sneak off to those Barnabas women,

even though you know how this disgraces me,

in the hope

of some advantage for yourself,

staying half the night there,

getting them to deny you're there...

Let's not talk about it any longer!

There is nothing to say.
You know why I have to visit Barnabas.

And I don't deny
that I wanted the boy's mother...

to help us through her connections
at the Castle.

But who am I doing it for? For us!

To improve our situation.

You yourself said you wouldn't be able
to stand our life here.

K. thought it advisable to distract Frieda...

and he asked her to bring him some food...

since he'd had nothing to eat since noon.

Evidently relieved by his request,

Frieda ran to fetch something,

not further along the passage
where K. believed the kitchen to be,

but down a few steps to the side.

A few moments later...

she brought a plate with cold meats

and a bottle of wine.

But they were clearly the remains of a meal.

The scraps had been hastily rearranged...

in an attempt at disguising this.

You were in the kitchen?

No, in my room.
I've got a room down here.

You might have let me come with you.

I'll go down there
so I can sit while I'm eating.

I'll fetch you a chair.

I won't go down there
nor do I need a chair any more.

He's down there.
Did you expect anything else?

At bottom, it's all your fault.

If you hadn't driven those two away
and run after those women,

we might be sitting peacefully in the school.

Do you think Jeremiah
would have dared take me away

so long as he was in service?

Then you completely misunderstand
the way things are ordered here.

While in service he fears
the slightest look from his master.

When not in service,
there's nothing he fears.

He came and took me.

He was my playfellow in childhood.

You'd left me, I had no support.

I didn't unlock the school door,

he smashed the window and lifted me out.

If you were only faithful
because the assistants were servants,

then it was a good thing
it's come to an end.

So if everything's in order
and we can say good-bye...

If I still hesitate in spite of this,

it's because...

I still have doubts about what you've told me,
and with good reason.

You don't love him.

You see,

every relationship has its faults,

even ours.

We came together from completely different worlds...

and ever since we met...

our lives have taken an entirely new path.

We still feel uncertain,

it's all too new.

I'm not talking about myself,
I'm not so important.

I've been showered with gifts...

from the very moment
you first turned your eyes on me,

and it isn't hard to get used to gifts.

If only we'd gone away that first night,

we might be somewhere safe by now,

always together,

your hand always there for me to grasp.

How I need you close to me,

how lost I am without your closeness.

Herr Land Surveyor.

Forgive the interruption.

But I don't feel at all well,
that must be my excuse.

I think I'm feverish.

That damned school garden,

it'll be the death of me yet.

But you mustn't let me disturb you.

Come into our room and tell Frieda
what you still have to say.

When two people who've got used
to each other part,

they've naturally got a lot to say
at the last minute...

He's feverish and doesn't know
what he's saying.

But don't come in here, K., I beg you.

It's my room and Jeremiah's,

or rather it's my room.

I forbid you to come in.

Never, never will I go back to you.

I shudder at the mere thought of it.

So you're not coming in,
Herr Land Surveyor?

There was a little door,

smaller than the others on the passage,

Not only Jeremiah,
even Frieda had to stoop to enter.

Inside it seemed to be bright and warm,

a few whispers were audible,
then the door was shut.

Only now did K. notice...

how quiet it had become in the passage.

So the gentlemen had gone to sleep
at last after all.

K. was also so tired that he wondered...

whether he might not try to go
into one of these rooms,

some of which were sure to be unoccupied,

and have a good sleep
in a comfortable bed.

He looked for Erlanger's room,

but now the landlord and Gerstäcker had gone,

he couldn't find it.

Who's that?

I'm K., the Land Surveyor.

- Do you know Friedrich?
- No.

But he knows you.
I'm his secretary. My name's Bürgel.

Forgive me, I mistook your door...

for another.

I was summoned to Secretary Erlanger.

What a pity!
Not that you were summoned elsewhere,

but that you mistook the doors.

Once wakened, I am sure
not to go to sleep again.

Where are you wanting to go?

It's four o'clock.

You would have to wake anyone
you might think of going to.

Round about five o'clock
people start getting up,

then you'll be able to answer your summons.

So please do let go of the door-handle...

and sit down somewhere.

There isn't much room here, it's true.

It would be best
if you sat on the edge of the bed.

But you are so quiet, Herr Land Surveyor.

I'm very tired.

Of course, everyone is tired here.

If I should fall asleep now
please keep still.

But don't worry,
I shall certainly not go to sleep.

Do sleep, please, Herr Secretary,

I shall also sleep a little,
with your permission.

No, no. I can't go to sleep
just by being invited to do so.

A conversation's most likely to put me to sleep,

probably because I'm used
to dealing with applicants.

How is the land-surveying going?

I'm not being employed as a land surveyor.

That's amazing.

You're a Land Surveyor...

and have no surveying to do.

I am prepared...

to follow up this matter further.

Aren't you distressed about that?

I am distressed about it.

K. smiled, as it didn't distress him
in the least at the moment.

"If you let me lie in your bed",

he thought, "I will answer all your questions."

...mustn't be put off.

When one first arrives here,
the obstacles appear to be insurmountable.

But then opportunities occur...

which by a word or a glance,

a sign of trust, can achieve more...

than a lifetime of exhausting efforts.

Of course, these opportunities...

K. realised that what Bürgel was talking
about probably concerned him closely,

but he felt a great dislike
of everything that concerned him.

Just imagine,

someone comes without an appointment,

in the middle of the night
to one of the secretaries,

admittedly a very rare occurrence,

or rather one which hardly ever happens.

You are perhaps surprised
that this should occur so rarely.

But then you are not familiar
with conditions here.

But you must have been struck

by the foolproof nature of our organisation.

K. nodded, smiling,

he now thought he understood
everything perfectly,

not because it concerned him,

but because he was now convinced...

that he would fall asleep
in the next few minutes.

...a large, living organisation
cannot be constituted...

so that one secretary alone
is responsible for each case.

For the applicants, however,

one particular secretary
comes into the foreground,

but this is not necessarily the one...

who possesses the greatest competence
for the case.

What is decisive here is the organisation...

and its particular needs at the time.

And now just consider the possibility...

that an applicant,
by some circumstance or other,

in the middle of the night,
surprises a secretary...

who has a degree of competence for his case.

You think it can't happen?

You're right, it can't happen.

But one night -

Who can vouch for everything? -

it does happen.

The applicant sits there.

His mute presence alone is an invitation
to penetrate into his wretched life.

One accepts the invitation
and has already ceased to be an official person.

It is a situation in which
it soon becomes impossible...

to refuse a request.

K. was asleep,
though it was not a real sleep,

he heard Bürgel's words better than before,

when he'd been awake but dead tired,

but his wearisome consciousness had disappeared.

...for this defencelessness, in which one sits,

waiting for the applicant's request,

knowing that when it has been expressed,
one must grant it,

even if it totally disrupts
the official organisation,

that is the worst that can happen
in the fulfilment of one's duties.

The applicant hardly notices anything.

He thinks, probably for some indifferent...

accidental reasons,

overtired and disappointed,

he has gone into the wrong room.

He sits there in his ignorance
and occupies himself with his thoughts,

if he occupies himself with anything,

with his mistake or his fatigue.

Could one not leave him like that?

One cannot.

With the loquacity of one who is happy
one must explain everything to him.

One must show him, how he can now,

if he wants, Herr Land Surveyor,

dominate everything,
and for this all he has to do...

is express his request in some way.

Once one has done that,

Herr Land Surveyor,

the most essential thing has been achieved.

one must then resign oneself and wait.

Isn't the Land Surveyor there?

Yes.

Then tell him to come here.

It's Erlanger.

Go to him at once, he's already annoyed.

Go on,

you don't seem to be able
to shake yourself out of your sleep.

If you delay much longer,
Erlanger will be down on me,

and that I want to avoid.

Go along now!

- You should have come long ago.
- I have...

The matter is as follows:

Formerly a certain Frieda
was employed in the taproom.

I don't know her.

This Frieda sometimes served beer to Klamm.

Now there seems to be another girl there.

This change is of course unimportant,

but even the smallest change
can disturb Klamm in his work.

Therefore this Frieda must return
to the taproom forthwith.

Perhaps the fact of her return
will disturb him.

If so, we shall send her away again.

You are living with her, I am told,

therefore arrange her return immediately.

I will go beyond my duty by saying...

that if you show yourself reliable in this,

it may be advantageous
to your future prospects.

Are you going to sleep for ever?

Gerstäcker's been asking for you.

Why?

It's nighttime.

It's already evening.
You've slept all day.

Frieda came once, too.

So she doesn't like you any more?

It's very bitter.

Thank you.

What did you see in Frieda?

She's only an oldish,
skinny girl with thin hair.

The first time one sees her
with her hair down...

one clasps one's hands in pity.

Or because she was Klamm's mistress?

She knows people,

she's quick to deceive them...

so they haven't time to get
a closer look at her.

Her affair with Klamm!

If you don't believe it,

you can get proof,
go to Klamm and ask him.

How cunning!

In fact you're to blame for my misfortune.

But I don't bear you a grudge.

What misfortune?

You took her away from here.

For that I loved you,
as I've never loved anybody before.

The landlord didn't have anybody
suitable at hand...

So he took me.

As a chambermaid, I couldn't really
be considered for the job.

It's like working down a mine,

never any peace, never a kind word,

nothing but reproaches.

They're high-up gentlemen in the rooms,

but one has to overcome one's disgust
to clean up after them.

And then this chance!

The girls I share a room with helped me.

It's also an honour for them,

if a girl from their group
is chosen to be barmaid,

and later on I could have provided them
with advantages.

They helped me to make this dress.

But of course Frieda lost no time.

She sits in the school
and watches the Herrenhof.

She complains she's being kept prisoner by you,

she incites people against me,
claims she's coming back here,

and succeeds in keeping Klamm
away from the taproom,

so it looks as if he doesn't come

because of me.

What a wild imagination you have, Pepi!

The truth is,

you're not suited to this job.

Your dress, your hair,

they may be thought beautiful

in your girls' room,

but here everyone laughs at them,
secretly or openly.

You don't realise how foolish you seem
with all these suspicions.

Being a barmaid is a job like any other,

but for you it's paradise,

so you set about it with exaggerated eagerness,

and you feel constantly persecuted,

you try to win over everybody
who you think could support you...

by being overfriendly,

but in this way you bother them
and put them off,

because they want peace and quiet here...

and not the barmaid's worries
on top of their own.

You're in love with Frieda,
so you defend her.

Make a fool of me if you want.

But what will you do now?

Frieda has left you.

You've neither work nor bed.

Come to us.

You'll like my girl friends.

We'll make you comfortable.

You'll give us a hand with our work.

Only we three will know you're there.

There will be no obligation for you,

you won't be bound to our room.

When spring comes...

and you find a lodging somewhere else,

and if you don't like
being with us any more,

you can go.

The work we'll give you won't be hard.

Will you come?

Oh, do come, please!

How long is it till spring?

Till spring? Winter is...

Are you awake at last?

Come with me.

Where to?

Come on, will you!

I haven't time.
I must get back to the school.

Come on.
You can give up the janitor's job.

You'll have everything you want at my place.

I've been waiting for you all day.

My mother will be wondering where I am.

To help with the horses!

If you need money, I'll pay you!

I don't know anything about horses!

That's not necessary!

Do I have to drag you?

I know why you want me to come.

Because you think I can do
something for you with Erlanger.

Why should I be interested in you otherwise?

That doesn't mean the sky's raining sulphur!

No, it doesn't look that kind of weather!

Gerstäcker's hut...

was lit only dimly by the fire...

and a candle-stump,

by whose light someone was reading.

It was Gerstäcker's mother.

She reached out a trembling hand to K....

and motioned him to sit down next to her.

She spoke with difficulty,

and she was hard to understand,
but what she said...

This is the end of Franz Kafka's fragment

THE CASTLE