The Castle (40 page)

Somewhere indeed a gentleman imitated the crowing of a cock. Though the passage itself was still empty, the doors were already in motion, time and again one would be opened a little and quickly shut again, the passage buzzed with this opening and shutting of doors, now and then, too, in the space above the partition walls, which did not quite reach to the ceiling, K. saw towsled early-morning heads appear and instantly vanish again.

From far off there slowly came a little barrow pushed by a servant, containing files. A second servant walked beside it, with a catalogue in his hand, obviously comparing the numbers on the doors with those on the file. The little barrow stopped outside most of the doors, usually then, too, the door would open and the appropriate riles, sometimes, however, only a small sheet of paper - in such cases a little conversation came about between the room and the passage, probably the servant was being reproached - would be handed into the room. If the door remained shut, the files were carefully piled up on the threshold. In such cases it seemed to K. as though the movement of the doors round about did not diminish, even though there the files had already been distributed, but as though it were on the contrary increasing. Perhaps the others were yearningly peering out at the files incomprehensibly left lying on the threshold, they could not understand how anyone should only need to open the door in order to gain possession of his files and yet should not do so.

Perhaps it was even possible that files that were never picked up at all might later be distributed among the other gentlemen, who were even now seeking to make sure, by frequent peering out, whether the files were still lying on the threshold and whether there was thus still hope for them. Incidentally, these files that remained lying were for the most part particularly big bundles. And K. assumed that they had been temporarily left lying out of a certain desire to boast or out of malice or even out of justifiable pride that would be stimulating to colleagues. What strengthened him in this assumption was the fact that sometimes, always when he happened not to be looking, the bag, having been exposed to view for long enough, was suddenly and hastily pulled into the room and the door then remained as motionless as before, the doors round about then also became quiet again, disappointed or, it might be, content that this object of constant provocation had at last been removed, but then, however, they gradually came into motion again.

K. considered all this not only with curiosity but also with sympathy. He almost enjoyed the feeling of being in the midst of this bustle, looked this way and that, following - even though at an appropriate distance - the servants, who, admittedly, had already more than once turned towards him with a severe glance, with lowered head and pursed lips, while he watched their work of distribution. The further it progressed the less smoothly it went, either the catalogue was not quite correct, of the files were not always clearly identifiable for the servants, or the gentlemen were raising objections for other reasons.

At any rate it would happen that some of the distributions had to be withdrawn, then the little barrow moved back, and through the chink of the door negotiations were conducted about the return of files. These negotiations in themselves caused great difficulties, but it happened frequently enough that if it was a matter of return precisely those doors that had earlier on been in the most lively motion now remained inexorably shut, as though they did not wish to know anything more about the matter at all.

Only then did the actual difficulties begin.

He who believed he had a claim to the files became extremely impatient, made a great din inside his room, clapping his hands, stamping his feet, ever and again shouting a particular file-number out into the passage through the chink of the door. Then the little barrow was often left quite unattended. The one servant was busy trying to appease the impatient official, the other was outside the shut door battling for the return. Both had a hard time of it. The impatient official was often made still more impatient by the attempts to appease him, he could no longer endure listening to the servant's empty words, he did not want consolation, he wanted files.

Such a gentleman once poured the contents of a whole wash-basin through the gap at the top, on to the servant. But the other servant, obviously the higher in rank, was having a much harder time of it if the gentleman concerned at all deigned to enter into negotiations, there were matter-of-fact discussions during which the servant referred to his catalogue, the gentleman to his notes and to precisely those files that he was supposed to return, which for the time being, however, he clutched tightly in his hand, so that scarcely a corner of them remained visible to the servant's longing eyes. Then, too, the servant would have to run back for fresh evidence to the little barrow, which had by itself rolled a little further along the slightly sloping passage, or he would have to go to the gentleman claiming the files and there report the objections raised by the gentleman now in possession, receiving in return fresh counter-objections. Such negotiations lasted a very long time sometimes agreement was reached, the gentleman would haps hand over part of the files or get other files as compensation, since all that had happened was that a mistake had been made.

But it also happened sometimes that someone simply had to abandon all the files demanded, either because he had been driven into a corner by the servant's evidence or because he was tired of the prolonged bargaining, but then he did not give the files to the servant, but with sudden resolution flung them out into the passage, so that the strings came undone and the papers flew about and the servants had a great deal of trouble getting everything straight again. But all this was still relatively simple compared with what happened when the servant got no answer at all to his pleading for the return of the files. Then he would stand outside the closed door, begging, imploring, citing his catalogue, referring to regulations, all in vain, no sound came from inside the room, and to go in without permission was obviously something the servant had no right to do. Then even this excellent servant would sometimes lose his self-control, he would go to his barrow, sit down on the files, wipe the sweat from his brow, and for a little while do nothing at all but sit there helplessly swinging his feet. All round there was very great interest in the affair, everywhere there was whispering going on, scarcely any door was quiet, and up above at the top of the partition wall faces queerly masked almost to the eyes with scarves and kerchiefs, though for the rest never for an instant remaining quiet in one place, watched all that was going on.

In the midst of this unrest K. had been struck by the fact that Burgel's door had remained shut the whole time and that the servant had already passed along this part of the passage, but no files had been allotted to Burgel.

Perhaps he was still asleep, which would indeed, in all this din, have indicated that he was a very sound sleeper, but why had he not received any files?

Only very few rooms, and these probably unoccupied ones, had been passed over in this manner.

On the other hand there was already a new and particularly restless occupant of Erlanger's room, Erlanger must positively have been driven out in the night by him, this was not much in keeping with Erlanger's cool, distant nature, but the fact that he had had to wait on the threshold for K. did after all indicate that it was so.

Ever and again K. would then soon return from all distracting observations to watching the servant. Truly, what K. had otherwise been told about servants in general, about their slackness, their easy life, their arrogance, did not apply to this servant, there were doubtless exceptions among the servants too or, what was more probable, various groups among them, for here, as K.. noticed, there were many nuances of which he had up to now scarcely had as much as a glimpse. What he particularly liked was this servant's inexorability. In his struggle with these stubborn little rooms - to K. it often seemed to be a struggle with the rooms, since he scarcely ever caught sight of the occupants -

the servant never gave up. His strength did sometimes fail - whose strength would not have failed? - but he soon recovered, slipped down from the little barrow and, holding himself straight, clenching his teeth, returned to the attack against the door that had to be conquered.

And it would happen that he would be beaten back twice or three times, and that in a very simple way, solely by means of that confounded silence, and nevertheless was still not defeated. Seeing that he could not achieve anything by frontal assault, he would try another method, for instance, if K. understood righdy, cunning.

He would then seemingly abandon the door, so to speak allowing it to exhaust its own taciturnity, turned his attention to other doors, after a while returned, called the other servant, all this ostentatiously and noisily, and began piling up files on the threshold of the shut door, as though he had changed his mind, and as though there were no justification for taking anything away from this gentleman, but, on the contrary, something to be allotted to him. Then he would walk on, still, however, keeping an eye on the door, and then when the gentleman, as usually happened, soon cautiously opened the door in order to pull the files inside, in a few leaps the servant was there, thrust his foot between the door and the doorpost, so forcing the gentleman at least to negotiate with him face to face, which then usually led after all to a more or less satisfactory result.

And if this method was not successful or if at one door this seemed to him not the right approach, he would try another method. He would then transfer his attention to the gendeman who was claiming the files. Then he pushed aside the other servant, who worked always only in a mechanical way, a fairly useless assistant to him, and himself began talking persuasively to the gentleman, whisperingly, furtively, pushing his head right round the door, probably making promises to him and assuring him that at the next distribution the other gentleman would be appropriately punished, at any rate he would often point towards the opponent's door and laugh, in as far as his fatigue allowed.

Then, however, there were cases, one or two, when he did abandon all attempts, but even here K. believed that it was only an apparent abandonment or at least an abandonment for justifiable reasons, for he quietly walked on, tolerating, without glancing round, the din made by the wronged gentleman, only an occasional, more prolonged closing of the eyes indicating that the din was painful to him. Yet then the gentleman would gradually quieten down, and just as a child's ceaseless crying gradually passes into ever less frequent single sobs, so it was also with his outcry. But even after it had become quite quiet there, there would, nevertheless, sometimes be a single cry or a rapid opening and slamming of that door. In any case it became apparent that here, too, the servant had probably acted in exactly the right way. Finally there remained only one gentleman who would not quieten down, he would be silent for a long period, but only in order to gather strength, then he would burst out again, no less furiously than before. It was not quite clear why he shouted and complained in this way, perhaps it was not about the distribution of files at all.

Meanwhile the servant had finished his work. Only one single file, actually only a little piece of paper, a leaf from a note-pad, was left in the little barrow, through his helper's fault, and now they did not know whom to allot it to.

"That might very well be my file," it flashed through K.'s mind.

The Mayor had, after all, constantly spoken of this smallest of small cases. And, arbitrary and ridiculous though he himself at bottom regarded his assumption as being, K.

tried to get closer to the servant, who was thoughtfully glancing over the little piece of paper.

This was not altogether easy, for the servant ill repaid K.'s sympathy, even in the midst of his most strenuous work he had always still found time to look round at K., angrily or impatiently, with nervous jerks of his head. Only now, after finishing the distribution, did he seem to have somewhat forgotten K., as indeed he had altogether become more indifferent, this being understandable as a result of his great exhaustion, nor did he give himself much trouble with the little piece of paper, perhaps not even reading it through, only pretending to do so, and although here in the passage he would probably have delighted any occupant of a room by allotting this piece of paper to him, he decided otherwise, he was now sick and tired of distributing things, with his forefinger on his lips he gave his companion a sign to be silent, tore - K. was still far from having reached his side - the piece of paper into shreds and put the pieces into his pocket.

It was probably the first irregularity that K. had seen in the working of the administration here, admittedly it was possible that he had misunderstood this too. And even if it was an irregularity, it was pardonable. Under the conditions prevailing here the servant could not work unerringly, some time the accumulated annoyance, the accumulated uneasiness, must break out, and if it manifested itself only in the tearing up of a little piece of paper it was still comparatively innocent. For the yells of the gentleman who could not be quieted by any method were still resounding through the passage, and his colleagues, who in other respects did not adopt a very friendly attitude to each other, seemed to be wholly of one mind with respect to this uproar.

It gradually began to seem as if the gentleman had taken on the task of making a noise for all those who simply by calling out to him and nodding their heads encouraged him to keep it up. But now the servant was no longer paying any further attention to the master, he had finished his job, he pointed to the handle of the little barrow, indicating that the other servant should take hold of it, and so they went away again as they had come, only more contentedly and so quickly that the little barrow bounced along ahead of them.

Only once did they start and glance back again, when the gentleman who was ceaselessly screaming and shouting, and outside whose door K. was now hanging about because he would have liked to discover what it really was that the gentleman wanted, evidently found shouting no longer adequate, probably had discovered the button of an electric bell and, doubtless enraptured at being relieved in this way, instead of shouting now began an uninterrupted ringing of the bell.