The Castle Read Online Free PDF Page A

sat down then all three together over their beer at a small table, saying little, K. in the middle with an assistant on each side. As on the other evening, there was only one other table occupied by a few peasants.
    "You're a difficult problem," said K., comparing them, as he had already done several times. "How am I to know one of you from the other? The only difference between you is your names, otherwise you're as like as ..."
    He stopped, and then went on involuntarily, "You're as like as two snakes."
    They smiled.
    "People usually manage to distinguish us quite well," they said in self-justification.
    "I am sure they do," said K., "I was a witness of that myself, but I can only see with my own eyes, and with them I can't distinguish you. So I shall treat you as if you were one man and call you both Arthur, that's one of your names, yours, isn't it?" he asked one of them.
    "No," said the man, "I'm Jeremiah."
    "It doesn't matter," said K. "Ìll call you both Arthur. If I tell Arthur to go anywhere you must both go. If I give Arthur something to do you must both do it, that has the great disadvantage for me of preventing me from employing you on separate jobs, but the advantage that you will both be equally responsible for anything I tell you to do.
    How you divide the work between you doesn't matter to me, only you're not to excuse yourselves by blaming each other, for me you're only one man."
    They considered this, and said: "We shouldn't like that at all."
    "I don't suppose so," said K., "of course you won't like it, but that's how it has to be."
    For some little time one of the peasants had been sneaking round the table and K. had noticed him; now the fellow took courage and went up to one of the assistants to whisper something.
    "Excuse me," said K., bringing his band down on the table and rising to his feet,
    "these are my assistants and we're discussing private business. Nobody is entitled to disturb us."
    "Sorry, sir, sorry," muttered the peasant anxiously, retreating backwards towards his friends.
    "And this is my most important charge to you," said K., sitting down again. "You're not to speak to anyone without my permission. I am a stranger here, and if you are my old assistants you are strangers too. We three strangers must stand by each other therefore, give me your hands on that."
    All too eagerly they stretched out their hands to K.
    "Never mind the trimming," said he, "but remember that my command holds good. I shall go to bed now and I recommend you to do the same. To-day we have missed a day's work, and to-morrow we must begin very early. You must get hold of a sleigh for taking me to the Castle and have it ready outside the house at six o'clock."
    "Very well," said one.
    But the other interrupted him. "You say "very well", and yet you know it can't be done."
    "Silence," said K. "You're trying already to dissociate yourselves from each other."
    But then the first man broke in: "He's right, it can't be done, no stranger can get into the Castle without a permit" "Where does one apply for a permit?"
    "I don't know, perhaps to the Castellan."
    "Then we'll apply by telephone, go and telephone to the Castellan at once, both of you."
    They rushed to the instrument, asked for the connexion - how eager they were about it!
    in externals they were absurdly docile - and inquired if K. could come with them next morning into the Castle. The "No" of the answer was audible even to K. at his table. But the answer went on and was still more explicit, it ran as follows:
    "Neither to-morrow nor at any other time."
    "I shall telephone myself," said K., and got up.
    While K. and his assistants hitherto had passed nearly unremarked except for the incident with the one peasant, his last statement aroused general attention. They all got up when K. did, and although the landlord tried to drive them away, crowded round him in a close semicircle at the telephone. The general opinion among them was that K. would get no answer at all. K.