The Castle (46 page)

"Where are you going? Where are you going?" Gerstacker could still be heard calling out even after the door was shut, and the words were unpleasantly interspersed with sighs and coughs. It was a small, over-heated room. Against the end-walls were a standing-desk and an iron safe, against the side-walls were a wardrobe and an ottoman. It was the wardrobe that took up most room. Not only did it occupy the whole of the longer wall, its depth also made the room very narrow, it had three slidingdoors by which it could be opened completely. The landlady pointed to the ottoman, indicating that K. should sit down, she herself sat down on the revolving chair at the desk.

"Didn't you once learn tailoring?" the landlady asked.

"No, never," K. said.

"What actually is it you are?"

"Land Surveyor."

"What is that?"

K. explained, the explanation made her yawn.

"You're not telling the truth. Why won't you tell the truth?"

"You don't tell the truth either."

"I? So now you're beginning your impudent remarks again? And if I didn't tell the truth

- do I have to answer for it to you? And in what way don't I tell the truth then?"

"You are not only a landlady, as you pretend."

"Just listen to that! All the things you discover! What else am I then? But I must say, your impudence is getting thoroughly out of hand."

"I don't know what else you are. I only see that you are a landlady and also wear clothes that are not suitable for a landlady and of a kind that to the best of my knowledge nobody else wears here in the village."

"Well, now we're getting to the point. The fact is you can't keep it to yourself, perhaps you aren't impudent at all, you're only like a child that knows some silly thing or other and which simply can't, by any means, be made to keep it to itself. Well, speak up! What is so special about these clothes?"

"You'll be angry if I say."

"No, I shall laugh about it, it'll be some childish chatter. What sort of clothes are they then?"

"You insist on hearing. Well, they're made of good material, pretty expensive, but they are old-fashioned, fussy, often renovated, worn, and not suitable either for your age or for your figure or for your position. I was struck by them the very first time I saw you, it was about a week ago, here in the hall."

"So there now we have it! They are old-fashioned, fussy, and what else did you say? And what enables you to judge all this?"

"I can see for myself, one doesn't need any training for that.'"

"You can see it without more ado. You don't have to inquire anywhere, you know at once what is required by fashion. So you're going to be quite indispensable to me, for I must admit I have a weakness for beautiful clothes. And what will you say when I tell you that this wardrobe is full of dresses?"

She pushed the sliding doors open, one dress could be seen tightly packed against the next, filling up the whole length and breadth of the wardrobe, they were mostly dark, grey, brown, black dresses, all carefully hung up and spread out.

"These are my dresses, all old-fashioned, fussy, as you think. But they are only the dresses for which I have no room upstairs in my room, there I have two more wardrobes full, two wardrobes, each of them almost as big as this one. Are you amazed?"

"No. I was expecting something of the sort. Didn't I say you're not only a landlady, you're aiming at something else.'

"I am only aiming at dressing beautifully, and you are either a fool or a child or a very wicked, dangerous person. Go, go away now!"

K. was already in the hall and Gerstacker was clutching at his sleeve again, when the landlady shouted after him: "I am getting a new dress to-morrow, perhaps I shall send for you."