Page 109 - the-trial

Chapter Six

K.’s uncle Leni

ne afternoon K. was very busy at the time, getting the
Opost ready K.’s Uncle Karl, a small country land owner,
came into the room, pushing his way between two of the
staff who were bringing in some papers. K. had long expect-
ed his uncle to appear, but the sight of him now shocked
K. far less than the prospect of it had done a long time be-
fore. His uncle was bound to come, K. had been sure of that
for about a month. He already thought at the time he could
see how his uncle would arrive, slightly bowed, his bat-
tered panama hat in his left hand, his right hand already
stretched out over the desk long before he was close enough
as he rushed carelessly towards K. knocking over every-
thing that was in his way. K.’s uncle was always in a hurry, as
he suffered from the unfortunate belief that he had a num-
ber things to do while he was in the big city and had to settle
all of them in one day his visits were only ever for one day
and at the same time thought he could not forgo any con-
versation or piece of business or pleasure that might arise by
chance. Uncle Karl was K.’s former guardian, and so K. was
duty-bound to help him in all of this as well as to offer him
a bed for the night. ‘I’m haunted by a ghost from the coun-
try’, he would say.

10 The Trial