Page 131 - the-trial

and took a long look at him. “And what if I don’t confess,
could you not help me then?” asked K. to test her out. I’m
accumulating women to help me, he thought to himself al-
most in amazement, first Miss Burstner, then the court
usher’s wife, and now this little care assistant who seems to
have some incomprehensible need for me. The way she sits
on my lap as if it were her proper place! “No,” answered
Leni, slowly shaking her head, “I couldn’t help you then. But
you don’t want my help anyway, it means nothing to you,
you’re too stubborn and won’t be persuaded.” Then, after a
while she asked, “Do you have a lover?” “No,” said K. “Oh,
you must have,” she said. “Well, I have really,” said K. “Just
think, I’ve even betrayed her while I’m carrying her photo-
graph with me.” Leni insisted he show her a photograph of
Elsa, and then, hunched on his lap, studied the picture
closely. The photograph was not one that had been taken
while Elsa was posing for it, it showed her just after she had
been in a wild dance such as she liked to do in wine bars,
her skirt was still flung out as she span round, she had
placed her hands on her firm hips and, with her neck held
taut, looked to one side with a laugh; you could not see from
the picture whom her laugh was intended for. “She’s very
tightly laced,” said Leni, pointing to the place where she
thought this could be seen. “I don’t like her, she’s clumsy
and crude. But maybe she’s gentle and friendly towards you,
that’s the impression you get from the picture. Big, strong
girls like that often don’t know how to be anything but gen-
tle and friendly. Would she be capable of sacrificing herself
for you, though?” “No,” said K., “she isn’t gentle or friendly,

1 0 The Trial