Page 156 - the-trial

the matter, he merely watched the immediate effect of the
deputy director’s appearance and, for him, the effect was
very pleasing; the manufacturer immediately jumped up
from his seat and hurried over to meet the deputy director,
although K. would have liked to make him ten times livelier
as he feared the deputy director might disappear again. He
need not have worried, the two gentlemen met each oth-
er, shook each other’s hand and went together over to K.’s
desk. The manufacturer said he was sorry to find the chief
clerk so little inclined to do business, pointing to K. who,
under the view of the deputy director, had bent back down
over the papers. As the two men leant over the desk and the
manufacturer made some effort to gain and keep the deputy
director’s attention, K. felt as if they were much bigger than
they really were and that their negotiations were about him.
Carefully and slowly turning his eyes upwards, he tried to
learn what was taking place above him, took one of the pa-
pers from his desk without looking to see what it was, lay it
on the flat of his hand and raised it slowly up as he rose up to
the level of the two men himself. He had no particular plan
in mind as he did this, but merely felt this was how he would
act if only he had finished preparing that great document
that was to remove his burden entirely. The deputy director
had been paying all his attention to the conversation and
did no more than glance at the paper, he did not read what
was written on it at all as what was important for the chief
clerk was not important for him, he took it from K.’s hand
saying, “Thank you, I’m already familiar with everything”,
and lay it calmly back on the desk. K. gave him a bitter, side-

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