Page 197 - the-trial

long corridor extended in from of him, air blew in from it
which, compared with the air in the studio, was refreshing.
There were benches set along each side of the corridor just
as in the waiting area for the office he went to himself. There
seemed to be precise rules governing how offices should be
equipped. There did not seem to be many people visiting the
offices that day. There was a man there, half sitting, half lay-
ing, his face was buried in his arm on the bench and he
seemed to be sleeping; another man was standing in the
half-dark at the end of the corridor. K. now climbed over
the bed, the painter followed him with the pictures. They
soon came across a servant of the court K. was now able to
recognise all the servants of the court from the gold buttons
they wore on their civilian clothes below the normal but-
tons and the painter instructed him to go with K. carrying
the pictures. K. staggered more than he walked, his hand-
kerchief pressed over his mouth. They had nearly reached
the exit when the girls stormed in on them, so K. had not
been able to avoid them. They had clearly seen that the sec-
ond door of the studio had been opened and had gone
around to impose themselves on him from this side. “I can’t
come with you any further!” called out the painter with a
laugh as the girls pressed in. “Goodbye, and don’t hesitate
too long!” K. did not even look round at him. Once on the
street he took the first cab he came across. He now had to
get rid of the servant, whose gold button continually caught
his eye even if it caught no-one else’s. As a servant, the ser-
vant of the court was going to sit on the coach-box. But K.
chased him down from there. It was already well into the

1 The Trial