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a second time as a result, he said, “Thank you very much,
but I’m afraid I will have no time on Sunday, I have a previ-
ous obligation.” “Pity,” said the deputy director, and turned
to the telephone conversation that had just been connected.
It was not a short conversation, but K., remained standing
confused by the instrument all the time it was going on.
It was only when the deputy director hung up that he was
shocked into awareness and said, in order to partially ex-
cuse his standing there for no reason, “I’ve just received a
telephone call, there’s somewhere I need to go, but they for-
got to tell me what time.” “Ask them then,” said the deputy
director. “It’s not that important,” said K., although in that
way his earlier excuse, already weak enough, was made even
weaker. As he went, the deputy director continued to speak
about other things. K. forced himself to answer, but his
thoughts were mainly about that Sunday, how it would be
best to get there for nine o’clock in the morning as that was
the time that courts always start work on weekdays.
The weather was dull on Sunday. K. was very tired, as he
had stayed out drinking until late in the night celebrating
with some of the regulars, and he had almost overslept. He
dressed hurriedly, without the time to think and assemble
the various plans he had worked out during the week. With
no breakfast, he rushed to the suburb he had been told about.
Oddly enough, although he had little time to look around
him, he came across the three bank officials involved in his
case, Rabensteiner, Kullich and Kaminer. The first two were
travelling in a tram that went across K.’s route, but Kaminer
sat on the terrace of a cafŽ and leant curiously over the wall

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