Page 64 - the-trial

danger where I want to fear it. Come over here.” She pointed
to the podium and invited him to sit down on the step with
her. “You’ve got lovely dark eyes,” she said after they had sat
down, looking up into K.’s face, “people say I’ve got nice
eyes too, but yours are much nicer. It was the first thing I
noticed when you first came here. That’s even why I came in
here, into the assembly room, afterwards, I’d never normal-
ly do that, I’m not really even allowed to.” So that’s what all
this is about, thought K., she’s offering herself to me, she’s as
degenerate as everything else around here, she’s had enough
of the court officials, which is understandable I suppose,
and so she approaches any stranger and makes compli-
ments about his eyes. With that, K. stood up in silence as if
he had spoken his thoughts out loud and thus explained his
action to the woman. “I don’t think you can be of any assis-
tance to me,” he said, “to be of any real assistance you would
need to be in contact with high officials. But I’m sure you
only know the lower employees, and there are crowds of
them milling about here. I’m sure you’re very familiar with
them and could achieve a great deal through them, I’ve no
doubt of that, but the most that could be done through them
would have no bearing at all on the final outcome of the
trial. You, on the other hand, would lose some of your
friends as a result, and I have no wish of that. Carry on with
these people in the same way as you have been, as it does
seem to me to be something you cannot do without. I have
no regrets in saying this as, in return for your compliment
to me, I also find you rather attractive, especially when you
look at me as sadly as you are now, although you really have