Page 95 - the-trial

it,” said Mrs. Grubach. “Oh just take it away!” shouted K. It
seemed to him that Miss Montag was mixed up in every-
thing and made it repulsive to him.
As he went through the hallway he looked at the closed
door of Miss Burstner’s room. But it wasn’t there that he was
invited, but the dining room, to which he yanked the door
open without knocking.
The room was long but narrow with one window. There
was only enough space available to put two cupboards at an
angle in the corner by the door, and the rest of the room was
entirely taken up with the long dining table which started
by the door and reached all the way to the great window,
which was thus made almost inaccessible. The table was
already laid for a large number of people, as on Sundays al-
most all the tenants ate their dinner here at midday.
When K. entered, Miss Montag came towards him from
the window along one side of the table. They greeted each
other in silence. Then Miss Montag, her head unusually
erect as always, said, “I’m not sure whether you know me.”
K. looked at her with a frown. “Of course I do,” he said,
“you’ve been living here with Mrs. Grubach for quite some
time now.” “But I get the impression you don’t pay much at-
tention to what’s going on in the lodging house,” said Miss
Montag. “No,” said K. “Would you not like to sit down?”
said Miss Montag. In silence, the two of them drew chairs
out from the farthest end of the table and sat down facing
each other. But Miss Montag stood straight up again as she
had left her handbag on the window sill and went to fetch it;
she shuffled down the whole length of the room. When she

The Trial