Page 96 - the-trial

came back, the handbag lightly swinging, she said, “I’d like
just to have a few words with you on behalf of my friend. She
would have come herself, but she’s feeling a little unwell to-
day. Perhaps you’ll be kind enough to forgive her and listen
to me instead. There’s anyway nothing that she could have
said that I won’t. On the contrary, in fact, I think I can say
even more than her because I’m relatively impartial. Would
you not agree?” “What is there to say, then?” answered K.,
who was tired of Miss Montag continuously watching his
lips. In that way she took control of what he wanted to say
before he said it. “Miss Burstner clearly refuses to grant me
the personal meeting that I asked her for.” “That’s how it
is,” said Miss Montag, “ or rather, that’s not at all how it is,
the way you put it is remarkably severe. Generally speak-
ing, meetings are neither granted nor the opposite. But it
can be that meetings are considered unnecessary, and that’s
how it is here. Now, after your comment, I can speak openly.
You asked my friend, verbally or in writing, for the chance
to speak with her. Now my friend is aware of your reasons
for asking for this meeting or at least I suppose she is and
so, for reasons I know nothing about, she is quite sure that
it would be of no benefit to anyone if this meeting actu-
ally took place. Moreover, it was only yesterday, and only
very briefly, that she made it clear to me that such a meeting
could be of no benefit for yourself either, she feels that it can
only have been a matter of chance that such an idea came
to you, and that even without any explanations from her,
you will very soon come to realise yourself, if you have not
done so already, the futility of your idea. My answer to that