Chapter Nine In the Cathedral

九　在大教堂里

A very important Italian business contact of the bank had come to visit the city for the first time and K. was given the task of showing him some of its cultural sights. At any other time he would have seen this job as an honour but now, when he was finding it hard even to maintain his current position in the bank, he accepted it only with reluctance. Every hour that he could not be in the office was a cause of concern for him, he was no longer able to make use of his time in the office anything like as well as he had previously, he spent many hours merely pretending to do important work, but that only increased his anxiety about not being in the office. Then he sometimes thought he saw the deputy director, who was always watching, come into K.'s office, sit at his desk, look through his papers, receive clients who had almost become old friends of K., and lure them away from him, perhaps he even discovered mistakes, mistakes that seemed to threaten K. from a thousand directions when he was at work now, and which he could no longer avoid. So now, if he was ever asked to leave the office on business or even needed to make a short business trip, however much an honour it seemed - and tasks of this sort happened to have increased substantially recently - there was always the suspicion that they wanted to get him out of his office for a while and check his work, or at least the idea that they thought he was dispensable. It would not have been difficult for him to turn down most of these jobs, but he did not dare to do so because, if his fears had the slightest foundation, turning the jobs down would have been an acknowledgement of them. For this reason, he never demurred from accepting them, and even when he was asked to go on a tiring business trip lasting two days he said nothing about having to go out in the rainy autumn weather when he had a severe chill, just in order to avoid the risk of not being asked to go. When, with a raging headache, he arrived back from this trip he learned that he had been chosen to accompany the Italian business contact the following day. The temptation for once to turn the job down was very great, especially as it had no direct connection with business, but there was no denying that social obligations towards this business contact were in themselves important enough, only not for K., who knew quite well that he needed some successes at work if he was to maintain his position there and that, if he failed in that, it would not help him even if this Italian somehow found him quite charming; he did not want to be removed from his workplace for even one day, as the fear of not being allowed back in was too great, he knew full well that the fear was exaggerated but it still made him anxious. However, in this case it was almost impossible to think of an acceptable excuse, his knowledge of Italian was not great but still good enough; the deciding factor was that K. had earlier known a little about art history and this had become widely known around the bank in extremely exaggerated form, and that K. had been a member of the Society for the Preservation of City Monuments, albeit only for business reasons. It was said that this Italian was an art lover, so the choice of K. to accompany him was a matter of course.

一位意大利同行首次来访该城，他是这家银行最有影响的顾客之一；Ｋ受命接待他，陪他参观城里的艺术珍品和文物古迹。要是在从前，Ｋ会把接受这项差使当作是一种荣誉；可是，目前他正需要竭尽全力保持自己在银行里的声誉，在这种情况下，他不大愿意接受这个任务。银行外度过的每一个小时都是对他的一次审判。当然，他已经完全不能像先前那样，充分利用上班时间；他只是装模作样，似乎在干正经事，其实是在白白糟蹋时间。可是，他如果不在办公桌后面坐着，就会更难受。他头脑中出现了副经理的形象：副经理老在监视着他，隔一会儿就溜进他办公室一次，在他桌旁坐下，翻看他的案卷，接待那些多年来已经成为Ｋ的老朋友的顾客，把他们从Ｋ那儿抢走，或许还在他的工作中找岔子。Ｋ自己知道，工作中的各种错误正在不断地威胁着自己，而他却再也无法防范了。因此，如果委派给他的一桩差事——即便是能大出风头的差事——需要他离开办公室，甚至还要外出作一次短期旅行，他就肯定会怀疑，这是一个阴谋，把他支使开，以便稽查他的工作，至少证明并非办公室里缺了他就不行。这类差事最近碰巧常常落到他身上。大部分差事他都可以轻而易举地推辞掉；但他不敢贸然这么干，因为即使他的疑心并非完全捕风捉影，拒绝出差也会使人认为他心里有鬼。由于这个缘故，每桩差事他都接受下来，表面上十分坦然。有一次，人家希望他出两天差；他正患着重伤风，秋天的阴湿天气有可能加重病情；但是，他对此却一字不提，不想找借口推诿。等他头昏脑涨地回来时，发现人家已经挑选他第二天去陪意大利客人。拒绝一次的愿望十分强烈，尤其是因为这次交给他的任务和业务没有密切联系；然而，这是对一位同行尽社会义务。无疑，这项义务很重要，只不过对他来说无关大局，因为他知道，他只有把工作做好，才有希望；工作做不好，即使意大利人发现他是一位最出色的陪同，对于他也毫无用处。他尽量避免离开自己的工作，一天也不离开，因为他十分害怕会不让他回来。他也知道自己过虑了，但这种恐惧感照样在折磨着他。这次的困难在于要找到一个站得住脚的借口；他对意大利语固然并不精通，但应付差事还是行的；另外一个决定性原因是，他对艺术也略知一二，因为早年曾经学过。银行里把他谙熟艺术这件事夸大到了荒谬的程度，因为有段时间由于工作关系，他曾经当过古代文物保管协会会员。据说，那位意大利人也是个行家，如果名不虚传的话，挑选Ｋ陪同他便是自然而然的了。

It was a very rainy and stormy morning when K., in a foul temper at the thought of the day ahead of him, arrived early at seven o'clock in the office so that he could at least do some work before his visitor would prevent him. He had spent half the night studying a book of Italian grammar so that he would be somewhat prepared and was very tired; his desk was less attractive to him than the window where he had spent far too much time sitting of late, but he resisted the temptation and sat down to his work. Unfortunately, just then the servitor came in and reported that the director had sent him to see whether the chief clerk was already in his office; if he was, then would he please be so kind as to come to his reception room as the gentleman from Italy was already there. "I'll come straight away," said K. He put a small dictionary in his pocket, took a guide to the city's tourist sites under his arm that he had compiled for strangers, and went through the deputy director's office into that of the director. He was glad he had come into the office so early and was able to be of service immediately, nobody could seriously have expected that of him. The deputy director's office was, of course, still as empty as the middle of the night, the servitor had probably been asked to summon him too but without success. As K. entered the reception room two men stood up from the deep armchairs where they had been sitting. The director gave him a friendly smile, he was clearly very glad that K. was there, he immediately introduced him to the Italian who shook K.'s hand vigorously and joked that somebody was an early riser. K. did not quite understand whom he had in mind, it was moreover an odd expression to use and it took K. a little while to guess its meaning. He replied with a few bland phrases which the Italian received once more with a laugh, passing his hand nervously and repeatedly over his blue-grey, bushy moustache. This moustache was obviously perfumed, it was almost tempting to come close to it and sniff. When they had all sat down and begun a light preliminary conversation, K. was disconcerted to notice that he understood no more than fragments of what the Italian said. When he spoke very calmly he understood almost everything, but that was very infrequent, mostly the words gushed from his mouth and he seemed to be enjoying himself so much his head shook. When he was talking in this way his speech was usually wrapped up in some kind of dialect which seemed to K. to have nothing to do with Italian but which the director not only understood but also spoke, although K. ought to have foreseen this as the Italian came from the south of his country where the director had also spent several years. Whatever the cause, K. realised that the possibility of communicating with the Italian had been largely taken from him, even his French was difficult to understand, and his moustache concealed the movements of his lips which might have offered some help in understanding what he said. K. began to anticipate many difficulties, he gave up trying to understand what the Italian said - with the director there, who could understand him so easily, it would have been pointless effort - and for the time being did no more than scowl at the Italian as he relaxed sitting deep but comfortable in the armchair, as he frequently pulled at his short, sharply tailored jacket and at one time lifted his arms in the air and moved his hands freely to try and depict something that K. could not grasp, even though he was leaning forward and did not let the hands out of his sight. K. had nothing to occupy himself but mechanically watch the exchange between the two men and his tiredness finally made itself felt, to his alarm, although fortunately in good time, he once caught himself nearly getting up, turning round and leaving. Eventually the Italian looked at the clock and jumped up. After taking his leave from the director he turned to K., pressing himself so close to him that K. had to push his chair back just so that he could move. The director had, no doubt, seen the anxiety in K.'s eyes as he tried to cope with this dialect of Italian, he joined in with this conversation in a way that was so adroit and unobtrusive that he seemed to be adding no more than minor comments, whereas in fact he was swiftly and patiently breaking into what the Italian said so that K. could understand. K. learned in this way that the Italian first had a few business matters to settle, that he unfortunately had only a little time at his disposal, that he certainly did not intend to rush round to see every monument in the city, that he would much rather - at least as long as K. would agree, it was entirely his decision - just see the cathedral and to do so thoroughly. He was extremely pleased to be accompanied by someone who was so learned and so pleasant - by this he meant K., who was occupied not with listening to the Italian but the director - and asked if he would be so kind, if the time was suitable, to meet him in the cathedral in two hours' time at about ten o'clock. He hoped he would certainly be able to be there at that time. K. made an appropriate reply, the Italian shook first the director's hand and then K.'s, then the director's again and went to the door, half turned to the two men who followed him and continuing to talk without a break. K. remained together with the director for a short while, although the director looked especially unhappy today. He thought he needed to apologise to K. for something and told him - they were standing intimately close together - he had thought at first he would accompany the Italian himself, but then - he gave no more precise reason than this - then he decided it would be better to send K. with him. He should not be surprised if he could not understand the Italian at first, he would be able to very soon, and even if he really could not understand very much he said it was not so bad, as it was really not so important for the Italian to be understood. And anyway, K.'s knowledge of Italian was surprisingly good, the director was sure he would get by very well. And with that, it was time for K. to go. He spent the time still remaining to him with a dictionary, copying out obscure words he would need to guide the Italian round the cathedral. It was an extremely irksome task, servitors brought him the mail, bank staff came with various queries and, when they saw that K. was busy, stood by the door and did not go away until he had listened to them, the deputy director did not miss the opportunity to disturb K. and came in frequently, took the dictionary from his hand and flicked through its pages, clearly for no purpose, when the door to the ante-room opened even clients would appear from the half darkness and bow timidly to him - they wanted to attract his attention but were not sure whether he had seen them - all this activity was circling around K. with him at its centre while he compiled the list of words he would need, then looked them up in the dictionary, then wrote them out, then practised their pronunciation and finally tried to learn them by heart. The good intentions he had had earlier, though, seemed to have left him completely, it was the Italian who had caused him all this effort and sometimes he became so angry with him that he buried the dictionary under some papers firmly intending to do no more preparation, but then he realised he could not walk up and down in the cathedral with the Italian without saying a word, so, in an even greater rage, he pulled the dictionary back out again.

这天早晨空气潮湿，刮着风；七点钟Ｋ便早早来到办公室。看着面前的工作计划，他很恼火；不过，他决定在客人来之前，起码要干完几件事。他很疲倦，因为头天花了半夜时间啃一本意大利语语法，略作准备；窗子对他产生了更大的诱惑力，最近他不大愿意老在办公桌后面坐着，养成了在窗前久久伫立的习惯；不过，他抵制住了这种诱惑，坐下来工作。不巧的是，侍者正好在这时出现了，说是经理派他来看看，襄理先生是不是已经来上班了；如果已经来了，就请襄理先生屈驾到接待室去；从意大利来的那位先生已经到了。“好吧，”Ｋ说。他把一本小辞典塞进口袋，腋下夹着一本他特意为这位客人准备的游览画册，走过副经理办公室，进入经理办公室。他庆幸自己来得甚早，经理一叫就能立即赶到，这点或许谁都没有料到。副经理的办公室当然是空荡荡的，就像在万籁俱寂的深夜里一般；侍者很可能也奉命通知副经理出席作陪，可是没有通知到。Ｋ走进接待室时，两位先生从软沙发上站了起来。经理看见Ｋ显然很高兴，亲热地对Ｋ笑笑，立即作了介绍。意大利人热情地握了握Ｋ的手，笑着说：“某君落床甚早矣。”Ｋ不完全明白是什么意思，因为这个句子实在乖僻，其含义一下子搞不清楚。Ｋ略微寒暄几句，意大利人又笑了一次，算是回答，同时神经质地捋着他那浓密的、铁灰色的髭须。他的髭须上显然喷过香水，人们真想凑近去闻一闻。他们重新坐下，开始初步交谈。Ｋ发现，意大利人讲的话，自己只能听懂一部分；他心里颇觉不安。当意大利人讲话徐缓、语调平稳时，他就差不多全能听懂。可是这种情况很少出现，意大利人口若悬河，摇头晃脑，好像在欣赏自己的口才。另外，他讲得得意时，总要改用方言；Ｋ听不出这是意大利语，然而经理却既听得懂又会讲。Ｋ应该预想到这一点，因为这位意大利人是从意大利最南端来的，而经理则曾在那儿呆过好几年。总而言之，Ｋ明白了，他和意大利人谈通的可能性很小，意大利人讲的法语也很难听懂，注视他的唇部动作推测其含义同样无济于事，因为他的唇部动作被浓密的髭须遮住了。Ｋ开始预感到将有伤脑筋的事，便暂时放弃了试图听懂谈话内容的念头——既然经理在场，可以听懂意大利人讲的一切，自己就不必在这方面费神了。于是Ｋ便愠怒地观察起意大利人来，别的什么也不管。他看见意大利人逍遥自在地坐在沙发上，不时拽拽身上那件又小又短的外衣的尖襟角，有一次还抬起手臂，懒散地比划着双手，解释某件事。Ｋ虽然俯上前去，注意观看他的每一个手势，但还是没有弄懂是什么意思。后来，由于Ｋ呆坐在那里，不参加谈话，只是机械地看着他俩你一言我一语地侃侃而谈，他便重新被早先的倦意所驾驭，并突然发现自己正心不在焉地想站起身来，撇下那两个人就走；他吓了一跳，幸好及时制止住了自己。最后意大利人看了看表，一跃而起，与经理告别后，走到Ｋ跟前。他靠得那么近，以至于Ｋ不得不把椅子往后挪了挪，才使自己有活动的余地。毫无疑问，经理已经从Ｋ的眼神里看出，Ｋ听不懂意大利人讲的话，处境非常尴尬，便巧妙而委婉地插了几句，表面上好像是给Ｋ出几个小主意，其实是向Ｋ简述了意大利人刚才不断插嘴讲话的全部意思。于是Ｋ得知，意大利人有几件紧要的商务要处理；很不凑巧，他的时间很紧，因此不打算匆匆忙忙地把所有名胜古迹都看一遍，只想参观一下大教堂就行了。不过，得看仔细点，当然这取决于Ｋ是否同意，完全由Ｋ看着办吧。他感到极其愉快，能有机会与这样一位博学、热情的先生——这是他对Ｋ的评价——作伴，参观大教堂。Ｋ竭力不听他讲话，而是尽量敏捷地记住经理说的内容：意大利人请求Ｋ，如果方便的话，两个钟头内，比方说十点左右，在大教堂见面。意大利人相信自己能在那时赶到。Ｋ表示同意，意大利人先握了握经理的手，又握了握Ｋ的手，然后，又和经理握了一次手。经理和Ｋ跟在意大利人后面，他半转过身子，又对他们讲了一连串话，便朝门口走去。Ｋ在经理那儿又待了一会儿。那天经理看上去身体特别不好，他觉得应该向Ｋ解释一下，便说——他俩站得很近——开始他本想自己去陪意大利人，可是后来转而一想——他没有讲出确切的原因——，决定还是让Ｋ去好。如果Ｋ发现自己乍一开始听不懂那人的话，不必着急，因为不需要多少时间，就会听懂那人讲话的意思的；即使到后来仍旧不大明白，那也没啥关系，因为意大利人不在乎别人到底能否听懂。何况Ｋ的意大利语水平好得出奇，一定能应付自如。经理说完这些，就让Ｋ回办公室去。Ｋ利用剩下的时间，从辞典里抄录一些参观大教堂时可能用得上的生词。这是一件特别容易使人发火的事；侍者手持函件接踵而至；职员们纷纷前来问询，他们看见Ｋ正忙着，便局促地站在门口，不过，在得到他的回答之前又不想离开；副经理也不放过这个机会来打扰他，曾经进来几次，从他手里拿过辞典，漫不经心地翻着；门一打开，前厅里的顾客就隐约可见，他们不耐烦地点头示意，希望能引起注意，但他们对自己是否能够引起注意却心中无数——所有这些活动全都围绕着Ｋ在进行，仿佛他是一切活动的中心。与此同时，他正忙于收集有用的单词，翻辞典，抄写，练发音，最后想法子背熟；他一度极好的记忆力似乎背弃了他。他常常生意大利人的气，怪意大利人给他带来这么多麻烦。他把辞典塞到文件堆下面，决心不再往下准备了；可是他又觉得，陪意大利人参观大教堂的艺术珍品时，不能一言不发，于是，便带着更大的火气，又把辞典拿了出来。

At exactly half past nine, just when he was about to leave, there was a telephone call for him, Leni wished him good morning and asked how he was, K. thanked her hurriedly and told her it was impossible for him to talk now as he had to go to the cathedral. "To the cathedral?" asked Leni. "Yes, to the cathedral." "What do you have to go to the cathedral for?" said Leni. K. tried to explain it to her briefly, but he had hardly begun when Leni suddenly said, "They're harassing you." One thing that K. could not bear was pity that he had not wanted or expected, he took his leave of her with two words, but as he put the receiver back in its place he said, half to himself and half to the girl on the other end of the line who could no longer hear him, "Yes, they're harassing me."

九点半，他正要走，电话铃响了；莱妮祝他早安，问他怎么样；Ｋ匆匆向她道谢，说是没时间跟她聊了，因为得上大教堂。“上大教堂？”莱妮问道。“对，上大教堂。”“可是，为什么上大教堂呀？”莱妮说。Ｋ想试着简单解释几句，可是刚一开口，莱妮就突然说道：“他们逼得你真紧。”这种他既没要求也没料到的同情使他无法忍受，他说了两声再见；可是当他挂上电话的时候，却低声嘟哝道：“他们逼得我真紧。”这话一半是对自己讲的，一半是对已经听不见他说话的远方姑娘讲的。

By now the time was late and there was almost a danger he would not be on time. He took a taxi to the cathedral, at the last moment he had remembered the album that he had had no opportunity to give to the Italian earlier and so took it with him now. He held it on his knees and drummed impatiently on it during the whole journey. The rain had eased off slightly but it was still damp chilly and dark, it would be difficult to see anything in the cathedral but standing about on cold flagstones might well make K.'s chill much worse.

已经不早了，恐怕不能按时赴约，他急忙叫了一辆出租汽车；临上车前，他想起了那本画册。在此之前，他没有合适的机会送出去，现在可以带上了。他把画册搁在膝头上，一路上烦躁地用手指头敲着封面。雨小多了，但是天气湿冷、阴暗；大教堂里看得清的东西不会太多，而且，好几个钟头站在冰凉的石板地上无疑会使Ｋ的感冒大大加重。

The square in front of the cathedral was quite empty, K. remembered how even as a small child he had noticed that nearly all the houses in this narrow square had the curtains at their windows closed most of the time, although today, with the weather like this, it was more understandable. The cathedral also seemed quite empty, of course no-one would think of going there on a day like this. K. hurried along both the side naves but saw no-one but an old woman who, wrapped up in a warm shawl, was kneeling at a picture of the Virgin Mary and staring up at it. Then, in the distance, he saw a church official who limped away through a doorway in the wall. K. had arrived on time, it had struck ten just as he was entering the building, but the Italian still was not there. K. went back to the main entrance, stood there indecisively for a while, and then walked round the cathedral in the rain in case the Italian was waiting at another entrance. He was nowhere to be found. Could the director have misunderstood what time they had agreed on? How could anyone understand someone like that properly anyway? Whatever had happened, K. would have to wait for him for at least half an hour. As he was tired he wanted to sit down, he went back inside the cathedral, he found something like a small carpet on one of the steps, he moved it with his foot to a nearby pew, wrapped himself up tighter in his coat, put the collar up and sat down. To pass the time he opened the album and flicked through the pages a little but soon had to give up as it became so dark that when he looked up he could hardly make out anything in the side nave next to him.

大教堂广场上空荡荡的；Ｋ想起，这个狭长的广场在他小时候就已给他留下了深刻的印象，因为周围的房子几乎毫无例外，窗户上都遮着窗帘。当然，如果在像今天这样的天气里，是容易理解的。大教堂里面也是空荡荡的，人们当然没有很多兴趣在这种时候来参观。Ｋ走遍了两个边堂①，只看见一位围着围巾的老妪跪在圣母像下，两眼虔诚地望着圣母。后来他远远看见一位堂守②一瘸一拐地走进侧墙的一扇门里消失了。Ｋ是准时到的，他走进大教堂时，正好敲十点，但是意大利人还没有来。Ｋ回到大门口，犹豫不决地在那儿待了一会儿，然后冒雨绕着大教堂的外面走了一圈，那个意大利人并没有在哪个边门上等着，哪儿也看不到他的人影。或许经理把时间搞错了吧？有哪个人敢担保自己能正确无误地听懂那个意大利人讲的话呢？不管怎么样，Ｋ至少也得再等他半个钟头。Ｋ累了，想坐下歇歇，于是便重新走进大教堂。他在一个台阶上发现一块地毡模样的东西，便用脚尖把它踢到附近的一条长凳边；他把大衣裹得更紧一些，竖起领子，坐在长凳上。为了消磨时间，他打开画册，心不在焉地翻阅起来；但是没过多久他就不得不作罢，因为大教堂里渐渐变黑了。他抬起头来，连离得很近的边堂里的东西也很难辨认清楚了。

In the distance there was a large triangle of candles flickering on the main altar, K. was not certain whether he had seen them earlier. Perhaps they had only just been lit. Church staff creep silently as part of their job, you don't notice them. When K. happened to turn round he also saw a tall, stout candle attached to a column not far behind him. It was all very pretty, but totally inadequate to illuminate the pictures which were usually left in the darkness of the side altars, and seemed to make the darkness all the deeper. It was discourteous of the Italian not to come but it was also sensible of him, there would have been nothing to see, they would have had to content themselves with seeking out a few pictures with K.'s electric pocket torch and looking at them one small part at a time. K. went over to a nearby side chapel to see what they could have hoped for, he went up a few steps to a low marble railing and leant over it to look at the altar picture by the light of his torch. The eternal light hung disturbingly in front of it. The first thing that K. partly saw and partly guessed at was a large knight in armour who was shown at the far edge of the painting. He was leaning on his sword that he had stuck into the naked ground in front of him where only a few blades of grass grew here and there. He seemed to be paying close attention to something that was being played out in front of him. It was astonishing to see how he stood there without going any closer. Perhaps it was his job to stand guard. It was a long time since K. had looked at any pictures and he studied the knight for a long time even though he had continually to blink as he found it difficult to bear the green light of his torch. Then when he moved the light to the other parts of the picture he found an interment of Christ shown in the usual way, it was also a comparatively new painting. He put his torch away and went back to his place.

远处，圣烛排列成一个大三角形，在高高的神坛上闪烁；Ｋ不敢断言，以前是不是见过这些圣烛，也许是刚点燃的。堂守的职业习惯是举步轻盈，他们走过时谁也不会注意到。Ｋ偶然转过身，发现身后不远处燃点着另一支圣烛，这支圣烛又粗又长，插在廊柱上。圣烛倒很悦目，但是，只用圣烛给挂在两旁昏暗的小礼拜堂中的神坛画照明是远远不够的，反倒使小礼拜堂显得更暗了。意大利人没有来，一方面是失礼，另一方面也可以说很明智，因为即使来了，也看不见什么，最多只能顺着Ｋ的手电筒的光亮，零零碎碎地看几幅画，聊以自慰。Ｋ为好奇心驱使，走进旁边的一个小礼拜堂，登上几级台阶，走到一列低矮的大理石围栏跟前，探出身去，掏出手电筒，照着神坛画，想看看到底会产生什么效果。手电筒的光亮在画面上来回移动，好像是一个不速之客。Ｋ首先看见的——部分是猜出的——是画幅边缘画着一位身材魁梧、披着盔甲的骑士。这位骑士手握剑柄，剑刃插在光秃秃的地里，那儿除了一、两株草以外，什么也没长。骑士似乎在聚精会神地注视着一个正在他眼前开展的事件。叫人纳闷的是，他为什么非得站在原地止步不前，而不走到出事地点的近旁去。也许他是被指派在那儿站岗的。Ｋ已经很长时间没看画了，他久久端详着这位骑士，尽管手电筒发出的微微发绿的光亮使他觉得眼酸。他移动着手电筒，照亮神坛画的其他部分，才发现画的是基督人墓，显然是最近画的，但是风格却和通常所见的几乎一样。他把手电筒放进口袋，回到刚才坐的地方。 ——

①比较大的教堂主厅一般由中堂和两个边堂组成；中堂与边堂以廊柱为界。——译注

②堂守：看守教堂、燃点圣烛、打扫卫生、维持整洁的神职人员。——译注

There seemed to be no point in waiting for the Italian any longer, but outside it was certainly raining heavily, and as it was not so cold in the cathedral as K. had expected he decided to stay there for the time being. Close by him was the great pulpit, there were two plain golden crosses attached to its little round roof which were lying almost flat and whose tips crossed over each other. The outside of the pulpit's balustrade was covered in green foliage which continued down to the column supporting it, little angels could be seen among the leaves, some of them lively and some of them still. K. walked up to the pulpit and examined it from all sides, its stonework had been sculpted with great care, it seemed as if the foliage had trapped a deep darkness between and behind its leaves and held it there prisoner, K. lay his hand in one of these gaps and cautiously felt the stone, until then he had been totally unaware of this pulpit's existence. Then K. happened to notice one of the church staff standing behind the next row of pews, he wore a loose, creased, black cassock, he held a snuff box in his left hand and he was watching K. Now what does he want? thought K. Do I seem suspicious to him? Does he want a tip? But when the man in the cassock saw that K. had noticed him he raised his right hand, a pinch of snuff still held between two fingers, and pointed in some vague direction. It was almost impossible to understand what this behaviour meant, K. waited a while longer but the man in the cassock did not stop gesturing with his hand and even augmented it by nodding his head. "Now what does he want?" asked K. quietly, he did not dare call out loud here; but then he drew out his purse and pushed his way through the nearest pews to reach the man. He, however, immediately gestured to turn down this offer, shrugged his shoulders and limped away. As a child K. had imitated riding on a horse with the same sort of movement as this limp. "This old man is like a child," thought K., "he doesn't have the sense for anything more than serving in a church. Look at the way he stops when I stop, and how he waits to see whether I'll continue." With a smile, K. followed the old man all the way up the side nave and almost as far as the main altar, all this time the old man continued to point at something but K. deliberately avoided looking round, he was only pointing in order to make it harder for K. to follow him. Eventually, K. did stop following, he did not want to worry the old man too much, and he also did not want to frighten him away completely in case the Italian turned up after all.

看来用不着再等那个意大利人了。不过，外面可能正下着倾盆大雨，大教堂里边也不像Ｋ预想的那么冷，于是他便决定暂且在里面再待一会儿。大讲坛①就在他身旁很近的地方，坛顶甚小，呈拱形，上面斜架着两个金质的耶稣蒙难十字架，顶部互相交叉。外沿的栏杆上，以及把栏杆的支柱连接在一起的石雕上，都饰有叶纹，叶纹间雕着许多小天使，有的活泼，有的恬静。Ｋ走到大讲坛跟前，从各个角度细细观察；石雕纤巧透剔，叶间和叶后楼有一个个深邃幽黑的洞穴，黑暗似乎在这里被捉住，再也不能脱逸了。Ｋ把手伸进一个石洞，触触洞壁。他从来也不知道此地有这么个讲坛。他蓦地发现一个堂守站在最近的一排长凳后面。这位堂守身穿一件宽大、下弛的黑教袍，左手拿着一个鼻烟盒；他在瞧着Ｋ。“他想干什么？”Ｋ想道，“难道我的模样可疑吗？他是想求我施舍吗？”堂守看见Ｋ注意到自己后，就举起右手，随便指了个方向，手指间还捏着一撮鼻烟。他的手势好像没有什么含义。Ｋ踌躇了一会儿，但是堂守还在不断地指指这儿，指指那儿，并且频频点头，强调这个手势的重要性。“他到底想干什么！”Ｋ低声说，他在这里不敢抬高声音；他随即掏出钱包，顺着长凳朝堂守走去。但是堂守马上做出拒收的动作，耸耸肩，一颠一跛地走开了，Ｋ小时候常常模仿一个骑马的人，迈的也是这种轻盈、敏捷和一颠一破的步子。“一个稚气十足的老头，”Ｋ心想，“智力只够当个堂守。瞧，我一停下，他也就停下，看看我是不是还跟着他！”Ｋ暗暗发笑，沿着边堂跟在堂守后边一直走到大神坛前。老堂守总是指着一样东西，Ｋ故意不回头看他到底在指着什么，这个手势不会有别的目的，只是想甩开Ｋ而已。最后，Ｋ不再尾随堂守，他不想过于惊动这位老人；另外，如果意大利人万一来了，最好还是别把这惟一的堂守吓跑。 ——

①教堂内的附属建筑，一般位于中堂与边堂相邻的廊柱边，高二三米，上有一米见方左右的平台，周围饰以石栏，下有一根或四根石柱，另有一石梯，供教士上去布道用。——译注

When he entered the central nave to go back to where he had left the album, he noticed a small secondary pulpit on a column almost next to the stalls by the altar where the choir sat. It was very simple, made of plain white stone, and so small that from a distance it looked like an empty niche where the statue of a saint ought to have been. It certainly would have been impossible for the priest to take a full step back from the balustrade, and, although there was no decoration on it, the top of the pulpit curved in exceptionally low so that a man of average height would not be able stand upright and would have to remain bent forward over the balustrade. In all, it looked as if it had been intended to make the priest suffer, it was impossible to understand why this pulpit would be needed as there were also the other ones available which were large and so artistically decorated.

Ｋ回到中堂，寻找他刚才把画册撂在上面的那个座位；他发现旁边还有一个小讲坛，就筑在唱诗班座位附近的石柱上。这个讲坛外形简单，用没有纹理的浅色石块砌成。讲坛很小，远远看去，好像是一个里面将要供上一尊神像的空壁龛。布道者无法离开石栏往后退一大步，因为地方太小。石砌的拱形坛顶虽然不带饰物，但同样十分低矮，前面部分还向上翘起，因此，连中等个子的人也无法在圆拱下站直，只能倾身倚着石栏。整个结构设计得使布道者备受折磨；为什么这个讲坛要设计成这种样子，而另一个讲坛却既宽大、又装饰得如此华丽呢？似乎找不到可以解释的理由。

And K. would certainly not have noticed this little pulpit if there had not been a lamp fastened above it, which usually meant there was a sermon about to be given. So was a sermon to be given now? In this empty church? K. looked down at the steps which, pressed close against the column, led up to the pulpit. They were so narrow they seemed to be there as decoration on the column rather than for anyone to use. But under the pulpit - K. grinned in astonishment - there really was a priest standing with his hand on the handrail ready to climb the steps and looking at K. Then he nodded very slightly, so that K. crossed himself and genuflected as he should have done earlier. With a little swing, the priest went up into the pulpit with short fast steps. Was there really a sermon about to begin? Maybe the man in the cassock had not been really so demented, and had meant to lead K.'s way to the preacher, which in this empty church would have been very necessary. And there was also, somewhere in front of a picture of the Virgin Mary, an old woman who should have come to hear the sermon. And if there was to be a sermon why had it not been introduced on the organ? But the organ remained quiet and merely looked out weakly from the darkness of its great height.

如果这个讲坛上没有支着一盏点燃的圣灯，Ｋ肯定不会注意到它；点燃圣灯通常意味着即将开始布道。现在要举行礼拜式吗？难道就在这座空无一人的教堂里举行吗？Ｋ凝视着下面那一小段通向讲坛的楼梯，梯级绕着石柱，盘旋而上，梯面狭窄，看上去像是石柱的附属装饰品，而不是供人走的楼梯。不过，在楼梯底部，却真有一位教士正准备拾级而上；Ｋ发出了惊讶的微笑。这位教士手扶栏杆，眼睛望着Ｋ。他朝Ｋ微微点了一下头；Ｋ在胸前划了个十字，欠了欠身，这些动作他早就该做了。教士轻轻晃着身体，走上楼梯；他敏捷地移动双脚，迈着小步登上讲坛。他真的要布道吗？或许那位堂守并非是个傻瓜，他想方设法把Ｋ引到布道教士这边来；在这座空无一人的教堂里，完全应该这样做。不过，教堂里的某处还有一位老妪，站在圣母像前面；她也应该来听布道。如果真要做礼拜，为什么管风琴不先奏乐；管风琴沉默着，它的一排排长管子在黑暗中若隐若现。

K. now considered whether he should leave as quickly as possible, if he did not do it now there would be no chance of doing so during the sermon and he would have to stay there for as long as it lasted, he had lost so much time when he should have been in his office, there had long been no need for him to wait for the Italian any longer, he looked at his watch, it was eleven. But could there really be a sermon given? Could K. constitute the entire congregation? How could he when he was just a stranger who wanted to look at the church? That, basically, was all he was. The idea of a sermon, now, at eleven o'clock, on a workday, in hideous weather, was nonsense. The priest - there was no doubt that he was a priest, a young man with a smooth, dark face - was clearly going up there just to put the lamp out after somebody had lit it by mistake.

Ｋ思忖着是否应该立即离开；要是现在不走，等礼拜式一开始，就没机会走了，就得一直呆到结束；到办公室去上班已嫌太迟，再等意大利人，也已经没有必要；他看看表，十一点了。可是，真的要布道吗？Ｋ一人能代表全体会众吗？如果他只是一个来参观大教堂的外地人，那又会怎么样？他现在的情况与此相仿。在天气这么坏的一个周日里，上午十一点开始布道，这种想法委实荒谬。教士——那人无疑是教士，他是一位面部线条柔和、肤色黝黑的青年——走上讲坛，显然只是为了去吹熄那盏灯，点燃它是个错误。

But there had been no mistake, the priest seemed rather to check that the lamp was lit and turned it a little higher, then he slowly turned to face the front and leant down on the balustrade gripping its angular rail with both hands. He stood there like that for a while and, without turning his head, looked around. K. had moved back a long way and leant his elbows on the front pew. Somewhere in the church - he could not have said exactly where - he could make out the man in the cassock hunched under his bent back and at peace, as if his work were completed. In the cathedral it was now very quiet! But K. would have to disturb that silence, he had no intention of staying there; if it was the priest's duty to preach at a certain time regardless of the circumstances then he could, and he could do it without K.'s taking part, and K.'s presence would do nothing to augment the effect of it. So K. began slowly to move, felt his way on tiptoe along the pew, arrived at the broad aisle and went along it without being disturbed, except for the sound of his steps, however light, which rang out on the stone floor and resounded from the vaulting, quiet but continuous at a repeating, regular pace. K. felt slightly abandoned as, probably observed by the priest, he walked by himself between the empty pews, and the size of the cathedral seemed to be just at the limit of what a man could bear. When he arrived back at where he had been sitting he did not hesitate but simply reached out for the album he had left there and took it with him. He had nearly left the area covered by pews and was close to the empty space between himself and the exit when, for the first time, he heard the voice of the priest. A powerful and experienced voice. It pierced through the reaches of the cathedral ready waiting for it! But the priest was not calling out to the congregation, his cry was quite unambiguous and there was no escape from it, he called "Josef K.!"

然而，事情并非如此；教士看了看圣灯，把它转得更高一些，然后慢慢转过身，双手扶着石栏的棱角状边缘。他这么站了一会儿，眼睛环视四周，头却不动。Ｋ后退了一大段距离，双肘支在最前面的一条长凳上。他不知道堂守在什么地方，但朦朦胧胧地感到那位背部略驼的老人正在恬静地休息，似乎他已经完成了自己的分内事。大教堂里此时此刻多么寂静啊！可是，Ｋ不得不打破这片寂静，因为他无意在此久待。如果这位教士的责任是不管环境条件如何，非要在此时此刻布道，那就让他讲好了；用不着Ｋ的配合，他也能布完道，就像Ｋ的在场也肯定不会提高他布道的效果一样。所以Ｋ开始慢慢挪动双脚，踮起脚尖，沿着长凳的方向走去，一直走到宽敞的中廊里；没有任何东西阻碍他行走，只听见他双脚轻轻踏着石砖发出的声音和拱顶上传出的微弱、然而持久的回声，回声交织在一起，越来越响。Ｋ向前走去，他有一种被人遗弃的感觉，空空如也的长凳之间，只有他一个人，也许教士的目光正追随着他；大教堂的宽敞使他吃惊，已经接近人类可以容忍的极限了。他走过刚才撂下画册的地方，不待停步，便一手拿起了画册。他差不多已经走到长凳尽头，正要踏进他与门口之间的一块空地时，忽然听见教士抬高了嗓门——教士的嗓音洪亮，训练有素。它在这个期待着声音的大教堂里回荡！但是，教士并不是对会众讲话，他的话毫不含糊、一清二楚，他在喊着：“约瑟夫·Ｋ！”

K. stood still and looked down at the floor. In theory he was still free, he could have carried on walking, through one of three dark little wooden doors not far in front of him and away from there. It would simply mean he had not understood, or that he had understood but chose not to pay attention to it. But if he once turned round he would be trapped, then he would have acknowledged that he had understood perfectly well, that he really was the Josef K. the priest had called to and that he was willing to follow. If the priest had called out again K. would certainly have carried on out the door, but everything was silent as K. also waited, he turned his head slightly as he wanted to see what the priest was doing now. He was merely standing in the pulpit as before, but it was obvious that he had seen K. turn his head. If K. did not now turn round completely it would have been like a child playing hide and seek. He did so, and the priest beckoned him with his finger. As everything could now be done openly he ran - because of curiosity and the wish to get it over with - with long flying leaps towards the pulpit. At the front pews he stopped, but to the priest he still seemed too far away, he reached out his hand and pointed sharply down with his finger to a place immediately in front of the pulpit. And K. did as he was told, standing in that place he had to bend his head a long way back just to see the priest. "You are Josef K.," said the priest, and raised his hand from the balustrade to make a gesture whose meaning was unclear. "Yes," said K., he considered how freely he had always given his name in the past, for some time now it had been a burden to him, now there were people who knew his name whom he had never seen before, it had been so nice first to introduce yourself and only then for people to know who you were. "You have been accused," said the priest, especially gently. "Yes," said K., "so I have been informed." "Then you are the one I am looking for," said the priest. "I am the prison chaplain." "I see," said K. "I had you summoned here," said the priest, "because I wanted to speak to you." "I knew nothing of that," said K. "I came here to show the cathedral to a gentleman from Italy." "That is beside the point," said the priest. "What are you holding in your hand? Is it a prayer book?" "No," answered K., "it's an album of the city's tourist sights." "Put it down," said the priest. K. threw it away with such force that it flapped open and rolled across the floor, tearing its pages. "Do you know your case is going badly?" asked the priest. "That's how it seems to me too," said K. "I've expended a lot of effort on it, but so far with no result. Although I do still have some documents to submit." "How do you imagine it will end?" asked the priest. "At first I thought it was bound to end well," said K., "but now I have my doubts about it. I don't know how it will end. Do you know?" "I don't," said the priest, "but I fear it will end badly. You are considered guilty. Your case will probably not even go beyond a minor court. Provisionally at least, your guilt is seen as proven." "But I'm not guilty," said K., "there's been a mistake. How is it even possible for someone to be guilty. We're all human beings here, one like the other." "That is true," said the priest, "but that is how the guilty speak." "Do you presume I'm guilty too?" asked K. "I make no presumptions about you," said the priest. "I thank you for that," said K. "but everyone else involved in these proceedings has something against me and presumes I'm guilty. They even influence those who aren't involved. My position gets harder all the time." "You don't understand the facts," said the priest, "the verdict does not come suddenly, proceedings continue until a verdict is reached gradually." "I see," said K., lowering his head. "What do you intend to do about your case next?" asked the priest. "I still need to find help," said K., raising his head to see what the priest thought of this. "There are still certain possibilities I haven't yet made use of." "You look for too much help from people you don't know," said the priest disapprovingly, "and especially from women. Can you really not see that's not the help you need?" "Sometimes, in fact quite often, I could believe you're right," said K., "but not always. Women have a lot of power. If I could persuade some of the women I know to work together with me then I would be certain to succeed. Especially in a court like this that seems to consist of nothing but woman-chasers. Show the examining judge a woman in the distance and he'll run right over the desk, and the accused, just to get to her as soon as he can." The priest lowered his head down to the balustrade, only now did the roof over the pulpit seem to press him down. What sort of dreadful weather could it be outside? It was no longer just a dull day, it was deepest night. None of the stained glass in the main window shed even a flicker of light on the darkness of the walls. And this was the moment when the man in the cassock chose to put out the candles on the main altar, one by one. "Are you cross with me?" asked K. "Maybe you don't know what sort of court it is you serve." He received no answer. "Well, it's just my own experience," said K. Above him there was still silence. "I didn't mean to insult you," said K. At that, the priest screamed down at K.: "Can you not see two steps in front of you?" He shouted in anger, but it was also the scream of one who sees another fall and, shocked and without thinking, screams against his own will.

Ｋ吃了一惊，呆视着眼前的地板。他暂时还是自由的，可以继续走自己的路，可以溜进前面不远处那些暗黑色的小木门中跑掉。这将表明，他没有听懂这喊声，或者虽然听懂了，却并不当一码事。但是，如果他转过身去，就会被逮起来，因为这等于承认，他确实听懂了，他就是教士招呼的人，他愿意俯首听命。假如教士再一次喊出Ｋ的名字，他准会继续往前走；不过，尽管他站住等了很久，却一直没有任何声音；他忍不住稍稍转过头，看看教士在干什么。教士和先前一样，静静地站在讲坛上，他显然已经发现Ｋ转了一下脑袋。如果Ｋ不调过身，不正面对着他，他们就会像小孩子玩捉迷藏游戏一样。Ｋ转过身，教士招呼他走近一些。既然现在已经没有必要回避了，Ｋ便三步并作两步，匆匆朝着讲坛往回走——他很好奇，并且急于缩短这次会见的时间。他走到前几排座位面前停下，但教士觉得相距还太远，便伸出一只胳膊，伸直食指，指着讲坛跟前的一个地方。Ｋ也照办了；当他站到指定的地方后，不得不使劲往后仰头，才能看见教士。“你是约瑟夫·Ｋ，”教士说，他从石栏上举起一只手，随随便便地做了个手势。“是的”，Ｋ说。他想道，以前自己通名报姓时是何等坦然，最近自己的姓名却成了一个莫大的负担，现在，那些素昧平生的人似乎都已经知道他的称谓。在被别人辨认出来之前先作自我介绍，该是多么愉快啊！“你是个被告，”教士说，他把嗓门压得很低。“是的，”Ｋ说，“别人是这样对我说的。”“那么你就是我要找的人，”教士说，“我是狱中神父。”“噢，”Ｋ说。“我把你叫到这儿来，”教士说，“是想跟你谈谈。”“我事先并不知道，”Ｋ说，“我上这儿来，为的是陪一个意大利人参观大教堂。”“这是离题话，”教士说，“你手里拿的是什么？祈祷书吗？”“不是，”Ｋ答道，“是介绍本市值得一看的那些风景点的画册。”“放下，”教士说。Ｋ使劲把画册扔出去，画册在空中打开，随即带着散乱的画页掉落在地上，还向前滑了一段。教士问道：“你知道你的案子情况很糟吗？”“我自己也这么想，”Ｋ说，“我能做的都做了，但至今毫无成效。当然，我的第一份申诉书还没有递上去。”“你认为结果将会怎么样？”教士问。“起初我想准会有个好结果，”Ｋ说，“但是，现在我常常充满疑虑。我不知道结果会怎么样。你知道吗？”“不知道，”教士说，“不过我担心会很糟。人家认为你有罪。你的案子也许将永远只由低级法庭审理，不会往上转。你的犯罪事实据说已经核实，至少现在如此。”“但是我并没有罪，”Ｋ说，“这是一个误会。何况，事情真的到了那种地步，又怎么能说某人有罪呢？我们不过是普通人，彼此都一样。”“这话很对，”教士说，“可是，一切有罪的人都是这么说的。”“你也对我有偏见吗？”Ｋ问。“我对你没有偏见，”教士说。“谢谢你，”Ｋ说，“然而，所有与此案诉讼有关的人都对我怀有偏见。他们甚至影响了局外人。我的处境正变得越来越困难。”“你曲解了案情，”教士说，“判决是不会突然作出的，诉讼的进展会逐渐接近判决。”“原来是这样，”Ｋ说，他低下了头。“你下一步准备怎么办？”教士问。“我要争取更多的帮助，”Ｋ说，他重新抬起头，看看教士对这句话会有什么反应。“有几种可能性我还没有探索过。”“你过多地寻求外部帮助，”教士不以为然地说，“特别是从女人那儿。你不觉得这种帮助并不正当吗？”“在有些案子里，甚至有许多案子里，我可以同意你的看法，”Ｋ说，“但并非永远如此。女人有很大的影响，如果我能动员我认识的几位女人，一齐为我出力，那我就肯定能打赢官司。特别是在这个法庭面前，它的成员几乎全是好色之徒。预审法官只要远远瞧见一个女人，就会把案桌和报告统统撞翻在地，迫不及待地跑到她跟前去。”教士把身子探出石栏外，显然他已经第一次感到位于头部上方的拱顶的压迫。外面的天气肯定糟糕透顶，现在教堂里连一点微弱的亮光也没有了，黑夜已经降临。大窗子上的彩色玻璃没有一块能透过一丝光线来照亮黑暗的墙壁。就在这时，堂守开始把神坛上的蜡烛一支支吹灭。“你生我的气吗？”Ｋ问教士，“你很可能不了解你为之服务的法庭的性质。”他没有得到回答。“这些只是我个人的体会，”Ｋ说。上面还是没有回答。“我并不想冒犯你，”Ｋ说。听到这儿，教士在讲坛上厉声嚷道：“你的目光难道不能放远一点吗？”这是忿怒的喊声，同时又像是一个人看到别人摔倒、吓得魂不附体时脱口而出的尖叫。

The two men, then, remained silent for a long time. In the darkness beneath him, the priest could not possibly have seen K. distinctly, although K. was able to see him clearly by the light of the little lamp. Why did the priest not come down? He had not given a sermon, he had only told K. a few things which, if he followed them closely, would probably cause him more harm than good. But the priest certainly seemed to mean well, it might even be possible, if he would come down and cooperate with him, it might even be possible for him to obtain some acceptable piece of advice that could make all the difference, it might, for instance, be able to show him not so much to influence the proceedings but how to break free of them, how to evade them, how to live away from them. K. had to admit that this was something he had had on his mind quite a lot of late. If the priest knew of such a possibility he might, if K. asked him, let him know about it, even though he was part of the court himself and even though, when K. had criticised the court, he had held down his gentle nature and actually shouted at K.

他们两人沉默了好久。在一片黑暗中，教士当然看不清Ｋ的模样，而Ｋ却能借着小灯的亮光把他看得很清楚。他为什么不走下讲坛？他没有布道，只告诉Ｋ几则消息；Ｋ考虑了一下，这些消息只会对自己有害，而不会有什么帮助。然而Ｋ觉得，教士的好意是毋庸置疑的。只要教士离开讲坛，他们就有可能达成一致的意见；Ｋ就有可能从他那儿得到决定性的、可以接受的忠告，比如说，他可能给Ｋ指出途径，当然并非让Ｋ去找有权有势的人物，为他的案子斡旋，而是避免Ｋ涉嫌，使他从这件案子中彻底脱身，完全游离于法庭管辖之外自由生活。这种可能性应该存在，近来Ｋ对此想了很多。如果教士知道这种可能性，那么只要Ｋ央求他，他可能便会把自己知道的情况告诉Ｋ，尽管他本身属于法庭，而且，一听到法庭受到指责，便会忘记自己温和的天性，对Ｋ大叫大嚷起来。

Would you not like to come down here? asked K. "If you're not going to give a sermon come down here with me." "Now I can come down," said the priest, perhaps he regretted having shouted at K. As he took down the lamp from its hook he said, "to start off with I had to speak to you from a distance. Otherwise I'm too easily influenced and forget my duty."

“你不想下来吗？”Ｋ说，“你不必布道了。下来吧，到我这儿来。”“现在我可以下来了，”教士说，他可能后悔自己刚才太感情用事了。他从灯架上取下圣灯，说道：“我首先得从远处对你说话。否则，我太容易受影响，会忘记我的职责。”

K. waited for him at the foot of the steps. While he was still on one of the higher steps as he came down them the priest reached out his hand for K. to shake. "Can you spare me a little of your time?" asked K. "As much time as you need," said the priest, and passed him the little lamp for him to carry. Even at close distance the priest did not lose a certain solemnity that seemed to be part of his character. "You are very friendly towards me," said K., as they walked up and down beside each other in the darkness of one of the side naves. "That makes you an exception among all those who belong to the court. I can trust you more than any of the others I've seen. I can speak openly with you." "Don't fool yourself," said the priest. "How would I be fooling myself?" asked K. "You fool yourself in the court," said the priest, "it talks about this self-deceit in the opening paragraphs to the law. In front of the law there is a doorkeeper. A man from the countryside comes up to the door and asks for entry. But the doorkeeper says he can't let him in to the law right now. The man thinks about this, and then he asks if he'll be able to go in later on. 'That's possible,' says the doorkeeper, 'but not now'. The gateway to the law is open as it always is, and the doorkeeper has stepped to one side, so the man bends over to try and see in. When the doorkeeper notices this he laughs and says, 'If you're tempted give it a try, try and go in even though I say you can't. Careful though: I'm powerful. And I'm only the lowliest of all the doormen. But there's a doorkeeper for each of the rooms and each of them is more powerful than the last. It's more than I can stand just to look at the third one.' The man from the country had not expected difficulties like this, the law was supposed to be accessible for anyone at any time, he thinks, but now he looks more closely at the doorkeeper in his fur coat, sees his big hooked nose, his long thin tartar-beard, and he decides it's better to wait until he has permission to enter. The doorkeeper gives him a stool and lets him sit down to one side of the gate. He sits there for days and years. He tries to be allowed in time and again and tires the doorkeeper with his requests. The doorkeeper often questions him, asking about where he's from and many other things, but these are disinterested questions such as great men ask, and he always ends up by telling him he still can't let him in. The man had come well equipped for his journey, and uses everything, however valuable, to bribe the doorkeeper. He accepts everything, but as he does so he says, 'I'll only accept this so that you don't think there's anything you've failed to do'. Over many years, the man watches the doorkeeper almost without a break. He forgets about the other doormen, and begins to think this one is the only thing stopping him from gaining access to the law. Over the first few years he curses his unhappy condition out loud, but later, as he becomes old, he just grumbles to himself. He becomes senile, and as he has come to know even the fleas in the doorkeeper's fur collar over the years that he has been studying him he even asks them to help him and change the doorkeeper's mind. Finally his eyes grow dim, and he no longer knows whether it's really getting darker or just his eyes that are deceiving him. But he seems now to see an inextinguishable light begin to shine from the darkness behind the door. He doesn't have long to live now. Just before he dies, he brings together all his experience from all this time into one question which he has still never put to the doorkeeper. He beckons to him, as he's no longer able to raise his stiff body. The doorkeeper has to bend over deeply as the difference in their sizes has changed very much to the disadvantage of the man. 'What is it you want to know now?' asks the doorkeeper, 'You're insatiable.' 'Everyone wants access to the law,' says the man, 'how come, over all these years, no- one but me has asked to be let in?' The doorkeeper can see the man's come to his end, his hearing has faded, and so, so that he can be heard, he shouts to him: 'Nobody else could have got in this way, as this entrance was meant only for you. Now I'll go and close it'."

Ｋ在梯级底下等着他。教士还没有从梯级上走下来，就朝Ｋ伸出手。“你能抽点时间跟我谈谈吗？”Ｋ问道。“你愿谈多久，就谈多久，”教士说，他把小圣灯交给Ｋ提着。他俩虽然已经挨得很近，教士却仍旧保持着某种矜持的神情。“你对我很好，”Ｋ说。他们肩并肩地在昏暗的中堂里来回踱步。“在属于法庭的人当中，你是个例外。我对你要比对其他人信任得多，虽然我熟悉他们中的许多人。在你面前，我愿意畅所欲言。”“你可别受骗，”教士说。“我怎么会受骗呢？”Ｋ问道。“关于法庭这件事，你是自己骗自己，”教士说，“法律的序文中，是这样描绘这种特殊的欺骗的：一个守门人在法的门前站岗。一个从乡下来的人走到守门人跟前，求见法。但是守门人说，现在不能让他送去。乡下人略作思忖后问道，过一会儿是不是可以进去。‘这是可能的，’守门人回答说，‘但是现在不行。’由于通向法的大门像往常一样敞开着，守门人也走到一边去了，乡下人便探出身子，朝门里张望。守门人发现后，笑着说：‘你既然这么感兴趣，不妨试试在没有得到我许可的情况下进去。不过，你要注意，我是有权的，而我只不过是一个级别最低的守门人。里边的大厅一个连着一个，每个大厅门口都站着守门人，一个比一个更有权。就是那第三个守门人摆出的那副模样，连我也不敢看一眼。’这些是乡下人没有料到的困难。他本来以为，任何人在任何时候都可以到法那儿去；但是，他仔细端详了一下这位穿着皮外套、长着一个又大又尖的鼻子、蓄着细长而稀疏的鞑靼胡子的守门人以后，决定最好还是等得到许可后才进去。守门人给他一张凳子，让他坐在门边。他就在那儿坐着，等了一天又一天，一年又一年。他反复尝试，希望能获准进去，用烦人的请求缠着守门人。守门人时常和他聊几句，问问他家里的情况和其他事情，但是提问题的口气甚为冷漠，大人物们提问题便是这个样子；而且说到最后总是那句话：现在还不能放他进去。乡下人出门时带了很多东西；他拿出手头的一切，再值钱的也在所不惜，希望能买通守门人。守门人照收不误，但是每次收礼时总要说上一句：‘这个我收下，只是为了使你不至于认为有什么该做的事没有做。’在那些漫长的岁月中，乡下人几乎在不停地观察着这个守门人。他忘了其他守门人，以为这个守门人是横亘在他和法之间的惟一障碍。开始几年，他大声诅咒自己的厄运；后来，由于他衰老了，只能喃喃自语而已。他变得稚气起来；由于长年累月的观察，他甚至和守门人皮领子上的跳蚤都搞熟了，便请求那些跳蚤帮帮忙，说服守门人改变主意。最后他的目光模糊了，他不知道周围的世界真的变暗了，还是仅仅眼睛在欺骗他。然而在黑暗中，他现在却能看见一束光线源源不断地从法的大门里射出来。眼下他的生命已接近尾声。离世之前，他一生中体验过的一切在他头脑中凝聚成一个问题，这个问题他还从来没有问过守门人。他招呼守门人到跟前来，因为他已经无力抬起自己那个日渐僵直的躯体了。守门人不得不低俯着身子听他讲话，因为他俩之间的高度差别已经大大增加，愈发不利于乡下人了。‘你现在还想打听什么？’守门人说。‘你没有满足的时候。’‘每个人都想到达法的跟前，’乡下人回答道，‘可是，这么多年来，除了我以外，却没有一个人想求见法，这是怎么回事呢？’守门人看出，乡下人的精力已经衰竭，听力也越来越不行了，于是便在他耳边吼道：‘除了你以外，谁也不能得到允许走进这道门，因为这道门是专为你而开的。现在我要去把它关上了。’”

"So the doorkeeper cheated the man," said K. immediately, who had been captivated by the story. "Don't be too quick," said the priest, "don't take somebody else's opinion without checking it. I told you the story exactly as it was written. There's nothing in there about cheating." "But it's quite clear," said K., "and your first interpretation of it was quite correct. The doorkeeper gave him the information that would release him only when it could be of no more use." "He didn't ask him before that," said the priest, "and don't forget he was only a doorkeeper, and as doorkeeper he did his duty." "What makes you think he did his duty?" asked K., "He didn't. It might have been his duty to keep everyone else away, but this man is who the door was intended for and he ought to have let him in." "You're not paying enough attention to what was written and you're changing the story," said the priest. "According to the story, there are two important things that the doorkeeper explains about access to the law, one at the beginning, one at the end. At one place he says he can't allow him in now, and at the other he says this entrance was intended for him alone. If one of the statements contradicted the other you would be right and the doorkeeper would have cheated the man from the country. But there is no contradiction. On the contrary, the first statement even hints at the second. You could almost say the doorkeeper went beyond his duty in that he offered the man some prospect of being admitted in the future. Throughout the story, his duty seems to have been merely to turn the man away, and there are many commentators who are surprised that the doorkeeper offered this hint at all, as he seems to love exactitude and keeps strict guard over his position. He stays at his post for many years and doesn't close the gate until the very end, he's very conscious of the importance of his service, as he says, 'I'm powerful,' he has respect for his superiors, as he says, 'I'm only the lowliest of the doormen', he's not talkative, as through all these years the only questions he asks are 'disinterested', he's not corruptible, as when he's offered a gift he says, 'I'll only accept this so that you don't think there's anything you've failed to do,' as far as fulfilling his duty goes he can be neither ruffled nor begged, as it says about the man that, 'he tires the doorkeeper with his requests', even his external appearance suggests a pedantic character, the big hooked nose and the long, thin, black tartar-beard. How could any doorkeeper be more faithful to his duty? But in the doorkeeper's character there are also other features which might be very useful for those who seek entry to the law, and when he hinted at some possibility in the future it always seemed to make it clear that he might even go beyond his duty. There's no denying he's a little simple minded, and that makes him a little conceited. Even if all he said about his power and the power of the other doorkeepers and how not even he could bear the sight of them - I say even if all these assertions are right, the way he makes them shows that he's too simple and arrogant to understand properly. The commentators say about this that, 'correct understanding of a matter and a misunderstanding of the same matter are not mutually exclusive'. Whether they're right or not, you have to concede that his simplicity and arrogance, however little they show, do weaken his function of guarding the entrance, they are defects in the doorkeeper's character. You also have to consider that the doorkeeper seems to be friendly by nature, he isn't always just an official. He makes a joke right at the beginning, in that he invites the man to enter at the same time as maintaining the ban on his entering, and then he doesn't send him away but gives him, as it says in the text, a stool to sit on and lets him stay by the side of the door. The patience with which he puts up with the man's requests through all these years, the little questioning sessions, accepting the gifts, his politeness when he puts up with the man cursing his fate even though it was the doorkeeper who caused that fate - all these things seem to want to arouse our sympathy. Not every doorkeeper would have behaved in the same way. And finally, he lets the man beckon him and he bends deep down to him so that he can put his last question. There's no more than some slight impatience - the doorkeeper knows everything's come to its end - shown in the words, 'You're insatiable'. There are many commentators who go even further in explaining it in this way and think the words, 'you're insatiable' are an expression of friendly admiration, albeit with some condescension. However you look at it the figure of the doorkeeper comes out differently from how you might think." "You know the story better than I do and you've known it for longer," said K. They were silent for a while. And then K. said, "So you think the man was not cheated, do you?" "Don't get me wrong," said the priest, "I'm just pointing out the different opinions about it. You shouldn't pay too much attention to people's opinions. The text cannot be altered, and the various opinions are often no more than an expression of despair over it. There's even one opinion which says it's the doorkeeper who's been cheated." "That does seem to take things too far," said K. "How can they argue the doorkeeper has been cheated?" "Their argument," answered the priest, "is based on the simplicity of the doorkeeper. They say the doorkeeper doesn't know the inside of the law, only the way into it where he just walks up and down. They see his ideas of what's inside the law as rather childish, and suppose he's afraid himself of what he wants to make the man frightened of. Yes, he's more afraid of it than the man, as the man wants nothing but to go inside the law, even after he's heard about the terrible doormen there, in contrast to the doorkeeper who doesn't want to go in, or at least we don't hear anything about it. On the other hand, there are those who say he must have already been inside the law as he has been taken on into its service and that could only have been done inside. That can be countered by supposing he could have been given the job of doorkeeper by somebody calling out from inside, and that he can't have gone very far inside as he couldn't bear the sight of the third doorkeeper. Nor, through all those years, does the story say the doorkeeper told the man anything about the inside, other than his comment about the other doorkeepers. He could have been forbidden to do so, but he hasn't said anything about that either. All this seems to show he doesn't know anything about what the inside looks like or what it means, and that that's why he's being deceived. But he's also being deceived by the man from the country as he's this man's subordinate and doesn't know it. There's a lot to indicate that he treats the man as his subordinate, I expect you remember, but those who hold this view would say it's very clear that he really is his subordinate. Above all, the free man is superior to the man who has to serve another. Now, the man really is free, he can go wherever he wants, the only thing forbidden to him is entry into the law and, what's more, there's only one man forbidding him to do so - the doorkeeper. If he takes the stool and sits down beside the door and stays there all his life he does this of his own free will, there's nothing in the story to say he was forced to do it. On the other hand, the doorkeeper is kept to his post by his employment, he's not allowed to go away from it and it seems he's not allowed to go inside either, not even if he wanted to. Also, although he's in the service of the law he's only there for this one entrance, therefore he's there only in the service of this one man who the door's intended for. This is another way in which he's his subordinate. We can take it that he's been performing this somewhat empty service for many years, through the whole of a man's life, as it says that a man will come, that means someone old enough to be a man. That means the doorkeeper will have to wait a long time before his function is fulfilled, he will have to wait for as long as the man liked, who came to the door of his own free will. Even the end of the doorkeeper's service is determined by when the man's life ends, so the doorkeeper remains his subordinate right to the end. And it's pointed out repeatedly that the doorkeeper seems to know nothing of any of this, although this is not seen as anything remarkable, as those who hold this view see the doorkeeper as deluded in a way that's far worse, a way that's to do with his service. At the end, speaking about the entrance he says, 'Now I'll go and close it', although at the beginning of the story it says the door to the law is open as it always is, but if it's always open - always - that means it's open independently of the lifespan of the man it's intended for, and not even the doorkeeper will be able to close it. There are various opinions about this, some say the doorkeeper was only answering a question or showing his devotion to duty or, just when the man was in his last moments, the doorkeeper wanted to cause him regret and sorrow. There are many who agree that he wouldn't be able to close the door. They even believe, at the end at least, the doorkeeper is aware, deep down, that he's the man's subordinate, as the man sees the light that shines out of the entry to the law whereas the doorkeeper would probably have his back to it and says nothing at all to show there's been any change." "That is well substantiated," said K., who had been repeating some parts of the priest's explanation to himself in a whisper. "It is well substantiated, and now I too think the doorkeeper must have been deceived. Although that does not mean I've abandoned what I thought earlier as the two versions are, to some extent, not incompatible. It's not clear whether the doorkeeper sees clearly or is deceived. I said the man had been cheated. If the doorkeeper understands clearly, then there could be some doubt about it, but if the doorkeeper has been deceived then the man is bound to believe the same thing. That would mean the doorkeeper is not a cheat but so simple-minded that he ought to be dismissed from his job immediately; if the doorkeeper is mistaken it will do him no harm but the man will be harmed immensely." "There you've found another opinion," said the priest, "as there are many who say the story doesn't give anyone the right to judge the doorkeeper. However he might seem to us he is still in the service of the law, so he belongs to the law, so he's beyond what man has a right to judge. In this case we can't believe the doorkeeper is the man's subordinate. Even if he has to stay at the entrance into the law his service makes him incomparably more than if he lived freely in the world. The man has come to the law for the first time and the doorkeeper is already there. He's been given his position by the law, to doubt his worth would be to doubt the law." "I can't say I'm in complete agreement with this view," said K. shaking his head, "as if you accept it you'll have to accept that everything said by the doorkeeper is true. But you've already explained very fully that that's not possible." "No," said the priest, "you don't need to accept everything as true, you only have to accept it as necessary." "Depressing view," said K. "The lie made into the rule of the world."

“就这样，守门人欺骗了乡下人，”Ｋ马上说。他被这个故事深深吸引住了。“别忙，”教士说，“不能不假思索便接受一种看法。我按照文章里写的，一字一句地给你讲了这个故事。这里并没有提到欺骗不欺骗。”“可是，这是显而易见的，”Ｋ说，“你对它的第一个解释十分正确，守门人只是在拯救的消息已经对乡下人无济于事的时候，才把这个消息告诉他。”“乡下人在这以前并没有向守门人提这个问题，”教士说，“另外，你还应该注意到，他只不过是一个守门人而已，作为守门人，他已尽到了自己的责任。”“是什么使你认为，他已尽到了自己的责任？”Ｋ问，“他没有尽到责任。他的责任应该是把所有外人轰走，但应该放这个人进去，因为门就是为这个人开的。”“你不大尊重原文，在篡改故事情节了，”教士说，“这个故事中，关于是否可以走进法的大门，守门人讲了两句重要的话，一句在开头，一句在结尾。第一句话是：他现在不能放乡下人进去；另一句话是：门是专门为乡下人而开的。如果两者有矛盾，你就说对了，守门人是骗了乡下人。不过，这里并没有矛盾。相反，第一句话里甚至包含了第二句话。人们几乎可以说，守门人在暗示将来有可能放乡下人进去的时候，已越出了自己的职责范围。当时，他的职责显然是不让人进去；许多评论家见到这个暗示确实很惊讶，因为守门人看来是个严守职责、一丝不苟的人。那么些年来，他从来没有擅离岗位，直到最后一分钟，他才把门关上；他明白自己的职务的重要性，因为他说过：‘我是有权的。’他尊敬上级，因为他曾讲过：‘我只不过是一个级别最低的守门人。’他并不多嘴，因为那么些年来，他只提了几个不带感情色彩的问题；他不会被贿赂，因为他在收礼时声明：‘这个我收下，只是为了使你不至于认为有什么该做的事没有做。’只要是和他的职责有关，苦苦哀求也好，暴跳如雷也好，他都无动于衷，因为我们知道，乡下人曾经‘用烦人的请求缠着守门人’。最后，甚至他的外貌——那个又大又尖的鼻子，那把细长而稀疏的鞑靼胡子——也让人联想到，他的性格一定很迂腐守旧。谁还能想像出一个比他更忠于职守的守门人呢？然而，守门人的性格中也包含着其他方面，这些方面似乎对所有求见法的人都有利，这也使我们易于理解，他为什么会越出自己的职责范围，向乡下人暗示将来有可能获准走进法的大门。我们不能否认，正因为他头脑有点简单，他也就必然有点自负。例如，他提到自己是有权的，其他守门人更有权，那些人的模样连他也不敢看一眼时，说过几句话。这几句话我觉得是符合事实的，但是，他讲这几句话的方式却表明，头脑简单和自负把他的理解力搞乱了。评论家们就此指出：‘对同一件事情的正确理解和错误理解并不是完全互相排斥的。’不管怎么说，我们应该承认，这种简单和自负尽管表现得不很突出，但很可能削弱了他守门的能力；它们是守门人性格中的缺陷。还得附带说明一件事实：守门人看上去是位天生和蔼可亲的人，并非一直摆出盛气凌人的官架子。刚开始的时候，他就开玩笑似地建议那人不妨在严格禁止人内的情况下闯进去；后来他也没有把那人撵走，而是像我们所知道的，给他一张凳子，让他坐在门边。这么多年来他耐着性子听那人的苦苦哀求，和那人作些简短的交谈，接受那人的馈赠，客客气气地允许那人当着他的面大声责骂应由他自己负责的命运——所有这些都使我们推断出，他具有同情心理。并非每个守门人都会这样做。最后，那人对他作了个手势后，他就低低俯下身去，让那人有机会最后提一个问题。守门人知道一切就此结束了，他讲的那句话‘你没有满足的时候’只是一种温和的嗔责。有人甚至把这种解释方式再向前推进一步，认为这句话表达的是一种由衷钦仰的心情，虽然其中并非没有某种恩赐的口气。总之，守门人的形象与你所可以想像的很不相同。”“对于这个故事，你比我研究得仔细，花了更多的时间，”Ｋ说。他俩沉默了一阵子。然后Ｋ讲话了：“这么说，你认为那人没有受骗？”“别误解我的意思，”教士说，“我只是向你介绍了关于那件事的各种不同看法。你不必予以过分重视。白纸黑字写着的东西是无法篡改的；评论则往往不过是反映了评论家的困惑而已。在这件事中，甚至有一种说法认为，真正受骗的是守门人。”“这种说法太牵强附会了，”Ｋ说，“它有什么根据？”“根据在于，”教士回答道，“守门人的头脑简单，理由是他不明了法的内部，他只知道通向法的道路，他在路上来回巡逻。他的关于法的内部的想法是幼稚的。而且他自己也害怕其他守门人，认为他们是拦住那人去路的妖怪。实际上他比那人更怕他们，因为那人听说里边的守门人模样可憎以后，还是准备进去，而守门人却不想进去了，至少据我们所知是这样。还有的人说，他一定已经到过里头，因为不管怎么说，他已受雇为法服务，这项任命只能来自里头。这种说法遭到了反驳，理由是，很可能是里头传出来的一个声音任命他当守门人；无论怎么说，他在里头不可能进得很深，因为第三个守门人的模样就已经使他不敢看一眼了。此外，这么多年来，除了有一次提到那些守门人外，没有任何迹象表明，他讲过什么话，能表明他了解里头的情况。也许禁止他这么做，但是关于这一点也没有提及。有鉴于上述种种，人们得出的结论是，他对里头的情况和重要性一无所知，因此他处于一种受骗状态。在看待他和乡下人的关系方面，他也是受骗的，因为他从属于乡下人，而自己却不知道他反把乡下人当作自己的下属来对待，许多细节可以说明这点，你一定还记得。根据对故事的这种解释，十分明显，他是从属于乡下人的。首先，奴隶总是从属于自由人的。乡下人确实是自由的，愿上哪儿就上哪儿，只有法的大门对他关着，只有一个人——守门人——禁止他走进法的大门。他接过凳子，坐在门边，待在那儿，一直到死，完全是自愿的；故事里从来没有讲起有谁强迫他。可是，守门人却被职责强制在岗位上，他不敢走到乡下去，显然也不能走进法的门里去，即使他想进去也不行。另外，虽然他为法服务，但他的岗位只是这一道门；换句话说，他只为这个乡下人服务，因为这道门是专为乡下人而开的。从这方面讲，他也从属于乡下人。我们可以设想得出，乡下人从小到大的那些年间，守门人的工作从某种意义上说只是走过场，因为他必须等待一个人的到来，也就是说，要等一个人长大；因此，他必须长期等待，以便实现自己的工作目的；此外，他还得等那人高兴，因为那人只有当自己想来时才来。守门人职责的期限也取决于那人的寿命，所以，归根结底，他是从属于那人的。故事里始终强调，守门人对所有这些显然一无所知。这本身并不奇怪，因为根据这种解释，守门人在一件重要得多的、直接影响到他的职责本身的事情上，同样也是受骗的。例如在故事末尾，他提到法的大门时说：‘现在我要去把它关上了，’但是，故事开头部分却说，通向法的大门一直敞开着；如果它一直是开着的，这就意味着不管乡下人是死是活，这门在任何时候都应敞开着；既然这样，守门人就不能把它关上。至于守门人说这话有什么动机，有几种不同看法，有人认为，他说要去关门，只是为了回答乡下人而已；有人说这是他强调自己是忠于职守的；也有人断言，这是为了使那人在弥留之际感到懊丧不已。不过，人们还是同意这个观点：守门人没有能力去关门。很多人认为，在智力上他也不如乡下人，至少在故事结尾部分是如此，因为乡下人看见法的大门里射出了光线，而守门人站岗的位置却决定他要背对着门；何况他也没有讲任何话，证明他发现了这种变化。”“说得有理，”Ｋ低声向自己复述了教士讲的几个理由以后说道，“说得有理，我倾向于同意这种观点：受骗的是守门人。不过，这不能使我抛弃原先的看法，因为这两个结论在某种意义上是并行不悖的。守门人精明也罢，受了骗也罢，无关大局。我说过，乡下人受骗了。如果守门人头脑精明，也许有人会对此起疑；但是，如果守门人自己受了骗，那他的受骗必然会影响到乡下人。这就使守门人实际上不可能成为骗子，而是一个头脑简单的人，真是这样的话，就必须立即解除他的职务。你不应该忘记，守门人的受骗对他自己固然无害，但会给乡下人带来无穷无尽的危害。”“对这种看法也有反对意见，”教士说，“许多人断言，故事本身不能使任何人有权来评论守门人。不管他会给我们留下什么印象，他终究是法的仆人；这就是说他属于法，因此他完全超出人们所能评论的范围。在这种情况下，我们不敢相信，他从属于乡下人。虽然他受职守的制约，必须守在法的门前，但是他却比世界上任何人都要伟大得多，别人无法和他相比。乡下人只能求见法，守门人却已经固定在法的身边。是法把他安置在守门人的位置上；怀疑他的尊严就等于怀疑法本身。”“我不同意这种看法，”Ｋ摇摇头说，“因为，我们如果接受这种看法，那就必须承认守门人讲的每一句话都是真的。可是，你自己也已充分证明，这样做是不可能的。”“不，”教士说，“不必承认他讲的每句话都是真的，只需当作必然的东西而予以接受。”“一个令人沮丧的结论，”Ｋ说，“这会把谎言变成普遍准则。”

K. said that as if it were his final word but it was not his conclusion. He was too tired to think about all the ramifications of the story, and the sort of thoughts they led him into were not familiar to him, unrealistic things, things better suited for officials of the court to discuss than for him. The simple story had lost its shape, he wanted to shake it off, and the priest who now felt quite compassionate allowed this and accepted K.'s remarks without comment, even though his view was certainly very different from K.'s.

Ｋ用下断语的口气讲了这句话，但这不是他的最后论断。他太疲倦了，无力逐一分析从这个故事中引出的各个结论；由此产生的这一大堆思想对他来讲是陌生的，是不可捉摸的；对法官们来说，这是一个合宜的讨论题目，但对他来讲并非如此。这个简单的故事已经失去了它清晰的轮廓，他想把这个故事从头脑中驱赶出去；教士现在表现得情感细腻，他听凭Ｋ这样说，默默听取他的评论，虽然无疑地并不同意他的观点。

In silence, they carried on walking for some time, K. stayed close beside the priest without knowing where he was. The lamp in his hand had long since gone out. Once, just in front of him, he thought he could see the statue of a saint by the glitter of the silver on it, although it quickly disappeared back into the darkness. So that he would not remain entirely dependent on the priest, K. asked him, "We're now near the main entrance, are we?" "No," said the priest, "we're a long way from it. Do you already want to go?" K. had not thought of going until then, but he immediately said, "Yes, certainly, I have to go. I'm the chief clerk in a bank and there are people waiting for me, I only came here to show a foreign business contact round the cathedral." "Alright," said the priest offering him his hand, "go then." "But I can't find my way round in this darkness by myself," said K. "Go to your left as far as the wall," said the priest, "then continue alongside the wall without leaving it and you'll find a way out." The priest had only gone a few paces from him, but K. was already shouting loudly, "Please, wait!" "I'm waiting," said the priest. "Is there anything else you want from me?" asked K. "No," said the priest. "You were so friendly to me earlier on," said K., "and you explained everything, but now you abandon me as if I were nothing to you." "You have to go," said the priest. "Well, yes," said K., "you need to understand that." "First, you need to understand who I am," said the priest. "You're the prison chaplain," said K., and went closer to the priest, it was not so important for him to go straight back to the bank as he had made out, he could very well stay where he was. "So that means I belong to the court," said the priest. "So why would I want anything from you? the court doesn't want anything from you. It accepts you when you come and it lets you go when you leave."

他们默默无言，来回踱了一阵；Ｋ紧挨着教士，不知自己身在何处。他手里提着的灯早就熄灭了。几位圣徒的银像由于银子本身的光泽在他前面很近的地方闪烁了一下，立即又消失在黑暗中。Ｋ为了使自己不至于大依赖教士，便问道：“我们离大门口不远了吧？”“不对”，教士说，“我们离大门口还远着哩。你想走了吗？”虽然Ｋ当时没想到要走，但是他还是马上回答道：“当然，我该走了。我是一家银行的襄理，他们在等着我，我到这里来，只是为了陪一位从外国来的金融界朋友参观大教堂。”“好吧，”教士说，他朝Ｋ伸出手，“那你就走吧。”“可是，这么黑，我一个人找不到路，”Ｋ说。“向左拐，一直走到墙跟前，”教士说，“然后顺着墙走，别离开墙，你就会走到一道门前。”教士已经离开他一两步了，Ｋ又大声嚷道：“请等一等。”“我在等着呢，”教士说。“你对我还有别的要求吗？”Ｋ问道。“没有，”教士说。“你一度对我很好，”Ｋ说，“给我讲了这么多道理，可是现在你却让我走开，好像你对我一点也不关心似的。”“但你现在必须离开了，”教士说。“好吧，这就走，”Ｋ说，“你应该知道，我这是出于无奈。”“你应该先知道，我是谁，”教士说。“你是狱中神父嘛，”Ｋ说。他摸索着又走到教士跟前；他并不像刚才说的那样，必须立即赶回银行，而是完全可以再待一会儿。“这意味着我属于法院，”教士说，“既然这样，我为什么要向你提各种要求呢？法院不向你提要求。你来，它就接待你；你去，它就让你走。”