should attain to Klamm, and should attain to him not to rest with him, but to go on beyond him, farther yet, into the Castle.
And he looked at his watch and said: “But now I must be going home.” Immediately the position changed in Momus’ favour. “Yes, of course,” the latter replied, “the school work calls. But you must favour me with just a moment of your time. Only a few short questions.” “I don’t feel in the mood for it,” said K. and turned towards the door. Momus brought down a document on the table and stood up; “In the name of Klamm I command you to answer my questions.” “In the name of Klamm!” repeated K. , “does he trouble himself about my affairs then?” “As to that,” replied Momus, “I have no information and you certainly have still less; we can safely leave that to him. All the same I command you by virtue of my function granted by Klamm to stay here and to answer.” “Land Surveyor,” broke in the landlady, “I refuse to advise you any further, my advice till now, the most well-meaning that you could have got, has been cast back at me in the most unheard of manner; and I have come here to Herr Momus—I have nothing to hide—simply to give the office an adequate idea of your behaviour and your intentions and to protect myself for all time from having you quartered on me again; that’s how we stand towards each other and that’s how we’ll always stand, and if I speak my mind accordingly now, I don’t do it, I can tell you, to help you, but to ease a little the hard job which Herr Momus is bound to have in dealing with a man like you. All the same, just because of my absolute frankness—and I couldn’t deal otherwise than frankly with you even if I were to try—you can extract some advantage for yourself out of what I say, if you only take the trouble. In the present case I want to draw your attention to this, that the only road that can lead you to Klamm is through this protocol here of Herr Momus. But I don’t want to exaggerate, perhaps that road won’t get you as far as Klamm, perhaps it will stop long before it reaches him; the judgment of Herr Momus will decide that. But in any case that’s the only road that will take you in the direction of Klamm. And do you intend to reject that road, for nothing