business. And when I was given the chance of a little hospitality it was with people that I always wanted to run away from, like Barnabas’ family⁠—” “You wanted to run away from them? You did? Darling!” cried Frieda eagerly, and after a hesitating, “Yes” from K. , sank back once more into her apathy. But K. had no longer resolution enough to explain in what way everything had changed for the better for him through his connection with Frieda. He slowly took away his arm and they sat for a little in silence, until⁠—as if his arm had given her warmth and comfort, which now she could not do without⁠—Frieda said: “I won’t be able to stand this life here. If you want to keep me with you, we’ll have to go away somewhere or other, to the south of France, or to Spain.” “I can’t go away,” replied K. “I came here to stay. I’ll stay here.” And giving utterance to a self-contradiction which he made no effort to explain, he added as if to himself: “What could have enticed me to this desolate country except the wish to stay here?” Then he went on: “But you want to stay here too, after all it’s your own country. Only you miss Klamm and that gives you desperate ideas.” “I miss Klamm?” said Frieda, “I’ve all I want of Klamm here, too much Klamm; it’s to escape from him that I want to go away. It’s not Klamm that I miss, it’s you. I want to go away for your sake, because I can’t get enough of you, here where everything distracts me. I would gladly lose my pretty looks, I would gladly be sick and ailing, if I could be left in peace with you.” K. had only paid attention to one thing. “Then Klamm is still in communication with you?” he asked eagerly, “he sends for you?” “I know nothing about Klamm,” replied Frieda, “I was speaking just now of others, I mean the assistants.” “Oh, the assistants,” said K. in disappointment, “do they persecute you?” “Why, have you never noticed it?” asked Frieda. “No,” replied K. trying in vain to remember anything, “they’re certainly importunate and lascivious young fellows, but I hadn’t noticed that they had dared to lift their eyes to you.” “No?” said Frieda, “did you never notice that they simply weren’t to be driven out of our room in the Bridge Inn, that they jealously watched all our movements, that one of