could speak to him whenever she liked and was permitted the freedom of the peephole, but even to her he never talked. And the fact that he called her name didn’t mean of necessity what one might think, he simply mentioned the name Frieda—who can tell what he was thinking of? and that Frieda naturally came to him at once was her affair, and that she was admitted without let or hindrance was an act of grace on Klamm’s part, but that he deliberately summoned her is more than one can maintain. Of course that’s all over now for good. Klamm may perhaps call ‘Frieda’ as before, that’s possible, but she’ll never again be admitted to his presence, a girl who has thrown herself away upon you. And there’s just one thing, one thing my poor head can’t understand, that a girl who had the honour of being known as Klamm’s mistress—a wild exaggeration in my opinion—should have allowed you even to lay a finger on her.”
“Most certainly, that’s remarkable,” said K. , drawing Frieda to his bosom—she submitted at once although with bent head—“but in my opinion that only proves the possibility of your being mistaken in some respects. You’re quite right, for instance, in saying that I’m a mere nothing compared with Klamm, and even though I insist on speaking to Klamm in spite of that, and am not dissuaded even by your arguments, that does not mean at all that I’m able to face Klamm without a door between us, or that I mayn’t run from the room at the very sight of him. But such a conjecture, even though well founded, is no valid reason in my eyes for refraining from the attempt. If I only succeed in holding my ground there’s no need for him to speak to me at all, it will be sufficient for me to see what effect my words have on him, and if they have no effect or if he simply ignores them, I shall at any rate have the satisfaction of having spoken my mind freely to a great man. But you, with your wide knowledge of men and affairs, and Frieda, who was only yesterday Klamm’s mistress—I see no reason for questioning that title—could certainly procure me an interview with Klamm quite easily; if it could be done in no other way I could surely see him in the Herrenhof, perhaps he’s still there.”