Chapter 8 - Page 2

representing me, I'm here on legal business."
"Without your coat?" asked K., indicating the man's deficiency of dress
with a gesture of his hand. "Oh, do forgive me!" said the man, and he
looked at himself in the light of the candle he was holding as if he had
not known about his appearance until then.
"Is Leni your lover?" asked K. curtly. He had set his legs slightly
apart, his hands, in which he held his hat, were behind his back.
Merely by being in possession of a thick overcoat he felt his advantage
over this thin little man. "Oh God," he said and, shocked, raised one
hand in front of his face as if in defence, "no, no, what can you be
thinking?" "You look honest enough," said K. with a smile, "but come
along anyway." K. indicated with his hat which way the man was to go
and let him go ahead of him. "What is your name then?" asked K. on the
way. "Block. I'm a businessman," said the small man, twisting himself
round as he thus introduced himself, although K. did not allow him to
stop moving. "Is that your real name?" asked K. "Of course it is," was
the man's reply, "why do you doubt it?" "I thought you might have some
reason to keep your name secret," said K. He felt himself as much at
liberty as is normally only felt in foreign parts when speaking with
people of lower standing, keeping everything about himself to himself,
speaking only casually about the interests of the other, able to raise
him to a level above one's own, but also able, at will, to let him drop
again. K. stopped at the door of the lawyer's office, opened it and, to
the businessman who had obediently gone ahead, called, "Not so fast!
Bring some light here!" K. thought Leni might have hidden in here, he
let the businessman search in every corner, but the room was empty. In
front of the picture of the judge K. took hold of the businessman's
braces to stop him moving on. "Do you know him?" he asked, pointing
upwards with his finger. The businessman lifted the candle, blinked as
he looked up and said, "It's a judge." "An important judge?" asked K.,
and stood to the side and in front of the businessman so that he could
observe what impression the picture had on him. The businessman was
looking up in admiration. "He's an important judge." "You don't have
much insight," said K. "He is the lowest of the lowest examining
judges." "I remember now," said the businessman as he lowered the
candle, "that's what I've already been told." "Well of course you
have," called out K., "I'd forgotten about it, of course you would
already have