Превращение

           “What’sthathe’sdoingnow”,hisfatherwouldsayafterawhile,clearlyhavinggoneovertothedoor,andonlythenwouldtheinterruptedconversationslowlybetakenupagain.

           Whenexplainingthings,hisfatherrepeatedhimselfseveraltimes,partlybecauseitwasalongtimesincehehadbeenoccupiedwiththesemattershimselfandpartlybecauseGregor’smotherdidnotunderstandeverythingthefirsttime.FromtheserepeatedexplanationsGregorlearned,tohispleasure,thatdespitealltheirmisfortunestherewasstillsomemoneyavailablefromtheolddays.Itwasnotalot,butithadnotbeentouchedinthemeantimeandsomeinteresthadaccumulated.Besidesthat,theyhadnotbeenusingupallthemoneythatGregorhadbeenbringinghomeeverymonth,keepingonlyalittleforhimself,sothatthat,too,hadbeenaccumulating.Behindthedoor,Gregornoddedwithenthusiasminhispleasureatthisunexpectedthriftandcaution.Hecouldactuallyhaveusedthissurplusmoneytoreducehisfather’sdebttohisboss,andthedaywhenhecouldhavefreedhimselffromthatjobwouldhavecomemuchcloser,butnowitwascertainlybetterthewayhisfatherhaddonethings.

           Thismoney,however,wascertainlynotenoughtoenablethefamilytoliveofftheinterest;itwasenoughtomaintainthemfor,perhaps,oneortwoyears,nomore.That’stosay,itwasmoneythatshouldnotreallybetouchedbutsetasideforemergencies;moneytoliveonhadtobeearned.Hisfatherwashealthybutold,andlackinginselfconfidence.