End

           TheeveningbeforeK.’sthirty-firstbirthday-itwasaboutnineo’clockintheevening,thetimewhenthestreetswerequiet-twomencametowherehelived.Infrockcoats,paleandfat,wearingtophatsthatlookedliketheycouldnotbetakenofftheirheads.Aftersomebriefformalitiesatthedooroftheflatwhentheyfirstarrived,thesameformalitieswererepeatedatgreaterlengthatK.’sdoor.Hehadnotbeennotifiedtheywouldbecoming,butK.satinachairnearthedoor,dressedinblackastheywere,andslowlyputonnewgloveswhichstretchedtightlyoverhisfingersandbehavedasifhewereexpectingvisitors.Heimmediatelystoodupandlookedatthegentlemeninquisitively."You’vecomeformethen,haveyou?"heasked.Thegentlemennodded,oneofthemindicatedtheotherwiththetophandnowinhishand.K.toldthemhehadbeenexpectingadifferentvisitor.Hewenttothewindowandlookedoncemoredownatthedarkstreet.Mostofthewindowsontheothersideofthestreetwerealsodarkalready,manyofthemhadthecurtainsclosed.Inoneofthewindowsonthesamefloorwheretherewasalighton,twosmallchildrencouldbeseenplayingwitheachotherinsideaplaypen,unabletomovefromwheretheywere,reachingoutforeachotherwiththeirlittlehands."Someancient,unimportantactors-that’swhatthey’vesentforme,"saidK.tohimself,andlookedroundonceagaintoconfirmthistohimself."Theywanttosortmeoutascheaplyastheycan."K.