“He’s admitted into certain rooms, but they’re only a part of the whole, for there are barriers behind which there are more rooms. Not that he’s actually forbidden to pass the barriers, but he can’t very well push past them once he has met his chiefs and been dismissed by them. Besides, everybody is watched there, at least so we believe. And even if he did push on further what good would it be to him, if he had no official duties to carry out and were a mere intruder? And you mustn’t imagine that these barriers are a definite dividing-line; Barnabas is always impressing that on me. There are barriers even at the entrance to the rooms where he’s admitted, so you see there are barriers he can pass, and they’re just the same as the ones he’s never yet passed, which looks as if one oughtn’t to suppose that behind the ultimate barriers the bureaux are any different from those Barnabas has already seen. Only that’s what we do suppose in moments of depression. And the doubt doesn’t stop there, we can’t keep it within bounds. Barnabas sees officials, Barnabas is given messages. But who are those officials, and what are the messages? Now, so he says, he’s assigned to Klamm, who gives him his instructions in person. Well, that would be a great favour, even higher-grade servants don’t get so far as that, it’s almost too much to believe, almost terrifying. Only think, directly assigned to Klamm, speaking with him face to face! But is it really the case? Well, suppose it is so, then why does Barnabas doubt that the official who is referred to as Klamm is really Klamm?” “Olga,” said K., “you surely must be joking; how can there be any doubt about Klamm’s appearance, everybody knows what he looks like, even I have seen him.” “Of course not, K.,” said Olga. “I’m not joking at all, I’m desperately serious. Yet I’m not telling you all this simply to relieve my own feelings and burden yours, but because Amalia charged me to tell you, since you were asking for Barnabas, and because I think too that it would be useful for you to know more about it. I’m doing it for Barnabas’s sake as well, so that you won’t pin too many hopes upon him, and suffer disappointment, and make him suffer too because of your disappointment. He’s very sensitive, for instance he didn’t sleep all night because you were displeased with him yesterday evening. He took you to say that it was a bad lookout for you to have only a messenger like him. These words kept him off his sleep. I don’t suppose that you noticed how upset he was, for Castle messengers must keep themselves well under control. But he hasn’t an easy time, not even with you, although from your point of view you don’t ask too much of him, for you have your own prior conception of a messenger’s powers and make your demands accordingly. But in the Castle they have a different conception of a messenger’s duties, which couldn’t be reconciled with yours, even if Barnabas were to devote himself entirely to the task, which, unfortunately, he often seems inclined to do. Still, one would have to submit to that and raise no objection, if it weren’t for the question whether Barnabas is really a messenger or not. Before you, of course, he can’t express any doubt of it whatever, to do that would be to undermine his very existence and to offend grievously against laws which he believes himself still plighted to, and even to me he doesn’t speak freely, I have to
