She was fully clothed, as if she had not slept at all; her white face also seem to indicate that. ‘Dead?’ said Mrs. Samsa and looked questioningly at the cleaning woman, although she could check everything on her own and even understand without a check. ‘I should say so,’ said the cleaning woman and, by way of proof, poked Gregor’s body with the broom a considerable distance more to the side. Mrs. Samsa made a movement as if she wished to restrain the broom, but didn’t do it. ‘Well,’ said Mr. Samsa, ‘now we can give thanks to God.’ He crossed himself, and the three women followed his example.

Grete, who did not take her eyes off the corpse, said, ‘Look how thin he was. He had eaten nothing for such a long time. The meals which came in here came out again exactly the same.’ In fact, Gregor’s body was completely flat and dry. That was apparent really for the first time, now that he was no longer raised on his small limbs and, moreover, now that nothing else distracted one’s gaze.

‘Grete, come into us for a moment,’ said Mrs. Samsa with a melancholy smile, and Grete went, not without looking back at the corpse, behind her parents into the bed room. The cleaning woman shut the door and opened the window wide. In spite of the early morning, the fresh air was partly tinged with warmth. It was already the end of March. The three lodgers stepped out of their room and looked around for their breakfast, astonished that they had been forgotten. ‘Where is the breakfast?’ asked the middle one of the gentlemen grumpily to the cleaning woman. However, she laid her finger to her lips and then quickly and silently indicated to the lodgers that they could come into Gregor’s room. So they came and stood around Gregor’s corpse, their hands in the pockets of their somewhat worn jackets, in the room, which was already quite bright.

Then the door of the bed room opened, and Mr. Samsa appeared in his uniform, with his wife on one arm and his daughter on the other. All were a little tear stained. Now and then Grete pressed her face onto her father’s arm.

‘Get out of my apartment immediately,’ said Mr. Samsa and pulled open the door, without letting go of the women. ‘What do you mean?’ said the middle lodger, somewhat dismayed and with a sugary smile. The two others kept their hands behind them and constantly rubbed them against each other, as if in joyful anticipation of a great squabble which must end up in their favour. ‘I mean exactly what I say,’ replied Mr. Samsa and went directly with his two female companions up to the lodger. The latter at first stood there motionless and looked at the floor, as if matters were arranging themselves in a new way in his head. ‘All right, then we’ll go,’ he said and looked up at Mr. Samsa as if, suddenly overcome by humility, he was asking fresh permission for this decision. Mr. Samsa merely nodded to him repeatedly with his eyes open wide.