nine o'clock
But he turned back round straight away and leant comfortably into the corner of the taxi without even having made the effort to see anyone . Although it did not seem like it , now was just the time when he needed some encouragement , but the gentlemen seemed tired just then , Rabensteiner looked out of the car to the right , Kullich to the left and only Kaminer was there with his grin at K. 's service . It would have been inhumane to make fun of that . That spring , whenever possible , K. usually spent his evenings after work - he usually stayed in the office until nine o'clock - with a short walk , either by himself or in the company of some of the bank officials , and then he would go into a pub where he would sit at the regulars ' table with mostly older men until eleven . There were , however , also exceptions to this habit , times , for instance , when K. was invited by the bank 's manager -LRB- whom he greatly respected for his industry and trustworthiness -RRB- to go with him for a ride in his car or to eat dinner with him at his large house . K. would also go , once a week , to see a girl called Elsa who worked as a waitress in a wine bar through the night until late in the morning . During the daytime she only received visitors while still in bed .