eleven o'clock
Could K. constitute the entire congregation ? How could he when he was just a stranger who wanted to look at the church ? That , basically , was all he was . The idea of a sermon , now , at eleven o'clock , on a workday , in hideous weather , was nonsense . The priest - there was no doubt that he was a priest , a young man with a smooth , dark face - was clearly going up there just to put the lamp out after somebody had lit it by mistake . But there had been no mistake , the priest seemed rather to check that the lamp was lit and turned it a little higher , then he slowly turned to face the front and leant down on the balustrade gripping its angular rail with both hands . He stood there like that for a while and , without turning his head , looked around .