Peter Sympathized

Peter van Toorn was known at school as a sensitive boy. This year he came back from his holidays at his uncle’s place, a fisherman. Peter was bronzed by the sun. He had daily made himself useful, casting and drawing in the nets, cleaning the fishes as well as the deck. The first day he had been seasick; after that it was fine and he had enjoyed the shifting play of light and color of the calm sea. Back at school he had expected that everybody would have asked him where he had been, but his...