Summary

In Chapter 4, during a school vacation, Jacob Flanders and Timothy Durrant sail on a boat near the Scilly Isles of the coast of Cornwall. Jacob sits trying to read Shakespeare on the boat, but the wind keeps ruffling the pages. Jacob has never managed to read a Shakespeare play all the way through, but he is determined to do so now because Shakespeare is so well revered, even more so than the classic Greek writers. Jacob and Timothy seem to have quarreled during the trip over inconsequential things, but they are both still moved by the sight of the Scilly Isles. Jacob removes his clothes and goes for a swim in the sea. When he climbs back in, he accidentally knocks his Shakespeare book overboard, where it sinks into the sea. They sail around the Scilly Isles for a while, with Timothy steering...