Part 2 Summary

The farm children – the children of the white owners as well as the black children belonging to the farmhands – play together until the white children go away to school. At first, the differences are subtle, but as the children age, it is clear that they have increasingly fewer things in common and before long, the black children begin to address their former playmates with the formalities typically reserved for adults.

Paulus Eysendyck, the son of the farm's owner, has always had a special fondness for Thebedi, the daughter of one of the farmhands. When he returns from school for the first time, he brings a gift for Thebedi, and she reciprocates with a handmade bracelet. At school, Paulus is very popular, and has plenty of opportunities to date. Even so, he never forgets about Thebedi and continues to bring her gifts, including gilt...