"In Hiding by Wilmar H. Shiras" - читать интересную книгу автора (Willis Connie)

Peter Welles, psychiatrist, eyed the boy thoughtfully. Why
had Timothy Paul's teacher sent him for examination?
"I don't know, myself, that there's really anything wrong
with Tim," Miss Page had told Dr. Welles. "He seems per-
fectly normal. He's rather quiet as a rule, doesn't volunteer
answers in class or anything of that sort. He gets along well
enough with other boys and seems reasonably popular, al-
though he has no special friends. His grades are satisfactory
he gets B faithfully in all his work. But when you've been
teaching as long as I have. Peter, you get a feeling about
certain ones. There is a tension about hima look in his
eyes sometimesand he is very absentminded."
"What would your guess be?" Welles had asked. Some-
times these hunches were very valuable. Miss Page had
taught school for thirty-odd years; she had been Peter's
teacher in the past, and he thought highly of her opinion.
"I ought not to say," she answered. "There's nothing to go
onyet. But he might be starting something, and if it could
be headed off"
"Physicians are often called before the symptoms are suf-
ficiently marked for the doctor to be able to see them," said
Welles. "A patient, or the mother of a child, or any practiced
observer, can often see that something is going to be wrong.
But it's hard for the doctor in such cases. Tell me what you
think I should look for."
"You won't pay too much attention to me? It's just what
occurred to me. Peter; I know I'm not a trained psychiatrist.
But it could be delusions of grandeur. Or it could be a with-
drawing from the society of others. I always have to speak
to him twice to get his attention in classand he has no
real chums."
Welles had agreed to see what he could find, and
promised not to be too much influenced by what Miss Page
herself called "an old woman's notions."
Timothy, when he presented himself for examination,
seemed like an ordinary boy. He was perhaps a little small
for his age, he had big dark eyes and close-cropped dark
curls, thin sensitive fingers andyes, a decided air of ten-
sion. But many boys were nervous on their first visit to the
psychiatrist. Peter often wished that he was able to con-
centrate on one or two schools, and spend a day a week or
so getting acquainted with all the youngsters.
In response to Welles' preliminary questioning, Tim re-
plied in a clear, low voice, politely and without wasting
words. He was thirteen years old, and lived with his grand-
parents. His mother and father had died when he was a
baby, and he did not remember them. He said that he was
happy at home, and that he liked school "pretty well," that
he liked to play with other boys. He named several boys