Brief Intermediary
LP Hartley
Mediator
Aging Lionel Colston recalls the days he spent with a boy from his school friend Markus Model at the Brande Hall estate in the summer of 1900. The belief in the inviolability of the centuries-old order, when everyone should occupy a strictly defined position in society, corresponding to its origin, is the basis of the British world view, which is represented in the novel through the perception of a child from a poor family who has fallen into the atmosphere of a rich house. Everything is done according to the ritual: with servants and representatives of the lower classes, they are treated with an air of courtesy, they go down to breakfast only in shoes and not in slippers, etc. All these details emerge in the memory of the narrator who found the diary he had led in his childhood and in which impressions of that time are fixed.
Mrs. Maudsley, her husband, their daughter Marian, the sons of Denis and Marcus appear in the novel as masters of life
As a childishly sensitive Leo notices various bright, from his point of view, details, but they are the most “talking”, characterizing the system of social and psychological relations in a society divided by rigid class partitions. Although the hero himself at first only vaguely guesses that he was in another world, where he is looked down upon as a representative of the lower class. It all begins with clothing, one of the main components of the ritual, which is sacredly observed at Brandham
Soon it turns out that Leo does not have a summer suit, and he becomes an object of ridicule in the form of polite advice like – “Take off your jacket, you’ll be more comfortable with it,” unsuitable tips, for the etiquette in clothes is strictly adhered to and it’s considered almost a matter of fact to take off your jacket unthinkable.
Finally, Marian proposes to give Leo a summer suit, and the whole family discusses in detail which store to buy it, and then, after the purchase, the color of the suit. Leo is happy – he thinks that the new clothes help him to occupy a more important place in the world. Favorable attitude Marian inspires him, and she uses Leo for his own purposes – instructs him to carry notes to neighbor farmer Ted Burgess, his lover. Leo keeps the mystery entrusted to him, for he is ready for everything for Marian, and Ted treats the guest of noble hosts with respect.
Ted is a farmer, one of those who feed England, and the writer respectfully depicts how he works on the field when Leo brings him Marian’s notes or takes the answer. Ted holds with dignity, although he is only a tenant of a foreign land. Like the land itself, which he processes, Ted embodies the primordial natural principle – one of the main values for the author. At the sight of his strong body while swimming in the river, Leo is even shy, having only an idea of ”fragile bodies and souls”.
Ted is the unofficial rival of Lord Trimmingham in the fight for Marian’s heart, although she tells Leo that she and Ted only have business correspondence. Leo is the owner of very important information, on which too much depends – in fact, the future of the Maudsley family, who want to marry a lord to Marian, to strengthen their position in society. Treningham is in many respects opposed to Ted – even purely outwardly he is not so physically developed, and on his face – a scar received during the Anglo-Boer war. He is the owner of the estate, which removes the Models for the summer, and the owner of all the land around. He is obviously unsympathetic to Marian, but according to the unwritten laws of British society, everything must be decided in his favor, for socially the farmer is not equal to the lord and the feelings here do not mean anything. Each of them stands in the eyes of the family of the Model as a tool, an instrument:
In the eyes of Leo and the author, Trimmingham is the bearer of the power of the British spirit, the ideal of a gentleman embodying traditional human values in the English version. He participated in the victorious war with the Boers, although the Boers themselves do not evoke any hatred in him, but – such is the law of war: either you kill, or you. It is these people who are put over farmers and tillers, like Ted Burgess (although both are appreciated by the author), they are the ones holding the control wheel of the country. Particularly evident is the role of each during the annual traditional cricket match between the Brand-Hall team and local farmers: “The opposing forces were built like this: the tenant is the landlord, the commoner is the lord, the village is the estate.” And the team led by Lord Trimingham wins.
Soon Leo, childlike in love with Marian, begins to understand that behind all her good deeds lies the cold calculation – to use him as an intermediary, the postman who carries notes to Ted, whom he, according to the ideas about moral values imparted to him in school, puts below Lord Trimmingham. He also knows the meaning of Marian’s relationship with Ted and sees this as a betrayal; because already everyone knows about the engagement of Marian with Lord Trimmingham. But Marian insists on fulfilling the commission and gives him a bicycle on his birthday, delivering the boy joy, she does not forget about her interest – it’s easier to get to the farm of Ted by bike.
Leo learns that Lord Trimmingham is offering Ted to go into the army, and Marian is telling about this, which comes in great excitement. Leo himself behaves inadvertently and gives Mrs. Maudsley a reason for suspicion. She discovers lovers in the shed during their date. Later, Leo learns that, having come home, Ted shot himself. After all these events, Leo became ill for a long time and suffered a serious trauma for life. He never married, for in the case of Ted, he saw the end of love relationships and how many falsehoods surround them.
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