The Go-Between

Old Leo talks of the difficulties of remembering his time at Brandham Hall. “Certain things” are established in his mind as “facts,” but he can’t visualize them. Other memories come back to him strongly but are unverified by any facts, “like the landscape of a dream.” At the time of his visit, he kept his diary religiously, aiding his ability to recall the story.

In Leo’s diary is transcribed a description of Brandham Hall in the directory of Norfolk county: “Brandham Hall, the seat of the Winlove family, is an imposing early Georgian mansion pleasantly situated on a plot of rising ground and standing in a park of some five hundred acres.” The entry also lists some of the significant paintings found in the Hall, by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Cuyp, Ruysdael, Hobbema, and Teniers the Younger.

Old Leo remembers admiring the double staircase, which to him looked like a “tilted horseshoe” or a “magnet.” But he is surprised that he doesn’t have a good memory of the front façade of the grand building. He does remember that Brandham Hall is cavernous, with lots of confusing passageways.

Young Leo and his friend Marcus share a room at the top of the Hall, with a single window set high in the wall from which they can only see the sky. Lots of guests come and go, with dinners of up to eighteen people. Old Leo remembers Mr. Maudsley and Mrs. Maudsley sitting at either end of the long dining table, the former taking up less space than was necessary for him, and the latter taking up more.

Young Leo sometimes encounters Mr. Maudsley around the grounds, but only ever exchanges a few words with him. He is often asked if he is “enjoying himself,” to which he replies “Yes, sir.” He finds it difficult to think of Mr. Maudsley as the “master” of the house.

Old Leo cannot remember Mrs. Maudsley’s face particularly well—but he sees her often in his dreams. In these, he sees her “with the look of a portrait by Ingres or Goya, a face with dark, lustrous eyes.” In his dreams, Mrs. Maudsley is as “cordial” to Leo as she was at the start of his visit. He wonders if her spirit wants to “make it right” with him.

At young Leo’s first dinner at Brandham Hall, Mrs. Maudsley asks him if he is a magician. He says, “not really”—only at school. Leo makes a mental note to chastise Marcus for his breach of trust (children aren’t meant to tell much to their parents) and wonders how adults occupy themselves.

Leo meets Marcus’s brother, Denys, whom he finds quite unremarkable. He is much more intrigued by Marcus’ sister, Marian, who has “hair bright with sunshine.” He thinks of her as his first real encounter with beauty.

Old Leo finds an entry in the diary of something he had forgotten, which comes back with the “utmost vividness”: “Wednesday 11th of July. Saw the Deadly Nightshade — Atropa Belladonna.”

Young Leo finds the Atropa belladonna plant when he’s wondering aimlessly around the estate grounds. He is especially attracted to the derelict outhouses, and it’s in one of these that he finds the plant—which to him seems more like “a tree” as it’s so tall. He knows that the nightshade is poisonous, but also finds it beautiful. He is afraid to go close to it and tiptoes away. But he resolves not to tell Mrs. Maudsley about the plant, fearing that she will order the gardeners to destroy it.