Howards End-E.

MForster

After Helen Schlegel's brief romance with Paul Wilco ends badl!" the cultured" idealistic Schlegel famil! thin#s it the! will ha$e nothing further to do with the materialistic" commerceobsessed Wilco es. %he Schlegels continue with their intellectual li$es. At a &erformance of 'eetho$en's Fifth S!m&hon!" the! meet an im&o$erished insurance cler# named (eonard 'ast" who regards them with general sus&icion when Helen accidentall! steals his umbrella. %he Schlegels are shoc#ed when the Wilco es mo$e from their countr! estate of Howards End to a (ondon flat o&&osite their home on Wic#ham Place in (ondon. 'ut Paul has left to win his fortune in )igeria" and Helen is $acationing with her cousin Frieda in *erman!" so there is little danger of an un&leasant scene. Margaret" Helen's older sister and the head of the famil!" e$en befriends Mrs. Wilco + the! go ,hristmas sho&&ing together" and Margaret throws a luncheon for the ethereal" selfless Mrs. Wilco . When Mrs. Wilco dies not long afterward" she lea$es a handwritten note behind as#ing that Howards End be gi$en to Margaret. 'ut her &ragmatic husband" Henr!" a &rominent businessman" and her greed! son ,harles" a struggling businessman" refuse to act on the matter and ne$er mention it to Margaret. -ne night" Margaret and Helen run into Henr!" and the! discuss the case of (eonard 'ast+ Henr! warns them that (eonard's insurance com&an! is doomed to failure" and the! ad$ise him to find a new .ob. 'ut &oor (eonard" who associates the Schlegels with all things cultural and romantic--he reads constantl!" ho&ing to better himself--resents this intrusion into his business life and accuses them of tr!ing to &rofit from his #nowledge of the insurance industr!. Margaret and Henr! de$elo& a halting" gradual friendshi&. When the lease e &ires at Wic#ham Place" the Schlegels begin loo#ing for another house /their landlord wants to follow the general trend and re&lace their house with a more &rofitable a&artment building0. Henr! offers to rent them a house he owns in (ondon" and when he shows it to Margaret" he suddenl! &ro&oses to her. She is sur&rised b! her ha&&iness" and after considering the &ro&osal" she acce&ts. Shortl! before Margaret and Henr! are scheduled to be married" Henr!'s daughter E$ie marries a man named Perc! ,ahill+ the wedding is held at a Wilco estate near Wales. After the &art!" which Margaret finds 1uite un&leasant" Helen arri$es in a dishe$eled state" with

the 'asts in tow. She declares indignantl! that (eonard has left his old com&an!" found a new .ob" and been summaril! fired+ he is now without an income. Helen angril! blames Henr! for his ill-considered ad$ice. Margaret as#s Henr! to gi$e (eonard a .ob" but when he sees 2ac#! 'ast" he reali3es that he had an affair with her 45 !ears ago" when she was a &rostitute in ,!&rus. Margaret forgi$es him for the indiscretion--it was before the! e$en met-but she writes to Helen that there will be no .ob for (eonard. Helen and the 'asts ha$e retired to a hotel in town" and after 2ac#! goes to slee&" Helen and (eonard sta! u& discussing Helen's &hiloso&hical obser$ations about life. After Margaret's note arri$es" a feeling of traged! descends on their con$ersation" and the! ma#e lo$e--an unwelcome de$elo&ment for both of them6 (eonard is wrac#ed with guilt" and Helen becomes &regnant. She lea$es for *erman! the following morning" and both she and (eonard recede from Margaret's life. Margaret and Henr! are married" and &lan to build a new home in Susse . After some time &asses" howe$er" Margaret begins to worr! about her sister" and with Henr!'s hel&" she arranges a scheme to sur&rise her at Howards End" where Helen is going to collect some boo#s. /%he Schlegels' belongings are being stored at Howards End.0 Here" Margaret sees Helen's ad$anced &regnanc!" and is filled with lo$e and tenderness for her sister. Helen as#s to s&end the night with Margaret at Howards End" but Henr! refuses to let a 7fallen woman7 slee& in his home. When Margaret &oints out that Henr! himself has committed a worse se ual indiscretion than Helen" Henr! is outraged" and Margaret resol$es to lea$e him" returning to *erman! with Helen.

8n the meantime" (eonard decides to confess to Margaret what ha&&ened" and he tra$els to Howards End the morning after Margaret and Helen slee& there. When he arri$es" he is beaten b! ,harles Wilco with the flat of a sword" and a boo#case falls on him. (eonard has a heart attac# and dies. After the in1uest" ,harles is charged with manslaughter and sentenced to three !ears in &rison. Henr! is shattered" and comes to Margaret for hel&. Henr!" Margaret" and Helen mo$e into Howards End" where Helen and Henr! learn to be friends and where Helen's son is born. Fourteen months later" the! are still li$ing there ha&&il!.