Howard End Edward Morgan Forster was born in London in 1879.

His father, an architect, died when Forster was very young, and he was raised by his mother and a great aunt. bright student, Forster attended !ambridge "niversity, from which he graduated in 19#1. He s$ent much of the ne%t decade trave&ing and &iving abroad. Many of his observations and e%$eriences from this time were &ater revived in his fiction, most notab&y A Room with a View '19#8(, which chronic&es the e%$eriences of a grou$ of Eng&ish $eo$&e vacationing in )ta&y, and A Passage to India '19*+(, which focuses on the racia& misunderstandings and cu&tura& hy$ocrisies that characteri,ed the com$&e% interactions between the )ndians and the Eng&ish toward the end of the -ritish occu$ation of )ndia. )n 191#, Forster achieved his first ma.or &iterary success with Howards End, considered by many critics to be his greatest nove&. symbo&ic e%$&oration of the socia&, economic, and $hi&oso$hica& forces at wor/ in Eng&and in the years before 0or&d 0ar ), Howards End uses three fami&ies 'the 1ch&ege&s, the 0i&co%es, and the -asts( to e%$&ore the com$eting idea&ism and materia&ism of the u$$er c&asses, and to e%$&ore the be&itt&ing effects of $overty on the human sou&. deft treatment of a &arge theme, Howards End won wides$read acc&aim u$on its origina& $ub&ication, and estab&ished Forster as one of Eng&and2s most im$ortant writers33a re$utation he wou&d ho&d for the rest of his &ife, though after 19*+ he &ived for +4 years and never wrote another nove&. Forster2s sty&e is mar/ed by his sym$athy for his characters, his abi&ity to see more than one side of a sing&e story, and his fondness for sim$&e, symbo&ic stories that neat&y enca$su&ate &arge3sca&e $rob&ems and conditions. 5hese tendencies are a&& evident in Howards End, which a&so features a high&y nuanced e%$&oration of gender re&ations in the $ost36ictorian era. fter com$&eting A Passage to India, Forster2s out$ut decreased, and he most&y contented himse&f with writing critica& essays. )n 19+4, he acce$ted a fe&&owshi$ at !ambridge "niversity7 he remained in !ambridge unti& his death in 197#. 1ummary fter He&en 1ch&ege&2s brief romance with 8au& 0i&co% ends bad&y, the cu&tured, idea&istic 1ch&ege& fami&y thin/s it they wi&& have nothing further to do with the materia&istic, commerce3obsessed 0i&co%es. 5he 1ch&ege&s continue with their inte&&ectua& &ives. t a $erformance of -eethoven2s Fifth 1ym$hony, they meet an im$overished insurance c&er/ named Leonard -ast, who regards them with genera& sus$icion when He&en accidenta&&y stea&s his umbre&&a. 5he 1ch&ege&s are shoc/ed when the 0i&co%es move from their country estate of Howards End to a London f&at o$$osite their home on 0ic/ham 8&ace in London. -ut 8au& has &eft to win his fortune in 9igeria, and He&en is vacationing with her cousin Frieda in :ermany, so there is &itt&e danger of an un$&easant scene. Margaret, He&en2s o&der sister and the head of the fami&y, even befriends Mrs. 0i&co%7 they go !hristmas sho$$ing together, and Margaret throws a &uncheon for the etherea&, se&f&ess Mrs. 0i&co%. 0hen Mrs. 0i&co% dies not &ong afterward, she &eaves a handwritten note behind as/ing that Howards End be given to Margaret. -ut her $ragmatic husband, Henry, a $rominent businessman, and her greedy son !har&es, a strugg&ing businessman, refuse to act on the matter and never mention it to Margaret. ;ne night, Margaret and He&en run into Henry, and they discuss the case of Leonard -ast7 Henry warns them that Leonard2s insurance com$any is doomed to fai&ure, and they advise him to find a new .ob. -ut $oor Leonard, who associates the 1ch&ege&s with a&& things cu&tura& and romantic33he reads constant&y, ho$ing to better himse&f33resents this intrusion into his business &ife and accuses them of trying to $rofit from his /now&edge of the insurance industry. Margaret and Henry deve&o$ a ha&ting, gradua& friendshi$. 0hen the &ease e%$ires at 0ic/ham 8&ace, the 1ch&ege&s begin &oo/ing for another house 'their &and&ord wants to fo&&ow the genera& trend and re$&ace their house with a more $rofitab&e a$artment bui&ding(. Henry offers to rent them a house he owns in London, and when he shows it to Margaret, he sudden&y $ro$oses to her. 1he is sur$rised by her ha$$iness, and after considering the $ro$osa&, she acce$ts. 1hort&y before Margaret and Henry are schedu&ed to be married, Henry2s daughter Evie marries a man named 8ercy !ahi&&7 the wedding is he&d at a 0i&co% estate near 0a&es. fter the $arty, which Margaret finds <uite un$&easant, He&en arrives in a disheve&ed state, with the -asts in tow. 1he dec&ares indignant&y that Leonard has &eft his o&d com$any, found a new .ob, and been summari&y fired7 he is now without an income. He&en angri&y b&ames Henry for his i&&3considered advice. Margaret as/s Henry to give Leonard a .ob, but when he sees =ac/y -ast, he rea&i,es that he had an affair with her 1# years ago, when she was a $rostitute in !y$rus. Margaret forgives him for the indiscretion33it was before they even met33 but she writes to He&en that there wi&& be no .ob for Leonard. He&en and the -asts have retired to a hote& in town, and after =ac/y goes to s&ee$, He&en and Leonard stay u$ discussing He&en2s $hi&oso$hica& observations about &ife. fter Margaret2s note arrives, a fee&ing of tragedy descends on their conversation, and they ma/e &ove33an unwe&come deve&o$ment for both of them> Leonard is wrac/ed with gui&t, and He&en becomes $regnant. 1he &eaves for :ermany the fo&&owing morning, and both she and Leonard recede from Margaret2s &ife. Margaret and Henry are married, and $&an to bui&d a new home in 1usse%. fter some time $asses, however, Margaret begins to worry about her sister, and with Henry2s he&$, she arranges a scheme to sur$rise her at Howards End, where He&en is going to co&&ect some boo/s. '5he 1ch&ege&s2 be&ongings are being stored at Howards End.( Here, Margaret sees He&en2s advanced $regnancy, and is fi&&ed with &ove and tenderness for her sister. He&en as/s to s$end the night with Margaret at Howards End, but Henry refuses to &et a ?fa&&en woman? s&ee$ in his home. 0hen Margaret $oints out that Henry himse&f has committed a worse se%ua& indiscretion than He&en, Henry is outraged, and Margaret reso&ves to &eave him, returning to :ermany with He&en. )n the

meantime, Leonard decides to confess to Margaret what ha$$ened, and he trave&s to Howards End the morning after Margaret and He&en s&ee$ there. 0hen he arrives, he is beaten by !har&es 0i&co% with the f&at of a sword, and a boo/case fa&&s on him. Leonard has a heart attac/ and dies. fter the in<uest, !har&es is charged with mans&aughter and sentenced to three years in $rison. Henry is shattered, and comes to Margaret for he&$. Henry, Margaret, and He&en move into Howards End, where He&en and Henry &earn to be friends and where He&en2s son is born. Fourteen months &ater, they are sti&& &iving there ha$$i&y. !haracters Margaret Schlegel 3 5he chief $rotagonist of the nove&, a *93 year3o&d woman of mi%ed Eng&ish and :erman heritage &iving in London in the ear&y years of the twentieth century. 1ister to He&en and 5ibby7 &ater Henry 0i&co%2s wife. )maginative and committed to ?$ersona& re&ations,? Margaret is the chief re$resentative of the 1ch&ege& fami&y, which re$resents the idea&istic, inte&&ectua& as$ect of the Eng&ish u$$er c&asses. Henry Wilcox 3 5he $atriarch of the 0i&co% fami&y, a $rominent businessman in London. Married to @uth 0i&co% and &ater to Margaret. 1tuffy, conventiona&, and chauvinistic, Henry is the chief re$resentative of the 0i&co% fami&y, which re$resents the $ragmatic, materia&istic as$ect of the Eng&ish u$$er c&asses. Helen Schlegel 3 Margaret2s sister, a $assionate, f&ighty gir& of *1 who &ives for art, &iterature, and ?human re&ations.? Li/e Margaret, He&en is a re$resentative of the idea&istic, cu&tured 1ch&ege& fami&y, which re$resents the inte&&ectua& as$ect of the u$$er c&asses. -ut He&en, who is $rettier than Margaret, is a&so much &ess grounded and far more $rone to e%cessive and dramatic behavior. Leonard Bast 3 $oor insurance c&er/ on the very bottom rung of the midd&e c&ass33he has money for food, c&othing, and a $&ace to &ive, but not much e&se, and is constant&y beset with financia& worries. Married to =ac/y. Leonard re$resents the as$irations of the &ower c&asses7 he is obsessed with se&f3im$rovement and reads constant&y, ho$ing to &ift himse&f u$. -ut he is never ab&e to transform his meager education into an im$roved standard of &iving. Late in the nove&, Leonard has a se%ua& encounter with He&en 1ch&ege&, which resu&ts in his becoming the father of He&en2s chi&d. Leonard is /i&&ed by !har&es 0i&co% near the end of the nove&. Ruth Wilcox 3 Henry2s wife, who dies in the first ha&f of the nove&. :ent&e, se&f&ess, &oving, and strange&y omniscient, Mrs. 0i&co% seems to re$resent the $ast of Eng&and. Howards End be&ongs to her, and she attem$ts to &eave it to Margaret when she dies, an attem$t which is b&oc/ed by Henry and !har&es. Charles Wilcox 3 5he o&dest 0i&co% son, a se&f3centered, aggressive, mora&istic young man who re$resents the negative as$ects of the 0i&co%es2 materia&istic $ragmatism. Married to Ao&&y. !har&es is sentenced to three years in $rison at the end of the nove& for the /i&&ing of Leonard -ast. Theobald ("Tibby" Schlegel 3 5ibby is Margaret and He&en2s younger brother, a $eevish 143year3o&d, who grows u$ and attends ;%ford. 5ibby is $rone to acting out the f&aws of the 1ch&ege& fami&y33their e%cessive aestheticism, indu&gence in &u%ury, and indo&ence33but shows rea& im$rovement by the end of the nove&. !unt "uley Mund 3 5he sister of Margaret, He&en, and 5ibby2s deceased mother. 5hough goodhearted, she is a medd&ing, conventiona& woman. #olly Wilcox 3 !har&es2 wife, a scatterbrained, insecure gir& who often causes troub&e by revea&ing secrets. $aul Wilcox 3 5he youngest 0i&co% son, who trave&s to 9igeria to ma/e his fortune in the -ritish co&ony. -efore he &eaves, he has a brief romance with He&en 1ch&ege&. "ac%y Bast 3 Leonard2s garish wife, a former $rostitute who had an affair with Henry 0i&co% in !y$rus. E&ie Wilcox 3 5he youngest 0i&co% daughter, a se&f3centered, $etu&ant young gir& who, at 18, marries 8ercy !ahi&&. Miss !&ery 3 n e&der&y s$inster &iving in Hi&ton, who ta/es care of Howards End when it is unoccu$ied. chi&dhood friend of Mrs. 0i&co%, Miss very ta/es the &iberty of un$ac/ing the 1ch&ege&s2 be&ongings whi&e they are stored at Howards End. $ercy Cahill 3 Ao&&y2s unc&e, who marries Evie 0i&co%. 'rieda Mosebach 3 5he 1ch&ege&s2 :erman cousin, with whom He&en vacations on the !ontinent. na&ytica& ;verview Howards End is E.M. Forster2s symbo&ic e%$&oration of the socia&, economic, and $hi&oso$hica& forces at wor/ in Eng&and during the ear&y years of the twentieth century. 0ritten in 191#, the nove& offers an e%traordinari&y insightfu& &oo/ at the &ife of Eng&and in the years $receding 0or&d 0ar ). 8reoccu$ied with the vast socia& changes swee$ing his nation, which was then at the height of its )m$eria& wor&d inf&uence, Forster set out to address the <uestion critic Lione& 5ri&&ing e%$ressed as, ?0ho sha&& inherit Eng&andB?33meaning, which c&ass of $eo$&e wou&d come to define the nationB 5o answer the <uestion, he e%$&ores the &ives of three different grou$s of $eo$&e, each of which re$resents a $articu&ar socia& c&ass or c&ass as$ect> the &iterary, cu&tura& 1ch&ege& fami&y, who re$resent the idea&istic and inte&&ectua& as$ect of the u$$er c&asses7 the materia&istic, $ragmatic 0i&co% fami&y, who re$resent the ?so&id? Eng&ish wor/ ethic and conventiona& socia& mora&ity7 and the im$overished -ast fami&y, headed by a &ower3midd&e3c&ass insurance c&er/ who des$erate&y ho$es boo/s wi&& save him from socia& and economic deso&ation. Forster e%$&ores these three grou$s by setting them against one another in re&ief, gradua&&y intertwining their stories unti& they are ine%tricab&y &in/ed. He&en 1ch&ege& has a brief romance with 8au& 0i&co%7 Margaret 1ch&ege& befriends @uth 0i&co%, then marries Henry 0i&co% after @uth2s death7 =ac/y -ast is revea&ed as a former &over of Henry7 He&en has an affair with Leonard -ast and u&timate&y bears his chi&d. )n the end, Mrs. 0i&co%2s estate of Howards End33a former farm now within distant sight of the outs/irts of London33comes to re$resent Eng&and as a who&e, and the <uestion of ?0ho sha&& inherit Eng&andB? symbo&ica&&y centers around each character2s re&ationshi$ to Howards End. t the end of the nove&, Margaret, He&en, He&en and Leonard2s son, and Henry a&& &ive at Howards End7 Henry ma/es $rovision for Margaret to inherit the

house, suggesting that, &i/e the characters of the nove&, the c&asses of Eng&and are mi%ing beyond recognition, and wi&& be forced to ada$t to an Eng&and that they can a&& share. )n addition to the thematic ro&e $&ayed by houses in the nove& 'the 1ch&ege& house on 0ic/ham 8&ace a&so becomes an im$ortant symbo& of their c&ass and fami&y identity(, Forster e%$&ores the symbo&ic va&ue of other ob.ects and ideas, inc&uding money. !ontinua&&y contrasting the ?seen? with the ?unseen?33the $hysica&, materia& wor&d of the 0i&co%es with the imaginative, s$iritua& wor&d of the 1ch&ege&s33Forster $osits the $ossibi&ity that, u&timate&y, the universe has no meaning, that a&& of &ife is sim$&y a strugg&e for subsistence, re$resented by toi& for money. 5his is the core of He&en2s rea&i,ation at the $erformance of -eethoven2s Fifth 1ym$hony in !ha$ter C, when she imagines ?gob&ins? marching across the universe, observing that there is nothing great in human beings. However, He&en eventua&&y rea&i,es that the idea of death forces $eo$&e to confront the idea of the unseen and forces them to &oo/ for meaning in their &ives. )n this regard, &ife is not mere&y a <uest for enough money7 money is an im$ortant $art of &ife, because it enab&es &eisure and security, but it is not a&& of &ife. 5hen again, He&en rea&i,es this &arge&y because she has money> )t does no good for the doomed Leonard -ast. !ha$ters 13+ Doung, $retty He&en 1ch&ege& has &eft her London home to visit the 0i&co% fami&y estate, Howards End. 'He&en and her sister Margaret met Mr. 0i&co% and his wife whi&e trave&ing in :ermany.( Margaret was a&so invited to Howards End, but stayed home to care for their 143year3o&d brother 5ibby, who has hay fever. From Howards End, He&en sends Margaret severa& &etters describing the beautifu& estate and the energetic, materia&istic 0i&co%es. Her &ast &etter sends a shoc/ through Margaret when she reads it> He&en has fa&&en in &ove with 8au&, the youngest 0i&co% son. Margaret reads the &etter to unt =u&ey, who has come to he&$ care for 5ibby. unt =u&ey is scanda&i,ed and thin/s that the engagement wi&& &i/e&y have to be bro/en off. 1he convinces Margaret to &et her go to Howards End to &oo/ into matters. Margaret ta/es her to the train station and sees her on her way7 however, when she returns home, there is a te&egram from He&en informing her that the &ove affair is over, and as/ing her not to te&& anyone what has ha$$ened. s she trave&s to Howards End, unt =u&ey thin/s about her $ecu&iar nieces, who va&ue art, idea&ism, and human re&ationshi$s above a&& things. 5he chi&dren of her sister Emi&y and a :erman $rofessor who moved to Eng&and, Margaret and He&en have &ived a&one since their $arents died, but their house is constant&y fi&&ed with writers, artists, thin/ers, and friends. 5he gir&s are interested in forward3&oo/ing causes such as women2s suffrage and socia&ism. Aes$ite their connection to :ermany and the increasing tension between Eng&ish )m$eria& $owers and :erman )m$eria& $owers, unt =u&ey sti&& thin/s of the 1ch&ege&s as ?Eng&ish through and through.? fter her train arrives, unt =u&ey meets !har&es 0i&co%, 8au&2s o&der brother. Mista/ing him for 8au&, unt =u&ey as/s him about the engagement7 this is the first !har&es has heard of any engagement. Furious, he announces that 8au& does not have any money, cannot marry, and must go to 9igeria to ma/e his fortune. s !har&es drives unt =u&ey to Howards End, they argue the entire way about whether the 1ch&ege&s are good enough for the 0i&co%es and vice versa. t Howards End, !har&es confronts 8au&, but the etherea& Mrs. 0i&co% ends the dis$ute. He&en returns home to London with unt =u&ey. Margaret and He&en discuss what has ha$$ened33He&en and 8au& sim$&y /issed, im$etuous&y, one night, after He&en had come to &ove the 0i&co% family33and the intensity of human emotions in genera&. unt =u&ey se&ective&y remembers her ro&e in the incident, so that in &ater years she thin/s that the 0i&co% affair was the one time she rea&&y was ab&e to he&$ her sister2s chi&dren. !ha$ters C39 5he 1ch&ege&s ta/e unt =u&ey, a :erman cousin, and their cousin2s suitor to a $erformance of -eethoven2s Fifth 1ym$hony. 5here, Margaret meets and converses with a &ower3c&ass young man named Leonard -ast. 5ibby watches the music with a score on his /nee, and unt =u&ey ta$s her foot. Auring the &ast two movements of the sym$hony, He&en imagines gob&ins dancing over the universe, im$&ying that no va&or or heroism e%ists in the wor&d. Moved, she runs from the room, accidenta&&y ta/ing Leonard2s umbre&&a. fter the concert, Leonard accom$anies Margaret bac/ to the 1ch&ege& house on 0ic/ham 8&ace to retrieve his umbre&&a. t 0ic/ham 8&ace, He&en inadvertent&y insu&ts the umbre&&a, causing Leonard to hurry away in shame. 5he 1ch&ege&s continue ta&/ing about art and &iterature, but they are s&ight&y unsett&ed by their encounter. For his $art, Leonard is $oor, but not des$erate&y so> He has .ust enough education and sufficient $ossessions to assert that he is not inferior to the rich. 0a&/ing away from the 1ch&ege&s,2 he $asses a fe&&ow c&er/ on the street and nods to him. He enters his dim basement a$artment, accidenta&&y brea/s a $icture frame surrounding a $hotogra$h of a smi&ing woman, and begins reading @us/in2s Stones of Venice in the ho$es of &earning to understand Eng&ish $rose. He thin/s that if on&y he cou&d ac<uire the /ind of cu&ture the 1ch&ege& sisters $ossess, he wou&d be in a different boat a&together. His &over =ac/y, the smi&ing woman from the $hotogra$h, enters7 thirty3three years o&d, she is $&um$, garish, and vu&gar, and &oud&y demands to /now when he intends to marry her. He re$eats his $romise to marry her on his *1st birthday. fter a meager dinner, =ac/y goes to bed, and Leonard ignores the sound of her voice ca&&ing him and continues to $eruse the @us/in boo/. 5he day after the concert, unt =u&ey $resents Margaret with what she thin/s is terrib&e news> 5he 0i&co%es have ta/en a f&at in a bui&ding on 0ic/ham 8&ace, o$$osite the 1ch&ege&s.2 Margaret is un$erturbed, saying that He&en2s fee&ings for 8au& are &ong since dead7 unt =u&ey insists that the 0i&co%es2 $resence is a catastro$he. 0hen He&en enters and &earns what has ha$$ened, she b&ushes furious&y, &ending credence to unt =u&ey2s theory. Luc/i&y, He&en is $&anning a tri$ with their :erman cousin Frieda, and wi&& be away unti&

after the 9ew Dear. 1hort&y after the 0i&co%es move into their new f&at, Mrs. 0i&co% ca&&s on Margaret. Margaret, who is not home when Mrs. 0i&co% a$$ears, does not return the ca&&, writing a note to Mrs. 0i&co% suggesting that, given the difficu&t situation He&en and 8au& $&aced them in, it wou&d be best if they did not meet. Mrs. 0i&co% writes a note bac/ saying that Margaret has been rude33she on&y wanted to te&& Margaret that 8au& has &eft for 9igeria. Fee&ing horrib&y gui&ty, Margaret rushes to the 0i&co%es,2 where she a$o&ogi,es $rofuse&y for having offended Mrs. 0i&co%. Frai& and s$ending the day in bed, Mrs. 0i&co% as/s Margaret to /ee$ her com$any7 Margaret does so, and the two women gradua&&y become friends. Margaret &earns that Howards End actua&&y be&ongs to Mrs. 0i&co%, not her husband. 1he was born there and has &ived there her who&e &ife. Margaret gives a &uncheon for Mrs. 0i&co%, but it is a com$&ete fai&ure. Margaret2s friends on&y ta&/ about art, cu&ture, and $o&itics, &eaving Mrs. 0i&co%, who has s$ent her &ife caring for a husband and chi&dren, with nothing to say. 9everthe&ess, they a&& fee& that in some indescribab&e way Mrs. 0i&co% is greater than they are, as though she transcends their conversation. fter the &uncheon, Margaret a$o&ogi,es to Mrs. 0i&co% again7 Mrs. 0i&co% insists that she had a wonderfu& time, and the two women c&as$ hands with genuine fee&ing. !ha$ters 1#31E Margaret and Mrs. 0i&co% go !hristmas sho$$ing together, and Margaret ref&ects on the muddiness and c&umsiness of the !hristmas ho&iday, thin/ing that it does a $oor .ob of ref&ecting ?the unseen.? )n conversation, she revea&s to Mrs. 0i&co% that the 1ch&ege&s wi&& be forced to move away from 0ic/ham 8&ace in two or three years. 0hen the &ease e%$ires, the house wi&& be torn down and re$&aced with f&ats. Mrs. 0i&co% is a$$a&&ed, and invites Margaret to come to Howards End with her right then. Margaret, to Mrs. 0i&co%2s evident annoyance, dec&ines. fter being dro$$ed off at home, Margaret regrets her decision, and hurries to the train station. 1he meets Mrs. 0i&co%, who is thri&&ed that Margaret has changed her mind. -ut .ust then, Mr. 0i&co% and Evie arrive bac/ from a drive in their car, having crashed the car and ta/en the train into London. Mrs. 0i&co% returns with them to their f&at, &eaving Margaret a&one. 9ot &ong after, Mrs. 0i&co% dies, and is buried near Howards End, in a service observed by many of the $oor &oca& vi&&agers. 0hi&e the other 0i&co%es try to eat brea/fast, Mr. 0i&co% sits in his room remembering his wife2s steady, unwavering goodness during their E# years of marriage. 5he others sit downstairs, the 0i&co% chi&dren in a re$ressed state of mourning, and !har&es2 scatterbrained wife, Ao&&y, in a state of aw/ward boredom. s !har&es stom$s about the garage, Ao&&y rushes out with a shoc/ing $iece of news> Mrs. 0i&co% has &eft Howards End to Margaret. !har&es and his father confer, and u&timate&y decide that Mrs. 0i&co% cannot have meant it7 they decide not to ta/e any action based on the f&imsy, handwritten note they were &eft. !har&es is <uite critica& of Margaret, saying that she is more :erman than Eng&ish, but Mr. 0i&co%, though admitting that he finds her tiresome, says that he is certain she is honest. Margaret, unbe/nownst to the 0i&co%es, not on&y had nothing to do with Mrs. 0i&co%2s note, she did not even /now about it. 1he has grown very fond of the 0i&co%es, and actua&&y fee&s <uite $rotective of them. 0hen Mr. 0i&co% sends her a trin/et of Mrs. 0i&co%2s, she thin/s that he is very generous. He&en returns from 1tettin, having re.ected a marriage $ro$osa&, and 5ibby a$$&ies for a scho&arshi$ at ;%ford. 5wo years $ass. 5ibby enters ;%ford, where he thrives33he does not ma/e friends, but he &oves the atmos$here. 1oon, Margaret rea&i,es that the 0ic/ham 8&ace &ease wi&& e%$ire in on&y nine months, and that they wi&& have to find a new house. 1he and 5ibby discuss this when he is home on ho&iday, and a&so discuss what he $&ans to do with his &ife. 1he thin/s he shou&d wor/, but he says that he does not want a career. He&en runs in e%cited&y, saying that a bi,arre woman has .ust ca&&ed demanding to see her husband. 5his gaudi&y dressed creature 'obvious&y =ac/y, having found the 1ch&ege&s2 card in Leonard2s boo/s( refused to be&ieve that her husband was not in the house. 5he fami&y tries to $ut the sub.ect aside, but it &ingers underneath their conversation. !ha$ters 1+317 5he ne%t day, Leonard comes to visit the 1ch&ege&s to a$o&ogi,e for his wife2s intrusion. 5rying to s$ea/ &ofti&y, he first refuses to e%$&ain why =ac/y thought he was at 0ic/ham 8&ace. Eventua&&y, he dro$s his aw/ward affectations and starts ta&/ing about how, in an attem$t to get bac/ to nature, he wa&/ed a&& night and much of the ne%t day. )ntrigued, the 1ch&ege&s thin/ that he has made a heroic attem$t to brea/ through the du&&ness of his dai&y &ife and to connect with something s$iritua&&y rea&. 5hat night, Margaret and He&en go to a dinner $arty discussion grou$, at which they debate the <uestion of a&&ocating money to the $oor7 they ta&/ so much about Leonard that everyone at the $arty begins using his name as a /ind of shorthand for the $oor in genera&. fterward, they meet Mr. 0i&co%, who has doub&ed his fortune since Mrs. 0i&co%2s death. He te&&s them that he and Evie have rented Howards End to an inva&id and moved to a much &arger home. 0hen they te&& him about Leonard, he warns them that the 8or$hyrion Fire )nsurance !om$any, where Leonard is a c&er/, is an unsound o$eration that wi&& crash before !hristmas. 5he 1ch&ege&s agree to advise Leonard to find a new .ob. 5hey invite Leonard to tea, but the encounter is a disaster7 associating the 1ch&ege&s with an abstract idea of wea&th and romance, he b&anches at discussing business with them, and they have no interest in &istening to his ramb&ings about his reading when there is such an im$ortant consideration at sta/e. fter Mr. 0i&co% and Evie arrive une%$ected&y, Leonard &oses his tem$er and accuses Margaret and He&en of trying to $ry into his /now&edge of the insurance com$any to ma/e money for themse&ves. He storms away, and the 1ch&ege& sisters are &eft to $&ay with the 0i&co%es2 $u$$ies. s &a$sing of the &ease on the 1ch&ege&s2 0ic/ham 8&ace residence draws near, Margaret begins frantica&&y searching for a new house. 1he ho$es to find one before the sib&ings de$art for their annua& visit to unt =u&ey,

but has no success. 1he dines with Mr. 0i&co%, Evie, and Evie2s fiance, 8ercy !ahi&&, and rea&i,es that she and Mr. 0i&co% are beginning to be rea& friends. 1he and 5ibby ta/e him to a faddish restaurant where a&& the $eo$&e discuss s$iritua& auras and astra& $&anes, a dis$&ay which he to&erates with good humor. Eventua&&y, it is time to visit unt =u&ey at 1wanage, and the 1ch&ege&s have sti&& not found a new house. !ha$ters 183** 6acationing with unt =u&ey in 1wanage, Margaret receives a &etter from Mr. 0i&co%, saying that he is moving to a different house and wou&d be wi&&ing to rent the 1ch&ege&s his o&d one. He as/s Margaret to come and ins$ect it. Margaret has a sudden $remonition that he means to $ro$ose to her, but she dismisses the notion as si&&y. 1he ma/es the tri$ bac/ to London, and ta/es a tour of the house with Mr. 0i&co%33who, <uite sudden&y, does $ro$ose. Margaret is overcome with a sur$rising .oy. 1he $romises to write to him the ne%t day with an answer, and returns to 1wanage to ta&/ things over with He&en. He&en is a$$a&&ed, thin/ing that, beneath their veneer of com$etence and confidence, the 0i&co% men are made of ?$anic and em$tiness.? -ut Margaret defends Mr. 0i&co%, and fina&&y acce$ts his $ro$osa&. 1he is determined not to &ose her inde$endence, and thin/s that &ove must so&idify rather than transform their friendshi$. Mr. 0i&co% trave&s to 1wanage at once with the engagement ring, and he and Margaret ta/e a wa&/ together by the sea. Margaret rea&i,es that Mr. 0i&co% is afraid of emotion. His motto is ?!oncentrate,? whi&e hers is ?;n&y connect.? He /isses her sudden&y, and she thin/s that if she cou&d on&y teach him to connect his $assionate subconscious to his restrained, mora&istic e%terior se&f, she cou&d he&$ him, but he is too obdurate to be he&$ed. 0hen He&en te&&s him that she has received a &etter from Leonard, saying that on Mr. 0i&co%2s advice he has &eft the 8or$hyrion for a much &ower3 $aying .ob at a ban/, Mr. 0i&co% re$&ies that the 8or$hyrion is not a bad com$any. He&en is outraged> 9ot &ong before, Mr. 0i&co% had said that the 8or$hyrion was doomed to fai&. Mr. 0i&co% refuses to ta/e res$onsibi&ity for the matter, arguing that the strugg&es of the $oor are mere&y $art of the ?batt&e of &ife.? 0hen !har&es receives the note from his father announcing the engagement, he b&ames Ao&&y> )f she had not introduced Evie to her fiance, Mr. 0i&co% wou&d not have been &one&y, and wou&d not have been inc&ined to $ro$ose to Margaret. !har&es sus$ects Margaret of wanting to get her hands on Howards End, and says that he wi&& on&y to&erate her as &ong as she behaves herse&f. !ha$ters *E3*4 Margaret and He&en discuss Margaret2s engagement to Henry7 He&en admits that she does not &i/e him, but $romises to try to be civi& to him. Margaret trave&s with Henry to Hi&ton, where they dine with !har&es and Ao&&y, then ta/e an e%cursion to Howards End. 0hen they arrive, they rea&i,e that they have forgotten the /ey, and Margaret is &eft a&one on the $orch in a driving rain whi&e Henry goes bac/ to get it. 1he tries the door and discovers that it is un&oc/ed7 it is the first time she has ever been to Howards End, and as she &oo/s through the em$ty house she thin/s that it, &i/e the giant wych3e&m in the yard, is &i/e Eng&and. )t is so Eng&ish that neither Henry nor her artistic friends wou&d be ab&e to understand it. s she o$ens the door to the stairs, she is start&ed to find an o&d woman coming down them> )t is Miss very, a &oca& s$inster who says that Margaret frightened her. 1he thought that Margaret was Mrs. 0i&co%2s ghost. Evie is annoyed and a &itt&e $etu&ant about her father2s engagement, and moves her own wedding u$ to ugust to distract herse&f. Margaret trave&s with Henry and some 0i&co% fami&y friends out to ;niton, where the 0i&co%es have recent&y rented an ancient estate 'which Henry is a&ready an%ious to &i<uidate(. train tri$ is fo&&owed by a car tri$7 sudden&y Margaret2s car sto$s, and the men un&oad a&& the women and force them into the second car. Margaret demands to /now what is ha$$ening, and &earns that their car has hit a dog. Margaret demands to be &et out so that she can return to the scene, but !har&es $atroni,ing&y refuses to sto$33it is nothing that a woman shou&d see, he says. Furious, Margaret .um$s out of the car, in.uring her &eft hand in the $rocess. s she a$$roaches the scene, she &earns that the car did not hit a dog7 it hit a cat. Fee&ing foo&ish, she a$o&ogi,es for .um$ing from the car, and te&&s Henry that she has been si&&y, /nowing that he wi&& cha&/ u$ her behavior to feminine nervousness. fter Evie2s forgettab&e wedding, the bride and groom are driven away to their honeymoon, and Margaret and Henry return to the ;niton manor. Here, they find a trio of scragg&y &oo/ing $eo$&e waiting at the $orch7 Henry thin/s they must be townsfo&/, and Margaret $romises to see that they &eave. 0hen she a$$roaches, she is shoc/ed to see He&en, accom$anied by Leonard and =ac/y -ast. He&en indignant&y c&aims that Leonard has &ost his .ob at the ban/ and is destitute7 she says that it is a&& their fau&t, because they advised him to &eave the 8or$hyrion. Margaret is annoyed with He&en for having dragged the -asts out to the country, but agrees to s$ea/ to Henry about giving Leonard a .ob. 1he as/s him indirect&y, and he agrees to s$ea/ to Leonard. 0hen he a$$roaches, however, the drun/en =ac/y ca&&s him ?Hen? and as/s if he &oves her. Margaret is embarrassed, but Henry seems e%cessive&y humi&iated and aw/ward7 he angri&y te&&s Margaret that her $&an has wor/ed, and that she is re&eased from their engagement. !onfused, Margaret $resses the matter and discovers that 1# years ago =ac/y was Henry2s mistress. Henry be&ieves Margaret dragged the -asts down to ;niton to e%$ose his secret. -ut Margaret is not interested in Henry2s humi&iation and sus$icion. 5his is not her tragedy, she thin/s, but Mrs. 0i&co%2s. !ha$ters *73E1 He&en and Leonard discuss Henry at their hote&, whi&e =ac/y s&ee$s in another room. He&en rega&es him with theories about the conce$t of ?)?> certain /ind of $erson, she says, is missing the ?)? from the midd&e of their brains. 1he says that Mr. 0i&co% is such a $erson, $erha$s the wor&d wi&& fa&& to such $eo$&e, and so on. Leonard com$&ains that &ife is a&& about money, and she argues that it is not, for the idea of death forces $eo$&e to arrive at an idea

of rea& meaning. t &ast, two notes arrive from Margaret, one for each of them. t ;niton, Margaret contem$&ates how to react to the news of Henry2s decade3o&d affair. 1he considers &eaving him, but is motivated by &ove and $ity to try to he&$ him become a better man. 1he visits him in the morning. He te&&s her of his encounter with =ac/y in !y$rus, where the affair occurred, and Margaret says that she has forgiven him. 1he is sur$rised, however, to &earn that both He&en and the -asts have &eft the hote&33she is worried that she may have b&undered, for she sent He&en a very critica& note about Leonard, and Leonard a terse note saying that Henry did not have wor/ for him. Far from ;niton, 5ibby is in his a$artment at ;%ford, where he is nearing his &ast year. He&en bursts in, crying and te&&ing him a&& about Margaret, Henry, and the -asts. 5ibby is detached but to&erant, and agrees to carry out certain instructions. He&en herse&f cannot bear to face Margaret, and so is ta/ing a &ong tri$ to :ermany. 1he as/s 5ibby to give the -asts C,### $ounds of her money, a substantia& $ortion of her fortune. However, Leonard refuses the chec/, and by the time He&en can write to 5ibby to urge him to try again, the -asts have been evicted from their a$artment and have disa$$eared. He&en reinvests her money, and becomes even richer than she was before. s the &ease at 0ic/ham 8&ace nears e%$iration, the house fa&&s into a /ind of deso&ation7 the furniture is a&& sent to Howards End, which Henry has generous&y offered as storage s$ace. Henry and Margaret are married, and go to &ive for a time at the 0i&co%es2 house in London, with the intention of finding a bigger house soon. 5ime $asses, and Henry becomes ha$$ier and ha$$ier with his choice of Margaret as a wife. 1he is c&ever, but a&so submissive, and seems to understand her $&ace as a woman. Margaret, who understands every sacrifice she ma/es for Henry, continues to be motivated $artia&&y by $ity for him7 but she a&so begins to be &ess interested in discussing societies, debate, and theater, $referring instead to reread boo/s and thin/ on her own. 9ow that she has $assed E#, she is $assing ?from words to things,? a moment in her &ife when ?some c&osing of the gates is inevitab&e...if the mind itse&f is to become a creative $ower.? !ha$ters E*3E4 Margaret and Henry decide to bui&d a new home in 1usse%. ;ne day, as Margaret &oo/s over the $&ans, Ao&&y a$$ears with a strange bit of news> Miss very has begun un$ac/ing a&& of the 1ch&ege&s2 &uggage, and arranging their furniture and $ossessions at Howards End. !har&es, Ao&&y inadvertent&y &ets s&i$, sus$ects Margaret of ordering her to do so as $art of a covert $&an to ta/e over Howards End. Margaret insists that she has done no such thing, and trave&s to Howards End to set Miss very straight. Here, the $ecu&iar o&d woman insists $ro$hetica&&y that Margaret wi&& soon be &iving at Howards End7 she says that the house has been em$ty &ong enough, and that Mrs. 0i&co% wou&d &i/e to see the 1ch&ege&s2 furniture there. unt =u&ey becomes i&& with $neumonia, and Margaret and 5ibby rush down to 1wanage to be with her on what seems to be her deathbed. He&en, to Margaret2s chagrin, has been &ived abroad for many months, and her corres$ondence seems troub&ing&y distant. 1he returns to Eng&and on&y re&uctant&y, and when unt =u&ey recovers, she dec&ines to &eave London. 1he on&y sends a note as/ing Margaret where her boo/s are, saying that she intends to return to -avaria at once and wou&d &i/e to bring a few of her things with her. ;n 5ibby2s advice, Margaret consu&ts Henry about He&en2s strange behavior7 his $ractica& mind can on&y suggest that she is e%hibiting signs of menta& i&&ness, and he orchestrates a scheme to sur$rise her with a doctor at Howards End. ;n his orders, Margaret writes He&en a &etter te&&ing her when she can retrieve her boo/s from Howards End7 then she and Henry $re$are to sur$rise her there. t Hi&ton, Henry attem$ts to &eave Margaret at !har&es2 house and go to Howards End a&one, but Margaret &ea$s into the car .ust as he drives off. 5hey sto$ to $ic/ u$ a doctor, Margaret fee&ing increasing&y re&uctant about the entire $&an. t Howards End, they find He&en on the $orch. Margaret sees immediate&y what has $rom$ted He&en2s strange behavior> 1he is $regnant. 1he hurries He&en into the house, and with difficu&ty $ersuades Henry and the doctor to &eave so that she can ta&/ to He&en a&one. Fee&ing as though she is fighting for women against men, Margaret ushers them away, then goes into the house to ta&/ to her sister. !ha$ters E73+# )nside Howards End, Margaret does not as/ He&en to e%$&ain her $regnancy7 nor does she as/ who the father is. 1he mere&y as/s about He&en2s situation33she is &iving in Munich with a .ourna&ist named Monica33and why He&en did not te&& her what had ha$$ened. t first, they seem far a$art from one another, and their conversation is aw/ward7 but as they &oo/ at a&& the o&d furniture from 0ic/ham 8&ace arranged in Howards End, they rea&i,e how much they &ove one another, and agree to s$end the night together in the house. Margaret goes bac/ to !har&es2 house to as/ Henry2s $ermission. 1hoc/ing&y, he denies it> He e%$resses his desire to thrash He&en2s ?seducer? ?within an inch of his &ife,? but des$ite his own e%tramarita& affair, he refuses to &et a fa&&en woman such as He&en s$end a night in his house. Margaret furious&y tries to show him his own hy$ocrisy, but he mere&y sta&/s away. Margaret returns to He&en at Howards End. fter Henry &earned of He&en2s condition, he ca&&ed !har&es to so&icit his he&$7 !har&es immediate&y goes to see 5ibby, whom he bu&&ies into te&&ing him the name of Leonard. Arawing the fa&se conc&usion that 5ibby condoned an affair between He&en and Leonard, and offered his rooms as a $&ace for them to conduct the affair, !har&es &eaves 5ibby in disgust. ;utside, under the great wych3e&m at Howards End, He&en te&&s Margaret the story of the night she s&e$t with Leonard33the night of Evie2s wedding, when she and Leonard ta&/ed in the hote& after =ac/y had gone to s&ee$ and the same night Margaret &earned of Henry2s affair with =ac/y. He&en as/s Margaret to come to :ermany with her, and Margaret, though she &oves Eng&and dee$&y, considers the idea. 1udden&y imagining that she, He&en, Henry, and the

$&acid countryside around are a&& $art of the dead Mrs. 0i&co%2s mind, she wonders whether Leonard is $art of that mind as we&&. !ha$ters +13++ fter his indiscretion with He&en, Leonard is consumed with a $iti&ess remorse that eats away at him. 1eeing Margaret and 5ibby in a cathedra& one day, he reso&ves to confess his misdeed to Margaret, ho$ing to ease his conscience. However, he /nows nothing of Margaret33not even that she is married to Henry 0i&co%33and it ta/es him some time to discover her whereabouts. He &earns that she and Henry have gone to Howards End7 it is the very same day that He&en2s $regnancy is discovered, when Henry and Margaret have their terrib&e fight. 5he ne%t day, Leonard ta/es a train to Hi&ton and wa&/s to Howards End. ;n the way, he &a$ses into a /ind of da,e, in which his e%treme sorrow seems to transform the s<ua&or of his &ife into tragedy. His grief seems to awa/en something great in him. )n the meantime, !har&es has gone to Howards End to force Margaret and He&en to &eave. 0hen Leonard arrives, he enters the house7 !har&es sees him, and, echoing his father2s desire to ?thrash him within an inch of his &ife,? sei,es the 1ch&ege&s2 great :erman sword, and begins to beat Leonard with the f&at of the b&ade. Leonard stumb&es bac/ward into the boo/case, which fa&&s on him, covering him with boo/s. Leonard e%$eriences heart fai&ure and dies. !har&es &eaves, sto$$ing at the $o&ice station to te&& them that Leonard had a heart attac/. 5he $o&ice te&& him that there wi&& have to be an in<uest. Margaret answers the $o&icemen2s <uestions, saying that !har&es2 actions cou&d not have caused Leonard2s death, though they may have hastened it. 1he decides to go to :ermany with He&en, and she te&&s Henry this7 Henry shoc/s her by te&&ing her that the $o&ice have found that mans&aughter was the cause of death. !har&es wi&& s$end three years in $rison. Henry is shattered. ;n the verge of a nervous brea/down, he as/s Margaret to ta/e care of him. Fourteen months &ater, Margaret, Henry, He&en, and He&en2s chi&d are a&& &iving ha$$i&y at Howards End. Henry and He&en have &earned to &i/e one another, and are now good friends7 He&en2s &itt&e boy $&ays ha$$i&y with the vi&&age chi&dren. London is bare&y visib&e on the hori,on. Henry is e%hausted, and sti&& frai& from his sudden confrontation with his inner wea/ness7 he is not his o&d se&f. He ca&&s a&& his chi&dren to Howards End33Ao&&y comes in !har&es2 $&ace33to te&& them that he is &eaving the house to Margaret, in return for which she wi&& receive no money when he dies. 5he chi&dren a&& acce$t the dictate, though 8au&, now returned from 9igeria to run his father2s business, is scornfu&. s they &eave, Ao&&y comments that it is odd that Mrs. 0i&co% wanted Margaret to have Howards End, and now she wi&& after a&&. 0hen they are a&one, Margaret as/s Henry about Ao&&y2s comment, and he revea&s to her that his wife wished to &eave her Howards End. 1he te&&s him that he did no wrong to /ee$ it from her. He&en runs into the room with the baby, announcing ha$$i&y that the meadow has been cut, and there wi&& be ?such a cro$ of hay as neverF?