Howards End

At the hotel, Helen feels embarrassed about what she has done but thinks that the Basts will benefit from it. She tries to engage Leonard in an intellectual discussion, but he feels exasperated. He begins to see differences between the two sisters, and he dislikes Margaret, whom he finds cold and remote. Jacky has told him about Mr. Wilcox, but he is not troubled by this scandal. He knows her past but does not want the Schlegel sisters to find out.

Helen asks Leonard about Jacky and says that she knows their marriage cannot be a happy one. Leonard admits this but says that he is loyal to her. Helen starts to cry over the Basts’ circumstances, and Leonard tries to comfort her, saying that it will be alright once he gets a job. Leonard says that only money matters, and Helen says that this would be the case if it were not for death, which gives other things meaning. She says that people like Mr. Wilcox are incapable of thinking of death and so cannot see the meaning in life. A hotel employee comes in with two letters from Margaret: one for Helen and one for Leonard.

Margaret writes a letter to Mr. Wilcox but decides not to give it to him, wondering whether he is worth the trouble. Her letter to Leonard tells him that Mr. Wilcox will not be able to get him a job. Her letter to Helen tells her that the Basts are “no good” and the Schlegels should not trouble over them. She leaves the letters at the hotel, and she sees Helen and Leonard looking out the window as she walks away. Back at the house, Margaret informs Mr. Wilcox that she has invited Helen to stay the night, and she heads to sleep. She decides to forgive Mr. Wilcox and believes that he can be made better through love and forgiveness.

The following morning Margaret joins Mr. Wilcox at breakfast. Mr. Wilcox repeats that Margaret has been released from the engagement and that he is “unworthy” of her. She says that the affair makes “no difference” and is prepared to forgive him. He is surprised and embarrassed, and he humbly thanks her. Margaret does not believe that his remorse is genuine, as he does not mention Mrs. Wilcox, who was his wife at the time. His affair with Jacky happened while he was working abroad in Cyprus.

Margaret goes to the hotel to check on Helen, since she did not come to stay the night, but Helen and the Basts are gone. When Margaret returns, Mr. Wilcox seems to have already forgotten the scandal of the affair and is acting as if nothing happened. Margaret is still troubled that she has not had the opportunity to speak to Helen and fears that word of the affair may spread.

After leaving the hotel in Oniton, Helen goes to Oxford to see Tibby, who is in his last year. Tibby behaves remotely—eating and studying Chinese—as she cries. Helen intends to go to Germany and to leave her furniture behind. She explains what has happened between Mr. Wilcox and Jacky. Helen does not think that Margaret knows about the affair and thinks that Margaret will suspect her of trying to ruin her engagement if she tells her. Helen asks Tibby to manage a large sum of money on her behalf for the Basts after she leaves for Germany. 

Margaret sees Tibby the next day and asks if Helen mentioned a rumor concerning Mr. Wilcox. When he says that she did, Margaret resolves to write to her.

Tibby sends the first installment of money to the Basts, along with a note promising the larger sum soon. However, he is returned the money along with a refusal to accept anything. Tibby is impressed by this gesture. Helen is alarmed when she finds this out in Germany and instructs Tibby to go and order Leonard to accept the money. When Tibby goes, he finds that the Basts have been evicted from their apartment.

Wickham Place is emptied of furniture and demolished. Most of the furniture is going to the empty Howards End, which is no longer rented out. Margaret and Mr. Wilcox have a small wedding, unattended by Helen, and they honeymoon in Austria. Margaret tries to set up a meeting with Helen while they are abroad, but Helen makes excuses and avoids meeting.

Mr. Wilcox does not think of Mrs. Wilcox in relation to the affair because she never knew about it. He tells Margaret that he has rented out the house in Oniton, where Margaret hoped they would move. Instead, they move to the apartment on Ducie Street in London for the winter with the intention of finding a permanent home in the spring.

Margaret settles into life as Mr. Wilcox’s wife, and she goes out less. She is not sorry to have not heard of the Basts, although she still thinks that Leonard was worth helping.

Dolly comes to visit Margaret, and they go over the plans for the house that Mr. Wilcox and Margaret are having built. Dolly begins asking about Helen, who has now been gone for eight months. It turns out that Mr. Wilcox has not been as generous to his children as he promised. Dolly tells Margaret that Miss Avery has been opening her boxes at Howards End. Margaret goes to Howards End alone in order to repack her belongings.

Margaret goes to Miss Avery’s farmhouse to get the key to Howards End, where she meets Miss Avery’s niece, who takes her to Howards End. Miss Avery is in the house, and she has unpacked and arranged the furniture and books, saying that Mrs. Wilcox would not have wanted Howards End to stand empty for so long.

Margaret tries to explain the misunderstanding, saying that some of the things are Tibby’s and that she and Mr. Wilcox do not intend to live at Howards End, but Miss Avery insists that they will live there. The two of them go on a walk around the yard, and Miss Avery makes some disparaging remarks about the Wilcoxes. Miss Avery asks if Margaret has ordered coal for the house yet, and Margaret says once again that they will not be living at Howards End and demands the keys be returned to her. Once back in London, she and Mr. Wilcox decide to store the furniture at the London apartment.

The plans to move the furniture are interrupted by Aunt Juley falling ill. Margaret attends to her. Aunt Juley appears to be near death, but she manages to recover. Helen plans to visit Aunt Juley but then return immediately to Germany. Margaret imagines that this is because she has an obsession with Mr. Wilcox’s affair. Margaret views Helen as unstable and worries about her sanity. 

Helen writes a letter saying that if Aunt Juley is in a bad condition, then she will come immediately, but if she is better or has died, then she will remain abroad. When Margaret replies that Aunt Juley is better, Helen nevertheless comes to London to get some books that she left. However, when Margaret and Tibby try to meet her, she refuses to give her address. Tibby suggests that they ask Mr. Wilcox what to do.

Margaret and Tibby go to Mr. Wilcox’s office, where they meet with him and Charles. Margaret says she fears Helen may be having a mental health crisis. Mr. Wilcox is not sympathetic to Helen, but he suggests that Margaret tell her that her books are at Howards End and meet her there when she arrives. Tibby is in favor of this plan, but Margaret does not want to lie to her sister. Mr. Wilcox prevails upon Margaret to write the letter in spite of her objections, and they plan to surprise Helen at Howards End when she arrives.