Howards End (1992) | Margaret Schlegel meeting Ruth Wilcox

oh please show her in. I'm so sorry. why? miss Schlegel. how kind of you to call. I've wanted to for ever so long. but we haven't been here for ever so long. mrs. Wilcox. um may I? you see uh all that business last summer at Howard's End oh no it goes further than that. since we met at Speyer. do you remember? that restored cathedral that we all hated so. what I remember principally about Speyer was the great pleasure of meeting you miss Schlegel. Helen's gone to Germany. and Paul's gone to Nigeria. so you see now we could meet because they can't. it's no use beating about the bush. what happened in the summer was unfortunate for both of them. don't you feel? because I'm sure you think the same way because they should not meet. yes I feel that. they belong to types that can fall in love but can't live together. I'm afraid that in nine cases out of ten nature pulls one way and human nature the other. I do rattle on. I'm afraid I shall tire you out in no time. it is true I am not particularly well just today. but I'm so grateful for your visit. miss Schlegel you see I'm quite alone. my husband and daughter have gone off on a motoring tour in Yorkshire. and the young couple are on their honeymoon. Charles and Dolly. oh may I see how lovely. they've gone to Naples. I can hardly imagine my Charles in Naples. doesn't he like traveling? oh yes he likes travel. but he does see through foreigners so what he would enjoy most is a motor tour through England. Charles takes after me. miss Schlegel he truly loves England. not of course London. none of us love London. it's so it makes one feel so unstable. impermanent. with houses being torn down on all sides. including in the foreseeable future ours. are you having to leave Wycombe Place? yes in 18 months or so when the lease expires. have you been there long? all our lives. we were born there. oh that is monstrous. oh I do pity you. from the bottom of my heart I had no idea this thing was hanging over you. how dreadful. oh you poor poor girls. well of course we are fond of the house but it is an ordinary London house. we shall easily find another. no not in this world. not the house that you were born in. you'll never find that again. poor poor girls. Howard's end was almost pulled down once. it would have killed me. it's my house you know. it was left to me by my brother who died out in India. I love it so. I even resisted when Henry, my husband wanted to make changes to improve the property. he knew best of course. we even have a garage. to the west of the house. just beyond the chestnut tree. in the paddock where the pony used to be. where's the pony gone? oh dead. ever so long ago.