Howards End Page #4

- Mother!

- Evie. My dearest girl.

-The motor's smashed.

-Ruth, what on earth are you doing here?

- We crashed the car.

- What?

- Are you going to Howards End? Why?

- Yes.

- How are you?

- It's such a lovely surprise.

I'm fit as a fiddle.

You remember Miss Schlegel?

Miss Schlegel?

Oh, yes. Helen's sister. Hello.

- Evie crashed the car in Yorkshire.

- How do you do?

We must go home. We can't go

to Howards End. It's ten to 5:00.

Miss Schlegel, I'm afraid our little outing

is going to have to be another day.

- Before I forget.

- Thank you.

- There's a German expression for that.

- Aufgeschoben ist nicht aufgehoben.

- Yes. Not canceled, but postponed.

- Postponed.

- Come home with us.

- No, no.

- You sure?

- Please. Good-bye.

- Till later.

- [ Henry ] How lovely to see you.

I've been thinking ofyou.

And ofour meadow.

Here.

The day you are strong enough...

I shall hold you

to your promise.

Oh, Miss Schlegel.

So, to repeat, we have here...

forwarded by the matron

of that nursing home...

sealed and addressed to me...

a note purporting to be

in your mother's handwriting.

And it says...

"I would like Miss Schlegel.

Margaret..."

"to have Howards End."

Mother never wrote that.

No date.

- No signature.

- Of course.

It's a forgery.

Not now. please. Later.

Thank you.

The house was of course your mother's

to leave to whom she wished.

Let me see it.

Why, it's only in pencil.

Pencil never counts.

Yes. we know that it is not

legally binding, Dolly.

We are aware of that.

Ofcourse, my dear,

we consideryou as one ofthe family.

But it will be better ifyou don't

interfere with what you don't understand.

The question is whether...

during the time that this Miss Schlegel

managed to befriend my mother

I don't think it's a case

of undue influence.

To my mind the question is...

the invalid's condition

when the note was written.

My dear father,

consult an expert ifyou wish...

but I don't admit that it is

my mother's handwriting.

You just said it was.

Never mind if I did.

So we are all agreed then that

legally I would be quite justified...

in tearing this up and

throwing it into the fire.

All else aside, how is this gift

to be conveyed to Miss Schlegel?

Is she to have a life interest in it

or is she to own it absolutely?

She may be on her way down

this very minute to turn us all out.

I don't believe Miss Schlegel

knows anything about this. uh...

this whim ofyour mother's.

Mother believed so in ancestors.

She would never have left

anything to an outsider.

If Miss Schlegel had been poor.

if she had wanted a house

But she has a house.

Why should she want another?

She wouldn't have wanted us

to even see this thing.

No.

Your poor mother

would not have wanted it.

- Len, you coming in?

- In a minute.

Yeah, all right.

What are you looking at?

See that big one up there?

It's Ursa Major. the great bear.

You follow those two down

about four times...

and that one there

is the polestar.

- I'm fairly certain that's it.

And they all go round that one.

- They're just stars.

Jacky. stop it.

It's important.

You'll catch your death.

[ Chattering, Indistinct ]

Yes. sir.

When can I expect

to receive that?

Excuse me, sir.

Mr. Purefour's policy.

Yes. yes, yes. yes.

That's all signed.

It seems fine with me. Thank you.

So may I expect

to receive that?

Oh, yes.

All right, Mr. Jackson.

You're all done.

Could you. uh,

complete that?

Yes. of course. sir.

[ Leonard ] "The trees

reared in mighty columns..."

"their tops still radiant

in sunlight which..."

"spilling downward

through the wealth of leaves..."

"dissolved at last..."

"in the darkness

ofthe mossy earth."

"Their color slowly faded

from out ofthe flowers..."

"but their scent lingered

to honey the air he breathed."

There's a woman

to see you. ma'am.

A woman and not a lady, Annie?

- She won't give her name.

- Well. ask her to come up.

She says she won't come up.

Well, then we shall

have to go down.

- Good afternoon.

- I'm looking for my husband.

Here? Thankyou, Annie.

I have my reasons to believe

that he is here.

[ Exhales ] Well, you're

welcome to search for him.

I'm so sorry.

Your husband's name?

Leonard Bast.

as I'm sure you're aware of.

Margaret. are we concealing

a Mr. Leonard Bast?

There appears to have been

some mistake. Mrs. Bast.

I do not think we are acquainted

with your husband.

Oh, no. There's no mistake.

I know for a fact

that he has visited in this house.

- He had his tea here.

- That is a grave allegation.

Yes. to have corrupted

a married man with giving him tea.

I wish we could help you. Mrs. Bast.

It seems you can't...

or won't...

except to have a laugh at my expense.

So I'm very sorry

to have troubled you...

and wish you

a very good afternoon.

You do what you can for the house.

The drawing room reeks of smoke.

Ifyou start smoking too,

the house might be even more musty.

I doubt it.

This is lovely. Annie.

There's a M r. Leonard Bast.

- Oh, no! I don't believe it.

- [ Laughing ] The missing husband.

- He must be brought in immediately.

- The one you corrupted with tea?

- I'll do the host.

- Thank you.

Mr. Bast, come this way.

Do come in, M r. Bast.

Good evening.

Good evening. Do come in

and have some pudding with us.

- Yes. Or would you prefer some dinner?

- I've had my tea. Thank you.

- Have a chair. A glass of wine?

- No.

- Port?

- No, thank you.

Well. do take a seat

in any case. M r. Bast...

and let us know

how we can help you.

You wouldn't remember

giving me this?

-Not as such.

-Well. that was how it happened. you see.

- Uh. what?

- Where did we meet, Mr. Bast?

For the moment.

I don't remember.

It was more than a year ago.

at the Ethical Society.

The lecture was

on "Music and Meaning."

Oh, I see. So the mistake arose

out of my card. did it?

The lady who called here yesterday

thought you were calling as well

and that she would find you here.

In the afternoon. I said to my wife

I said to Mrs. Bast

"I have to pay a call on some friends."

And Mrs. Bast said to me. "Do go."

But while I was gone, she wanted me

on important business...

and thought I had come here.

owing to the card.

And I beg to tender

my apologies. and hers too...

for any inconvenience

we may have caused you.

- None at all, truly.

- I still don't understand.

When did you say you paid this call.

this afternoon call?

In the afternoon, of course.

Saturday afternoon or Sunday?

- Saturday.

- Really?

And you were still calling on Sunday

when your wife came here? A long visit.

[ Margaret ] It was very good ofyou

to come explain, Mr. Bast.

The rest is naturally

no concern of ours.

We are going to go upstairs for coffee.

I do hope that you will join us.

- Annie. pour the coffee. please.

- It's not what you think.

I was

I left my office and walked...

right out of London.

I was walking

all Saturday night.

All night? In the dark?

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