Howards End Chapter 7 Summary

  • The next morning, Aunt Juley has some bad news – the Wilcoxes are moving into a new building across the street at Wickham Place.
  • Aunt Juley, being more – well, for lack of a better word – normal than her nieces and nephew, always seems to be more up on the neighborhood gossip than they are, which is how she found out about the Wilcoxes.
  • Aunt Juley and Margaret worry about the possibility of Helen running into Paul. They decide that the Schlegels must be very careful with their new neighbors. Helen laughs it off, and says that there's nothing to worry about.
  • Frieda and Helen go to meet Bruno (Herr Liesecke), and Margaret and Aunt Juley continue to worry.
  • Margaret expresses a theory (new to the metaphysical Schlegels, but old to the rest of the civilized world) that money makes everything easier – things couldn't possibly get too bad between the Wilcoxes and Schlegels because they are both wealthy, and they have their wealth to rely upon, even when other things fall through.
  • Margaret and Aunt Juley go off on an errand (they notice Evie watching them from the Wilcox balcony as they go). Margaret worries that, between the meddling Frieda and Aunt Juley, Helen might be troubled again by the Wilcoxes.
  • Just in case, Margaret checks in with Helen, who says that it's absolutely fine that the Wilcoxes are there – she's traveling with Frieda for a while anyway.