“To them Howards End was a house; they could not know that to her it had been a spirit, for which she sought a spiritual heir. And – pushing one step farther in these mists – may they not have decided even better than they supposed? Is it credible that the possessions of the spirit can be bequeathed at all? Has the soul offspring? A wych-elm tree, a vine, a wisp of hay with dew on it – can passion for such things be transmitted where there is no bond of blood?”
