Tales of the Five Towns

...towards Moorthorne, and she had deliciously agreed, he was conscious of a tumultuous uplifting and splendid carelessness of spirits. 'Imagine me bringing it to a climax to-day,' he reflected, profoundly pleased with himself. 'Ah well, it will be settled once for all!' He admired his own decision; he was quite struck by it. 'I shall call her May before I leave her,' he thought, gazing at her, and discovering how well the name suited her, with its significances of alertness, geniality, and half-mocking coyness. 'So school is closed,' he said, and added '"Broken up" is the technical term, I believe.' 'Yes,' she answered, 'and I had walked out into the park to meditate seriously upon the question of my holiday.' She caught his eye in a net of bright glances, and romance was in the air. They had crossed a couple of smoke-soiled fields, and struck into the old Hanbridge road just below the abandoned toll-house with its broad eaves. 'And whither do your meditations point?' he demanded playfully. 159 'My meditations point to Switzerland,' she said. 'I have friends in Lausanne.' The reference to foreign climes impressed him. 'Would that I could go to Switzerland too!' he exclaimed; and 'Now for it! I'm about to begin.' 'Why?' she questioned, with elaborate simplicity. At the moment, as they were passing the toll-house, the other girl appeared surprisingly from round the corner of the toll-house, where the lane from Toft End joins the highroad. This second creature was smaller than Miss Lawton, less assertive, less intelligent, perhaps, but much more beautiful. Everyone halted and everyone blushed. 'May!' the interrupter at length stammered. 'May!' responded Miss Lawton lamely. The other girl was named May too