Free It Ends with Revelations by Dodie Smith

materials, blankets, towels, nylon nightgowns and negligées swinging in the breeze, inflated plastic toys, hardware … even the food looked brighter than food normally looks.
    ‘I sometimes buy things here,’ said Robin. ‘Shall we go and explore?’
    ‘No, you don’t,’ said Thornton. ‘If I park the Rolls here it’ll get mobbed. Oh, affectionately mobbed, but I don’t want the market boys climbing all over it. When you girls go market shopping, you go on your own.’
    They drove on, slowly because there was much traffic. Interest in the Rolls was as lively as in the Spa Town but there it had been greeted with smiles, and occasional bows from acquaintances of the Thorntons; here, the populacewaved. Robin and Kit waved back and, presently, Jill waved too; it seemed discourteous not to. She said, ‘Really, we might be royalty.’
    ‘Well, it’s a queen of cars,’ said Kit. ‘And you look exactly right for it, with your grey suit and your lovely not-quite -grey hair.’
    ‘You must have a wonderfully clever cut,’ said Robin. ‘It doesn’t at all mind an open car.’
    ‘I wouldn’t care if it did; I’m enjoying myself too much.’ The day, the car, the interest of seeing the town from a different point of view, the companionship of the three Thorntons, all were giving her pleasure – though she found Thornton quieter than on their earlier meetings; perhaps he was letting his chattering daughters have the floor. It occurred to Jill that he must be unusually lacking in egoism; he seldom spoke of himself unless in answer to some question. She felt she ought to show interest in his political career but was dubious about plunging into a subject about which she knew so little. She had no political views beyond a vague sympathy with the underdog – and these days, who were the underdogs and which party their champion? Here, certainly, the prosperous New Town might house more top dogs than the Spa Town. Anyway, judging by Thornton’s majority, both towns had accepted him as their champion. She would have liked to say this, making it a compliment, but felt it safer to keep off politics altogether. Also she found his quietness a little inhibiting. She remembered her first impression of him as veiled. The veil was still there.
    After they had driven through a number of ancient alleys which linked the main shopping streets (the latter pretty hideous, Jill thought, though she gave due recognition to all the survivals that were pointed out to her) Kit said, ‘Let’s show her a bird’s-eye view from above. It’s fascinating, like those old prints called “A Prospect of ….”’
    They left the town behind and headed for the hills. ‘I always enjoy doing this,’ said Thornton. ‘The car likes to pretend we’re merely ambling up a gradual rise, but you’ll be surprised, looking down, to see how steep this hill is.’
    She was. In only a few minutes they had risen high enough to see the town spread out beneath them. Thornton drew up at a grassy plateau obviously intended for a look-out . A modern pay-telescope was mounted there.
    ‘Oh, good, we’ve got the place to ourselves,’ said Robin. ‘So we can hog the telescope. You look first, Mrs Quentin. But it’s best to get your bearings in advance, with the naked eye.’
    Jill saw that the New Town began at the foot of the hill, its modern suburb of detached houses merging into streets leading to the town centre. Then came the streets leading to the Spa Town, with its squares, terraces and crescents. The hill on which Queen’s Crescent was built seemed only a little hill when viewed from here. The whole length of Spa Street was visible.
    Thornton, after pointing out various landmarks, said, ‘One’s apt to forget that for nearly a hundred years after the Spa Town was built, it was called the New Town. Still was, when my grandmother was a child. I suppose one dayit’ll be as spoilt as what used to be the old town has become.’
    ‘Come and look through