Free format strings?

["Peter Hill" <corwin@...>]

In Lua we have both:
    "abc\
    def"
and
    "abc\ndef"
which produce the same effect.

However there doesn't seem to be a way to wrap long strings *without*
inserting a newline. Tradionally, "\" by itself has been used as a
free-format wrap character for strings. So:
    "abc\
    def"
was the same as
    "abcdef"

Does Lua have such a feature? If not it should.

*cheers*
Peter Hill.