THE INN IN THE VALLEY. By Katherine Pleydell- Bouverie. (Heinemann.
6s.)—The Ilurons—two .brothers and two sisters—are the fourth generation of their family to carry on the fluctuating fortunes of The House of Joys' at Sabrats, a tourist village in the Pyrenees. An ancient feud with the Hurons causes Philippe Sardorre to open a rival inn, to the disgust of Hortense Huron, whose whole heart is in her business, but to the delight of her brother Michel, who, a mountaineer, delights in battle. The warfare between the two families waxes warm enough, and fuel is added to it by Andre Huron's seduction of Sardorre's daughter. The Sar- dorres are defeated by the Hurons, against whom, however, Nature now enters the lists, The House of Joys' being destroyed by a violent storm. The story is full of incident. But it derives its main charm from its quiet description and portraiture, and from the distinction of its literary style.
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