Excerpt from The Holidays: A Book of Gay Stories One aim of this series of translations is to present from time to time to English readers representative examples Of the modern French conte, comparatively unknown to those who do not read the language in the original. Another Of its Objects is to use the literature that is popular in France to-day (and therefore probably true to life) as a means of help ing us towards a better comprehension of our Allies, whom we SO frequently misunderstand in spite of closest ties - for what tie can be closer than that of blood shed side by side in a common cause? This collection of some of the contes of Henri Duvernois answers both purposes; for Henri Duvernois is not only a master of his art, ' but he is essentially French both in his themes and treatment of them. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.