Bye-Ways

Jackals interrupt Desmond Renfrew's sleep as he lies in a tent near his new wife, the celebrated actress Claire. The opening story of Bye-Ways takes their sudden marriage from London's theatre world to a camp in the mountains between Tangier and Tetuan. Claire has asked for an escape from fame and noise. Renfrew's delight in being with her gives way to anxious imaginings, while the sounds and shadows around the tents deepen his uncertainty.

Robert Hichens also explores supernatural unease in this collection of English short stories. A later passage follows a distressed narrator who feels an unseen companion keeping pace beside him in the darkness. What troubles him is its apparent affection and approval, an unsettling response to his own actions. Readers interested in suspense built from perception and emotion will find scenes where private fears alter the meaning of ordinary surroundings, and where companionship itself can become a source of alarm.