When you look at Anstey's achievements as a humorist, Stella Maberly is not the sort of thing you'd expect him to write. It's a chilling tale of contrasts: Stella's temperament has been harsh and unforgiving since she was a child, her violent outbursts turning into sullenness and a desire for solitude and quarrelling, whereas her former schoolmate Evelyn is admired by everyone for her generous and caring spirit. When Stella is forced to seek employment, Evelyn hires her as a paid companion. For a while their personalities seem to mesh surprisingly well and they grow closer.

Until a man enters the stage.

This moment, I believe, is what causes the clash and the events to spiral down to the horrifying conclusion. How, what, and why is up to the reader to decide. I adore unreliable narrators, and Stella is one of the best. Is there a realistic and psychological reasoning for her behavior and outlook, or is the story a genuine chilling psychological horror story?

My opinion was swaying back and forth at first, and although there was one particularly revealing sentence that made up my mind, the ending still left a lingering doubt and an antsy feeling. What if...?