Stacy Aumonier's famous depiction of human nature in action. An eight-part series of snapshots, starting with a tramp who feels pangs of envy when he sees someone with a more settled and domesticated life. The focus of the story shifts to this individual, who we discover is jealous of someone else...who in turn is envious of another person and so on.

James Hilton (author of Goodbye, Mr Chips and Lost Horizon) said of Aumonier: "I think his very best works ought to be included in any anthology of the best short stories ever written." Asked to choose "My Favourite Short Story" for the March 1939 edition of Good Housekeeping, James Hilton chose The Octave of Jealousy, which the magazine described as a bitterly brilliant tale.