--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That first second was long and confusing…" description: "\"“That first second was long and confusing. The second, when it finally came, was sudden. The figure froze . . . swiveled . . . rose . . . and I knew. M..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/diane-setterfield-1008_foxes_that-first-second-was-long-and-confusing_2271015.jpg" --- # That first second was long and confusing. The second, when… ![“That first second was long and confusing. The second, when it finally came, was sudden. The figure froze . . . swiveled . . . rose . . . and I knew. Miss Winter’s eyes. Brilliant, supernatural green. But not Miss Winter’s face. A patchwork of scarred and mottled flesh, crisscrossed by crevices…” quote by Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/diane-setterfield-1008_foxes_that-first-second-was-long-and-confusing_2271015.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/diane-setterfield-1008_foxes_that-first-second-was-long-and-confusing_2271015.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/diane-setterfield-1008_foxes_that-first-second-was-long-and-confusing_2271015.jpg) > ““That first second was long and confusing. The second, when it finally came, was sudden. The figure froze . . . swiveled . . . rose . . . and I knew. Miss Winter’s eyes. Brilliant, supernatural green. But not Miss Winter’s face. A patchwork of scarred and mottled flesh, crisscrossed by crevices deeper than age could make. Two uneven dumplings of cheeks. Lopsided lips, one half a perfect bow that told of former beauty, the other a twisted graft of white flesh. Emmeline! Miss Winter’s twin! Alive, and living in this house! My mind was in turmoil; blood was pounding in my ears; shock paralyzed me. She stared at me unblinking, and I realized she was less startled than I was. But still, she seemed to be under the same spell as me. We were both cast into immobility. She was the first to recover. In an urgent gesture she raised a dark, soil-covered hand toward me and, in a hoarse voice, rasped a string of senseless sounds. Bewilderment slowed my responses; I could not even stammer her name before she turned and hurried away, leaning forward, shoulders hunched. From out of the shadows emerged the cat. He stretched calmly and, ignoring me, took himself off after her. They disappeared under the arch and I was alone. Me and a patch of churned-up soil. Foxes indeed.”” [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A sudden, shocking revelation of a twin’s grotesque appearance triggers fear, awe, and a shared paralysis in a haunted setting. **In simple terms:** Seeing a terrifying twin causes shock and a strange bond. Key Takeaway Recognize fear and seek clarity. Themes shock family identity supernatural paralysis Mood fearful curious tense Type literary horror dramatic When to use this quote - haunted house - family reunion - unexpected encounter - survival - emotional shock Key Concepts twin appearance psychology survival Questions to Reflect On - How does confronting a distorted reflection change self perception? - What does the twin symbolize? A Different Perspective The description may exaggerate horror for effect, limiting realism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Foxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foxes/) [Miss Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miss-winter-1884080/) [Shadows Emerged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shadows-emerged-5263143/) [Startled Spell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startled-spell-5263142/) [Winter Twin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winter-twin-2503936/) ## Related quotes > [“stood with my hand on the handle of the third door. The rule of three, Miss Winter had said. But I wasn’t in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/stood-with-my-hand-on-the-handle-of-the-third-door-the-rule-of-three/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“As we drove into Harrow-gate, the atmosphere in the car was heavy with Miss Winter’s oppressive silence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/as-we-drove-into-harrow-gate-the-atmosphere-in-the-car-was-heavy-with/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“But there was more. Did she know I had noticed? I had made no outward sign. But I had noticed. Today Miss Winter had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/but-there-was-more-did-she-know-i-had-noticed-i-had-made-no-outward/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“Miss Winter restored to me the virginal qualities of the novice reader, and then with her stories she ravished me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/miss-winter-restored-to-me-the-virginal-qualities-of-the-novice/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“The captain said I could stay here for a while. Sorry for trying to kill you this winter. I was the one with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/the-captain-said-i-could-stay-here-for-a-while-sorry-for-trying-to/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [I've built a tree house; because of my architectural training, it's heavily over-designed, with an oriel window sticking out of it and flying foxes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-wise/i-ve-built-a-tree-house-because-of-my-architectural-training-it-s/) [Greg Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-wise/) > [“You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/you-are-not-at-all-like-my-rose-he-said-as-yet-you-are-nothing-no-one/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Calling Michelle 'Obama Barack's baby mama?' Tell me, is that acceptable? But the Obamas aren't the only targets. Fox's pattern of race-baiting and fear-mongering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/calling-michelle-obama-barack-s-baby-mama-tell-me-is-that-acceptable/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [ The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with \[women\] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/the-only-thing-is-that-ordinarily-when-i-do-dance-with-women-they/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [Old foxes want no tutors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/old-foxes-want-no-tutors/) [Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/) > [New Rule: There is no devil, so stop blaming your screw-ups on him. Last week, one of the biggest evangelical leaders in America, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-there-is-no-devil-so-stop-blaming-your-screw-ups-on-him-last/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“Man is the Reasoning Animal. Such is the claim. I think it is open to dispute. Indeed, my experiments have proven to me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/man-is-the-reasoning-animal-such-is-the-claim-i-think-it-is-open-to/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [People realized that they could come on Fox News Sunday, and they would be well and fairly treated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-hume/people-realized-that-they-could-come-on-fox-news-sunday-and-they/) [Brit Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-hume/) > [I did not support Operation Desert Fox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-did-not-support-operation-desert-fox/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [Perhaps the most important reason to be skeptical of government inflation numbers is that the government, like a fox campaigning to guard a hen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/perhaps-the-most-important-reason-to-be-skeptical-of-government/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) ## More by Diane Setterfield > [“They are more real than the books on the shelves, books that are sketched with the barest hint of a line here and there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/they-are-more-real-than-the-books-on-the-shelves-books-that-are/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“Margaret Lea.” “The biographer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/margaret-lea-the-biographer/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“He was the first of my ghosts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/he-was-the-first-of-my-ghosts/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“It was like living entirely inside a book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/it-was-like-living-entirely-inside-a-book/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“Then something rang a bell in his mind. What”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/then-something-rang-a-bell-in-his-mind-what/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [What better way to get to know someone than through her choice and treatment of books?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/what-better-way-to-get-to-know-someone-than-through-her-choice-and/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“I have always been a reader; I have read at every stage of my life, and there has never been a time when reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/i-have-always-been-a-reader-i-have-read-at-every-stage-of-my-life-and/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“Yesterday or the day before, while I had been going about my business, quietly and in private, some unknown person—some stranger—had gone to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/yesterday-or-the-day-before-while-i-had-been-going-about-my-business/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“the Missus stood like a ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/the-missus-stood-like-a-ghost/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“But perhaps the answer is to stop writing altogether, for when I do write, even now as I write this very sentence, this very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/but-perhaps-the-answer-is-to-stop-writing-altogether-for-when-i-do/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [Our clients' faces, with the customary outward paleness and inner glow of the book lover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/our-clients-faces-with-the-customary-outward-paleness-and-inner-glow/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“He felt something move in his chest, as though an organ had been removed and something unfamiliar left in its place. A sentiment he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/he-felt-something-move-in-his-chest-as-though-an-organ-had-been/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [Still in my coat and hat, I sank onto the stair to read the letter. (I never read without making sure I am in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/still-in-my-coat-and-hat-i-sank-onto-the-stair-to-read-the-letter-i/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [I still believe in stories. I still forget myself when I am in the middle of a good book. Books are for me, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/i-still-believe-in-stories-i-still-forget-myself-when-i-am-in-the/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [Of course I loved books more than people. Of course I valued "Jane Eyre" over the anonymous stranger...Of course all of Shakespeare was worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/of-course-i-loved-books-more-than-people-of-course-i-valued-jane-eyre/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) [Explore all 292 Diane Setterfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) ## More Foxes quotes > [Perhaps the most important reason to be skeptical of government inflation numbers is that the government, like a fox campaigning to guard a hen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/perhaps-the-most-important-reason-to-be-skeptical-of-government/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [I did not support Operation Desert Fox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janeane-garofalo/i-did-not-support-operation-desert-fox/) [Janeane Garofalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janeane-garofalo/) > [People realized that they could come on Fox News Sunday, and they would be well and fairly treated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brit-hume/people-realized-that-they-could-come-on-fox-news-sunday-and-they/) [Brit Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brit-hume/) > [“Man is the Reasoning Animal. Such is the claim. I think it is open to dispute. Indeed, my experiments have proven to me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/man-is-the-reasoning-animal-such-is-the-claim-i-think-it-is-open-to/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [New Rule: There is no devil, so stop blaming your screw-ups on him. Last week, one of the biggest evangelical leaders in America, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/new-rule-there-is-no-devil-so-stop-blaming-your-screw-ups-on-him-last/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Old foxes want no tutors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/old-foxes-want-no-tutors/) [Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/) > [ The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with \[women\] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/the-only-thing-is-that-ordinarily-when-i-do-dance-with-women-they/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [Calling Michelle 'Obama Barack's baby mama?' Tell me, is that acceptable? But the Obamas aren't the only targets. Fox's pattern of race-baiting and fear-mongering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/calling-michelle-obama-barack-s-baby-mama-tell-me-is-that-acceptable/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [“You are not at all like my rose," he said. "As yet you are nothing. No one has tamed you, and you have tamed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/you-are-not-at-all-like-my-rose-he-said-as-yet-you-are-nothing-no-one/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [I've built a tree house; because of my architectural training, it's heavily over-designed, with an oriel window sticking out of it and flying foxes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-wise/i-ve-built-a-tree-house-because-of-my-architectural-training-it-s/) [Greg Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-wise/) > [ I certainly don't feel like I have a monopoly on \[opinions\] because I have the job at FOX - any one of a thousand… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-buck/i-certainly-don-t-feel-like-i-have-a-monopoly-on-opinions-because-i/) [Joe Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-buck/) > [ I have to say, early on, to be fair, in the \[Barack\] Obama administration, the Obama White House said that Fox News was not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-have-to-say-early-on-to-be-fair-in-the-barack-obama-administration/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [Donald Trump said he didn't think Megyn Kelly had been fair to him. But he also talked about Fox's response to this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-martin/donald-trump-said-he-didn-t-think-megyn-kelly-had-been-fair-to-him/) [Michel Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-martin/) > [All that I did," she said, "everything I tried to do. All for nothing." Nothing is done entirely for nothing, said the fox of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/all-that-i-did-she-said-everything-i-tried-to-do-all-for-nothing/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I have to say that Adam Levine is truly a daring young man to go on Twitter to bash Fox News. He's so rebellious,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/i-have-to-say-that-adam-levine-is-truly-a-daring-young-man-to-go-on/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) [Browse all 600 Foxes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foxes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That first second was long and confusing. The second, when it finally came, was sudden. The figure froze . . . swiveled . . . rose . . . and I knew. Miss Winter’s eyes. Brilliant, supernatural green. But not Miss Winter’s face. A patchwork of scarred and mottled flesh, crisscrossed by crevices deeper than age could make. Two uneven dumplings of cheeks. Lopsided lips, one half a perfect bow that told of former beauty, the other a twisted graft of white flesh. Emmeline! Miss Winter’s twin! Alive, and living in this house! My mind was in turmoil; blood was pounding in my ears; shock paralyzed me. She stared at me unblinking, and I realized she was less startled than I was. But still, she seemed to be under the same spell as me. We were both cast into immobility. She was the first to recover. In an urgent gesture she raised a dark, soil-covered hand toward me and, in a hoarse voice, rasped a string of senseless sounds. Bewilderment slowed my responses; I could not even stammer her name before she turned and hurried away, leaning forward, shoulders hunched. From out of the shadows emerged the cat. He stretched calmly and, ignoring me, took himself off after her. They disappeared under the arch and I was alone. Me and a patch of churned-up soil. Foxes indeed.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Diane Setterfield" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/that-first-second-was-long-and-confusing-the-second-when-it-finally/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Foxes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/that-first-second-was-long-and-confusing-the-second-when-it-finally/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/diane-setterfield-1008_foxes_that-first-second-was-long-and-confusing_2271015.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/diane-setterfield-1008_foxes_that-first-second-was-long-and-confusing_2271015.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/940/diane-setterfield-1008_foxes_that-first-second-was-long-and-confusing_2271015.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That first second was long and confusing. The second, when it finally came, was sudden. The figure froze…” — Diane Setterfield", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Diane Setterfield", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“That first second was long and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/that-first-second-was-long-and-confusing-the-second-when-it-finally/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/that-first-second-was-long-and-confusing-the-second-when-it-finally/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```