--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a prisoner, I said, in the…" description: "\"“There was a prisoner, I said, in the first cell of the second passage. A fair-haired girl, quite young, quite handsome. What did Miss Craven know of h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/sarah-waters-2758_gothic_there-was-a-prisoner-i-said-in-the-first_1738947.jpg" --- # There was a prisoner, I said, in the first cell of the… ![“There was a prisoner, I said, in the first cell of the second passage. A fair-haired girl, quite young, quite handsome. What did Miss Craven know of her? The matron's face had grown sour when talking of Cook. Now it grew sour again. 'Selina Dawes,' she said. 'A queer one. Keeps her eyes and her…” quote by Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/sarah-waters-2758_gothic_there-was-a-prisoner-i-said-in-the-first_1738947.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/sarah-waters-2758_gothic_there-was-a-prisoner-i-said-in-the-first_1738947.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/284/sarah-waters-2758_gothic_there-was-a-prisoner-i-said-in-the-first_1738947.jpg) > ““There was a prisoner, I said, in the first cell of the second passage. A fair-haired girl, quite young, quite handsome. What did Miss Craven know of her? The matron's face had grown sour when talking of Cook. Now it grew sour again. 'Selina Dawes,' she said. 'A queer one. Keeps her eyes and her mind to herself--that's all I know. I've heard her called the easiest prisoner in the gaol. They say she has never given an hour's trouble since she was brought here. Deep, I call her.' Deep? 'As the ocean.”” [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A prisoner, Selina Dawes, is portrayed as harmless and quiet, yet the narrator hints at hidden depth and possible danger. **In simple terms:** Selina appears harmless but may conceal complexity. Key Takeaway Don’t judge solely by appearances. Themes perception identity danger hidden depths Mood suspicious thoughtful Type literary character When to use this quote - prison environment - social judgment - personal secrets - authority interactions Key Concepts social stigma character study power dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What might Selina’s quietness conceal? - How do authorities label “dangerous” people? 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And at my throat there was a velvet collar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/and-yet-i-seemed-to-feel-my-eyes-bound-too-with-bands-of-silk-and-at/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [“No-one speaks. No-one moves (…). We glide, softly, in silence, into our dark and separate hells”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/no-one-speaks-no-one-moves-we-glide-softly-in-silence-into-our-dark/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [“She loved these walks through London. She seemed, as she made them, to become porous, to soak in detail after detail; or else, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-waters/she-loved-these-walks-through-london-she-seemed-as-she-made-them-to/) [Sarah Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-waters/) > [“Oh, for shame! Nancy, have you never seen Florrie's face in a chrysanthemum, or a rose?' 'Never.' I said. 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The matron's face had grown sour when talking of Cook. Now it grew sour again. 'Selina Dawes,' she said. 'A queer one. Keeps her eyes and her mind to herself--that's all I know. I've heard her called the easiest prisoner in the gaol. They say she has never given an hour's trouble since she was brought here. Deep, I call her.' Deep? 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