# III: We Compare Notes explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by J. Sheridan Le Fanu.

## What happens

The narrator and the mysterious young stranger, Carmilla, share their mutual visions of each other from twelve years ago, deepening their strange bond. The household discusses the arrival of the carriage and its ominous attendants, while Carmilla exhibits a mix of attraction and repulsion, insisting on locking her door at night due to a fear of robbers.

## Themes in this chapter

### Supernatural and the Uncanny

The shared prophetic dreams and the strange, unsettling recognition between the narrator and Carmilla evoke a supernatural connection.

### Love and Sacrifice

The intense, immediate bond and fondness between the narrator and Carmilla, with hints of romantic attraction and emotional vulnerability.

## Character check-ins

### Carmilla

The beautiful young stranger who shares a prophetic dream with the narrator; she is languid, engaging, and insists on locking her door at night.

### Mademoiselle De Lafontaine

One of the ladies present; she describes a hideous black woman in the carriage and advises against approaching Carmilla too soon.

### Madame Paradon

Also present as Madame Perrodon; she tends to Carmilla and shares her favorable impressions of the stranger.

## Key lines

> Twelve years ago, I saw your face in a dream, and it has haunted me ever since.

Carmilla reveals that she dreamed of the narrator twelve years ago and has never forgotten her face.

_This establishes the supernatural connection between the two characters._

> I am haunted with a terror of robbers. Our house was robbed once, and two servants murdered, so I always lock my door.

Carmilla explains her fear of robbers and her habit of locking her door, citing a past robbery and murder.

_This foreshadows Carmilla's secretive nature and potential danger._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/iii-we-compare-notes
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_31_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters