# The First Waking explained — The Portent

> Chapter companion for The Portent by George MacDonald.

## What happens

Lady Alice awakens from her sleepwalking trance and confronts Duncan, who has carried her to safety. Their exchange reveals her anger and shame, but also a growing trust as she agrees to keep their encounter secret. Duncan, overwhelmed by her beauty and the mysterious horse's sound, realizes he has fallen in love with her.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Sacrifice

Duncan's actions—carrying Lady Alice to safety and respecting her secret—are driven by his emerging love, which he acknowledges at the chapter's end.

### Second Sight and the Supernatural

The recurring sound of the horse with the clanking shoe, which only Duncan and Lady Alice can hear, underscores the supernatural elements of the narrative.

### Isolation and Connection

Lady Alice's sleepwalking isolates her, but her trust in Duncan creates a connection, as she shares her secret and asks for his help.

## Character check-ins

### Lady Alice

Awakens from her sleepwalking, initially angry and ashamed, but gradually trusts Duncan and asks him to take her back to her room.

### Duncan Campbell

Carries Lady Alice to safety, confesses his actions, and experiences the onset of love for her.

### The Narrator

Recounts the events of Lady Alice's first waking and his own emotional transformation.

## Key lines

> Never shall I forget the look of mingled bewilderment, alarm, and shame, with which her great eyes met mine.

I will always remember the confusion, fear, and embarrassment in her eyes when she first saw me.

_Highlights the intensity of the moment of awakening._

> I heard the horse with the clanking shoe, and, in terror, I caught you up, and fled with you, almost before I knew what I did.

I heard the horse with the clanking shoe and, terrified, I grabbed you and ran without thinking.

_Duncan explains his impulsive action driven by supernatural fear._

> Before the morning, I had fully entered that phase of individual development commonly called 'love,' of which the real nature is as great a mystery to me now, as it was at any period previous to its evolution in myself.

By morning, I had fallen in love, and even now I don't understand its true nature any better than I did before.

_Duncan reflects on his newfound love, emphasizing its mysterious quality._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_portent_se/chapters/ix-the-first-waking
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_portent_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_portent_se/chapters