The silences of the forest were as yet unbroken. Unbroken of the wind, at least: for, faint and far, there rose and fell a monotonous chanting, the chanting of a gaunt, dwarfed, misshapen figure that moved like a drifting shadow from pine-glade to pine-glade. But as dawn broke wanly upon the tallest trees, the wings of the tempest struck one and all into a mighty roar, reverberatingly prolonged: a solemn, slow-sounding anthem, full of the awe of the Night, and of the majesty of the Day, hymning mysteries older than the first dawn, deeper than the deepest dark. And after the passing of that great wind the forest was still. Only a whisper as of the sea breathed through its illimitable green wave. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE BY MRS. WILLIAM SHARP _Pharais_, the first book written by William Sharp over the signature of "Fiona Macleod," was published, in 1904, by Mr. Frank Murray (Derby), as the third volume of the "Regent Library," (of which _Vistas_, by William Sharp, was the second volume). It was reissued, in 1907, by Mr. T. N. Foulis. In America _Pharais_ was originally published by Messrs. Stone & Kimball (Chicago), as the first volume of their "Green Tree Library," and was reissued by Messrs. Duffield & Co. in 1906. * * * * * _The Mountain Lovers_ was published in 1895, in England and America by Mr. John Lane, and a second edition was brought out in 1907. Transcriber's Note: Variations in spelling, punctuation and hyphenation have been retained except in obvious cases of typographical error: "Before they left the farmstead, the (Marcraes -->) Macraes had..." "The old (ilsesman -->) islesman muttered..." "...(Eaiasaid -->) Ealasaid suddenly fell on her knees,..." "For a long while (therafter -->) thereafter..." "...Nial thought of Màm-(Gord -->) Gorm as God..." "...genitive of (nathair -->) nàthair..." "...if _she_ is there (to -->) too." Footnotes interrupting paragraphs have been moved. Italic printed text has been formatted as _text_. End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Pharais and The Mountain Lovers, by Fiona Macleod and William Sharp