Then she began herself to sing, clear and sweet.
"A lad and a lass met ower the brae; They blushed rose-red, but they said nae word-- The woodbine fair and the milk-white slae:-- And frae one to the other gaed a silver bird, A silver bird.
"A man set his Wish all odds before, With sword, with pen, and with gold he stirred Till the Wish and he met on a conquered shore, And frae one to the other gaed an ebon bird, An ebon bird.
"God looked on a man and said: ''Tis time! The broken mends, clear flows the blurred.
You and I are two worlds that rhyme!' And frae one to the other gaed a golden bird, A golden bird." She sang it through, then sat entirely still against the stem of the thorn, while about her lips played that faint, unapproachable, glamouring smile.

Her hands touched the grass to either side her body; her slender, blue-clad figure, the all of her, smote him like some god's line of poetry.
There was in the laird of Glenfernie's nature an empty palace.

It had been built through ages and every wind of pleasure and pain had blown about it.

Then it had slowly come about that the winds of pain had increased upon the winds of pleasure.

The mind closed the door of the palace and the nature inclined to turn from it.