he had placed no obstacle in the way of the late kindling of the
heart of his imperial master, but since his servant's report, from
which it appeared that Barbara was on friendly terms with heretics, and
therefore cherished but a lukewarm devotion to her own faith, she was no
longer the same to him. In Spain this would have been enough to deliver
her to the Holy Inquisition. Here, however, matters were different.
Everywhere he saw the lambs associating with the wolves, and the larger
number of the relatives of the Emperor's love had become converts to
heresy. Therefore indulgence was demanded, and De Soto would have
gladly been convinced of Barbara's orthodoxy under such difficult
circumstances. But if it proved that the girl not only associated with
heretics, but inclined to their error, then gentle inaction must be
transformed into inexorable sternness, even though the rejuvenating
power which she exerted upon the monarch were tenfold stronger than
it doubtless was; for what danger might threaten the Emperor and
Christianity from the bewitching woman who seemed to love Charles, if
she undertook to influence him in favour of the new doctrines, which,
in the eyes of every earnest Dominican, the Emperor treated far too
leniently!

He, the confessor, even knew that Charles considered several demands
of the Protestants to which the Church could never consent, entirely
justifiable--nay, that he deemed a reformation of the Church by the
council now in session at Trent extremely desirable.

Therefore it was a duty to withhold from him every influence which could
favour these pernicious views and wishes, and Pedro de Soto had also
been young and knew only too well what power so beautiful a woman, with
such bewitching gifts, could exert upon the man whose heart cherishes
her.

So, immediately after Barbara's entrance into Prebrunn, the confessor
adopted his measures. Although the conversation to which he subjected
her had resulted in her favour, he had deemed it beneficial to place
a priest who was devoted to him among the ecclesiastics in the little
castle.

To surround her with spies chosen from the lay class was repugnant to
his lofty nature. Besides, they would have been superfluous; for a
short time before his servant Cassian had asked permission to marry
the marquise's French maid, and Alphonsine, who was neither young nor
pretty, was inclined to all sorts of intrigues. She supplied slow, pious
Cassian's deficiencie