s now making her so miserable, yet to whom she owed the
greatest joy of her life.

And more!

She thought it would restore her peace of mind forever if she could
succeed in speaking to him for even one brief moment and telling him
what a transformation his guilt had wrought in her ardent love and her
whole nature.

Wolf's representations and imploring entreaties remained as futile as
those of Sister Hyacinthe and the abbesses of the Clare Sisters and the
Convent of the Holy Cross, who had sought her by the confessor's
wish. None of these pious women, except her nurse, knew the hope she
cherished. They saw in her only the Emperor's discarded love; yet as
such it seemed to them that Barbara was bidden to turn her back upon
the world, which had nothing similar to offer her, in order, as the
Saviour's bride, to seek a new and loftier happiness.

But Barbara's vivacious temperament shrank from their summons as from
the tomb or the dungeon and, with all due reverence, she said so to the
kindly nuns.

She desired no new happiness, nay, she could not imagine that she
would ever again find joy in anything save the heavenly gift which she
expected with increasing fear, and yet glad hope. Yet they wished to
deprive her of this exquisite treasure, this peerless comfort for the
soul! But she had learned how to defend herself, and they should never
succeed in accomplishing this shameful purpose. She would keep her
child, though it increased the Emperor's resentment to the highest
pitch, and deprived her of every expectation of his care.

Eagerly as Wolf praised Quijada's noble nature, she commanded him to
assure the Castilian, whose messenger he honestly confessed himself to
be, that she would die rather than yield to the Emperor's demands.

When the time at last came to part from Wolf also, and he pressed his
lips to her hand, she felt that she could rely upon him, no matter how
sad her future life might be. He added many another kind and friendly
word; then, in an outburst of painful emotion, cried: "If only you had
been contented with my faithful love, Wawerl, how very different, how
much better everything would have been, how happy I might be! and, if
loyal love possesses the power of bestowing happiness, you, too----"

Here Barbara pointed mournfully to her poor aching throat and, while he
earnestly protested that, deeply as he lamented the injury to her voice,
this cruel misfortune would by no means have lessened his l