He thought of his royal brothers and sisters, his haughty son Philip, his daughters, nephews, and nieces; and while pouring forth his soul in fervent prayer for his unfortunate mother, with her disordered intellect, he also besought the Redeemer to free him from the evil of this love.  Three words from his lips would have sufficed to rid him of Barbara forever, but—­he felt it—­that would not end the matter.  He must also learn to forget her, and for that he needed the aid of the higher powers.  He had once more yielded to worldly pleasure.  The kiss of her beautiful soft lips had been sweet, the melody of her voice still more blissful.  It had given him hours of rapture; but were these joys worth the long repentance which was already beginning?  It was wise to sacrifice the transitory pleasures of earth to loftier purposes.  One thing alone promised permanent duration even here—­what he was achieving for the future greatness of his own name and that of his race.  For them he was now going to war, and, by fighting against the heretics, the foes of God, he entered the strife, in a sense, as the instrument of Heaven.  Thus, not only his duty as a sovereign, but care for his eternal salvation, compelled him to cast aside everything which might jeopardize the triumph of his good, nay, sacred cause; and what could imperil it more seriously than this late passion, which to-day had rendered it impossible to do his duty?

Firmly resolved to resign Barbara before his brother Ferdinand reached Ratisbon with his family, he rose from the priedieu and sought his couch.  But sleep fled from the anxious ruler; besides, the pain of the gout became more severe.

After rising early, he went limping to mass, breakfasted, and began his work.

Many charts and plans had been placed on the writing-table for him, and beside them he found a letter from Granvelle, in which he stated his views concerning the alliance with Duke Maurice, and what advantage might be derived from it.  Both as a whole and in detail Charles approved them, and gladly left to the minister the final negotiations with the duke, who intended to leave Ratisbon at noon.  If he briefly ratified the terms which had been arranged with Granvelle, and gave Maurice his hand in farewell, he thought he would have satisfied amply the claims of the covetous man, of whose aid, however, he stood in need.

After the thunderstorm the weather had grown cloudy and cool.  Perhaps the change had caused his increased suffering and unhappy mood.  But the true reason was doubtless the resolution formed the night before, and which now by day seemed more difficult to execute than he had thought at the priedieu.  He was still resolved to keep it, but earthly life appeared less short, and he could not conceal from himself that, without Barbara’s sunny cheerfulness, bewitching tenderness, and, alas! without her singing, his future existence would lack its greatest charm.  His life would be like this gloomy day.  Put he would not relinquish what he had once firmly determined and proved to himself by reasoning to be the correct course.