Granvelle, who appreciated and was interested in music as well as in
painting and sculpture, found real pleasure in listening to Barbara,
yet while doing so he did not forget that she might be of service to him.
If she only remained on good terms with him she would, he was sure of
that, whether willing or not, be used as his tool.

Spite of his nine-and-twenty years, he forbade himself to cherish any
other wishes, because he would have regarded it treachery to the royal
master whom he served with faithful devotion. But, as he accepted
great gifts without ever allowing himself to be tempted to treason or
forgetfulness of duty, so he did not reject little tokens of friendliness
from Barbara, and of these she showed no lack. The young Bishop of Arras
was also an extremely fine-looking man, whose clever brain and bright,
penetrating glance harmonized with his great intellect and his position.
Wolf had already told her how much the monarch regarded the opinion of
this counsellor.

The fourth person whose good will had been represented to her as valuable
was the almoner, Pedro de Soto; but he, who usually understood how to pay
homage to beautiful women in the most delicate manner, kept rigidly
aloof.

True, 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