Athlyne could not but be glad of even so slight a relaxation of the horrible tension. He stood quite still. He felt that in some way he had scored with his antagonist; and as he was fighting for Joy he was unwilling to do anything which might not be good for her. He was standing well out in the room with his back to the door of the bedroom. As they stood he saw a look of surprise flash in Colonel Ogilvie’s face. This changed instantly to a fixed one of horror. His eyes seemed to look right through his antagonist to something beyond. Instinctively he turned to see what it might be that caused that strange look. And then he looked horrified himself. In the open door-way of the bedroom stood Joy. CHAPTER XX. KNOWLEDGE OF LAW All three stood stone still. Not a sound was heard except faint quick breathing. Athlyne tried to think; but his brain seemed numb. He knew that now was a crisis if not _the_ crisis of the whole affair. It chilled him with a deathly chill to think that Joy must have heard all the conversation between her father and himself. What a remembrance for her in all the empty years to come! What sorrow, what pain! Presently he heard behind him as he stood facing her a sound which was rather a groan than an ejaculation--a groan endowed with articulated utterance: “Good God!” Unconsciously he repeated the word under his breath: “Good God!” Joy, with a fixed high-strung look, stepped down into the room. She stood beside Athlyne who, as she came close to him, turned with her so that together they faced her father. Colonel Ogilvie said in a slow whisper, the words dropping out one by one: “Have--you--been--there--all--the--time? Did--you--hear--all--we--said?” She answered boldly: “Yes! I was there and heard everything!” Again a long pause of silence, ended by Colonel Ogilvie’s next question: “Why did you stay?” Joy answered at once; her quick speech following the slow tension sounded almost voluble.