It occurred to me that the excited accents of Joy's voice might well be misleading, and for the first time I thought to try myself. Joy had returned, to throw herself down, sobbing, full length upon the window-seat, her heart breaking with the suspense and disappointment. The strain was too much for her, after her hours of hope and fear. I did not stop to comfort her then, but ran to the doorway and stood in the lighted hall there in plain sight.
"Leah!" I called. "Come here, it's I—Mr. Castle. I want you!"
There was still no reply, but, feeling sure that Leah must be near at hand, I started off vaguely in the dark. I had gone but to the turn of the lane when I heard footsteps, running. Then in a rush Leah was upon me, and had seized my hand.
"Oh, Mr. Castle! I'm so glad you've come—but I was afraid to go in. I was afraid I might make it worse if she was there. Who is it? Tell me quick! Is it my own Miss Joy, or the other?"
"It's Joy," I assured her, "and she's waiting for you. You must come at once."
She paused a moment, evidently wondering if I knew the secret.
"You're sure?" she said. "You know that there are two?"
"Yes—I know everything, now, and this is Joy—your Joy!"
She bounded forward, and I with her, stumbling in the dark, into the doorway, to the library. There for a moment she stopped, trembling so violently that her teeth chattered audibly. Joy was still lying stretched out at full length upon the cushions of the window-seat. At the first glance Leah did not see her, but then she ran forward, knelt, and threw her arms about her mistress.
But the next instant, starting back as if she had embraced a corpse, she sprang up and faced me, her eyes opened wide in horror.