It seemed to Philip that she was not gone ten seconds.

When she returned she thrust into his hand a revolver.
It was a toy affair.

The weight and size of the weapon told him that before he broke it and looked at the caliber.

It was a "stocking" gun as they called those things in the service, fully loaded with .22 caliber shots and good for a possible partridge at fifteen or twenty paces.

Under other conditions it would have furnished him with considerable amusement.