He could not remain all that time without news either; but as soon as I departed from the statement of facts, and began discussing the case in itself, and formulated any theory, he at once gesticulated to me to stop.

But both his interviews with his son had a distressing effect on him, though they did not shake his determination.
After each interview he spent the whole day lying on the sofa with a handkerchief soaked in vinegar on his head.

But he continued to remain calm in the deepest sense.
Sometimes, however, he did not hinder my speaking.

Sometimes, too, it seemed to me that the mysterious determination he had taken seemed to be failing him and he appeared to be struggling with a new, seductive stream of ideas.

That was only at moments, but I made a note of it.