His eyes remained downcast.

He spoke no word.
She bent a little.

"Captain Monck, if you have fever, you had better go to bed." He moved slightly, influenced possibly by the increasing steadiness of her voice.

But still he did not look at her or speak.
She saw that his hold upon the revolver had tightened to a grip, and, prompted by an inner warning that she could not pause to question, she bent lower and laid her hand upon his arm.

"Please give that to me!" she said.
He started at her touch; he almost recoiled.