Twice he moved as though to buckle the cartridge belt around his waist--shoving aside the black coat he wore, which would have hidden them.

But each time he changed his mind.
He knew that if he wore them he would use them.

The driving intensity of his desire to kill Warden, Singleton, and Slade would overwhelm him if he should find they had harmed Ruth.

The deadly passion that held him in a mighty clutch would take no account of his position, of his duty to the state, or of the oath he had taken to obey and administer the laws.
While he silently fought the lust that filled his heart the secretary came in.

He started and then stood rigid, watching Lawler, seeming to divine something of the struggle that was going on before his eyes.