“Spade’s thick fingers made a cigarette with deliberate care, sifting a measured quantity of tan flakes down into curved paper, spreading the flakes so that they lay equal at the ends with a slight depression in the middle, thumbs rolling the paper’s inner edge down and up under the outer edge as forefingers pressed it over, thumbs and fingers sliding to the paper cylinder’s ends to hold it even while tongue licked the flap, left forefinger and thumb pinching their end while right forefinger and thumb smoothed the damp seam, right forefinger and thumb twisting their end and lifting the other to Spade’s mouth.”
Hammet, Dashiel. The Maltese Falcon. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1930.
Hammet uses such an interesting style of writing to show Spade’s reaction upon hearing who’s body was just discovered. Instead of showing that through facial expressions he chooses to describe Spade very delicately rolling his cigarette. Is Spade’s reaction shown through the way he rolls? Is there some difference with how he usually does it?