laurence had then been established on the governor 's other hand , making him unwilling witness to the rest of hammond 's performance : a mortifying experience , as all hammond 's too-anxious entreaties and half-apologies were met alike with silence , or responses brief and noncommittal : the governor betrayed by not the flicker of an eyelid his opinions on any of hammond 's remarks , and offered no encouragement whatsoever to his proposals for an exchange of envoys , or an opening of diplomatic communications .