Sentence 1: James creeped up to the bar. 
 Sentence 3: He ordered a whiskey and drank it down quickly 
 Sentence 4:  The noise abated slightly so he ordered another 
 Sentence 5:  After a while James barely even noticed there were other patrons 
 Option 1: The noise was too loud for him. 
 Option 2: The noise was too loud for him and he left the bar.