Perhaps it was an attempt at concealing his disappointment. But when Mr Greg McCartney, the solicitor representing the family of Mr James Wray - one of the victims of Bloody Sunday - was asked if he was surprised by the High Court's verdict, he replied: "Slightly disappointed, but not surprised."
Later, the depth of his feeling became clear and he expressed what all the families were feeling: "I think after 27 years of campaigning to get to an inquiry, to be told at that inquiry that your brother was shot dead by a letter of the alphabet doesn't help you come to terms with the grief."
The decision by the High Court to quash the Bloody Sunday Tribunal's decision not to grant automatic anonymity to 17 soldiers from the Parachute Regiment undermined the chances of finding out the truth about the tragic events of Bloody Sunday, Mr McCartney said. He was clearly exasperated, but not surprised that the families had come to London and had not found justice. After all, they had "little confidence" in British justice, but in the end all they wanted to know was what had happened to their loved ones and who had killed them.
Immediately after the decision, a spokesman for the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, said the ruling was "very welcome news for the soldiers", while the Ministry of Defence echoed the sentiment, saying: "We have rightly been making clear that we cannot interfere in the setting up of the inquiry, but as the employer, the MoD could and did make the representations it did. It's very welcome news for the soldiers."
But in the Commons yesterday, the Conservative Northern Ireland spokesman, Mr Andrew MacKay, urged the Prime Minister to issue new terms of reference for the Bloody Sunday Tribunal following the court's decision. It was right that the soldiers should have their identities protected, but he insisted the "Alice in Wonderland" saga could have been avoided if Mr Blair had "done the right thing and intervened as soon as the difficulties arose.
"Tony Blair should end any further uncertainty and issue new terms of reference now. His failure to do so will cause further heartache and fear."