A few more cheery lines of bells later, it's the latter. Daniel's experience of the last several seconds has been as one trapped in a series of photograph that don't quite follow on from one another. Or as a character in a movie with a bunch of frames missing. If neither of these comparisons suffice, just trust me that he's given up trying to speak and is disoriented as hell.

The extra wine catches up with him, and he starts toppling sideways and has to catch himself clumsily on the table.