He seemed to be groping around for an excuse to leave. 他似乎在找离去的借口。
Justifying and making excuses may help you in the short term but in the long run, it does nothing for your character or the level of trust you are given. 辨护或借口可能会在短时间内起作用,但决对不可能长久,这与人品或别人对自己的信任程度是没有关系的。