That Dr. Gemmell disliked or at least distrusted him, Tommy knew before their acquaintance was an hour old; yet that same evening he had said cordially to Elspeth: 

“This young doctor has a strong face.”

She was evidently glad that Tommy had noticed it.  “Do you think him handsome?” she inquired.

“Decidedly so,” he replied, very handsomely, for it is an indiscreet question to ask of a plain man.

There was nothing small about Tommy, was there?  He spoke thus magnanimously because he had seen that the doctor liked Elspeth, and that she liked him for liking her.  Elspeth never spoke to him of such things, but he was aware that an extra pleasure in life came to her when she was admired; it gave her a little of the self-confidence she so wofully lacked; the woman in her was stirred.  Take such presents as these to Elspeth, and Tommy would let you cast stones at himself for the rest of the day, and shake your hand warmly on parting.  In London Elspeth had always known quickly, almost at the first clash of eyes, whether Tommy’s friends were attracted by her, but she had not known sooner than he.  Those acquaintanceships had seldom ripened; but perhaps this was because, though he and she avoided talking of them, he was all the time taking such terrifying care of her.  She was always little Elspeth to him, for whom he had done everything since the beginning of her, a frail little female counterpart of himself that would never have dared to grow up had he not always been there to show her the way, like a stronger plant in the same pot.  It was even pathetic to him that Elspeth should have to become a woman while he was a man, and he set to, undaunted, to help her in this matter also.  To be admired of men is a woman’s right, and he knew it gratified Elspeth; therefore he brought them in to admire her.  But beyond profound respect they could not presume to go, he was watching them so vigilantly.  He had done everything for her so far, and it was evident that he was now ready to do the love-making also, or at least to sift it before it reached her.  Elspeth saw this, and perhaps it annoyed her once or twice, though on the whole she was deeply touched; and the young gentlemen saw it also:  they saw that he would not leave them alone with her for a moment, and that behind his cordial manner sat a Tommy who had his eye on them.  Subjects suitable for conversation before Elspeth seemed in presence of this strict brother to be limited.  You had just begun to tell her the plot of the new novel when T. Sandys fixed you with his gleaming orb.  You were in the middle of the rumour about Mrs. Golightly when he let the poker fall.  If the newsboys were yelling the latest horror he quickly closed the window.  He made all visitors self-conscious.  If she was not in the room few of them dared to ask if she was quite well.  They paled before expressing the hope that she would feel stronger to-morrow.  Yet when Tommy went up to sit beside her, which was the moment the front door closed, he took care to mention, incidentally, that they had been inquiring after her.  One of them ventured on her birthday to bring her flowers, but could not present them, Tommy looked so alarming.  A still more daring spirit once went the length of addressing her by her Christian name.  She did not start up haughtily (the most timid of women are a surprise at times), but the poker fell with a crash.