The friendship of little John Armstrong was doing much for him. A
strong liking had sprung up between the two, rather to the surprise of
everybody. From the first John showed a decided preference for Jim,
who was so big and strong and capable, everything he himself was not;
and in the same way the helpless weakness of the invalid made its
appeal to the boy who in all his life had never been ill.
Certainly Miss Brown was right when she said that the silver keys
could open a door of pleasure to the lame boy.
The children could not guess the happiness their companionship gave
him. He listened with eager interest to all they told him of their
life at home and at school, and when they were gone he lived it over
again in imagination. He cherished a secret desire to belong to the
Order, but would not have mentioned it for the world, for how could he
help? He wrote the motto in his note-book, and then for weeks spent
all his spare time copying it on parchment in letters taken from an
old English missal, one of his father's treasures, drawing and
coloring them with greatest care. When it was done it was really
beautiful, and Jim, who was in the secret, had it nicely framed and
presented it, as we know, at the next meeting of the Order.
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