“Yes, Geordie,” she continued, “one would certainly imagine that the sheep would follow such a shepherd very closely, and be very sure that his way was always best, and that he was leading them by wise safe paths, even when they seemed thorny and toilsome; but it is not so.  I can tell you of a Shepherd who not only went through many painful dark desolate places, so that his flock might not stumble and fall when they came to follow, but ended by laying down his life for his sheep.  And yet these very sheep do not always listen to his voice, nor follow the safe narrow paths which he has tracked out for them, through the wilderness, to the happy fold.  I think you must both have heard of this Shepherd, Geordie, and little Jean too.”

“I never knew a shepherd except Gowrie’s, and he lost the bonnie lambie with the black face, that used to lick Geordie’s hand,” replied little Jean, with a doleful expression in her usually merry black eyes.

“Ah, but this Good Shepherd always searches for the lost sheep till he finds it, and then he carries it in his arms all the journey through to his beautiful home among the angels, and there is joy among them over the little found lamb.  For it is the Lord Jesus Christ who calls himself the Good Shepherd, Jean, and who has told us this story about finding the lost sheep, that we might understand the better how he came to this world to save us from dark dangerous paths of sin that go down to death.  For we have all strayed as this poor silly lamb did, and some of us are straying yet,” continued Grace; and then, glancing at Geordie’s earnest face, she said, “You have heard of the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to save us from our sins, have you not, Geordie?”

“I have heard tell o’ him.  But I didna just think he was so real-like as a shepherd with his sheep, or that he would have ta’en that trouble for one,” Geordie replied, with a dreamy look in his eyes; but he did not say more.

Just then Margery knocked at the door, and intimated that the hour was expired, and little Jean again began to show some signs of restlessness, so Grace felt regretfully that the first afternoon had come to an end, and she had not followed any part of the programme which she had previously marked out.  There was the hymn-book, with a tune all ready to sing to one of the hymns, which Grace had practised painstakingly on the piano the day before.  But now she found that neither Jean nor Geordie could sing, so she thought it might be wise to select something simpler than she had chosen before, and ended by singing her oldest childish favourite, “The Happy Land.”  It was evidently new to the children; for their poor old deaf granny’s was not a musical home.  Geordie’s eyes dilated with delight as he listened, and he kept giving Jean a series of nods across the table, in case she should by any chance miss the full enjoyment of such beautiful sounds.

A second knock from Margery, this time carrying a plateful of currant-cake which Miss Hume had sent to the children, fairly broke up the little gathering.  Grace felt with disappointment that this first class had come sadly short of her ideal, was a complete failure, in fact, when she remembered all that she had meant to say and do, and all the hoped-for responses on the part of the scholars.