'Well, how is one to know?' he answered. 'If I'm not one of the ninety-and-nine, what am I, then?'
'Do you really want to know?' said the child gravely; 'because if not, we won't talk about it, please.'
'Yes,' said Jinx, in quite a different tone; 'I really do want to know about it.'
'My mother said one day,' said Rosalie, 'that she thought there were only three kinds of sheep in the parable. There are the ninety-and-nine sheep who were never lost, and who need no repentance, because they've never done anything wrong or said anything wrong, but have always been quite good, and holy, and pure. That's one kind; my mother said she thought the ninety-and-nine must be the angels; she didn't think there were any in this world.'
'Hear that, old mother?' said Jinx; 'you must be an angel, you see. Well, little 'un, go on.'
'And then there are the lost sheep,' said Rosalie, 'full of sin, and far away from the fold; they don't love the Good Shepherd, and sometimes they don't even know that they are lost. They are very far from the right way—very far from being perfectly good and holy.'
'Well,' said Jinx, 'and what's the third kind of sheep?'
'Oh, that's the sheep which was lost, but is found again!'
'And what are they like?' asked the lad.
'They love the Good Shepherd; they listen to His voice, and follow Him, and never, never want to wander from the fold.'