told us that he succeeded in doing.

THE SQUIRE'S CHRISTMAS PUZZLE PARTY

_HOW THE VARIOUS TRICKS WERE DONE_

The record of one of Squire Davidge's annual "Puzzle Parties," made by
the old gentleman's young lady relative, who had often spent a merry
Christmas at Stoke Courcy Hall, does not contain the solutions of the
mysteries. So I will give my own answers to the puzzles and try to make
them as clear as possible to those who may be more or less novices in
such matters.

55.--_The Three Teacups._

[Illustration]

Miss Charity Lockyer clearly must have had a trick up her sleeve, and I
think it highly probable that it was conceived on the following lines.
She proposed that ten lumps of sugar should be placed in three teacups,
so that there should be an odd number of lumps in every cup. The
illustration perhaps shows Miss Charity's answer, and the figures on the
cups indicate the number of lumps that have been separately placed in
them. By placing the cup that holds one lump inside the one that holds
two lumps, it can be correctly stated that every cup contains an odd
number of lumps. One cup holds seven lumps, another holds one lump, while
the third cup holds three lumps. It is evident that if a cup contains
another cup it also contains the contents of that second cup.

There are in all fifteen different solutions to this puzzle. Here they
are:--

1 0 9 1 4 5 9 0 1
3 0 7 7 0 3 7 2 1
1 2 7 5 2 3 5 4 1
5 0 5 3 4 3 3 6 1
3 2 5 1 6 3 1 8 1

The first two numbers in a triplet represent respectively the number of
lumps to be placed in the inner and outer of the two cups that are placed
one inside the other. It will be noted that the outer cup of the pair may
itself be empty.

56.--_The Eleven Pennies._

It is rather evident that the trick in this puzzle was as follows:--From
the eleven coins take five; then add four (to those already taken away)
and you leave nine--in the second heap of those removed!

57.--_The Christmas Geese._

Farmer Rouse sent exactly 101 geese to market. Jabez first sold Mr.
Jasper Tyler half of the flock and half a goose over (that is, 50-1/2 +
1/2, or 51 geese, leaving 50); he then sold Farmer Avent a third of what
remained and a third of a goose over (that is, 16-2/3 + 1/3, or 17 geese,
leaving 33); he then sold Widow Foster a quarter of what remained and
three-quarters of a goose over (that is, 8-1/4 + 3/4