that it does not matter whether the two
fishes that are passed over are in one or two baskets, nor how many empty
baskets you pass. And, as Brother Jonathan said, you must always go in
one direction round the pond (without any doubling back) and end at the
spot from which you set out.

42.--_The Riddle of the Pilgrims._

One day, when the monks were seated at their repast, the Abbot announced
that a messenger had that morning brought news that a number of pilgrims
were on the road and would require their hospitality.

"You will put them," he said, "in the square dormitory that has two
floors with eight rooms on each floor. There must be eleven persons
sleeping on each side of the building, and twice as many on the upper
floor as on the lower floor. Of course every room must be occupied, and
you know my rule that not more than three persons may occupy the same
room."

I give a plan of the two floors, from which it will be seen that the
sixteen rooms are approached by a well staircase in the centre. After the
monks had solved this little problem and arranged for the accommodation,
the pilgrims arrived, when it was found that they were three more in
number than was at first stated. This necessitated a reconsideration of
the question, but the wily monks succeeded in getting over the new
difficulty without breaking the Abbot's rules. The curious point of this
puzzle is to discover the total number of pilgrims.

PLAN OF DORMITORY.

[Illustration: Eight Rooms on Upper Floor.]

[Illustration: Eight Rooms on Lower Floor.]

43.--_The Riddle of the Tiled Hearth._

It seems that it was Friar Andrew who first managed to "rede the riddle
of the Tiled Hearth." Yet it was a simple enough little puzzle. The
square hearth, where they burnt their Yule logs and round which they had
such merry carousings, was floored with sixteen large ornamental tiles.
When these became cracked and burnt with the heat of the great fire, it
was decided to put down new tiles, which had to be selected from four
different patterns (the Cross, the Fleur-de-lys, the Lion, and the Star);
but plain tiles were also available. The Abbot proposed that they should
be laid as shown in our sketch, without any plain tiles at all; but
Brother Richard broke in,--

"I trow, my Lord Abbot, that a riddle is required of me this day. Listen,
then, to that which I shall put forth. Let these sixteen tiles be so
placed that no tile shall be in line with ano