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Which Alice?

Which Alice?

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ALICE IN PUZZLE-LAND<br />

paid seven dollars, I would make a profit of two dollars. Could<br />

anything be clearer than that?"<br />

"No," replied <strong>Alice</strong>, "that seems correct to me."<br />

"Seems, child? Nay, it is!" replied the Gryphon. "So this here<br />

dealer took in eleven dollars—he first took in ten, then gave out<br />

eight, leaving two, then took in another nine, so that makes eleven.<br />

Therefore the dealer would have done the same moneywise if<br />

instead of these three deals, he had had only one customer and sold<br />

the gadget outright for eleven dollars. Right?"<br />

"Yes," replied <strong>Alice</strong>, "I see that."<br />

"Then obviously the dealer's profit was eleven dollars minus<br />

whatever the dealer paid for the gadget. Could anything be clearer<br />

than that?"<br />

"No," said <strong>Alice</strong>, "I agree with you completely."*<br />

The Gryphon certainly seems to know his arithmetic, thought<br />

<strong>Alice</strong>, and his thinking is remarkably logical. If only his English<br />

weren't so atrocious!<br />

"What you thinking?" asked the Gryphon.<br />

<strong>Alice</strong> was a little startled by this interruption of her thoughts.<br />

"I was thinking," replied <strong>Alice</strong>, as politely as she could, "that you<br />

are very good at arithmetic."<br />

"I know I is!" said the Gryphon. "Here—let me try you on<br />

another. You know the puzzle about the raspberry tarts?"<br />

"You mean the stolen tarts?" asked <strong>Alice</strong>.<br />

"Oh, no, not those!" quickly replied the Gryphon, who was not at<br />

all eager to speak about that subject! "I meant different tarts<br />

altogether!"<br />

"Then I don't think I know it," replied <strong>Alice</strong>.<br />

"Well, you see," the March Hare and the Hatter were having this<br />

here tea party—"<br />

"What about the Dormouse?" <strong>Alice</strong> inquired.<br />

"The Dormouse was fast asleep the whole time, so he don't figure<br />

in this puzzle. Anyway, the two were having raspberry tarts with<br />

their tea. Now, the Hatter had three times as many tarts as the<br />

March Hare, and the March Hare didn't like this."<br />

*This puzzle is a variant of a famous old puzzle of the American Sam Lloyd.<br />

34

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