"I trow there be not one among ye," quoth the Nun, on a later occasion,
"that doth not know that many monks do oft pass the time in play at
certain games, albeit they be not lawful for them. These games, such as
cards and the game of chess, do they cunningly hide from the abbot's eye
by putting them away in holes that they have cut out of the very hearts
of great books that be upon their shelves. Shall the nun therefore be
greatly blamed if she do likewise? I will show a little riddle game that
we do sometimes play among ourselves when the good abbess doth hap to be
away."
[Illustration
CANTERBURY
PILGRIMS]
The Nun then produced the eighteen cards that are shown in the
illustration. She explained that the puzzle was so to arrange the cards
in a pack, that by placing the uppermost one on the table, placing the
next one at the bottom of the pack, the next one on the table, the next
at the bottom of the pack, and so on, until all are on the table, the
eighteen cards shall then read "CANTERBURY PILGRIMS." Of course each card
must be placed on the table to the immediate right of the one that
preceded it. It is easy enough if you work backwards, but the reader
should try to arrive at the required order without doing this, or using
any actual cards.