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"It used to be told
at St. Edmondsbury," said
Father Peter on
one
occasion, "that many years ago they were so overrun with mice that the
good abbot gave orders that all the cats from the country round should
be
obtained to exterminate the vermin.
A record was kept, and at the end
of
the year it was found that every cat had killed an equal number of
mice,
and the total was exactly 1,111,111 mice.
How many cats do
you suppose
there were?"
"Methinks one cat
killed the lot," said Brother
Benjamin.
"Out upon thee,
brother! I said 'cats.'"
"Well, then,"
persisted Benjamin, "perchance
1,111,111 cats
each killed
one mouse."
"No," replied
Father Peter, after the monks'
jovial laughter
had ended,
"I said 'mice;' and all I need add is this—that each cat
killed more
mice than there were cats.
They told me it was merely a question of the
division of numbers, but I know not the answer to the riddle."
The correct answer
is recorded, but it is not
shown how they
arrived at
it.
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