199

Having removed a bunch of flowers from the ear of a startled merchant and a clucking hen from the petticoat of the merchant’s wife, the flamboyantly dressed conjurer calls for silence from his cheering audience before announcing his next trick. Two children shuffle onto the stage, their bodies and faces completely hidden by long black gowns that are tied at their foreheads. Only their hair, blond and black is visible.

‘I’m a boy,’ says the one with black hair.

‘I’m a girl,’ says the one with blond hair, the voice identical to the first.

The conjurer steps forward and says that they are a boy and a girl but at least one of them is lying. He asks which is which and invites the audience to bet on the answer.

If you wish to bet on this conundrum, turn to 245.

If you do not wish to gamble and would rather approach the bar and enquire about a room for the night, turn to 253.