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Answer: The individual words Nom, Utes, Sweden and Hurts mislead Mrs Brown because their ordinary definitions do not form a message. Leroy instead studies context. The note is on a calendar sheet, so he thinks about weekdays. It is addressed to Davenport, a suspected robber who would want to know where jewellery was hidden, so the final answer should point to a location. These two contextual facts make the letter pattern meaningful. The story therefore shows that solving a puzzle often requires asking where a clue appears and what purpose it serves, not merely what each word normally means.
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Answer: The writer supplies the essential evidence before revealing the answer: the calendar sheet, the four strange words, Davenport’s connection with the robbery, Nolan’s nursery and Leroy’s question about a fir tree. The solution then uses a consistent rule that the reader can verify independently. There is surprise because “Fir” is not written, but the logic is not arbitrary. This balance between concealment and available evidence makes the mystery fair and satisfying.
