And the accuracy, I said, of the reasoner’s guess is dependent on the accuracy with which the opponent’s intellect is measured.
Yes, for its practical value, it depends on this, replied Dupin.
The Captain and his policemen failed because they did not measure the minister’s intellect.
They only considered their own ideas and ingenuity.
When they searched for the letter, they only thought of the manner in which they would have hidden it.
They are correct in most cases because their ingenuity is the same as most criminals.
But when the felon’s character is different from their own, they fail, of course.