To Increase at the Pleasure of one of the Spectators the Number of certain Golden Coins which such Spectator holds fast in his Hands. A curious incident, with a
laughable termination.
O
n coming forward to perform this trick you hold in your hand a little tray either of silver or of glass, upon which are a number of counters, gilt in imitation oftwenty-franc pieces. (Similar in general appearance to sovereigns.--ED.) It is well as a measure of precaution to use imitation coins, for in a mixed audience genuine gold coins might possibly go astray in the hands of some of the spectators. You shake the coins, making them jump about a little, so as to indicate by the "chink" what it is you have on the tray, and you say--
"The trick which I am about to perform, gentlemen, will give you an idea of my profound respect for the property of others, or, in other words, of my scrupulous honesty, for you will be able to judge, from the facility with which I shall make these coins travel from place to place, of the ease with which I could take out of your pockets, unknown to you, all the money you may have placed there.
"I fancy, however, that the trick in that form might possibly not be universally agreeable, and it is my desire to execute it in a manner which shall be equally satisfactory to you all.
"I have here on this tray a number of twenty-franc pieces. Which of you will give me permission to pass them all into his pocket? If any one is so disposed, he will be good enough to give me an intimation to that effect by holding up his hand."
This proposition, which is made merely in jest, invariably meets a general acceptance. It is by no means unusual to see nearly as many hands raised as there are spectators present.
"Oho!" you continue, "my proposition seems to be rather tempting, for I see there are plenty of volunteers. Decidedly, the poet must have made a mistake, and money is not a delusion."
(Supposing that, by an exceptional chance, nobody holds up his hand, you may still make the same remark, speaking à la cantonade. To speak à la cantonade, in
conjuror's parlance, is to make an observation intended for the audience generally, but ostensibly addressed to one or more imaginary spectators.*)
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*Parler à la cantonade, a phrase which has no English equivalent, is derived from the French stage. It is used by actors to denote the addressing of an observation to some person who is supposed to be at the "wing," or elsewhere on the stage, but out of sight of the audience.--ED.
"But, gentlemen, allow me to say that, wizard as I am, or as I profess to be, I really can't make these coins pass at the same time into the pocket of everybody who asks. As I have no partiality in favour of any one, or rather, as I have a partiality for each one of my spectators, I shall be obliged, in order to get myself out of the difficulty, to change the form of the trick. I shall make it, by the way, still more effective, for the marvel shall be performed openly, so that every one may have the opportunity of seeing a number of these coins pass from my hand right into the very hand of one of the company."
Then addressing yourself to a person whose countenance indicates an easy and accommodating disposition, "Will you have the kindness, sir," you say, "to take a handful of these coins?"
This having been done, you pour the rest of the coins on your table.
"I see," you observe, "by the small quantity I have left--pray don't imagine, sir, that I make the remark in any reproachful sense--that what you have taken may fairly be regarded as a good handful. Let us see, by the way, how many you have. Will you have the kindness to count those coins one by one on this salver, aloud, so that all may
participate in the experiment?"
So saying, you draw near to the spectator, and present the salver, holding it with the thumb and forefinger of the right hand.
It should here be mentioned that underneath this salver are hidden nine coins, which you have in your hand. These coins are the more easily concealed from sight, inasmuch as the three last fingers, which hold them, are covered by the tray. If you make use of a glass dish by way of salver, it should be "cut," and of a tolerably complex pattern, so as not to give too clear a view of the hand which holds it.
As your volunteer assistant counts the coins one by one, you repeat after him the
numbers as he names them, so that there may be no mistake, and when he has finished, having reached, let us suppose, the number twenty--
"Very good," you say; "now be kind enough to take these twenty pieces in one of your hands." Suiting the action to the word, you pour the twenty coins into your own right hand, where they mingle with the nine which you had already concealed there, and you place the whole in the hand of the spectator. Nine coins added to twenty make no
perceptible difference. You have, therefore, nothing to fear on this score; but by way of precaution, in order to give the spectator no opportunity to count over again, you
request him to hold with his disengaged hand the tray, which you hand to him for that purpose; you also recommend him to hold his right hand high up, in order that all present may be able to see the effect of the trick. Then, moving away from him, you take from your table a handful of the coins, and count, aloud, ten of them into your left
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hand, replacing the remainder on the table.
"I have here," you remark, "ten gold coins. Will you allow me to pass them from where I stand into your hand along with the others?"
The spectator invariably answers in the affirmative, and you proceed:-
"I beg your pardon, sir, but it has slipped my memory: how many coins have you in your hand?"
"Twenty!" the spectator answers.
"Twenty," you repeat, "and ten which I am going to send you--how many will that make?"
"Thirty!"
"Barême himself * could not have done the sum more correctly. You must excuse this minuteness, sir, for it is absolutely necessary for the demonstration of the astounding fact which you are about to witness. Move the hand which holds the twenty coins a little nearer to me, please. Very good. You are not nervous, are you, sir? I fancied I saw your hand shake a little. No? Then I must have been mistaken. I must warn you, by the way, that you will feel a slight electric shock, but you need not be at all alarmed about it, it wont be painful."
*The French "Cocker."--ED.
Here you take the ten coins between the thumb and first finger of the left hand, which you hold pretty high up; then you make believe to take them in the right hand by the
tourniquet, while they really fall into the hollow of the left hand. This latter sinks gently down, half-closed, by the side of the thigh, while the right hand is elevated and held puffed out, as though it contained the coins.
"Will you be kind enough, sir, to move your hand just a little bit nearer, so as to lessen the distance between us?"
So saying, you yourself move your right hand forward, as though to indicate to the spectator what it is you want him to do. This temps,* attracting the attention of the spectators, allows the left hand, which has drawn back a little, to place the coins in the
pochette; the necessary movement being covered by the coat-tail. As soon as the left hand is empty, it is brought forward and shown open, though without apparent design.
*A temps is an act designed to afford a pretext for some necessary sleight-of-hand movement.
"Very good indeed! That will do nicely!" you say to the spectators. "Now then!" You place yourself in position as though to throw the coins, and say "Pass! Did you feel the shock, sir?"
Whatever be the answer of the spectator, you add, "I was certain you would, you could not do otherwise. That shows that the coins have reached their destination. Will you
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kindly verify the fact for yourself by counting them upon the tray?"
While this is being done, you secretly take one coin from the table, and, keeping it concealed in your right hand, draw near to the spectator just as he has all but finished counting.
It will be readily understood that only twenty-nine coins are found, inasmuch as you only added nine. You make believe to be disconcerted.
"It is very surprising, you say. "Are you quite sure, sir, that you have made no
mistake?" On receiving an answer in the affirmative, you add, "Perhaps the coin fell in its passage. I beg your pardon, madam," you continue, addressing some lady seated near the spectator, and taking up her handkerchief or fan, which you shake over the tray, "I wonder whether perchance the coin strayed in this direction."
So saying, you release the coin, which appears to come from the handkerchief, and falls upon the other coins. This little interlude always causes considerable amusement. In the absence of a fan or handkerchief, you may take the hat of a make spectator, and produce the coin from thence.*
*It has a very good effect to apparently try one hat or handkerchief and fail to find the coin therein, then to try a second, and produce it from thence.-ED
It very often happens that the person who undertakes the duty of counting the coins, instead of finding one piece short (as should naturally be the case from the arrangement of the trick), either by mistake, or from a good-natured disinclination to place you in a difficulty, reports that the number is exactly as you have stated that it would be.
So far from being prejudicial to the effect of the trick, this mistake may be made considerably to enhance it.
"You have found just thirty, sir," you say, "neither more nor less. It could not be otherwise. Well, I will now show you a yet more surprising effect; be kind enough to hold those thirty coins as tightly as possible. Now, even at this distance, I will take one of those coins from your hand, and make it pass again from hence into that lady's handkerchief. Will you allow me, madam? Here it is, you see."
This last effect is a mere matter of course. You have, still hidden in the right hand, the single coin, for which you have had no use, owing to the supposed correctness of the total. You make believe to withdraw this coin, and to call it into your left hand, then to pass it (still all being make-believe) towards the handkerchief in question; and in
picking up the handkerchief with the right hand, you introduce the coin therein in order to let it fall on the tray. The coins are counted over for the second time, and as a matter of course are found to be one short.
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The Multiplication of Money
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