As shortly as possible before the presentation of the trick, the trick
envelope must be further prepared by spreading a thin layer of seccotine
on that portion of the underside of the flap immediately under the seal.
N. B. This must not be done too long beforehand, as it is essential to
the success of the trick that the envelope be used while the seccotine is
still in a “tacky” condition.
The envelope prepared as above, to be laid on the table, behind some
small object, or preferably just inside the foremost rim of a Japanese
tray; at one corner, mouth uppermost, and flap to the rear. Under these
conditions, the butting of the opposite edge of the envelope against
the forward wall of the tray will be found greatly to facilitate the
subsequent introduction of the borrowed coin. Before so placing the
envelope, its edges on each side should be pressed slightly inwards, so
as to make it expand a little at the opening.
These arrangements duly made, the performer may introduce the trick as
follows:
“I don’t know whether anybody here remembers George the Third, I can’t
say I do myself. He was before my time, but there is a funny little story
told about him. One day when out for a walk, he went into a farmhouse
where he found the family having their dinner. One dish consisted of
apple-dumplings, and the question crossed the King’s mind, ‘How on earth
did the apples get into the dumplings?’ He didn’t like to ask, but he
couldn’t get the puzzle out of his head. He thought about it so much and
it worried him so that at last he went clean out of his mind. He became
_non compos mentis_, which is the doctors’ polite way of saying dotty.
“I mention this story by way of a caution. What I am going to show you is
ever so much more incomprehensible than any number of apple-dumplings;
in fact, so extra-extraordinary that if anybody here was the least bit
excitable and I sprung it upon him unawares he might go dotty like
old Georgie. So if any of you feel at all nervous, don’t hesitate to
go home, or you can go and sit on the stairs till this particular
experiment is over. Nobody moves! I am pleased to find that you are all
so strong-minded, but if anything happens don’t blame me.
“I have known strong men; men of massive intellect, like myself, come
here with a smile on their faces, but when they left the smile was
replaced by an air of grim determination. You could see at a glance that
they had made up their minds to find out how it was done, or _die_. They
haven’t come again: so I suppose they died.[19]
“As you are prepared to run the risk I will ask some gentleman to oblige
me with the loan of a shilling, marked, in some unmistakable way. Thank
you, Sir. You have marked the coin? Then please place it here, on this
little tray. I won’t touch it myself at present. All please keep one eye
upon it, the other eye you had better keep on me.”
Receive the coin on the mat, held in right hand. After showing the left
hand empty, transfer the mat to that hand and show the right empty.
Return the mat to right hand, but before doing so turn that hand over so
as to receive the mat with thumb undermost. Just as you reach the table
to place the mat upon it bring the second and third fingers over the
borrowed coin, and under cover of your own body turn the mat over. In
putting it down on the table draw away the borrowed coin into the hand
and palm it. To the eye of the spectator the state of things will be
unaltered, your own coin, now uppermost on the mat, being taken for the
borrowed one.
You continue, standing behind your table, and resting the right hand,
with the palmed coin, close to the trick envelope, and holding up the
two nests in the other hand: “I have here two envelopes, or, to be
exact, six envelopes, for each of those you see contains two more, one
within the other: all carefully sealed. I am going to pass the coin this
gentleman has lent me into the innermost of one or other of them, I don’t
care which, for they are exactly alike, so I shall leave the choice to
yourselves.”
While you are speaking as above the disengaged hand slips the genuine
coin into the trick envelope, closes it, pressing the flap well down, and
palms it, dropping it a moment or two later into a pochette till needed.
“You decide for this envelope? Just as you please. As the other will not
be needed I will ask somebody to open it, and bear witness that things
are exactly as I have stated.”
Leaving the chosen envelope on the table in full view and bringing
forward the other, have the latter opened by some member of the company
with the penknife. Hand the envelope produced from it, with the knife, to
a second spectator, to be dealt with in like manner. When the innermost
is reached, have this opened by the lender of the marked coin: this
apparent proof of good faith tending to make him less critical when, at a
later stage, he is invited to do the same with the trick envelope.
“Nothing could be fairer, could it? You will all agree that it would
have been impossible to introduce anything into the innermost of those
three envelopes without breaking all three seals. When I say impossible,
of course I mean impossible to a mere man. To a magician there is no
such word as impossible, except in the dictionary. In fact, the more
impossible a thing is, the more any respectable magician makes up his
mind to do it. Watch me carefully, please. I want you to be quite sure
all through that there is no deception.
“Now then, to pass the coin into this other envelope.” As you say this,
you pick up the coin mat, depress it enough for all present to see the
coin upon it, and make the motion of sliding it off into the left hand.
This should be done while standing a little in front of your table. In
turning to replace the mat, reverse it and lay it with the side to which
the coin adheres downwards. If deftly executed, this reversal of the mat
will be imperceptible, as it is covered by the turn to the table. Even
if it were noticed it would have practically no significance for the
spectators, who naturally take it for granted that the coin has passed
from the mat into your hand. The moment you have laid down the mat, the
now disengaged hand picks up the nest of envelopes, and you make believe
to rub the coin (supposedly in left hand) into it. This done, you hold
the envelope aloft in each hand alternately, allowing it to be seen that
the hands are otherwise empty.
“So far, so good! The coin has passed from my hands into the innermost
envelope. But I don’t expect you to take my word for it. Will you, sir”
(any given spectator) “open the outermost envelope, first, however,
satisfying yourself that it is still securely sealed?”
It is just possible, though not very likely, that the person to whom the
envelope and penknife have been handed may notice, and remark audibly,
that he cannot feel any coin in the envelope. If such a remark is made,
you reply that the coin naturally had to be dematerialised before it
could pass into the envelope, and it will take a few minutes for it to
re-materialise, but it will become gradually more solid, and will then be
distinctly perceptible.
The outer envelope having been opened you take back its contents, and
under pretext of getting as many witnesses as possible to fair play,
have the next envelope opened by a second person, seated at some little
distance from the lender of the shilling. The last named gentleman is
invited himself to open the last envelope, or rather, the trick envelope,
which you in transit substitute for it. Having already opened a precisely
similar envelope, and found it securely fastened, he is not likely to
anticipate anything different about this one. If he uses the penknife
and cuts it open along the edge of the flap in the usual way he will
naturally hold it with the thumb upon the seal and all will be well. As a
rule, he will be more concerned to identify the coin as the one he lent
than to seek for any suspicious feature about the envelope. Even in the
unlikely case of his tearing open the envelope, instead of cutting it,
it is doubtful whether he would detect the use of the seccotine, which
should by this time be practically dry; and by the rest of the spectators
it would still be taken for granted that this envelope, like the rest,
was sealed in the ordinary way.
It will be obvious to the expert reader that the central idea, viz.,
the transformation by the use of seccotine of an open envelope into
one apparently sealed in the regular way, is one that admits of a wide
variety of detail as to the mode of presentation. For instance: The
procedure suggested for getting rid of the duplicate coin, and apparently
rubbing it into the envelope, is but one of many alternatives. The coin
might be “passed” by the agency of fire, _i.e._, wrapped in a piece of
flash paper with open fold at bottom and flared off at the psychological
moment over a candle flame, or it might be got rid of by vanishing it
into the pocket of a black art mat, or by the use of a black art patch,
as described at page 20.
The critical part of the trick is the “switching” of the two envelopes at
the final stage, but in view of their small size this is a matter of very
little difficulty. The expert will probably do this after some fashion of
his own. The less instructed reader may use the following plan, which he
will find by no means difficult of execution, though it will need some
little practice to work it neatly.
While the second envelope is being opened, get the trick envelope from
the pochette into the right hand, clipping it against the second and
third joints of the second and third fingers, with the “seal” side turned
away from them. When the genuine envelope is handed to you receive it
with the left hand, and immediately transfer it to the right, pushing it
between the fingers and the palmed one, with the seal facing in the same
direction. The moment it is masked by the fingers push the trick envelope
outward with the thumb, bringing this into view in its place. Smartly
executed the change is instantaneous and cannot possibly be detected.
The apparent object of passing it from hand to hand is to have the left
hand empty and so free to take back the penknife from the last holder.
From this point all will be easy, as it is the trick envelope which is
now alone in view, and all you have to guard against is any accidental
exposure of the one now hidden in the hand.
This description may justly appear somewhat long-winded, but its length
is occasioned by the number of small details demanding notice. In
performance, the trick should not take, at most, more than ten minutes.
The introductory patter may of course be shortened at pleasure.
[18] If the performer does not object to the slight additional trouble,
he will find an easy method of obtaining envelopes exactly square and of
any desired description of paper, indicated in the chapter entitled “A
Few Wrinkles,” _post._
[19] This rigmarole may equally well be used by way of introduction to
any other trick of sufficient importance. King George’s puzzlement about
the dumplings is said to be a matter of history, but, I do not guarantee
it as a fact.