Cover the mouths of two glasses with newspaper, by gumming it on them,
and trim off the edges neatly.[A] Stand them inverted upon two pieces of
newspaper in such a manner that the type on the paper over the glasses
fairly corresponds with that on the paper on the table. Make two cones
of newspaper to fit closely over each glass. Unobserved by the company,
place a penny under the glass on your left, which will of course be
concealed by the paper on the mouth of the glass. Then borrow a penny,
and, placing the cone over the glass on your right, lift the latter
covered by the former from the table; lay the borrowed penny on the
newspaper, and cover with the glass and cone. You call attention to the
fact that there is nothing under the other glass, and you then cover it
with the second cone. You now tell the company that at your word of
command the penny will leave one glass and travel invisibly over the
table to the other glass. You lift the cone from the glass on your
right, under which the borrowed penny was placed, and the coin is not to
be seen. Then, lifting both the cone and glass together on your left,
the concealed penny is brought into view. You now announce your
intention of sending the penny back. Place the covered glass over the
penny and replace the cover over the glass on your right. "One, two,
three--go!" you exclaim and, lifting the cone off the glass on your
left, the penny under it appears to have disappeared, and on removing
the other glass, still covered by the cone, the borrowed penny will once
more be seen. This trick can be worked with one glass only and the penny
made to appear to drop through the table in your hand placed under the
latter ready to catch it (the penny, of course, being already palmed in
your hand); but the use of two glasses makes the trick more effective,
and it can be repeated many times without fear of detection. The paper
upon which the glasses stand can, of course, be examined; but the
glasses when removed from the paper must be covered with the cones, or
the paper cover on the mouth of each will be seen.
[A] This piece of apparatus neatly constructed can be obtained at a
trifling cost at any of Messrs. Hamley Bros.' Conjuring Depots, London.