A brother philosopher of mine (says Hanky Panky) has written about
sympathetic atoms of communication. Descartes, as he is named,
maintained that any one could put himself in correspondence with another
so as to read in his mind as in a book, by aid of connecting atoms.
Ahem!
I will now (continues Mr. H. Panky) apply to a lady and a gentleman, to
whom I give each a sealed letter, with the request for them to take the
best of care of them, and not to open them until permission is given.
I have here a pack of ordinary playing cards, which may be freely
examined, from which are excluded all below the value of seven, being
what is known as a piquet or euchre pack.
I make eight piles here on the table of four cards each, and number
them. The gentleman holding the letter will kindly point out which one
he selects. Observe that the gentleman has taken the third pile. I beg
to offer it to him while I pick up the other cards.
I now spread out a set of dominoes on the table, of which I form four
rows of seven each, face down on the table. I part the four rows into
two ranks, separated by the empty domino-box between them.
The gentleman will please choose one of the rows, and then one of the
piles in it. I give him that pile and turn up the dominoes to show that
no two are alike.
I present to the lady a pencil, and ask her to mark one of the three
flowers painted on the board held out to her.
The lady has marked the lily.