Have two cards of the same sort in the pack (say the ace of hearts).
Place one next the bottom card (say ten of clubs), and the other at top.
Shuffle the cards without displacing those three, and show a person that
the bottom card is the ten of clubs. This card you slip aside with your
moistened finger, and, taking the ace of hearts from the bottom, which
all suppose to be the ten of clubs, lay it on the table, telling him to
cover it with his hand. Shuffle the cards again, without displacing the
first and last card, and, shifting the other see of hearts from the top
to the bottom, show it to another person.
You then draw that secretly away, and, taking the bottom card, which
will then be the ten of clubs, you lay that on the table, and tell the
second person (who believes it to be the ace of hearts) to cover it with
his hand.
You then command the cards to change places; and when the two parties
take off their hands and turn up the cards, they will see, to their
great astonishment, that your commands are obeyed.
TO PLACE THE FOUR KNAVES UPON ONE ANOTHER SO THAT ONLY THE UPPER HALF OF
EACH CARD IS VISIBLE.
Upon the lower half of one of four knaves place the upper half of the
second at right angles; upon the lower half of the second knave place
the upper half of the third, also rectangularly; then the upper half of
the fourth knave upon the under half of the third; and lastly push the
under half of the fourth knave under the upper half of the first, and
the trick is done.