{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 109, "folder": "", "text": "THE MISSING LINK\n93\nMr. David Devant) pointed out to me that about\nninety-live per cent of my ingenuity was wasted,\ninasmuch as the same effect, SO far as the spectator\nwas concerned, could be produced by infinitely\nsimpler means, viz.:-by using a glass with double\nmirror partition, when all the other paraphernalia\nbecame unnecessary. You had only to load the\nhinder compartment with the complete chain, and\nafter a due amount of \"talkee-talkee,\" drop the\nloose links into the forward one, turn the glass\nround, and the deed was done.\nThe trick, as a trick, was just as good in its new\nshape as before, but being at that time (compara-\ntively) young and foolish, its extreme simplicity\nspoilt it for me, and I lost all interest in it. Not\nlong since, however, I was reminded of it by com-\ning across the chain and links which had figured in\nmy performance of the trick, and it struck me that,\nin a slightly modified form, it may still be worth\nthe attention of the drawing-room conjurer.\nThe requirements for the trick in this, its latest\nform, are as follows:\nFirst, the mirror glass; and as to this I may note\nin passing that the \"mirror\" is best made of tin-\nplate, not too highly polished, in place of the look-\ning-glass plate which was, until a quite recent\nperiod, generally employed for the purpose.\nSecondly, a length of small iron chain, made up\nof twenty-six links, connected in the centre by a\ntwenty-seventh link of brass."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 110, "folder": "", "text": "94\nLATEST MAGIC\nThirdly, two shorter lengths of similar chain,\nconsisting of thirteen links each, and a loose brass\nlink, corresponding to the one in the centre of the\nlonger chain. The complete chain is to be placed\nat the outset in the hinder compartment of the\nmirror glass, which should be of such a size that\nthe chain nearly fills it.\nLastly will be needed a bottle containing Eau de\nCologne, of which a few drops have been poured\non the chain in the glass.\nThe patter may run to something like the fol-\nlowing effect.\n\"You are doubtless aware, ladies and gentle-\nmen, that electricity is now largely employed in the\nwelding of metals. Of course to produce such a\nresult on a large scale, such as welding guns, enor-\nmous strength of current is required; amounting\nin fact to millions of amp\u00e8res, or volts, or ohms, or\nwatts. I blush to confess I don't know which is\nwhich, but it's of no consequence. If I had ever\nSO many amp\u00e8res, or the rest of it, I shouldn't know\nwhat to do with them. I am only able to manu-\nfacture my electricity on a very small scale, but\nwith the aid of a little magic, I get very good\nresults.\n\"You are also no doubt aware that when certain\nmetals, particularly copper and zinc, are brought\ninto close connection, an electrical current is set\nup between them. The same thing applies, in a"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 111, "folder": "", "text": "\"Now I am going to give these two chains an\nopportunity to convert themselves into that lucky\nnumber, by taking in this extra link, which as you\nperceive is brass, an opposition metal. Observe,\nI drop one of the chains into this glass. See that\nI do SO fairly. Then I drop in the single link,\nand lastly, the other piece of chain. And now, in\norder to set up an electrical reaction, I add just a\nfew drops from this bottle of Eau de Cologne. As\na matter of fact, a little salt and water would have"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 112, "folder": "", "text": "96\nLATEST MAGIC\nthe same effect, but I use Eau de Cologne because\nit smells nicer. And now I must ask the loan of\nsome lady's handkerchief, to cover the glass, and\nconcentrate the electric current.\"\nHolding the handkerchief in right hand, pick\nup the glass with left hand, and raise it a few\ninches from the table. In lowering it, cover it with\nthe handkerchief, and at the same time give it the\nnecessary half-turn. Take out your watch, and\nmake believe to time the operation, remarking, \"I\nfind it needs a full half-minute, to allow the charm\nto work. Time! Let us see how we have suc-\nceeded.\"\nTake off the handkerchief, and draw the chain\nslowly out of the glass. \"Yes. All is well. I\nshould say welded, and I trust you will say, 'Well\ndone.' The chain is complete, and now consists of\ntwenty-seven links, the lucky number. Perhaps\nsome gentleman will verify the fact.\n\"I must tell you frankly that I don't guarantee\nthe correctness of my explanation. I can't say\nexactly how much the electricity has to do with it.\nI only know that if you go to work the right way,\nwhich means, do as I do, you gret the result, and\nthere you are. This experiment always provokes\na lot of discussion. The other evening one gentle-\nman said it was done this way. A lady said it was\nthat way, and a sharp boy (the younger they are\nthe more they know) was quite sure it was done\nanother way altogether. But they were all wrong."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 113, "folder": "", "text": "THE MISSING LINK\n97\nIt is done just the way I have shown you, and if\nyou do as I do, and say as I say, you will no doubt\nproduce the same result.\u00b9 If you don't, well, you\nwill be no use as a conjurer, and you had better\ngo into some other business.\"\nSome less instructed reader may possibly\nenquire, \"But why the Eau de Cologne? What\ndoes that do?\" Precisely nothing, and therein lies\nits virtue. As indicated in the section on \"patter\"\n(post) it often happens that some little bit of\nspoof, supererogatory in reality so far as the spec-\ntator is concerned, is accepted as covering the real\nkey to the puzzle. This is a case in point. Taking\nit for granted that the Eau de Cologne would not\nbe used without some reason, the spectator sets to\nwork to discover that reason, and so gets farther\nfrom the real solution.\nCULTURE EXTRAORDINARY\nThe root-idea of this item must be credited to\nSignor Antonio Molini, the inventor of the very\neffective stage trick known as Le Souper du\nDiable. The principle on which that trick is\nworked is so subtle, and withal SO simple, that it is\nsurprising that it has not long since been applied\nto the production of less bulky objects than the\ntablecloth, eatables and drinkables which figure in\n1 This last bit of patter is a plagiarism from somebody or other, I\nrather think the late Dr. Lynn."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 114, "folder": "", "text": "98\nLATEST MAGIC\nthe Satanic supper. The following is an applica-\ntion of the Signor Molini's idea on a scale better\nadapted to the drawing room.\nRequisites.\n(1) Three zinc or zinc-lined tubes, as a, b, c, in\nFig. 15, ranging in height from about three inches\nA\nB\nC\nFIG. 15\nupwards, and graduated in size so as to fit easily\none within the other.\n(2) Three balls, one red and two white, of such\ndiameter as to pass easily through the narrowest\ntube. Two smaller balls, one red and one white,\nabout half an inch in diameter.\n(3) A box of matches."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 115, "folder": "", "text": "and gentlemen, what a lot of hints I get from dif-\nferent people for the improvement of my enter-\ntainment. If I were to adopt them all, I have no"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 116, "folder": "", "text": "100\nLATEST MAGIC\ndoubt it would be very fine indeed. The worst of\nit is that it would take a year or two to try them,\nSO for the present I am obliged to leave things as\nthey are.\n\"You will observe that I have here three tubes\"\n(showing No. 1 and passing wand through it to\nprove it is empty), \"quite ordinary tubes, with a\nhole at each end, and nothing at all between. I\ndon't suppose you would notice anything to object\nto about them, but some people are so very par-\nticular. A gentleman who said he had an artistic\neye (I don't know which eye it was) said to me,\n'Look here, Professor, that trick of yours would be\never SO much better if you had all those tubes the\nsame size. That lot looks as if you had picked\nthem up at a jumble sale.'\u00b9 I explained to him,\nkindly but firmly, that there was a special reason\nfor having the three tubes of different sizes;\nnamely, that by so doing it was made possible\"\n(suiting the action to the word) \"to pass this one\n(No. 1) over this other (No. 2): ; and this again\nover the smallest one, thereby saving much space\nin packing. He said, \"Never mind, you take my\ntip and make 'em all the same size.' I dare say\nhe was right, but I haven't had time to do it yet.\"\nDuring this little harangue, which appears to be\nmere \"spoof,\" you have practically worked the\ntrick. Suiting the action to the word, you have\npassed the largest tube No. 1 over No. 2 and lifted\n1 Rummage,"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 117, "folder": "", "text": "CULTURE EXTRAORDINARY\n101\nit off again. In its downward movement the tube\npasses over the little hook on No. 2; but in lifting\nit off again its upper edge comes within the outer\narm of the hook, and carries this off with the ball\nattached to it, leaving tube No. 2 empty. The lat-\nter, shown empty accordingly, is passed over No.\n3 and carries off its load in the same way.\nYou have thus proved (!) in the most convincing\nway that all three tubes are empty, though as\na matter of fact No. 3 is the only one in that con-\ndition, Nos. 1 and 2 each containing a suspended\nball.\nThe patter from this point may vary according\nto the fancy of the performer. If he has the knack\nof producing the appropriate combination of fact\nand fiction, it is preferable that he should do SO for\nhimself. As I have elsewhere remarked, bor-\nrowed patter rarely comes SO \"trippingly on the\ntongue\" as that of which the performer can say\nwith, let us hope, undue depreciation of his merits,\n\"a poor thing, but mine own.\"\nThe fable with which I should myself introduce\nthe trick would run somewhat as follows:\n\"You have all heard, ladies and gentlemen, of\nintensive culture, gooseberries grown while you\nwait, and that sort of thing. It is done by enclos-\ning the seed, or the young plant, in a confined space\nand keeping it warm and comfy. It has always\nseemed to me that there is a good deal of magic\nabout the process, and I thought I would like to"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 118, "folder": "", "text": "102\nLATEST MAGIC\ntry it myself, but it would be no good my trying\nto grow vegetables. I shouldn't have room to\ngrow more than one radish, or one spring onion\nat a time, which would hardly be worth while. I\nfinally decided to grow a few billiard balls, for use\nin my entertainment, and I'll show you how it's\ndone.\n\"You must please imagine that these three tubes\nare three hothouses on the new system.\" (Picks\nup and exhibits one of the little white balls.) \"Of\ncourse everything has to be raised from seed in the\nfirst instance, but it would take too long to show\nyou the whole process from the beginning, SO we\nwill start with this little ball, grown from seed last\nnight. In its present condition it is too small to\nbe of any use, but by means of my intensive cul-\nture we can soon make it grow larger. I will drop\nit into No. 1 forcing house.\"\nPerformer shows little ball in right hand and\nmakes believe to transfer it to the left, in reality\nrolling it, as in the well-known \"Cups and Balls\"\ntrick, between the roots of the second and third\nfingers. The left hand, held above tube No. 1,\nmakes the movement of crumbling an imaginary\nball into it. \"Now we will plant another in the\nsame way.\"\nYou pick up apparently another little white ball,\nbut in reality the same; which has remained in the\nright hand. Now, however, it will be well to vary\nthe sleight used, so you show the ball between the"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 119, "folder": "", "text": "CULTURE EXTRAORDINARY\n103\nsecond finger and thumb of the left hand, and\napparently take it back by means of the pincette\nor tourniquet; then professedly dropping it into\nthe second tube.\n\"And now, to complete the set, we shall have to\ngrow a red ball. Here is a seedling of that col-\nour.\" You pick up the little red ball, and make\nbelieve to pass it after the same fashion into the\nthird tube.\n\"And now to supply the heat. We do not need\nmuch, the space being SO confined. I find that even\nthe flame of a match is sufficient.\"\nYou strike a match and move the flame round\nand round within the top of the larger tube till the\nthread catches fire and releases the ball. Should\nthis be heard to drop, you account for it by remark-\ning \"I dare say you noticed a little explosion.\nThat is caused by the sudden radio-activity of the\ncomponent atoms re-arranging themselves in the\nexpanded form.\" You raise the tube and show\nthe ball: then go through the same process with\nthe second tube. Under cover of raising this tube\nto show the ball, you get the large red ball from the\nvest into the left hand and palm it.\n\"Perhaps you would like to watch the progress\na little more closely.\" You pick up the third tube\nand place it upright on the palm of the left hand,\nin so doing introducing the palmed ball from\nbelow, and advance with it to the company.\n\"The red balls are especially sensitive to heat."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 120, "folder": "", "text": "104\nLATEST MAGIC\nEven the warmth of the breath is generally enough\nfor these. Anyhow, we will try.\" You breathe\ninto the tube, and lifting it show the ball, then\noffering both tube and ball for inspection.\nIt will hardly be necessary to point out to the\nacute reader that the alteration of procedure in\nthe case of the last tube is rendered necessary; first,\nby the fact that the tube up to that point contains\nno ball, and secondly in order to avoid the difficulty\nof striking a match with the right hand only, the\nleft being otherwise occupied.\nThe trick may appropriately be followed by the\nexhibition of a few of the usual ball sleights. If\nit is worked on a \"black art\" table it may be\nbrought to an effective close by the \"dematerialisa-\ntion,\" in succession, of the three balls.\nTHE BOUNDING BEANS\nThis is another application of the principle\nintroduced by Signor Molini and utilised in the\ntrick last described.\nThe requisites for the trick are as follows:\n(1) Mirror glass; at the outset, empty.\n(2) Two tubes of cardboard, sheet brass, or zinc,\nas A and B in Fig. 17. The height and width of\nA are about 31/2 and 21/2 inches respectively. B is\na little taller, but a trifle less in diameter.\n(3) A third tube, C, with its lower edge turned\ninward an eighth of an inch all around. This tube"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 121, "folder": "", "text": "is a little shorter than A, and in diameter a trifle\nsmaller than B, which must pass easily over it.\nAttached to either side of its upper edge, outside,\nare soldered two little wire hooks, the points on the\noutside directed downwards.\n(4) A coil of paper ribbon, of such size as to fit\nclosely\ninto\nthe\nlower\nend\nof\nC,\nand\nforming,\nwhen\nA\nB\nc\nFig. 17\nso placed, a temporary bottom to it. The inner\nend of the coil must be drawn up an inch or so,\nso as to form a little cone in the centre.\n(5) A similar coil unwound into a loose mass\nof paper ribbon.\n(6) About three-quarters of a pint of haricot\nbeans. Of these a sufficient number must be"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 122, "folder": "", "text": "106\nLATEST MAGIC\nThe remainder are to be brought forward on some\nsort of tray.\u00b9\nC loaded as last described, is to be placed\nwithin B.\nThe trick may be introduced as follows:\n\"Most of you, I dare say, have seen the little\nnatural curiosity known as the Jumping Bean.\nTo all appearance these are just like other beans;\nbut if you spread a dozen or SO of them on the\ntable and watch them carefully, you presently see\none or more of them turn over, or even make a little\njump. A young and lively bean will sometimes\nhop as far as half an inch.\n\"Scientific gentlemen tell us that their agility is\ncaused by a little insect inside the bean. When\nhe wags his tail, or scratches himself with his hind\nleg, it causes the bean to turn over, or to make a\nhop. That seems to me rather a lame explanation\nbecause there is no hole in the bean that the insect\ncould possibly have got in at. I believe myself,\nthat they are in truth magic beans, and I have been\ntrying to train some beans of my own to do the\nsame thing on a larger scale, and in such a way\nthat you can all see them do it.\n\"Here are my beans.\" (Show those on tray.)\n\"Examine them as much as you like. The more\nyou examine them, the more you won't find any-\n1 The little dishes of paper pulp sold for pienic purposes will be found\nto answer this and similar purposes excellently and have the further\nadvantage of being exceptionally portable."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 123, "folder": "", "text": "THE BOUNDING BEANS\n107\nthing particular about them. You won't notice\nany difference between them and any other beans,\nbut as a matter of fact they are a good deal more\nenergetic than beans of the ordinary kind, and\nwhen they get to know and love you, they will do\nall sorts of remarkable things.\n\"I will pour a few of them into this glass.\"\n(The front compartment of the mirror glass is\nfilled to about two-thirds of its height.) \"To pre-\nvent their getting out again without your knowing\nit I will press them down with a handful of these\npretty paper shavings.\"\nThis is also done, the quantity of paper being SO\nregulated, in accordance with previous experi-\nment, that when pressed down it shall come half\nan inch or SO below the brim of the glass.\n\"To make matters still more secure I will ask\nthe loan of a lady's handkerchief to cover the glass\nwith.\"\nThe handkerchief is taken in the right hand, the\nleft meanwhile raising the glass a little way to\nmeet it. In covering and lowering it again to the\ntable the needful half-turn is made.\n\"I will not touch the glass again until the experi-\nment is finished. Meanwhile I want to call your\nattention to these two tubes. You will observe\nthat one of them is slightly larger than the other.\nA gentleman told me the other evening that I was\nwrong in saying SO. He maintained that the one\nwas smaller than the other. I didn't argue with"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 124, "folder": "", "text": "108\nLATEST MAGIC\nhim. I never do with that sort of man. It is just\na question of the point of view. Anyhow, I had\nthe one made larger, or the other one smaller,\nwhichever way it is, SO that the one can go com-\nfortably over the other, like this.\"\nfirst carelessly moved about so as to show\nclearly that it is empty, is brought down over B\nand lifted off again, carrying off within it C and\nits load; after which B is in turn shown to be\nempty.\n\"Now I am goong to order the beans to jump out\nof the glass and into one or other of these empty\ntubes, at your own choice. Right? or left?\nWhich shall it be?\"\nPerformer asks the question standing behind his\ntable, and by means of the familiar equivoque\n(\"my\" or \"your\" left or right) interprets the\nanswer to mean A.\n\"And now I have only to pronounce the proper\nmagic spell. The trouble is to remember the right\none. They are rather confusing, and if you hap-\npen to pronounce the wrong one, or even pronounce\nthe right one the wrong way, the consequences may\nbe serious. But I think I know this one pretty\nwell. 'Peripatetico-paticocorum.' I fancy\nI\nhave got it right. I don't know quite what it\nmeans myself, and nobody seems to be able to tell\nme. A Japanese gentleman told me he thought it\nwas Spanish, but a Spaniard said he felt sure it\nwas Welsh. Somebody else suggested that I"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 125, "folder": "", "text": "THE BOUNDING BEANS\n109\nshould 'ask a pleeceman.' I did ask a policeman,\nand he said, 'Go I won't mention,\nbut I don't think he meant it as a translation. My\nown idea is that it is a bit of Esperanto. Anyhow,\nit has the desired effect; for you see the beans have\nleft the glass\" (uncovering it and showing it\nempty), \"and they have jumped into this tube,\nwhich is what I wanted them to do.\"\nThe beans are poured from the tube into the\nvacant portion, now to the front, of the mirror\nglass, with due care that the coil at bottom shall not\nbe seen.\n\"But there's something wrong here. I must\nhave made some little mistake in the pronunciation\nof the magic spell, for the paper seems to have dis-\nappeared as well as the beans. There is certainly\nno room for it in the tube. Here it is, though, or\nsome of it.\"\nThe paper is unwound, and when it comes to\nan end the wand is passed through A and C (now\nbottomless) together, again proving (?) that the\nformer which is always shown to the spectators\ncould not possibly have contained the beans\nin any natural way. A moment or two later the\ninner tube can easily be got rid of behind the mass\nof paper ribbon."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 126, "folder": "", "text": "110\nLATEST MAGIC\nLOST AND FOUND\nThis trick may be worked either upon a black\nart table or black art mat. We will assume that\nthe latter is used.\nThe requisites for this trick will in such case\nbe as follows:\n1. The mat. This may be a small circular one,\na few inches in circumference without pocket.\n2. A handkerchief, fourteen or fifteen inches\nsquare, of some gaudy pattern, carefully folded\nand placed in a square Japanese handkerchief box.\u00b9\n3. A circular velvet patch as described ante, in\nthe chapter dealing with novel applications of the\nBlack Art principle.\n4. A half-crown placed in a pochette, or other-\nwise so as to be readily get-at-able.\nPresentation. Performer opens the box and\ntakes out the handkerchief, which he carefully\nunfolds, handling it as if it were something of\nextraordinary value.\n\"I have here, ladies, a curio of an exceptionally\ncurious kind. This is said to be the identical\nhandkerchief which Othello gave to Desdemona,\nand which afterwards caused so much unpleasant-\nness. No doubt you all know your Shakespeare,\nand will remember that Othello tells his wife,\n\"There's magic in the web of it.' And there is\n1 The handkerchief should be readily recognizable as a cheap and\ncommonplace one."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 127, "folder": "", "text": "LOST AND FOUND\n111\nmagic in it still. Not so much as there was, I dare\nsay, but still it retains a good many magical quali-\nties. Among them is a curious talent for recover-\ning lost property. For instance, I once had a dog.\nHis name was Socrates, but he was generally called\n'Socks.' In fact, he preferred it. He was a val-\nuable dog, because he combined SO many different\nbreeds. He was partly pug, and partly grey-\nhound, and partly dachshund, and partly chow,\nand partly bull-dog and partly terrier, and partly\nof two or three other breeds that I can't for the\nmoment remember. One day Socks went out to see\na friend, and didn't come back again. I sat up all\nnight for him with a stick, but he didn't come home\ntill morning. In fact, he didn't come home even\nthen. I thought I had lost him for good, and I\nwas quite distressed about it.\n\"Just when I was beginning to get over the loss\nI had a further shock. My precious Desdemona\nhandkerchief was missing. But the very next day\nI heard a barking outside, and there was my dog\nwith the handkerchief tied round his neck and\nthree other dogs with him. The handkerchief had\nrecovered them all.\n\"You don't believe that little story. I thought\nyou wouldn't. People never will believe anything\na little bit out of the way. It is just the same with\nfish stories. I know a man who, when he was a\nboy, fishing in a pond with a maggot on a bent pin,\ncaught a four-pound salmon. He didn't claim"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 128, "folder": "", "text": "112\nLATEST MAGIC\nany credit for doing it. He says himself it was\njust an accident, and might have happened to any-\nbody. But he never can get anyone to believe him,\nand it has spoilt his character. He was naturally\na truthful man, but being always disbelieved has\nmade him reckless, and now, whenever he tells the\nstory he sticks another half-pound on to the sal-\nmon. I believe it is a fifteen pounder now.\u00b9\n\"With regard to the handkerchief, however, I\ncan easily prove to you that what I have stated is\ncorrect. I can't prove it quite in the same way,\nbecause even if any lady or gentleman present\nhad lost a dog, it would take the handkerchief a\nday or two to find it, and you would get tired of\nwaiting. So I must show you the virtues of the\nhandkerchief in a simpler way.\n\"Will some gentleman oblige me with the loan\nof a half-crown, marked SO that he can be sure of\nknowing it again?\nOn receiving the coin the performer returns to\nhis table, holding it on high SO that it can be seen\nthat there is no substitution, and lays it on the\nblack art mat.\n\"Presently I propose to lose this coin, and get\n1 This story, as also a few other \"yarns\" with which I have endeav-\noured to brighten my otherwise serious pages, may be suppressed if it\nis thought desirable to shorten the patter. I ought perhaps to apologise\nfor introducing such irrelevant fiction, but I am encouraged in misdo-\ning by the example of the lamented Artemus Ward, who said that the\nbest things in his lecture were generally the things that had nothing\nto do with it."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 129, "folder": "", "text": "LOST AND FOUND\n113\nthe handkerchief to find it, but first you would like,\nno doubt, to have a look at the handkerchief itself.\nNotice the richness of the pattern. It is said to\nbe after a design in the Alhambra. I don't mean\nthe Alhambra you gentlemen go to, but the real\nMoorish one in Spain.\nLeaving the handkerchief for the time being in\nthe possession of a spectator he returns to the\ntable, meanwhile palming the velvet patch, and the\nsubstituted half-crown, and ostensibly picks up\nthe original, in reality rendering it invisible by\nlaying the patch over it, and showing the substitute\nin its place, after the manner described at p. 19.\nHe then advances to the company with the substi-\ntute coin and offers it to one or other of the spec-\ntators, remarking, \"Take it, please, and pass it to\none or other of your neighbours SO that I shan't\nknow where it is.\"7\nUnder pretence of offering the coin, he passes\nit from the one hand to the other, and vanishes it\nby, say, the tourniquet, SO that the person holding\nout a hand to receive it gets nothing, and says SO.\n\"What do you say, Sir? You have not got it?\nBut surely, I have just handed it to you. You are\nnot joking? Then it must have fallen on the floor.\nPlease look around you a bit.\" (Pretends to do\nso himself.) \"Not there? Well, this is extra-\nordinary.\" (To the lender of the coin.) \"I am\nvery sorry, Sir. Your money is lost in a way I\ndid not anticipate. But after all, when I come to"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 130, "folder": "", "text": "114\nLATEST MAGIC\nthink of it, it's of no consequence. The handker-\nchief will find it wherever it is, even if it has to\nfollow it into somebody's pocket. By the way,\nwhere is the handkerchief?\" He takes it from the\nperson with whom it was left, and holding it by\ntwo of its corners, and showing both hands other-\nwise empty, lowers it down carefully over the\nblack patch on table.\n\"And now to work the spell. 'Bismillah!\nBechesm! Salaam Aleikoum!' You must excuse\nmy speaking Arabic, but that is the only language\nthe handkerchief understands. I see that the gen-\ntleman who lent me the half-crown is looking a\nlittle bit anxious. Cheer up, Sir, the handkerchief\nhas never failed me yet. But we must give it time.\nSay, half a minute.\" (Looks at watch.) \"This\nis curious. Half a minute gone. One minute,\nand nothing has happened. The handkerchief has\nmade no move. Something must have gone wrong.\nBut stay If the handkerchief has not gone to the\ncoin, perhaps the coin has gone to the handker-\nchief. Let us see!\"\nHe lifts the handkerchief by the centre, picking\nup the black patch with it, and thereby disclosing\nthe coin, which is handed back on the mat to the\nowner. Then carefully folding up the handker-\nchief, performer replaces it in its box, and in so\ndoing regains possession of the velvet patch, to be\ngot rid of at a convenient opportunity."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 131, "folder": "", "text": "LOST AND FOUND\n115\nTHE RIDDLE OF THE PYRAMIDS\nThis, in good hands, will be found a very effec-\ntive trick. I have the less hesitation in saying so,\nbecause the assertion is only to a very limited\nextent self-praise. The idea of the effect to be pro-\nduced was my own, as also to a certain extent the\nmethod of producing it. I had even got SO far as\nto devise, in anticipation, suitable patter. When,\nhowever, I proceeded to put my ideas into practice\nI found myself pulled up by unexpected obstacles.\nThe object to be attained, as will be seen by the\nsequel, was the instantaneous re-adjustment of the\nsundered parts of a small pyramid, and this I pro-\nposed to do by means of the pull of a thread, fine\nenough to be practically invisible. Now, to make\nsegments of a pyramid not only draw together,\nbut sit squarely one upon another, it is necessary\nto have forces operating simultaneously in two dif-\nferent directions, and the need for this caused diffi-\nculties which I found myself unable to cope with.\nIndeed, I had practically decided to content myself\nby producing a somewhat similar effect in a sim-\npler way, as exemplified in the trick which I have\ncalled the Miracle of Mumbo Jumbo, which next\nfollows.\nAs luck would have it, however, I mentioned my\ndifficulties to my good friend, Mr. Holt Schooling,\na gentleman whom I have more than once had\noccasion to refer to in my writings in connection"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 132, "folder": "", "text": "116\nLATEST MAGIC\nwith some neat device. Mr. Schooling declared\nthat the original idea was too good to be abandoned,\nand offered to try his hand at bringing it to a suc-\ncessful issue. I must frankly confess that I had\nno great hope of his success; but Mr. Schooling is\na man of many talents. Apart from eminence in\nhis own profession (that of actuary and statis-\ntician) he- is not only an expert amateur conjurer,\nFig. 18\nbut an exceptionally skilful mechanic, and he\npossesses withal an unlimited capacity for taking\npains. He used these qualities to such good pur-\npose that I am enabled to include this striking\neffect among the contents of the present volume.\nThe principal item of apparatus is naturally the\npyramid itself, which is of blackened wood as\nillustrated in Fig. 18. For the sake of lightness it"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 133, "folder": "", "text": "THE RIDDLE OF THE PYRAMIDS\n117\nis of necessity a small affair, being four inches in\nheiglt, about six across the base, and two across\nthe top. It is divided into five horizontal slabs or\nsegments, as indicated by the dotted lines. Mid-\nway on each side of each slab, at about half an inch\ndistance from the upper edge, a minute hole is\nbored, parallel to the outer slope of the segment;\nexactness in this particular being an essential con-\ndition of success. Of the four holes in each slab,\ntwo only are actually used in the trick, the other\ntwo being added partly for the sake of uniformity,\nand partly to disguise the significance of the other\npair. Each slab, save those at the top and bottom,\nis also perforated perpendicularly by three or four\nholes of considerable diameter, the object of these\nbeing merely to lessen the weight of the slab.\nIn preparing the pyramid for use in the trick, a\npiece of plaited silk fishing-line, stained black, and\nin length five to six feet, is passed by the aid of a\nneedle upwards through the small hole in one side\nof the largest slab; then in the same way through\nthe corresponding hole in the next, and SO on till it\ncomes out through the uppermost. Thence it is\nagain passed downward through the next adjoin-\ning hole in each slab till it comes out at the bot-\ntom, when the ends are drawn level and tied in a\nknot.\nThe use of plaited silk fishing line for such pur-\nposes is one of Mr. Schooling's specialties, and is a\n\"tip\" to make a note of. Line of this kind is in"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 134, "folder": "", "text": "118\nLATEST MAGIC\nproportion to its thickness much stronger than\nordinary silk thread, and, not being liable to\nuntwist, its surface remains permanently hard and\nsmooth, a great desideratum where it is important\nto minimise friction. Further, it does not \"kink\"\nas a twisted thread is liable to do.\nTwo other items of apparatus are used, viz.:\n(1) An electric torch in the shape of a wand, the\nlight appearing at the end.\nFig. 19\nFig. 20\n(2) A little knife or cutter specially designed by\nMr. Schooling for use in this trick. This consists\nof a half-inch length of a safety-razor blade, set\nin a handle consisting of a piece of tin one inch\nsquare, folded in half, and then bent back to a right\nangle on each side, the blade projecting along the\nline of juncture as shown in Fig. 19. In use the\ncutter is held by what may be called its backbone\nbetween the first joints of the first and second\nfingers of the extended hand, as shown in Fig. 20.\nThis cutter must be placed ready to hand upon the"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 135, "folder": "", "text": "THE RIDDLE OF THE PYRAMIDS\n119\ntable. It is SO minute that there is no fear of its\nattracting attention.\u00b9\nIn presenting the trick the pyramid, with its sec-\ntions duly threaded and placed one upon another,\nis brought in on a wooden board similar to an\nordinary drawing-board, measuring twenty-four\ninches by sixteen, and like the pyramid itself,\nstained black. It is essential to the satisfactory\nworking of the trick that the \"base\" section of the\npyramid shall not shift when the thread is pulled.\nThis is ensured by having two L shaped \"stops\"\nof thin wood glued or screwed to the board near the\nleft hand corner nearest to the performer when in\nuse.\nThe trick may be introduced as follows:\n\"I don't know whether any of you ladies and\ngentlemen are well up in Egyptology. I can't say\nI am, myself. I know a camel when I see one, but\nthat is about as far as I have got. There is, how-\never, one point about it which has always inter-\nested me very much. It is a point which has puz-\nzled not only the Egyptologists, but all the other\nologists; namely, how the pyramids were built.\nThey consist, as no doubt you know, of enormous\nmasses of stone; so large that the cleverest engi-\nneers of our day cannot tell us how they were\nplaced one upon another. If you can imagine the\nlifting of the Royal Exchange in one lump and\ndumping it down on the top of the Bank of Eng-\n1 As a further precaution it should be painted flesh-color."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 136, "folder": "", "text": "120\nLATEST MAGIC\nland, you will have some idea of the sort of job\nthe Egyptian builders had to tackle.\u00b9 Anyhow,\nthe work was done, and as it is clear that it could\nnot have been done by any known mechanical\nmeans, we are compelled to seek some other solu-\ntion of the problem.\n\"I don't know whether any of you read novels.\nIf you do, you must often have noticed the curious\nway in which fiction constantly anticipates fact.\nThe novelist describes some utterly impossible\nthing, and a few years later some other fellow goes\nand does it. Jules Verne described a voyage\nunder the sea long before the submarine was\ninvented, and Mr. Wells wrote The War in the\nAir' while the aeroplane and the Zeppelin were\nstill in their infancy. But there is one conception\nof the novelist which has not till now been made\nan accomplished fact. That is the force called\n'Vril,' described by Lord Lytton in his novel, \"The\nComing Race.' He describes Vril as a sort of\nhyper-electricity capable in the hands of those who\nknow how to gather and use it, of producing all\nsorts of wonders, even to removing mountains.\nImprisoned in a wand and directed by a strong\nwill, it will shrivel up an enemy or a wild beast as\nby a flash of lighting.\n\"I have always had an idea that this must have\nbeen the force used by the Egyptians to build the\n1 Before an American audience the names of any two well-known\nbuildings in New York may be substituted."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 137, "folder": "", "text": "THE RIDDLE OF THE PYRAMIDS\n121\npyramids. I have managed to collect a small\nquantity of an unknown force which answers very\nclosely to Lord Lytton's description of Vril, and\nI have charged this wand with it. As regards kill-\ning things, I have only tested it SO far on a black\nbeetle. The experiment was a success. He was\nblown to atoms, all but one hind leg. I should\nlike to try it on a tiger; if I could get one cheap.\nDoes any gentleman present know of a second-\nhand tiger in a good strong cage going cheap ?\nNo? I was afraid you wouldn't. I am hoping\nhowever for a chance of trying it some night on\na burglar. If a gentleman of the Bill Sykes per-\nsuasion should steal into my chamber at dead of\nnight with felonious designs upon my Waterbury\nand my collarstud, he will be as a dead man. I\nshall just point this wand at him and say 'Die,'\nand he will be merely a little heap of ashes to be\nswept up by the housemaid in the morning.\n\"I can however give you an example of the power\nof my Vril as a motive force. I shall do so by\nusing it to build or rather rebuild this little pyra-\nmid in your presence.\n\"This is a correct copy of the real thing. It\ntakes to pieces, as you see. One, two, three, four,\nfive!\"\nAs he pronounces the last few words, the per-\nformer, standing behind his table, picks up the\npyramid, and holding it aloft in his right hand\ndraws away the base from the other sections, slid-"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 138, "folder": "", "text": "122\nLATEST MAGIC\ning it along the thread, and \"bedding\" it between\nthe \"stops\" at the left hand bottom corner of the\nboard. He then slides the other portions, one by\none, along the thread in the same way, laying them\nin a row diagonally across the board. This will\nhave taken up a considerable portion of the thread,\nbut there will still be a loop some inches in length\nhanging down near the left hand corner of the\ntable.\n\"Now please watch carefully. This wand, you\nwill remember, has been carefully charged with\nmy limitation Vril.\"\nWhile speaking these last words the performer\ngets one finger of his left hand within the loop.\nHe now turns on the light at the end of the wand,\nand with it makes a quick sweep from right to left\nover the severed parts of the pyramid, making at\nthe same time a half-turn away from the table, and\nquickly drawing away the thread. If this is done\nneatly the severed parts of the pyramid l'un\ntogether one upon the other in a single instant.\nIt is probable that the parts may not sit exactly\none upon another. Whether this is SO or not, the\nperformer makes believe to notice that it is so, as\nit gives him a needful opportunity. He remarks:\n\"The power was hardly strong enough, I see.\nThere is a block here that needs a little straighten-\ning up.\" Having meanwhile picked up the little\ncutter between the fingers he bends over the table\nand squares up the pyramid as may (or may not)"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 139, "folder": "", "text": "THE RIDDLE OF THE PYRAMIDS\n123\nbe necessary, and under cover of SO doing draws\nthe blade across the thread where it crosses the\ntop, thereby severing it, and then moving back a\nlittle to note the effect of his correction draws it\naway altogether. Shifting the restored pyramid\nto the centre of the board he brings all forward for\nexamination. The severed thread is allowed to\ndrop on the floor, to be picked up after the per-\nformance is over.\nTHE MIRACLE OF MUMBO JUMBO\nThe items needed for the presentation of this\ntrick are as follows:\n(1) A miniature pagoda of quaint design. It\nconsists of five circular sections, resting one upon\nanother as illustrated in Fig. 21. The trick in\neffect consists of the automatic re-adjustment of\nthese sections after being taken apart and shown\nlying apparently haphazard on a Japanese tray.\nFor drawing-room use the pagoda is about six\ninches high and the same diameter across the base.\nFor stage purposes it may be made a trifle larger.\n(2) The tray. This, for use with a pagoda of\nthe size above mentioned, should be not less than\ntwenty inches long by ten or twelve wide, and\nfairly heavy, as being less liable to shift in use. It\nmust have an upright rim; through one corner of\nwhich a minute hole is bored, countersunk and\npolished on each side of the opening in order to"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 140, "folder": "", "text": "124\nLATEST MAGIC\ndiminish friction on a thread passing through it.\n(3) An electric torch in the shape of a bottle;\nthe light showing itself at the mouth.\n(4) A black dress-hook, sewn point upwards to\nthe lower edge of the performer's vest on the right\nFIG. 21\nor left side, as may best suit his own position in\nworking the trick, just where back and front meet.\nIt will be found on examination of the pagoda\nthat each of the parts of which it consists has a hole\nbored vertically through its centre. The topmost\nportion has in addition a pinhole passing horizon-"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 141, "folder": "", "text": "Ine Or\n120\ntally across it, about halfway down. Through this\na black pin, bent at the head, passes as shown in\nFig. 22. In preparation for the trick a piece about\nthree feet long of black plaited silk line, with a\nsmall wire ring at one end, is passed by the aid of\na needle through the hole in the tray from the outer\nside; thence upward through the various sections\nof the pagoda, beginning with the undermost, till\nFIG. 22\nit finally comes up through the head. After the\nneedle has been drawn off, the end of the thread is\nformed into a loop, which is passed over the cross-\npin before mentioned. The thread is then drawn\ntaut from below, the several segments of the\npagoda resting fairly one upon another in the cen-\ntre of the tray. The intermediate portion of the\nthread is drawn up till the little ring at the outer\nend comes close to the tray, and is laid upon it in"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 142, "folder": "", "text": "126\nLATEST MAGIC\nzigzag fashion SO as prevent the possibility of\nits fouling at a critical moment.\nThe introductory patter may l'un as follows:\n\"In the course of my travels in Central Africa--\nyou didn't know that I had been in Central Africa ?\nStrange, how little the world knows of its greatest\nmen! But no matter! When I was in Africa I\nchanced to come upon the place where the Golli-\nwoggs live.\n\"It's a nice place-for those who like that sort\nof place, but most people would find it a little too\nwarm. It is so warm there that the hens lay their\neggs hard-boiled, and you dig up potatoes ready\nbaked. It is too warm for anything but simple\nlife,-the very simple life, particularly as regards\nclothing. The ordinary walking dress for a gen-\ntleman Golliwogg is a pair of braces. The king\nwears two pairs; except on state occasions, when\nhe wears one of those short shirts instead. You\nknow the kind I mean-all front. I think they\ncall them 'dickeys.'\n\"The ladies are more dressy. They get the\nfashions from back numbers of the Daily Mail;\nkimonos and camisoles and corsets all in the latest\nstyle. They are made with green paint and put\non with a shaving brush. There is only one thing\nthat bothers the court dressmakers. They can't\nmake a crinoline.\"\n[If desired to shorten the patter the fashion\ndetails may be omitted.]"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 143, "folder": "", "text": "THE MIRACLE OF MUMBO JUMBO\n127\n\"I mention these little matters in order to give\nyou an idea of the place, in case any of you might\nlike to take a week-end trip there. If you are old\nand tough, you might risk it. If you are young\nand tender, you had better not.\n\"The special point of interest is a curious pagoda\nin the centre of the village. It is seventy-five feet\nhigh and is supposed to be the habitation of Mumbo\nJumbo; a sort of deputy devil, much respected in\nthose parts. This little model is an exact copy of\nit. You can't call it pretty, but there is a very\nremarkable thing about it. When the king\ndies (which happens by accident about once\na fortnight), the pagoda is pulled down, and if the\nnew king is acceptable to Mumbo Jumbo (which\ndepends upon the amount of his tip to the chief\nwitch doctor) old Mum rebuilds it himself by\nmagic. You don't see him do it. The pagoda just\nsits up and paws the air, so to speak If Mumbo\ndoes not approve, the proposed king gets a knock\non the head with a cocoa-nut, and some more liberal\nGolliwogg is crowned instead.\n\"I naturally wanted to know how the miracle\nwas worked; and I managed to buy the secret from\none of the witch doctors. He sold it to me for a\npair of sixpenny-half penny sock suspenders. He\ndidn't wear socks, but that didn't matter. He put\nthe suspenders on at once and strutted about, as\nproud as a dog with three tails.\n\"Now, I am going to tell you the secret. Scien-"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 144, "folder": "", "text": "128\nLATEST MAGIC\ntists tell us that the sun throws out three sorts\nof rays; light-rays, heat-rays, and force-rays.\nThe artful witch doctors have found out a way of\nbottling off the force rays. They are mild at first,\nbut when they get old in the bottle, so to speak, they\nbecome so strong that if you know how to do it you\ncan lift the heaviest weights with them.\n\"I managed to get hold of a small bottle of the\nrays\" (show bottle) \"and I will show you, on a\nvery small scale, how the thing is done.\n\"First, we will take the pagoda to pieces.\"\nStanding behind the table, the performer moves\nthe pagoda to the corner of the tray nearest his\nown left hand; SO as to leave space for the different\nportions when separated. He then picks up all the\nparts save the base, holding them carefully\ntogether, and drawing away with them a length\nof the thread about equal to the diagonal of the\ntray. Passing the undermost section downwards\nalong the thread, he lays it down beside the base,\nafterwards treating the other portions in the same\nway, the several portions finally resting on the tray\nsomewhat as shown in Fig. 23.\nIf the length of the thread has been properly\ngauged (this is a matter to be determined by\nexperiment beforehand), there should be some\ntwelve or fourteen inches of \"slack.\" Slipping\nthe ring at the end over the little hook before\nmentioned, the performer moves a little away\nfrom the table, SO as to draw this portion"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 145, "folder": "", "text": "ing away farther from the table and moving about\nbehind it SO as to cause a gradual pull upon the\nthread; the effect being that the severed parts of\nFIG. 23\nthe pagoda mount gradually one upon another in\ndue order. It is probable that they will not rest\nexactly one upon the other. In any case the per-\nformer affects to notice that they do not. Making\na remark to that effect he steps close to the table\nto straighten them up, and under cover of so doing\ndraws with the finger nail the pin in the uppermost\nportion, thereby releasing the thread. Stepping\nback again, as though the better to judge whether\nthe pagoda is now \"plumb,\" he thereby draws"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 146, "folder": "", "text": "130\nLATEST MAGIC\naway the line, and detaching the ring from the\nhook, lets it fall to the ground. This done, he\nreturns to the table, and shifting the restored\npagoda to the centre of the tray, brings all for-\nward, inviting anyone who cares to do so, to satisfy\nhimself that there has been \"no deception.\"\nTHE STORY OF THE ALKAHEST\nThe requirements for this trick are as follows:\n(1) Two wands, exactly alike in appearance.\nOne of them to be that just used in some previous\ntrick or tricks (which we will call No. 2), and the\nother, prepared as to be presently explained, to\nbe secretly substituted for it immediately before\nthe presentation of the present trick. This can be\neasily done by the aid of a couple of pairs of cup-\nhooks fixed behind the table or a chair after the\nmanner described in \"Later Magic,\" p. 126; or\nthe wands may be exchanged during journey to\nthe table at an early stage of the trick; by means\nof a pocket of suitable shape within the left breast\nof the coat. This is a matter as to which the per-\nformer will please himself, but the exhibition in\nthe first instance of an obviously unprepared wand\nis essential to the artistic finish of the trick.\u00b9\n1 I am indebted to a clever amateur, Mr. Gordon Powell, for the\nknowledge of a very simple but effective method of \"changing\" a wand.\nThe prepared article lies just within the forward rim of an oblong\nJapanese tray, and at a convenient moment the unprepared wand just\nused is laid behind and parallel with it. A little later this is pro-"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 147, "folder": "", "text": "THE STORY OF THE ALKAHEST\n131\n(2) Two pieces of ribbon, three-quarters to one\ninch wide, alike in colour. Of these, one piece is\nto be wound round the end of wand No. 2 at about\nthree inches from the end, and secured by a rub-\nber ring, of the solid kind used for holding together\nthe ribs of an umbrella. This wand, after being\n\"switched\" for the unprepared one, must be SO\nplaced upon the table that the end on which the\nribbon is wound shall be masked from view by the\nsecond piece of ribbon, lying in a loose heap in\nfront of it.\n(3) A stoppered bottle of clear glass, preferably\nof some ornamental or quaint design. This bears\na\nlabel, of discoloured and time-worn appearance,\nwith the letter H R written on it in crabbed but\ndistinct characters, and is about half-filled with\nEau de Cologne or lavender water, to which a few\ngrains of cochineal have been added, giving it a\nrich ruby colour. So far as the working of the\ntrick is concerned plain water might be used, but a\ncoloured and scented liquid is preferable for the\nsake of effect.\n(4) A spare rubber ring, of the kind above\ndescribed, placed in left-hand vest-pocket.\nfessedly picked up again, but as a matter of fact is pushed forward by\nthe tips of the fingers, and takes the place of the prepared wand, which\nis picked up in its stead.\nA pack of cards may be \"changed\" for another after a similar fash-\nion, the first finger and thumb picking up the faked pack, while the\nunprepared pack is pushed forward by the second and third fingers into\nthe place it occupied."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 148, "folder": "", "text": "132\nLATEST MAGIC\nThe trick may be introduced as follows:\n\"For the next surprise I have to show you we\nare indebted to the ancient alchemists. People\nregard them as back numbers nowadays, because\nthey didn't know anything about aeroplanes, or\nappendicitis, or income tax and such-like up-to-\ndate luxuries; but they had a good many useful\nlittle secrets of their own. One of them was the\nrecipe for what was called the Alkahest, a liquid\nwhich immediately dissolved anything it touched;\nfrom a gold watch to a set of fire-irons. The secret\nof making it has long been lost, and all that still\nexists of the liquid itself I have here in this\nbottle.\"\nThe bottle is here brought forward and offered\nfor inspection.\n\"Pretty colour, isn't it? And it has a very\ndelightful perfume.\" (Takes out stopper.)\n\"You are welcome to smell it but I don't advise\nyou to taste it. If you did you would probably\nnever taste anything again. I want you to notice,\nby the way, those two letters H R on the label.\nThere is a dead secret attached to those letters.\nThey mean something, of course; but nobody\nknows what it is.\"7\nThe bottle is replaced on the table.\n\"This bottle came into my hands by inheritance.\nAn ancestor of mine, in the reign of James the\nFirst, was an alchemist in a small way. He is\nreputed to have made a handsome income by sell-"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 149, "folder": "", "text": "THE STORY OF THE ALKAHEST\n133\ning ladies something to put in their husbands' tea.\nHistory doesn't say what. Let us hope it was only\nsugar. Well, this old gentleman managed to get\nhold of the recipe for making the Alkahest.\nWhether he found it out himself, or whether he\ncribbed it from the cookery-book of some other\nalchemist, I can't say. Anyhow, he got it; and\nhe made up some of the stuff and put it in that\nbottle.\n\"When he was just going to be burnt as a wiz-\nard, which was the regular thing with scientific\nmen in those days, he handed the bottle to his eld-\nest son, my great-great-grandfather seventeen\ntimes removed, saying, \"Take it, my son, and may\nit do you more good than it has done me.'\n\"My great-great-grandfather took the bottle;\nbut he had no idea what it contained. He was just\ngoing to ask his father what the letters on it meant,\nbut just at that moment the old gentleman flared\nup, and it was too late. For the rest of his life my\ngreat-great-grandfather puzzled his head as to\nwhat those two letters H R stood for, but all he\ncould think of was \"horse-radish,' and he knew\nit couldn't be that.\n\"Since that the bottle has been handed down in\nour family for sixteen generations, till at last it\ncame to the hands of my Uncle James, and he puz-\nzled over those letters like the rest. Uncle James\nwas a bit of a \"nut,' and prided himself on his fine\nhead of hair, but in course of time he found he was"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 150, "folder": "", "text": "134\nLATEST MAGIC\ngetting a bit thin on the top, and it worried him.\nOne day, thinking over the mysterious letters, an\nidea struck him. 'H R'! he explaimed, 'H R!\nwhy \"Hair Restorer\" of course, not a doubt of it!\nI'll try it this very night.' He did. He rubbed\nit in, and went to sleep quite happy, but when he\ntried to brush his hair in the morning there wasn't\nany left to brush. The Alkahest had taken it all\noff, and left him as bald as a baby.\n\"He went to bed again, and ordered a wig, but\nbefore it could be sent home he caught such a\ncold in his head that he died. Just-sneezed-him-\nself-away.\"\n(The last words to be spoken slowly and sadly.)\n\"I notice that some of you ladies are weeping.\nIt is an affecting story, no doubt, and I used to\nshed a tear over it myself. But after all, you\ndidn't know my Uncle James. Neither did I, for\nthe matter of that, and if we had known him we\nmight not have liked him. So we won't stop to\ngrieve about him.\u00b9\n\"One of the most striking experiments with the\nAlkahest is the dissolving of a paving stone, par-\nticularly if you lay a bunch of violets on it and\ndissolve them both together, when you get a scut-\ntleful of best Violet Powder. Unfortunately I\nhaven't a paving stone handy, and I don't suppose\nany gentleman present is likely to have one about\n1 If it is desired to shorten the patter the \"Uncle James\" episode\nmay be omitted without serious detriment to the trick."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 151, "folder": "", "text": "THE STORY OF THE ALKAHEST\n135\nhim. No I feared not! Another pretty ex-\nperiment is the dissolving of a diamond ring,\nbut I have no diamond rings myself, and I find\nthat if I borrow other people's and don't return\nthem I get myself disliked. So I must try to show\nthe power of the Alkahest in a less expensive way.\"\nReturning to his table, the performer with his\nright hand picks up the prepared wand (holding\nit SO as to conceal the ribbon coiled upon it), and\nwith the left hand the mass of loose ribbon.\n\"I have here a piece of ribbon : just ordinary\nribbon. Will some lady oblige me by tying a knot\nin it, about three inches from the end. Thank you!\nNow will some other lady tie another knot about\nthree inches from the first one.\"\nThis is repeated till five or six knots have been\ntied, taking up about half the ribbon.\n\"I am not sure how many knots have been tied.\nPlease count them for me as I roll the ribbon round\nmy wand.\"\nSo saying, he winds the ribbon, beginning with\nthe knotted end, on to the free portion of the wand,\ncounting the knots as he does so, and continuing\nthe winding till the whole has been taken up. In\nso doing he takes care to cover up the knots, and\nto make the appearance of the rolled ribbon cor-\nrespond as nearly as possible with the hidden coil\nupon the other end, finally securing it with the rub-\nber ring from his pocket.\nWe will suppose that five knots are found to"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 152, "folder": "", "text": "136\nLATEST MAGIC\nhave been tied. The performer returns to the\ntable to fetch the bottle; and during the transit\npasses the wand to the opposite hand, in SO doing\ndrawing off the knotted ribbon (to be dropped a\nmoment later into the profonde), and exposes the\nopposite end. He removes stopper from bottle,\nleaving it on the table.\n\"Now comes the most critical part of the opera-\ntion. I am going by means of the Alkahest to\ndissolve these knots. How many did we say there\nwere? Five ? Then I must use five drops and\nno more. If I were to overdo it in the smallest\ndegree the consequences would be serious. I\nshould destroy the ribbon altogether, and in these\nhard times ribbon is ribbon, even if it is only six-\nthree a yard.\"\nHe brings forward the bottle, and with great\npretence of accuracy lets fall on the ribbon the\nsuggested number of drops. Then slipping off the\nrubber ring he offers the end of the ribbon to some\nmember of the company to unwind, when the knots\nare naturally found to have disappeared.\n\"The Alkahest retains its virtue, you see, even\nafter SO many years. Every knot is completely\ndissolved. I will conclude by asking you an\nimpromptu riddle. Just one of those bright\nthoughts that strike me sometimes when I least\nexpect it-\n\"When is a knot not a knot\n\"When it's not there."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 153, "folder": "", "text": "THE ORACLE OF MEMPHIS\n137\nTHE ORACLE OF MEMPHIS\nThis is of the nature of a magical toy rather\nthan a conjuring trick proper, but its exhibition\nmay form a pleasant interlude in the course of a\nsocial entertainment. I invented it at an early\nO\nb\nFig. 24\nstage of my magical career, and exhibited it on\nvarious occasions for the amusement of friends,\nbut made no further use of it. The apparatus has\nbeen put aside, and has been out of sight, out of\nmind, for many years past. Coming across it acci-\ndentally some short time ago, I was agreeably sur-\nprised to find that it would still answer questions\nas promptly, and doubtless as truthfully, as of\nyore."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 154, "folder": "", "text": "138\nLATEST MAGIC\nThe general appearance of the apparatus, which\nis eight inches high by seven in outside diameter,\nis as depicted in Fig. 24. It consists of a circular\nmahogany stand or base, resting on three small\nfeet, and surmounted by a glass dome b. This last\nis in fact a bell-glass, as used by gardeners, and\nhas at top the usual knob, whereby to lift it. To\nthis is attached a short loop of narrow ribbon.\nThe glass dome does not rest directly on the stand,\nits lower edge being encased in a mahogany mount.\nFrom the centre of the stand rises a vertical pin,\na quarter of an inch in height, serving as pivot for\na metal pointer (Fig. 25), which, by means of a\nlittle cup, or socket, at its centre, can be lifted on\nand off, and revolves freely upon it, after the man-\nner of a compass. A further item of the appara-\ntus is a reversible cardboard dial, whose two sides,\nfront and back, are depicted in Figs. 26 and 27. It\nwill be seen that the circumference of this dial is\ndivided on the one side (Fig. 26) into four equal\nsections, each bearing a pip of one of the four suits.\nThe other side (Fig. 27) is divided into eight sec-\ntions, marked with the numerals, from seven to ten\ninclusive, and the letters A, K, Q, and J, answering\nto Ace, King, Queen and Jack.\nWith the Oracle is used a set of eight questions,\nand a piquet pack of cards, on the backs of which\nare written or printed thirty-two answers appro-\npriate to such questions, one of each suit to each\nquestion. The person consulting the Oracle hav-"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 155, "folder": "", "text": "Inn VRACLE OF\n139\ning selected the question he or she desires to have\nanswered, the dial is laid on the stand with the\n\"suit\" or Fig. 26 side uppermost, and the pointer\nis placed in position on its pivot. The querist is\ninvited to breathe into the glass, which is then\nlowered on to the stand. The pointer begins to\nmove, and after a moment or two of indecision,\n9\nFig. 26\nFig. 25\nFig. 27\ncomes to rest opposite one or other of the four suit-\npips; we will suppose, for the sake of illustration,\nthe diamond. The glass is then lifted off, the dial\nreversed, the pointer replaced, and the glass once.\nmore lowered on to the stand. Again the pointer\nmoves, and stops this time, we will say, at the num-\nber \"seven.\" The seven of diamonds is sought"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 156, "folder": "", "text": "140\nLATEST MAGIC\nfor in the pack, and is found to bear a more or less\nappropriate answer to the question asked.\nThe movements of the pointer are governed by\nthe fact that, imbedded in the mahogany mount\nsurrounding the base of the bell glass, is a piece\nof thick steel wire, strongly magnetised, and\nextending half way round the circle. The pointer,\nthough SO coloured as to have the appearance of\nbrass, is in reality a magnetic steel needle, and\ntherefore when resting on the pivot and covered\nby the glass, will automatically move round till\nit comes to rest between the two magnetic poles\nformed to the opposite ends of the hidden wire.\nThe operator can therefore, by placing the glass\ncover accordingly, cause the indicator to stop at\nany part of the dial that he pleases.\nIt remains to be explained what guides him in\nthe manipulation of the glass, SO as to cause the\nneedle to stop at the point he desires. It will be\nremembered that, attached to the knob at the top\nof the glass, is a loop of ribbon, serving to suspend\nthe glass in use from the forefinger, as shown in\nFig. 28. But the loop has in truth a much more\nimportant function than this. Before the loop is\nformed, the ribbon is tied tightly round the neck\nof the knob, previously waxed to prevent its slip-\nping round, and the knot is SO placed that it shall\nexactly correspond with that pole of the magnet\nto which the point of the needle is intended to be\nin use attracted. This done, a loop is formed with"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 157, "folder": "", "text": "THE ORACLE OF MEMPHIS\n141\nthe two ends of the ribbon, and so arranged in\npoint of length that when the glass is suspended\nfrom the forefinger, as in the diagram, the thumb\nand second finger of the operator shall be just right\nfor moving it round in either direction, the little\nknot guiding him by feel to bring it to the desired\npoint.\nnot\nC\nFIG. 28\nThe exhibitor is not limited to any particular\nset of questions and answers. At the cost of a\nfresh pack of cards and a little ingenuity, he can"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 158, "folder": "", "text": "142\nLATEST MAGIC\nplease himself in this particular. The selection of\nsuitable questions and answers is however a some-\nwhat delicate matter. The answers must on the\none hand be smart enough to afford amusement\nto the company generally; and on the other hand\nmust not be so pungent as to be likely to cause\noffence to a person putting the question.\nThe questions and answers I devised for my own\nuse ran somewhat as follows:\n1. What does my husband (or wife, as the case may b\u00e9) most\nthink about ?\nANSWERS\nSeven of Diamonds.\nYourself.\n\"\nHearts.\nMoney.\n\"\nSpades.\nDinnertime.\n\"\nClubs.\nGolf.\n2. Shall I live to grow old?\nEight of Diamonds.\nYes, if you don't worry about it.\n\"\nHearts.\nA well-spent youth will be fol-\nlowed by a happy old age.\n\"\nSpades.\nAs old as you care to be.\n\"\nClubs.\nYes, old, and fat.\n3. What is my chief fault?\nNine of Diamonds.\nYou haven't any.\n\"\nHearts.\nExcessive modesty.\n\"\nSpades.\nFlirting.\n\"\nClubs.\nSwank.\n4. Shall I have what I am wishing for ?\nTen of Diamonds. Y es, if you deserve it.\n\"\nHearts.\nIf you go the right way to get it."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 159, "folder": "", "text": "THE ORACLE OF MEMPHIS\n143\nTen of Spades.\nNot likely.\n\"\nClubs.\nIt is like your cheek to wish for it.\n5. What am I thinking about at this moment?\nJack of Diamonds.\nA new hat.\n\"\nHearts.\nServants.\n\"\nSpades.\nYou wouldn't like me to tell.\n\"\nClubs.\nThat it is a long time between\ndrinks.\n6. What shall I do to get health?\nQueen of Diamonds. Don't think about it.\n\"\nHearts.\nKeep smiling.\n\"\nSpades.\nTake Podger's Purple Pills.\n\"\nClubs.\nEat less.\n7. How old am I?\nKing of Diamonds.\nJust right, don't get any older.\n\"\nHearts.\nWhatever you are, you don't look\nit.\n\"\nSpades.\nYou never tell, so I won't.\n\"\nClubs.\nOld enough to know better.\n8. What shall I be this time next year\nAce of Diamonds.\nA year older.\n\"\nHearts.\nA trifle stouter.\n\"\nSpades.\nA year wiser.\n\"\nClubs.\nBald as a baby.\nIt will be found on comparing them that the\nanswers are arranged on a regular system, those on\nthe red cards being of a more or less complimen-\ntary nature, or otherwise favourable; the black\nsuits less so, particularly the clubs, which are"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 160, "folder": "", "text": "144\nLATEST MAGIC\nrather the reverse, and are intended to be used as\nreplies to gentlemen only. Bearing this arrange-\nment in mind, it is a comparatively easy matter to\nsuit the answer to the querist.\nThe questions must be memorised in proper\norder, and it is desirable to do the same with the\nanswers also, though there should be no difficulty,\nremembering the principle of arrangement, in giv-\ning a fairly appropriate answer, even though the\nmemory be for the moment at fault as to its exact\nterms. To avoid the necessity of giving the same\nanswer more than once, it is well to make a rule\nthat the same question shall not be asked more than\nthree times.\nThe Oracle may be introduced as follows:\n\"Allow me to introduce to your notice a curio of\nan exceptionally interesting kind. This elegant\nlittle affair is said to have been the private Oracle\nof Rameses the Second, a gentleman who flourished\nin Egypt about four thousand years ago. I can't\nbe sure to a year or two, because it was before my\ntime, but I believe that is about right. People\nsometimes express surprise that, being so ancient,\nthe Oracle should be in such good condition, but\nthat is accounted for by its having been preserved\nin the same case as Rammy's mummy. I don't\nmean his mamma, but the gentleman himself, in\nthe cold storage of the period. The story may or\nmay not be true. I can't take any responsibility\nfor it. Others declare that the Oracle was the fav-"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 161, "folder": "", "text": "THE ORACLE OF MEMPHIS\n145\nourite plaything of Helen of Troy. Historians do\ntell such tarradiddles that one doesn't know what\nto believe.\n\"The powers of the Oracle are limited, for it will\nonly answer eight questions, and in its own way,\nbut its answers are quite trustworthy-well, per-\nhaps not quite. Let us say as trustworthy as those\nof Bond Street fortune-tellers at a guinea a guess.\nWho will be the first to test its veracity ?\n\"I should mention, by the way, that, as each\nanswer exhausts a certain amount of power, the\nsame question must not be asked more than three\ntimes. You would like to consult the Oracle,\nMadam? Then please select one of the questions\non this card, and read it out for the information of\nthe Company.\n\"You wish to know\" (repeating question).\n\"Good. The answer to your question will be found\non one or other of the cards in this pack, and the\nOracle will tell us which one to look for. First,\nhowever, I must ask you to breathe into this glass.\nThat supplies the missing link, SO to speak, and\nmakes it a sort of personal affair between you and\nthe Oracle.\" (This is done.)\n\"Thank you. Now I shall place the glass on its\nstand, and this little pointer\" (holding it up and\nplacing it on its pivot) will reveal the correct\nanswer, first indicating the suit among which the\nanswer is to be found. You may notice that it\nwobbles a bit at first. That is because it is think-"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 162, "folder": "", "text": "146\nLATEST MAGIC\ning over the question. Now it has come to rest,\nand it says the answer will be found in the\"\n(name suit.) \"And now to find out which is the\nright card of that suit. I take off the glass and\nturn the dial over. Please concentrate your mind\non your question. I put the glass and the pointer\non again. Again the pointer thinks it over, and\nfinally decides as you see, for the (naming\nnumber of card.) \"Now all we have to do is to\nlook out that card\" (does so) \"and here we have\nthe answer to your question.\"\nBefore inviting a fresh querist to breathe into\nthe glass, it is well to wipe it out carefully with a\nsilk pocket handkerchief, professedly to dispel the\npersonal magnetism of the last enquirer, any\nremains of which, left within the glass, might\nimperil the correctness of the anticipated answer.\nTHE MYSTERY OF MAHOMET\u00b9\nThe reader is probably familiar with the trick\nknown as \"The Silver Tube and Ball.\" If not,\nit may be stated that the \"tube\" is of metal, nick-\nelled, and about eight inches long by one and a\nhalf in diameter. With it is used an ebony ball,\nwhich is made to pass into and out of the tube in a\nvery surprising way.\nThe secret lies partly in the fact that half way\n1\nA description of this trick will be found in The Magician for March,\n1914."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 163, "folder": "", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF MAHOMET\n147\ndown, the internal diameter of the tube is very\nslightly narrowed, forming a sort of \"choke,\" SO\nthat a ball dropped into it at the upper end does\nnot fall right through, as one would naturally\nexpect, but stops at that point, wedging itself\nlightly, SO that the tube can be reversed without\nany fear of the ball falling out, though it can be\ninstantly driven out by bringing down the tube\nsmartly on the table, or by very slight pressure\nbehind it.\nThe other part of the secret lies in the fact that\ntwo balls are in reality used, the existence of the\nsecond being of course unknown to the spectator.\nThe tube being loaded as above mentioned, i.e. hav-\ning the one ball wedged in it just below the choke,\nif the duplicate is dropped in from above it will\napparently fall through, though as a matter of fact\nthis ball comes to a standstill in the tube above the\nchoke, while the other is driven out at the bottom.\nThe secret use of this second ball enables the per-\nformer to produce sundry surprising results in the\nway of appearances and disappearances.\nThe possibilities of the trick in this form are\nhowever speedily exhausted, and it has a serious\ndrawback in the fact that it is necessary to invert\nthe tube afresh before each production, as it is\nobvious that a ball contained in it must be brought\nbelow the choke before it can be produced. I had\nat one time rather a fancy for the trick, but it\nseemed to me that it was capable of a good deal of"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 164, "folder": "", "text": "148\nLATEST MAGIC\nimprovement, and after some cogitation I suc-\nceeded in producing a new trick on somewhat sim-\nilar lines; but free from the defect mentioned above\nand capable withal of producing a far wider variety\nof effects.\nI use two tubes of stiff cardboard, each about\nfour inches long by one and a half in diameter.\nOne of these is just a plain tube with no speciality\nSECTION\nFIG. 29\nabout it. The other has a piece of fine wire cross-\ning it midway from side to side, and taking the\nform of a halfhoop, as shown in Fig. 29, the ends\nserving as pivots on which it moves freely. On the\noutside, one of its ends is turned down vertically,\nforming a tiny switch or handle. The normal\ntendency of the halfhoop is to hang downward\nacross the tube (thereby closing it to the passage of\na ball) but a touch of the finger, moving the little"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 165, "folder": "", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF MAHOMET\n149\nswitch to right or left, raises the loop to a hori-\nzontal position against one or other of the sides\nof the tube, when it no longer offers any obstacle\nto the passing of the ball. The wire used is SO thin\nthat with the halfhoop lying against its side a spec-\ntator may safely be allowed to look through the\ntube even at a very short distance, without fear of\nhis perceiving the presence of the wire.\nThe requirements for the trick, all told, are as\nfollows:\n(1) The wand.\n(2) The plain tube.\n(3) The trick tube.\n(4) Two white balls.\n(5) A red ball.\n(6) A lighted candle.\n(7) A small red silk handkerchief.\nOne of the white balls must be vested or other-\nwise so placed as to be ready for production from\nthe wand. The second white ball and the red ball\nare stowed in the pochettes, one on each side. The\nfaked tube may be vested and exchanged for the\nplain one during the journey back to the table\nafter the dummy has been tendered for inspec-\ntion; the latter being dropped into the profonde.\nThese however are matters which the expert will\narrange after his own fashion. If the perfor-\nmer, not being an expert, doubts his ability to"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 166, "folder": "", "text": "150\nLATEST MAGIC\n\"change\" the tubes neatly during the transit, he\nmay suppress the plain tube altogether and com-\nmence at once with the exhibition of the faked tube\nfrom the platform, but the omission makes the\ntrick less convincing.\nWe will suppose that the performer goes for\nthe maximum effect and advances offering the\ndummy tube for inspection. The patter I suggest\nfor the trick in this form runs as follows:\n\"I- have here, ladies and gentlemen, a hollow tube.\nIt is not uncommon for tubes to be hollow, but this\none is, if anything, even hollower than usual. I\nshould like some lady or gentleman to examine it\ncarefully and testify that it is just a plain ordinary\ntube with absolutely no deception of any sort about\nit. If it was not so, you may be sure I should\nhardly venture to let you examine it. You can see\nthrough it, hear through it, or blow through it.\nYou are satisfied? Then 1 will show you a curious\nlittle experiment with it.\"\nDuring the return to the table the dummy is\nexchanged for the trick tube.\n\"I call the experiment I am about to show you\n\"The Mystery of Mahomet. I gave it that name\nbecause it was Mahomet who suggested the idea to\nme. I don't mean personally. I didn't know\nhim. In point of fact he did not give me the idea\ntill after he had been dead for some years. This\nsounds peculiar, but I will explain.\n\"When Mahomet died he wasn't buried like"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 167, "folder": "", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF MAHOMET\n151\nother people. His coffin was placed in a mosque,\nwhere it hangs in the air like a captive balloon,\nabout twenty feet up, resting on nothing at all. I\nam not certain as to the exact height from the\nground, but that is what the Moslems say, and they\nwould hardly tell a story about a little thing like\nthat. It has always been a mystery what keeps\nthe prophet up aloft. Some say it is done by mes-\nFIG. 30\nmerism, some say by magnetism, and one old gen-\ntleman declared it was done by mormonism. No\ndoubt, when you come to think of it Mahomet was\na bit of a Mormon. But they are all wide of the\nmark. As a matter of fact the coffin rests on a\nslab of compressed air. It's quite simple, when\nyou know it. I haven't a coffin handy, but by\nmeans of this little tube I can show you the effect\nof the same principle on a smaller scale."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 168, "folder": "", "text": "152\nLATEST MAGIC\n\"As some of you have not had the opportunity\nof personally examining the tube I should like to\nprove to you in the first place that it is really what\nit appears to be, a simple cardboard cylinder, open\nfrom end to end, and as free from deception as I\nam myself.\n\"Proof 1.\" (Wand dropped through tube on\nto table.)\n\"Proof 2.\" (Tube held in front of candle show-\ning flame through it.\"7)\n\"Proof 3.\" (Tube dropped over candle as in\nFig. 30, or spun on wand, held horizontally as in\nFig. 31\nFig. 31; the halfhoop in each case being made to\nlie against the side of the tube.)\n\"I have here a little ball, of such a size that it\npasses easily through the tube.\"1 The ball is\nallowed to fall through, from the one hand to the\nother.\nNow I will place the tube upright on the\n1 If preferred the ball instead of being taken openly from the table,\nmay be produced from the wand after the fashion familiar in the Cup\nand Ball trick, but on the whole I think this is best omitted."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 169, "folder": "", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF MAHOMET\n153\ntable and drop the ball in once more. Where is it\nnow' ? On the table, you say. Quite right: here\nit is.\"7 (Lift tube, closing it, and placing it on\nend beside ball.) \"But now I take a few handfuls\nof air and press them well down into the tube\"\n(makes believe to do so), \"and I drop the ball in\nagain. This time you see it does not fall through.\nAs a matter of fact it has stopped halfway, resting\non the compressed air in the tube.\" (Lift tube,\nshowing that the ball has not passed through.\nAfter replacing the tube switch the wire loop to\nthe horizontal position, allowing the ball to drop\ninside the tube.) \"I think there can be no doubt\nthat this is the way Mr. Home, the medium, man-\naged to float about with his head in the air and his\nfeet on the mantelpiece. All that was needed was\na few pints of compressed air in his tail-pockets.\nIt's quite simple, when you know how it's done.\n\"Of course, as the tube is open at the top, the\neffect doesn't last very long. The compressed air\ngradually expands again and becomes too thin to\nsupport the ball any longer. I dare say by this\ntime it has done so.\"7 (Lift tube, exposing ball,\nand re-closing tube). \"Yes, here it is.\"\n\"I can keep the air from escaping to a certain\nextent, because I happen to have a very strong\nwon't. A strong will is a good thing to have, but\nsometimes a strong won't is even more useful.\nOnce again I will fill the tube with compressed air.\"\n(Make believe to do so, then pick up the closed"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 170, "folder": "", "text": "154\nLATEST MAGIC\ntube.) \"I drop the ball in again, and this time it\nwill remain suspended till I permit the compressed\nair to escape.\" (Pick up tube, holding it vertically\na few inches above the table.) \"Say when you\nwould like the ball to fall. Now? Good ! I with-\ndraw my strong won't and the ball falls at once.\"\n(Switch loop, allowing it to do so, then pass tube,\nclosing it, to opposite hand and load into it dupli-\ncate ball at top; then replacing tube on table.)\n\"Now, by way of variety, we will try compress-\ning the ball instead of the air.\" (Pick up ball left\non table and make believe to transfer it to the oppos-\nite hand. Then, with the left hand empty, make\npretence of crushing it into the hand.) \"The ball\nis now resolved into its component atoms. You\ndidn't see them go? No, of course you didn't.\nFor the time being they are dematerialised: but the\ncompressed air in the tube will soon solidify them\nagain.\" (Lift tube, keeping ball suspended.)\n\"It has not got solid yet, but we shall not have long\nto wait.\" (After a few moments again lift tube,\nopening it and allowing ball to pass through.)\n\"Here is the ball, now as solid as before.\"\nTransfer tube closed to opposite hand and in SO\ndoing load in red ball at top. In replacing tube\non table open and close it again, so that the ball\nshall fall, but shall rest within the tube on the\ntable.\n\"Now I will show you another curious effect.\nA\nball which has been dematerialised in that way"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 171, "folder": "", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF MAHOMET\n155\nbecomes very sensitive to colour. I will just give\nthe ball a rub with this red silk handkerchief and\ndrop it into the tube again.\" Drop in white ball\nafter rubbing, keeping tube closed; then raise it\nand show red ball at bottom.\n\"Here it is again, you see, but it has taken the\ncolour of the handkerchief and is now a rosy red,\na sort of maiden's blush; the blush of a very shy\nmaiden. Unfortunately maiden's blush is not a\nfast colour, unless it's the wrong kind; the kind\nthat's rubbed in with a powder puff. This kind\nsoon gets pale again. I rub the ball again, this\ntime with a white handkerchief, and again drop\nit into the tube.\"\nDrop in red ball, tube closed, lift and show white\nball, under cover of its appearance transferring\ntube to opposite hand and allowing red ball to\nrun back into palm to be got rid of a moment\nlater.\n\"I think I heard a lady say, 'Where is the red\nball ? This is the red ball, at least it was the red\nball a moment ago. There is no other, for, as you\nsee, the tube is empty.\"\nAgain drop tube over candle as in Fig. 30. Pass\nball from hand to hand and finally make believe to\nswallow it, meanwhile dropping it into the pro-\nfonde.\n\"After being treated like this the ball becomes so\nvolatile that I used to be always losing it. But I\nnever lose it now. I just swallow it and then I"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 172, "folder": "", "text": "156\nLATEST MAGIC\nknow just where it is when I want it. It saves a\nlot of trouble.\"\nTHE BEWILDERING BLOCKS\nThe blocks which give its title to this trick are\ninch-square wooden cubes, three in number, as\nillustrated in Fig. 32. Each is coloured black on\ntwo of its opposite sides; these in use being made\ntop and bottom. The four remaining sides are in\nthe case of one block red, of another white, and of\na third blue. The only other item of apparatus\nknown to the spectators is a square cardboard tube,\nas depicted in Fig. 33. This is about five inches\nlong, and of such dimensions laterally as to let\neither block slide by its own weight easily through\nit, but no more. All four items may be freely sub-\nmitted to inspection, for in this case appearances\nare not deceitful. Both the blocks and the tube are\nno more and no less than they seem to be.\nIn exhibiting the trick, the tube is placed upright\non the table, and the three blocks are dropped into\nit one after another, the company being requested\nto note particularly the order in which they are\ninserted, which we will suppose to be in the first\ninstance blue, then white, and lastly red, as shown\nwithout the tube in Fig. 32. It is clear that, once\ninserted, they cannot by any natural means alter\ntheir relative positions, but, strange to say, when\nthey are again uncovered, the red block just"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 173, "folder": "", "text": "THE BEWILDERING BLOCKS\n157\ninserted at the top is found to have passed to the\nbottom, the other two moving up accordingly.\nThis surprising effect is produced by the secret\nintroduction into the tube of a fourth block of\nwhich the spectators know nothing. This, which\nFIG. 32\nFIG. 33\nFIG. 34\nwe will call the \"trick\" block, is, like the rest, col-\noured black at the top and bottom; but of the\nremaining four sides two, contiguous to each other,\nare red, and the other two blue.\nWhen the tube is handed back to the performer"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 174, "folder": "", "text": "158\nLATEST MAGIC\nafter inspection, before placing it on the table he\nsecretly introduces the trick block into its lower\nend, privately noting against which sides of the\ntube the two red faces will lie, and taking care in\nplacing the tube upon the table that the angle\nformed by these two sides shall be to the front.\nThe other three blocks are then, in accordance with\nthe patter, dropped in from above, in the order\nshown in Fig. 32, resting, unknown to the specta-\ntors, on top of the trick block. When the performer\nlifts off the tube, which he does grasping it diagon-\nally between thumb and finger at about an inch\nfrom the top, he does so with gentle pressure,\nthereby holding back the uppermost block within\nthe tube, and exposing the two others with the trick\nblock at the bottom, as indicated by Fig. 34.\nI gave a description of this trick in the Magician\nof February, 1914. The patter for its exhibition\nwas based on a popular nursery legend, and as this\nmode of presentation won general approval from\nthe juveniles I cannot do better than repeat it prac-\ntically as there given. The needful working\ninstructions will be found interspersed with the\npatter.\n\"What I am goong to show you now is not a trick,\nor, if you can call it a trick, it is one that works\nitself, for you will see for yourselves that I have\nreally nothing to do with it. It is just an illustra-\ntion of the force of bad example.\n\"No doubt you have all heard of a young gentle-"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 175, "folder": "", "text": "THE BEWILDERING BLOCKS\n159\nman called Fidgety Phil, There is a little poem\nabout him. It says:\n'Fidgety Phil\nCouldn't keep still,\nMade his mother and father ill.'\n\"There are a lot more verses but I am sorry to\nsay I don't know them. However, these few lines\nare enough to show you what sort of a boy Fidgety\nPhil was. He was the kind of boy that wherever\nhe is, he wants to be somewhere else. When he\nwas standing up he wanted to sit down, and when\nhe was sitting down he wriggled about on his chair\ntill he was allowed to stand up again.\n\"These little blocks are all that are left of a\nbox of bricks which are said to have belonged to\nFidgety Phil and they show what even a box of\nbricks may come to if a bad example is constantly\nset before them. These three little bricks have got\nto be just as fidgety as Phil was himself. Any-\nhow, that is the only way in which I can account\nfor their queer behaviour.\n\"Please have a good look at them, and see if you\ncan discover anything peculiar about them. I\ncan't, myself.\" (The blocks are handed for exam-\nination.) \"They seem to me to be just ordinary\nbits of coloured wood, and this square tube is\nbelieved to have been a chimney pot belonging to\nthe same set. I want you to notice particularly\nthat the bricks are just the right size to fit closely"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 176, "folder": "", "text": "160\nLATEST MAGIC\nin the chimney. They go in quite easily; but when\nthey are once inside they can't turn round, or turn\nover, or change places. But the curious thing is\nthat though they can't they do, as you will see\npresently.\n\"I place the chimney-pot here on the table,\nwhere you can see all round it, and I drop the\nthree bricks into it one by one. Notice particu-\nlarly the order in which I put them in. First, the\nblue. You heard it go down. Next, the white,\nand now, the red. Don't forget. Blue at the bot-\ntom, white in the middle, and red at the top.\n\"Now, without my saying or doing anything,\nthey will at once begin to shift about. They can't\nkeep still for more than a few seconds. When I\nlift off the chimney pot, you will find that they have\nchanged places.\" (It is lifted accordingly, per-\nformer holding back the uppermost block within it\nby gentle pressure on opposite angles of the tube,\nand exhibiting only the three lower blocks now as\nin Fig. 34.)\n\"There, as I told you, like Fidgety Phil, they\ncouldn't keep still. The white brick has climbed\nto the top, the red one has gone down to the bot-\ntom, and the blue one is now in the middle.\n\"We will try again. I will put the bricks in in\njust the same order, to make it easier for you to\nremember them.\"\nPerformer has meanwhile allowed the red block,\nleft in the upper part of the tube, to sink to the"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 177, "folder": "", "text": "THE BEWILDERING BLOCKS\n161\nbottom, checked by the third finger, and replaces\ntube upright on table.\n\"As before, I drop in first the blue, then the\nwhite, then the red.\" (This last being the trick\nblock, care must be taken to keep its red sides well\nto the front.)\n\"Again I left off the chimney pot, and again\nyou see, the bricks have changed places. White\nhas come to the top, and red has gone to the bottom\nagain.\"\nThe trick block, which this time remained at\nthe top, is now allowed to slide down to the bottom.\nThe tube is again placed on the table, but so turned\nthat the blue sides of the block within it are brought\nto the front.\n\"I can't tell you why the bricks behave in this\nway, but you can see for yourselves that I have\nnothing to do with it. We will try it once more,\nand for a change I will put the red block in first,\nthen the white and then the blue. That order will\nbe easy to remember. Red, white and blue reckon-\ning from the bottom upwards. Again I remove the\ncover. The same thing has happened again, but\nwith a little difference. White has come to the\ntop again, but blue has this time gone to the bot-\ntom.\"7\nWhile attention is drawn to the new order of\nthe blocks, the performer allows the ordinary blue\none, now left in the tube, to slide out into his hand,\nand in picking up the others secretly substitutes"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 178, "folder": "", "text": "162\nLATEST MAGIC\nthis for the trick block, which is now at the bottom\nof the tube.\n\"Once more, ladies and gentlemen, here is the\nchimney pot, and here are the three bricks, for\ninspection by any one who cares to look at them.\nPerhaps some of you may be able to account for\ntheir remarkable behaviour. It's a puzzle to me;\nbut I never was good at guessing. My own idea is\nthat they are haunted by the ghost of Fidgety\nPhil. If not, I give it up.\"\nAN \"OD\" FORCE\nTo avoid misconception, it may be well to state\nat once that the peculiar spelling of the word \"od\"\nin the above title is not a printer's error. The\nexplanation will be found in the patter, which is\nfounded on a discovery claimed to have been made\nby a scientist at one time of world-wide renown,\nand the responsibility for so spelling the word rests\nwith him. For programme purposes the reader\nis at liberty to re-name the trick according to his\nown fancy. \"Mysterious Motion,\" or \"Moved by\nMagic\" would fairly represent the effect produced,\nwhich consists in causing a borrowed coin to move\nautomatically at the will of the operator, in various\ndirections.\nThe requirements for the trick are as follows:\n(1) The \"tramway\" whereon the coin is to be\nmade to travel. This consists of a' slab of wood"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 179, "folder": "", "text": "- -\neighths of an inch thick and covered as to its upper\nside with fine black cloth. To the cloth-covered\nside of this is attached, by means of a screw at\neach corner, a parallelogram of brass or copper\nwire enclosing a space two inches wide. The four\nscrews, which are likewise of brass, and which are\nFig. 35\nof the round-headed kind, are within the parallelo-\ngram and serve to keep the wire extended. Mid-\nway at each end is another screw, driven in out-\nside the wire, in such manner as to make all taut.\nThese last two screws, for a reason connected with\nthe working of the trick, stand up a shade higher\nthan the other four, but the difference is not great\nenough to be noticeable. See Fig. 35."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 180, "folder": "", "text": "164\n*LATEST MAGIC\n(2) A special \"pull\" carried on the person of\nthe performer. This consists of a fine black\nthread, to one end of which is attached a weight\ntravelling up and down the trouser leg, after the\nmanner described (in connection with a self-sus-\npending wand) at page 111 of \"Later Magic.\" In\nthe present case, however, the weight is much\nsmaller, being in fact just large enough to rather\nmore than counterbalance the coin used in the\ntrick, plus the friction to be overcome by the thread\nin the working of the trick. The degree of such\nfriction is an uncertain quantity, as it will largely\ndepend on the nature of the operator's underwear\nand its closeness to his own body. The precise\nweight most effective must be ascertained by pre-\nvious experiment, and regulated accordingly.\nIt will be found convenient to use by way of\nweight a glass tube, closed at the bottom like a\ntest-tube and loaded with buckshot, more or less\nin quantity according to the weight required.\nThe mouth of the tube is closed by a cork, through\nwhich one end of the thread is passed, and secured\non the under side by a knot and a spot of gum.\nWhen the minimum weight that will effectually\nserve the desired purpose has been ascertained, any\nvacant space above the leaden pellets should be\nfilled with cotton wool (to prevent rattling) and the\ncork should then be cemented into the tube. If\npreferred, the wool may be interspersed among the\nbuckshot."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 181, "folder": "", "text": "AN \"od\" FORCE\n165\nThe opposite end of the thread, which will be\nsomewhere about thirty inches in length (this again\nbeing a point to be determined by experiment),\nis passed through the curled end of a good-sized\nsafety pin. This, for use in the trick, is attached\nto the inside of the performer's vest, just within\nthe lowest part of the opening. To the free-end\nof the thread, after passing through the loop of\nthe pin, is attached a disc of copper or zinc, three-\nquarters of an inch in diameter, against which, on\none side, is pressed and flattened out a pellet of\nconjurer's wax, in good adhesive condition. If the\nlength of the thread has been duly regulated, the\nlittle disc will rest normally just within the vest,\nbut can be drawn out the extent of a couple of feet\nor so, returning swiftly to its hiding place the\nmoment it is released.\n(3) A glass ball-professedly crystal.\n(4) An ordinary match-box, empty.\nInstructions for the working of the trick will\nbe most conveniently given step by step with the\npatter, which may run as follows:\n\"In the early days of Queen Victoria's reign,\nwhen the oldest of us here present were good little\nboys or girls, and the rest were not born or thought\nof, there lived a celebrated scientific gentleman,\ncalled the Baron von Reichenbach. I am sorry to\nsay he was a German, but he couldn't help it. As\nhis father and mother were Germans, he had to be\none too. It shows how careful children ought to be"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 182, "folder": "", "text": "166\nLATEST MAGIC\nin the choice of their parents. He invented a lot of\nuseful things, among them creosote and paraffin.\nNeither of them smells very nice, but they don't\ntrouble about that in Germany.\n\"Besides being a great chemist, Von Thingany\ndabbled in what are called the occult sciences, and\nhe claimed to have discovered a new force (a sort\nof magnetism, only different) and which, he\ndeclared, pervaded every thing in nature, espe-\ncially crystal. Directed by a strong will, like his\nown, or mine, it would do all sorts of wonderful\nthings. It seemed to me that such a force would\ncome in very handy for magical purposes, and I\nset to work to invent it over again, and I have at\nany rate produced something very like it. The\nBaron called his force 'odd,' but he spelt it 'od,'\nwhich is odd too. You must judge for yourselves\nwhether my force is the same as his, and you can\nspell it which way you like.\n\"I have only been able so far to work up a very\nsmall amount of the force, say about six-mouse-\npower, SO it won't turn tables, or lift pianos. I can\nonly get it, SO far, to move a small weight like a\nflorin or a half-dollar, and that only for a very short\ndistance. For greater conveniences I have made\nthis little tramway for the coin to perform upon.\nThese wires which you see are not for it to travel\non, but merely to get more equal distribution of\nthe force. There is nothing out of the way about"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 183, "folder": "", "text": "inspection. The performer takes back the tram-\nway in the left hand, holding it by one end in such\nmanner that it is gripped in the fork of the thumb,\nleaving the thumb itself comparatively free. Tak-\ning back the ball with the right hand and remark-\ning \"Now to develop the force,\" he rubs it on his\nleft coat-sleeve, and strokes the surface of the tram-\nway two or three times with it.\n\"Having now established a proper degree of\n'oddity' between the tram and the crystal, I will\nask for the loan of a half-dollar (or florin as the\ncase may be) marked in any way the owner\npleases.\"\nHe replaces the ball on the table, and in the act\nof again turning to the audience gets hold of the\nwaxed disc and draws it away from the body, hold-\ning it clipped between the ends of the first and sec-\nond fingers, the left thumb pressing the thread\nagainst the cloth top of the tramway, and acting for\nthe time being (and indeed throughout the trick)\nas a brake neutralising at pleasure the pull of the\nweight.\nHe receives the coin on the tramway; then pick-\ning it up with the right hand, makes some obser-\nvation as to the mark, meanwhile pressing the\nwaxed side of the disc against it, then replacing it,\ndisc down, in the middle of the tramway."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 184, "folder": "", "text": "168\nLATEST MAGIC\n\"I shall now, by means of the 'od' force, compel\nthe coin to move towards This he does\naccordingly, by relaxing the pressure of the thumb\nupon the thread and merely bringing the pull of\nthe weight into operation. When the coin has all\nbut reached the nearer end of the tramway, he says,\n\"We will now see if we can make it travel a little\nlonger distance.\" So saying he draws the thread\nout again and lays the coin on the farther end of\nthe tram, and again makes it travel slowly back.\nA good effect may be here produced by making it\nstop half-way, and (after remarking in a casual\nway that the power is hardly strong enough) pick-\ning up the ball, again rubbing it upon the sleeve\nand moving it, a few inches distance, in the direc-\ntion in which the coin is to travel, when it resumes\nits journey accordingly.\nOnce more picking up the coin, he replaces it at\nthe farther end of the tramway, but in so doing\npasses the thread outside and around the screw at\nthat end. He then remarks, as if bethinking him-\nself : \"By the way, a lady suggested the other\nnight that the coin was attracted towards me by\nmy personal magnetism. I know I am an attrac-\ntive man : I have been told so frequently but that\nis not the explanation in this case, as I will prove\nto you by making the coin travel away from me.\"\nSo saying, he draws the coin towards him, easing\noff the pressure on the thread to enable him to do\nso, and leaves it at the inner end. The ball is"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 185, "folder": "", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF THE THREE SEALS\n169\nnow moved away from himself, and the pressure\nof the brake being relaxed, the coin is now drawn\nin the same direction.\n\"Quod erat demonstrandum,\" as our old friend\nShakespeare (or was it Euclid) used to say.\" (To\nthe lender of the coin.) \"You must take care of\nthis coin, Sir; it is now charged with a minute\nquantity of the 'od' force, and SO long as you\nkeep it you can never be 'stony-broke.' I will show\nyou just one more effect with it before I return it to\nyou.\"\nWhile speaking, he has carelessly picked up the\ncoin, and replaced it on the inner side of the screw\nSO that this shall be no longer encircled by the\nthread. Picking up the match box from the table,\nhe pushes out the \"tray\" portion with the fore-\nfinger; then throwing aside the outer case, he picks\nup the tray, and inverts it over the coin.\n\"I will now show you that the 'od' force still\noperates even though it is cut off from any direct\nconnection with the subject of the experiment: but\nin this case a little more power is required.\" So\nsaying he rubs the glass ball again on his coat-\nsleeve, and, moving the ball accordingly, causes the\ncoin to travel towards him, the matchbox natur-\nally moving with it. In again picking up the coin,\nto return it to the owner, he detaches it from the\ndisc, which flies back to its original resting-place."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 186, "folder": "", "text": "170\nLATEST MAGIC\nTHE MYSTERY OF THE THREE SEALS\nThis is a trick involving some little trouble in\nthe way of preparation, and perhaps a little more\nthan average address on the part of the performer,\nbut on the other hand it costs little; for all the\nneedful appliances may be homemade, and in the\nhands of an expert the trick will amply repay the\ntime and trouble expended upon it. Baldly stated,\nits effect consists in the magical introduction of a\nmarked coin into the innermost of a nest of three\nenvelopes, each securely sealed.\nThe requirements for the trick are as under:\n1. Two nests of envelopes. The innermost of\neach is one of the little square kind used in shops\nto contain copper \"change,\" or to hold the weekly\nwage of an employee. It should be of cartridge or\nstout manila paper, and about two inches square.\nThe next larger is of the ordinary square or so-\ncalled square-note size, and the third a little larger\nstill. Envelopes of the two last mentioned sizes\nare not always to be obtained made of cartridge\nor manila, but this condition is not in their case\nabsolutely essential. The flap of each envelope\nmust be stuck down and sealed with red wax.\u00b9\n2. A special envelope, which we will call the\n1 If the performer does not object to the slight additional trouble,\nhe will find an easy method of obtaining envelopes exactly square and\nof any desired description of paper, indicated in the chapter entitled\n\"A Few Wrinkles,\" post."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 187, "folder": "", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF THE THREE SEALS\n171\n\"trick\" envelope. This is of the same size and\nkind as the innermost of the nested envelopes but\nhas undergone special preparation as follows:\nTaking two ordinary envelopes, cut round the\nedges of one of them with a penknife, completely\ndividing back from front. Take the plain or non-\nflap side of the one SO treated, lay it squarely under\nFIG. 36\nthe flap of the other, and stick the flap down upon\nit in the ordinary way: then add a seal of red\nwax, as closely as possible corresponding in appear-\nance with the two seals of the innermost of the\nnested envelopes. Lastly, cut away the super-\nfluous paper round the seal and the edges of the\nflap. The envelope will now be shown as in Fig.\n36, and when closed will have the appearance of\nan envelope sealed in the ordinary way, though it"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 188, "folder": "", "text": "172\nLATEST MAGIC\nas yet lacks the connecting medium for actually\nsecuring it.\n3. The \"coin mat\" (page 4) freshly treated\nwith the usual adhesive. The side so treated is to\nbe turned downwards on the table with a shilling\npressed against the adhesive portion.\n4. A penknife, to be used as envelope opener.\nAs shortly as possible before the presentation of\nthe trick, the trick envelope must be further pre-\npared by spreading a thin layer of seccotine on that\nportion of the underside of the flap immediately\nunder the seal.\nN. B. This must not be done too long before-\nhand, as it is essential to the success of the trick\nthat the envelope be used while the seccotine is still\nin a \"tacky\" condition.\nThe envelope prepared as above, to be laid on the\ntable, behind some small object, or preferably just\ninside the foremost rim of a Japanese tray; at one\ncorner, mouth uppermost, and flap to the rear.\nUnder these conditions, the butting of the opposite\nedge of the envelope against the forward wall of\nthe tray will be found greatly to facilitate the sub-\nsequent introduction of the borrowed coin. Before\nso placing the envelope, its edges on each side\nshould be pressed slightly inwards, SO as to make\nit expand a little at the opening.\nThese arrangements duly made, the performer\nmay introduce the trick as follows:\n\"I don't know whether anybody here remembers"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 189, "folder": "", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF THE THREE SEALS\n173\nGeorge the Third, I can't say I do myself. He\nwas. before my time, but there is a funny little story\ntold about him. One day when out for a walk, he\nwent into a farmhouse where he found the family\nhaving their dinner. One dish consisted of apple-\ndumplings, and the question crossed the King's\nmind, 'How on earth did the apples get into the\ndumplings? He didn't like to ask, but he\ncouldn't get the puzzle out of his head. He\nthought about it SO much and it worried him SO\nthat at last he went clean out of his mind. He\nbecame non compos mentis, which is the doctors'\npolite way of saying dotty.\n\"I mention this story by way of a caution. What\nI am goong to show you is ever SO much more incom-\nprehensible than any number of apple dumplings;\nin fact, SO extra-extraordinary that if anybody here\nwas the least bit 'excitable and I sprung it upon\nhim unawares he might go dotty like old Georgie.\nSo if any of you feel at all nervous, don't hesitate\nto go home, or you can go and sit on the stairs\ntill this particular experiment is over. Nobody\nmoves! I am pleased to find that you are all SO\nstrong-minded, but if anything happens don't\nblame me.\n\"I have known strong men ; men of massive intel-\nlect, like myself, come here with a smile on their\nfaces, but when they left the smile was replaced by\nan air of grim determination. You could see at\na glance that they had made up their minds to find"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 190, "folder": "", "text": "174\nLATEST MAGIC\nout how it was done, or die. They haven't come\nagain: SO I suppose they died.\u00b9\n\"As you are prepared to run the risk I will ask\nsome gentleman to oblige me with the loan of a\nshilling, marked in some unmistakable way.\nThank you, Sir. You have marked the coin?\nThen please place it here, on this little tray. I\nwon't touch it myself at present. All please keep\none eye upon it, the other eye you had better keep\non me.\"\nReceive the coin on the mat, held in right hand.\nAfter showing the left hand empty, transfer the\nmat to that hand and show the right empty.\nReturn the mat to right hand, but before doing SO\nturn that hand over SO as to receive the mat with\nthumb undermost. Just as you reach the table\nto place the mat upon it bring the second and third\nfingers over the borrowed coin, and under cover\nof your own body turn the mat over. In putting it\ndown on the table draw away the borrowed coin\ninto the hand and palm it. To the eye of the spec-\ntator the state of things will be unaltered, your\nown coin, now uppermost on the mat, being taken\nfor the borrowed one.\nYou continue, standing behind your table, and\nresting the right hand, with the palmed coin, close\nto the trick envelope, and holding up the two nests\n1 This rigmarole may equally well be used by way of introduction to\nany other trick of sufficient importance. King George's puzzlement\nabout the dumplings is said to be a matter of history, but, I do not\nguarantee it as a fact."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 191, "folder": "", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF THE THREE SEALS\n175\nin the other hand: \"I have here two envelopes,\nor, to be exact, six envelopes, for each of those you\nsee contains two more, one within the other: all\ncarefully sealed. I am going to pass the coin this\ngentleman has lent me into the innermost of one\nor other of them, I don't care which, for they are\nexactly alike, so I shall leave the choice to your-\nselves.\"\nWhile you are speaking as above the disengaged\nhand slips the genuine coin into the trick envelope,\ncloses it, pressing the flap well down, and palms it,\ndropping it a moment or two later into a pochette\ntill needed.\n\"You decide for this envelope? Just as you\nplease. As the other will not be needed I will ask\nsomebody to open it, and bear witness that things\nare exactly as I have stated.\"\nLeaving the chosen envelope on the table in full\nview and bringing forward the other, have the lat-\nter opened by some member of the company with\nthe penknife. Hand the envelope produced from\nit, with the knife, to a second spectator, to be dealt\nwith in like manner. When the innermost is\nreached, have this opened by the lender of the\nmarked coin : this apparent proof of good faith\ntending to make him less critical when, at a later\nstage, he is invited to do the same with the trick\nenvelope.\n\"Nothing could be fairer, could it ? You will all\nagree that it would have been impossible to intro-"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 192, "folder": "", "text": "176\nLATEST MAGIC\nduce anything into the innermost of those three\nenvelopes without breaking all three seals. When\nI say impossible, of course I mean impossible to a\nmere man. To a magician there is no such word as\nimpossible, except in the dictionary. In fact, the\nmore impossible a thing is, the more any respect-\nable magician makes up his mind to do it. Watch\nme carefully, please. I want you to be quite sure\nall through that there is no deception.\n\"Now then, to pass the coin into this other envel-\nope.\" As you say this, you pick up the coin mat,\ndepress it enough for all present to see the coin\nupon it, and make the motion of sliding it off into\nthe left hand. This should be done while standing\na little in front of your table. In turning to\nreplace the mat, reverse it and lay it with the side\nto which the coin adheres downwards. If deftly\nexecuted, this reversal of the mat will be imper-\nceptible, as it is covered by the turn to the table.\nEven if it were noticed it would have practically no\nsignificance for the spectators, who naturally take\nit for granted that the coin has passed from the\nmat into your hand. The moment you have laid\ndown the mat, the now disengaged hand picks up\nthe nest of envelopes, and you make believe to rub\nthe coin (supposedly in left hand) into it. This\ndone, you hold the envelope aloft in each hand\nalternately, allowing it to be seen that the hands\nare otherwise empty.\n\"So far, SO good! The coin has passed from my"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 193, "folder": "", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF THE THREE SEALS\n177\nhands into the innermost envelope. But I don't\nexpect you to take my word for it. Will you, sir\"\n(any given spectator) \"open the outermost envel-\nope, first, however, satisfying yourself that it is still\nsecurely sealed ?\"\nIt is just possible, though not very likely, that\nthe person to whom the envelope and penknife have\nbeen handed may notice, and remark audibly, that\nhe cannot feel any coin in the envelope. If such a\nremark is made, you reply that the coin naturally\nhad to be de-materialised before it could pass into\nthe envelope, and it will take a few minutes for it\nto re-materialise, but it will become gradually more\nsolid, and will then be distinctly perceptible.\nThe outer envelope having been opened you take\nback its contents, and under pretext of getting as\nmany witnesses as possible to fair play, have the\nnext envelope opened by a second person, seated\nat some little distance from the lender of the shill-\ning. The last named gentleman is invited himself\nto open the last envelope, or rather, the trick envel-\nope, which you in transit substitute for it. Having\nalready opened a precisely similar envelope, and\nfound it securely fastened, he is not likely to antici-\npate anything different about this one. If he uses\nthe penknife and euts it open along the edge of\nthe flap in the usual way he will naturally hold it\nwith the thumb upon the seal and all will be well.\nAs a rule, he will be more concerned to identify the\ncoin as the one he lent than to seek for any sus-"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 194, "folder": "", "text": "178\nLATEST MAGIC\npicious feature about the envelope. Even in the\nunlikely case of his tearing open the envelope,\ninstead of cutting it, it is doubtful whether he\nwould detect the use of the seccotine, which should\nby this time be practically dry; and by the rest of\nthe spectators it would still be taken for granted\nthat this envelope, like the rest, was sealed in the\nordinary way.\nIt will be obvious to the expert reader that the\ncentral idea, viz., the transformation by the use\nof seccotine of an open envelope into one appar-\nently sealed in the regular way, is one that admits\nof a wide variety of detail as to the mode of pres-\nentation. For instance: The procedure sug-\ngested for getting rid of the duplicate coin, and\napparently rubbing it into the envelope, is but one\nof many alternatives. The coin might be\n\"passed\" by the agency of fire, i.e., wrapped in a\npiece of flash paper with open fold at bottom and\nflared off at the psychological moment over a candle\nflame), or it might be got rid of by vanishing it into\nthe pocket of a black art mat, or by the use of a\nblack art patch, as described at page 20.\nThe critical part of the trick is the \"switching\"\nof the two envelopes at the final stage, but in view\nof their small size this is a matter of very little\ndifficulty. The expert will probably do this after\nsome fashion of his own. The less instructed\nreader may use the following plan, which he will"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 195, "folder": "", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF THE THREE SEALS\n179\nfind by no means difficult of execution, though it\nwill need some little practice to work it neatly.\nWhile the second envelope is being opened, get\nthe trick envelope from the pochette into the right\nhand, clipping it against the second and third joints\nof the second and third fingers, with the \"seal\"\nside turned away from them. When the genuine\nenvelope is handed to you receive it with the left\nhand, and immediately transfer it to the right,\npushing it between the fingers and the palmed one,\nwith the seal facing in the same direction. The\nmoment it is masked by the fingers push the trick\nenvelope outward with the thumb, bringing this\ninto view in its place. Smartly executed the\nchange is instantaneous and cannot possibly be\ndetected. The apparent object of passing it from\nhand to hand is to have the left hand empty and\nSO free to take back the penknife from the last\nholder. From this point all will be easy, as it\nis the trick envelope which is now alone in view,\nand all you have to guard against is any accidental\nexposure of the one now hidden in the hand.\nThis description may justly appear somewhat\nlong-winded, but its length is occasioned by the\nnumber of small details demanding notice. In\nperformance, the trick should not take, at most,\nmore than ten minutes. The introductory patter\nmay of course be shortened at pleasure."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 196, "folder": "", "text": "180\nLATEST MAGIC\nTHE WIZARD'S POCKETBOOK\nThis is an extremely small volume, consisting\nin fact of six pages only, and no letterpress, the\ninstructions for its use being embodied in a sepa-\nrate leaflet. On each of its pages are miniature\nreproductions of thirty-six playing cards, six in a\nrow; every card of the pack being represented once\nat least among the whole number. The object of\nthe book is to enable the owner to discover the\nname of a card drawn (or merely thought of) by\nsome member of the company. The chooser is\nonly asked to look at the book, and state on which\none or more of its pages the card in question\nappears, when the performer, without seeing or\nhandling the book himself, can instantly name the\ncard. The six pages of the book are reproduced\nin the diagrams which follow. Figs 37-42.\nTo be in a position to work the trick, it is neces-\nsary in the first place to memorise each of the fifty-\ntwo cards of the pack in connection with a particu-\nlar number. This may at first sight appear a for-\nmidable undertaking, but it is not SO in reality.\nAll that really needs to be memorised is the order\nof the suits; which is as under:\n1. Clubs.\n2. Hearts.\n3. Spades.\n4. Diamonds.\nThis order may be instantly recalled by using as"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 197, "folder": "", "text": "THE WIZARD'S POCKETBOOK\n181\n8\n8\na\n8\ns\n0\nFIG. 37\nV\n8\na\na\nFig. 38"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 198, "folder": "", "text": "182\nLATEST MAGIC\n8\n8\nof\nFig. 39\n8\na\nFig. 40"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 199, "folder": "", "text": "THE WIZARD'S POCKETBOOK\n183\n0\nFig. 41\nP\n8\nFig. 42"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 200, "folder": "", "text": "184\nLATEST MAGIC\na memory-peg the word CHaSeD, which contains\nthe initials of the four suits in the proper order, or\nthe reader may if he prefers it recall them by\nreflecting that\nCool Heads Soon Decide.\nThe arrangement of each suit follows the natural\norder, the ace of clubs being No. 1; the deuce 2;\nand the trey 3; knave 11; queen 12 and king 13.\nThe card next following, viz., the ace of hearts, will\nbe 14; the deuce of hearts 15, and so on, the com-\nplete arrangement being as shown below:\n1. Ace of clubs.\n22. Nine of hearts.\n2. Deuce of clubs.\n23. Ten of hearts.\n3. Trey of clubs.\n24. Knave of hearts.\n4. Four of clubs.\n25. Queen of hearts.\n5. Five of clubs.\n26. King of hearts.\n6. Six of clubs.\n27. Ace of spades.\n7. Seven of clubs.\n28. Deuce of spades.\n8. Eight of clubs.\n29. Trey of spades.\n9. Nine of clubs.\n30. Four of spades.\n10. Ten of clubs.\n31. Five of spades.\n11. Knave of clubs.\n32. Six of spades.\n12. Queen of clubs.\n33. Seven of spades.\n13. King of clubs.\n34. Eight of spades.\n14. Ace of hearts.\n35. Nine of spades.\n15. Deuce of hearts.\n36. Ten of spades.\n16. Trey of hearts.\n37. Knave of spades.\n17. Four of hearts.\n38. Queen of spades.\n18. Five of hearts.\n39. King of spades.\n19. Six of hearts.\n40. Ace of diamonds.\n20. Seven of hearts.\n41. Deuce of diamonds.\n21. Eight of hearts.\n42. Trey of diamonds."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 201, "folder": "", "text": "THE WIZARD'S POCKETBOOK\n185\n43. Four of diamonds.\n48. Nine of diamonds.\n44. Five of diamonds.\n49. Ten of diamonds.\n45. Six of diamonds.\n50. Knave of diamonds.\n46. Seven of diamonds.\n51. Queen of diamonds.\n47. Eight of diamonds.\n52. King of diamonds.\nThe arrangement of the table being once under-\nstood, the number associated with any given card\nin the club suit suggests itself automatically, e.g.,\nthe seven of clubs is likewise No. 7 in the list. To\nascertain the name of the card corresponding to\nany of the higher numbers, all that is needed is to\nsubtract from that number 13, or such higher mul-\ntiple of thirteen as the case will admit, and the\ndifference will represent its position in its own\nsuit.\nSuppose, for instance, that the performer desires\nto know what card answers to the number 20.\nDeducting thirteen from 20, the remainder, 7, tells\nhim that the card is the seventh (i.e. the seven)\nof the second suit, viz., hearts. If he wants to\nknow the name of No. 29, he deducts 26, when the\nremainder, 3, tells him that the card is the three of\nthe third suit, spades. If the card be No. 40, the\nnumber to be deducted will be 39, and the\nremainder, 1, tells him that the card is the first\nof the fourth suit, viz., the ace of diamonds. After\na very few trials, this little exercise in mental\narithmetic becomes so familiar that the calculation\nbecomes practically instantaneous.\nGoing a step further; with each of the six pages"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 202, "folder": "", "text": "186\nLATEST MAGIC\nof the pocket-book is associated a special number,\nknown as its \"key\" number. These are as under:\nPage 1\nKey Number 1\n\"\n2\n\"\n\"\n2\n\"\n3\n\"\n\"\n4\n\"\n4\n\"\n\"\n8\n\"\n5\n\"\n\"\n16\n\"\n6\n\"\n\"\n32\nThe memorising of these is also a very simple\nmatter, for it will be noted that the key numbers\nare the first six factors of the familiar geometrical\nprogression, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32. Printed as below:\n1, 2. 3, 4, 5, 6\n1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32\nthe upper figures, in ordinary type, expressing the\nnumbers of the pages, and the lower, in black type,\nthe corresponding key numbers, a very small\namount of study will associate them so closely in\nthe mind as to fix them firmly in the memory.\nHaving mastered these two simple lessons, the\nlearner is in a position to use the pocket-book. To\nascertain the card chosen, he has only to add\ntogether the key numbers of the pages in which\nhe is told that such card appears. The total will\nbe the number at which that card stands in the list\ngiven on page 185, and, this being known, it be-\ncomes an easy matter to name, the card itself.\nWe will suppose, for instance, that performer"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 203, "folder": "", "text": "card is to be found on pages 1, 3 and 6: the key num-\nber of these three pages being 1, 4 and 32: together\nmaking 37, and thirty-seven less twenty-six being\neleven, he knows that the card must be the eleventh\nof the third suit, otherwise the knave of spades.\nIf he is told that the card is on the third, fifth and\nsixth pages, the key numbers of which are 4, 16 and\n32, total 52, it is clear that the card must be the\nlast in the list, viz., the king of diamonds.\nSo much for the working of the trick. But the\nreader, if of an. enquiring mind, will naturally ask,\n\"How is this result obtained?' The answer rests\nupon a special property of the geometrical pro-\ngression which forms the six key numbers. It is\na curious fact that by the use of these six numbers,\neither singly or in combination with others of the\nseries, any number, from unity up to 63, can be\nexpressed. Thus, the numbers, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 and\n32 we already have, these being numbers of the\nseries. As to other numbers:\n1 + 2 = 3\n4 + 1==\n4 + 2== 6\n4 + 2 + 1 =\n7\n8 + 1 = 9"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 204, "folder": "", "text": "188\nLATEST MAGIC\n8 + 2 = 10\n8+2+1=11\n8+4=12\n8+4+1==\nand SO on throughout up to 52, which being the\nlimit of the pack, is the highest number with which\nwe need concern ourselves.\nIn making up the pages of the pocket-book,\nadvantage has been taken of this principle. A\ngiven card is inserted on that page or pages (and\nthose only) whose key numbers, alone or added\ntogether, correspond with the position which the\ncard holds in the list. Thus the ace of clubs\nwill appear on the first page (not because it is the\nfirst card, but because the key number of that page\nis 1) and on no other. The deuce of clubs, in like\nmanner, on page 2, the key number of that card\nbeing two. The next card, the three of clubs, must\nappear on page 1 and page 2, their key numbers\ntogether amounting to 3. The process as to cards\nstanding at higher numbers is the same. Thus, the\nace of spades, being the twenty-seventh card, and\ntwenty-seven being the aggregate of 16, 8, 2 and 1,\nwill appear on the first, second, fourth and fifth\npages. Conversely, if the performer is told that\nthe card appears on the four pages last named, he\nknows that it is the twenty-seventh card, i.e., the\nace of spades. Any spaces remaining vacant on\nthe page after the whole pack has been dealt with,\nare filled up by duplicates of cards already figur-"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 205, "folder": "", "text": "THE WIZARD'S POCKETBOOK\n189\ning on the same page, their appearing under these\nconditions making no difference to the calculation.\nI am indebted to an ingenious amateur, Mr.\nVictor Farrelly, for the idea of a novel method of\nusing the pocket-book. Mr. Farrelly does not\noffer of his own accord to show what can be done\nwith it, but keeps it in reserve, for use in a special\nemergency. Every conjurer meets now and then\nwith the pig-headed person who absolutely declines\nto have a given card forced upon him, and persists\nin endeavouring to extract one from some other\npart of the pack. Armed with the pocket-book, the\nperformer can set such a person at defiance, and\nindeed get additional kudos from his objectionable\nbehaviour.\nHe cheerfully gives up the struggle, saying\"You\nseem to think, sir, that I wish to influence your\nchoice in some way. To prove the contrary, I give\nthe pack into your own hands. Shuffle it well.\nThank you. Now take from it any card you please.\nLook at it, and put it in your pocket. You are\nsatisfied, I presume, that I do not know that card?\nYou are quite right. I have not the smallest idea\nof it, but I shall discover it without the smallest\ndifficulty by a process of mathematical magic. I\nhave here\" (producing pocket-book) \"a little book\nof six pages, on each of which thirty-six cards are\nillustrated. Will you kindly see whether the card\nyou chose is represented among those on the first\npage? Meanwhile I will divide the pack, which"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 206, "folder": "", "text": "190\nLATEST MAGIC\nplease remember I have not touched since you\nshuffled it yourself, into six portions, one for each\npage of the book.\" This is done, the six packets\nbeing turned face down on the table.\nWe will suppose that the chosen card is not found\non the first page. \"Then,\" says the performer,\n\"this first packet will tell me nothing, and may be\ndisregarded. Now, for the second page, is your\ncard upon that ? It is ? Then I draw two cards\nfrom the second heap, and turn up one of them.\nAnd now for the third page. Do you find your\ncard there? You do ? Then I take up three cards\nfrom the third packet, and again turn up the last\none.\"\nWe will suppose that the chosen card is not found\nin either the fourth or the fifth page, but re-appears\non the sixth, whereupon six cards are counted off\nfrom the corresponding packet, and the last of\nthem turned up. The performer has by this time\nmentally added up the key numbers of the second,\nthird and sixth pages: viz., 2, 4 and 32, together\nmaking 38, and knows therefrom that the card is\nthe thirty-eighth in the list, viz., the queen of\nspades. He does not however at once display his\nknowledge, but pretends to make a mental calcula-\ntion from the cards exposed upon the table, giving,\nif he so pleases, and the cards lend themselves to\nit, some fanciful explanation of his method. It\nseems to me, however, that this last is a needless\nelaboration. Personally, I should prefer merely"}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 207, "folder": "", "text": "THE WIZARD'S POCKETBOOK\n191\nto call attention by name to the cards exposed, and\nsay, \"When these three cards appear in conjunc-\ntion, it is clear that the card drawn was the queen\nof spades\" (or whatever it may happen to be).\nAny one deluded, as the majority will probably be,\ninto believing that you really infer the name of the\ndrawn card from those on the table, will be farther\nfrom the real solution than ever."}
{"path": "latestmagicbeing00hoff.pdf", "page": 208, "folder": "", "text": "CONCERNING PATTER\nIT will doubtless have been observed that I have\nin the foregoing pages been somewhat lavish in\nrespect of patter. I have done SO for two or three\nreasons.\nFirst, in order to enable the reader to form a\nbetter estimate of the effect of the trick presented,\nduly clothed and coloured, to the mind of the spec-\ntator. A trick described, however minutely, from\nthe mere mechanical or technical point of view,\ngives scarcely more idea of its actual effect than\nthe rough charcoal sketch of the artist does of the\nfinished painting. Secondly, because ready-made\npatter, if the reader cares to use it, will save him a\nconsiderable amount of trouble. My third reason\nis more personal, namely, that it has been a labour\nof love to do SO. To my mind the devising of some\nlittle bit of appropriate fiction to serve as intro-\nduction to a trick is the pleasantest part of the\ninventor's work.\nIt may perhaps be thought that I have, in some\nof the more ambitious tricks, been overliberal in\nthis particular. I remember thinking, after wit-\nnessing a \"show\" by Dr. Lynn, a popular per-\nformer of the last generation, that he had talked a\n192"}