[Ill.u.s.tration: _Fig. 1_]

Take the same piece of string as in the last trick, hold your left hand with the palm uppermost, and hang the string over the palm. Spread all the fingers, and with the right hand bring forward the loop that hangs behind, by pa.s.sing it over the second and third fingers. Loose the loop, take hold of the part of the string that crosses the hand, and pull it forwards. When tight, pa.s.s it to the back of the hand, the reversal of the movement that brought it forwards. Loose the loop, insert the fore-finger and little finger of the right hand under the string that encircles the left fore-finger and little-finger, and pa.s.s the two loops to the back of the hand, as shown in the cut, Fig. 1. Tuck both loops under the cross-string at the back, and your preliminaries are completed. Then begin your story: "There was once upon a time an old man, who stole a pound of candles. Here they are." You then hold your left hand as at the commencement, hook the right fore-finger under the cross-piece at the back, and draw it downward until it is long enough to be pa.s.sed over the second and third fingers to the front. Pa.s.s it over, and draw it slowly upwards, when the similitude of a pound of candles hanging by their string will be seen. (See Fig. 2.) "The old man, being tired, hung up his candles," you then hang the long loop over your thumb, "and sat down in his high-backed chair, which you see here." You then hitch the right fore-finger and middle finger under the two loops that will be found hanging behind the left hand, bring them to the front, raise them perpendicularly, and the chair will be seen as in Fig.

3. The thumb must be raised perpendicularly, and brought as much as possible into the centre of the hand, or the chair will be all aside.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Fig. 2_]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Fig. 3_

1. Right fore-finger.

2. Right middle-finger.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: 1. Fore-finger of left hand.

2. Little finger of left hand.

3. Fore-finger of right hand.

4. Middle finger of right hand.

_Fig. 4_]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Fig. 5_

1. Right middle-finger.

2. Right fore-finger.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: 1. Right fore-finger.

2. Left hand.

_Fig. 6_]

"When the old man was rested, it began to become dark, and he took a pair of scissors to cut down a candle for himself. Here are the scissors." While you are saying this, you slip the loop off the thumb, and you get Fig. 4. Move the blades and handles of the scissors, as if cutting something with them. "Just as he had lighted it, in came a policeman, and produced his staff, with the Queen's crown at the top."

Now let go the little finger of the left hand, and the loop will run up the string towards the right hand, producing Fig. 5. "The old man in vain tried to resist, for the policeman called a comrade to his a.s.sistance, and they tied a cord round the old man's arms in a tight knot, like this,"--slip the right middle-finger out of its loop, and you will obtain Fig. 6,--"and carried him off to prison."

10. TO TIE A KNOT ON THE LEFT WRIST, WITHOUT LETTING THE RIGHT HAND APPROACH IT.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Fig. 1_]

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Fig. 2_]

Take a piece of thick pliant string by each end, and with a quick jerk of the right hand cast a loop on it as in Fig. 1. The jerk must be given upwards and towards the left hand, and its impetus will cause the loop to run up the string until it falls over the left wrist, as in Fig. 2.

The moment that the forward jerk is given the right hand should be drawn back, so that the loop is drawn tight directly it has settled on the wrist. Both ends should be let fall when the knot is firm. This is a very nice little sleight of hand to practice in the intervals between more showy tricks, and, although rather difficult to learn, is soon acquired.

11. THE HANDCUFFS.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

Let two persons, A and B, have their hands tied together with string, so that the strings cross, as represented in the engraving. The object is, to free themselves from each other without untying the knot. It is executed in the following manner.

Let B gather up the string that joins his hands, pa.s.s the loop under the string that binds either of A's wrists, slip it over A's hand, and both will be free. By a reversal of the same process, the string may be replaced.

12. TO PULL A STRING THROUGH YOUR b.u.t.tON-HOLE.

Take a piece of string about two feet in length, and tie the ends together. Pa.s.s it through a b.u.t.ton-hole of your coat; hitch one thumb at each end, hook the little fingers into the upper strings of the opposite hand. Then draw the hands well outward, and the string will look very complicated, as in the engraving.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

To get out the string, loose the hold of the right thumb and left little finger, and separate the hands smartly, when the string will appear to have been pulled out _through_ the substance of your coat.

It is an improvement of the trick, if, immediately on loosing the hold of the right thumb, you change the string from the right little finger on to the thumb.

13. THE CUT STRING RESTORED.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 1. The twisted string. 2. The manner of holding it.]

Tie together the ends of a piece of string, pa.s.s one hand through each end, twist it once round, and put both ends into the left hand. Draw the right hand rapidly along the double strings until you come to the place where the strings have crossed each other, as seen in the engraving.

Conceal the junction with the thumb and finger of the right hand; hold the strings in a similar manner with the left hand, and tell some one to cut the string between them. You show that the string has been divided into two pieces, and say that you will join them with your teeth. Put all four ends into your mouth, and remove with your tongue the little loop that has been cut off. When you take the string out of your mouth, the spectators will not notice the absence of so small a portion of its length, and will fancy that you really have joined them.

14. THE GORDIAN KNOT.

[Ill.u.s.tration: 1]

[Ill.u.s.tration: 2]

Take a silk handkerchief, and lay it on a table. Take each of the corners, and lay them across each other in the middle of the handkerchief, which will then be square, as in the cut, Fig. 1. Do the same with the new corners, and go on until the handkerchief is reduced to the size of your hand. Then with your left finger and thumb take hold of the centre, taking care to grasp all the four corners that lie there, and with the right finger and thumb take hold of the outer layer of silk, and pull it towards you as far as it will come. Then turn it a little on your left hand, and repeat the operation until it is all screwed up into a tight ball, as is represented in the engraving, Fig.

2. No ends will be then perceptible, and a person who is unacquainted with the mode will never be able to untie it. Of course you must prepare it previously. When the person to whom you give it has failed to untie it, you take the ball in your hand, and holding it behind your back, you reverse the method by which it was tied, and when it is loose a good shake will release it.

15. THE KNOT LOOSENED.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

This is a very amusing deception. You ask any one for a handkerchief, and tie the ends firmly together in a double knot, allowing him to feel it, or pull the ends as tight as he pleases. You then throw the centre of the handkerchief over the knot, and ask the person to hold it tight between his finger and thumb. You ask him if the knot is still there, to which he will answer in the affirmative. You then take hold of any part of the handkerchief, and direct the holder to drop the handkerchief at the word "three." You count, "one, two, three," at which word he looses his hold of the handkerchief, and there is no vestige left of the knot.

The method of managing this trick is as follows:--Take the handkerchief and tie the ends in a simple knot, keeping _one end tight_, and the other end loose. We will call the tight end A, and the loose one B. Keep A _always_ in the right hand, and on the stretch horizontally, and the handkerchief will look as in the cut. Do this when you tie it the second time, and draw B tight, which will then form a double tie round A, but will not hold it firm. When you throw the handkerchief over the knot, you draw out A with the finger and thumb of the left hand, and the knot will apparently remain firm, although in reality it is nothing but a double twist of silk, which of course falls loose when the handkerchief is dropped.

16. TO PUT NUTS INTO YOUR EAR.

Take three nuts in the left hand, show them, and take out one of them between your right finger and thumb, and another between the first and third finger. This latter is not seen by the company. You then put one of them in your mouth and retain it there, unknown to the spectators, while you exhibit the second as the one that you put into your mouth.

This second one you carry to your ear, as if you meant to insert it there, and on replacing it in your left hand, only two nuts will be left instead of three, the third of which appears to have gone into your ear.