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14. Cards being drawn from a pack, to get them guessed by a person blindfolded.

At all these performances there are always amongst the spectators persons in league with the prestidigitator. In the present case a woman is the assistant, with whom he has entered into an arrangement

by which each card is represented by a letter of the alphabet; and the following are the

[Description: Illustration. Layout of cards for blindfold trick]

cards selected for the trick with their representative letters.

The performer takes a handkerchief and blindfolds the lady in question, and places her in the centre of the circle of spectators. Then spreading out the cards, he requests each of the spectators to draw a card.

He requests the first to give him the card he has drawn; he looks at it, and placing it on the table face downwards, he asks the lady to name the card, which she does instantly and without hesitation.

Of course this appears wonderful to the spectators, and their astonishment goes on increasing whilst the lady names every card in succession to the last.

It is, however, a very simple affair. Each card represents a letter of the alphabet, as we see by the figure, and all the performer has to do is to begin every question with the letter corresponding to the card.

Suppose the party has drawn the king of hearts. Its letter is A. The performer exclaims — `Ah! I'm sure you know this!' The A at once suggests the card in question. Suppose it is the ace of

clubs. He says — `Jump at conclusions if you like, but be sure in hitting this card on the nail.' J begins the phrase, and represents the card in question. Suppose it is the ten of spades, he cries out — `Zounds! if you mistake this you are not so clever a medium as I took you for.' The ace of diamonds — `Quite easy, my dear sir,' or `my dear ma'am,' as the case may be. Q represents the ace of diamonds. The queen of diamonds — `Oh, the beauty!' The ace of hearts — `Dear me! what is this?' The ace of spades — `You are always right, name it.' The nine of diamonds — `So! so! well, I'm sure she knows it.'

Doubtless these specimens will suffice to suggest phrases for every other card. Such phrases may be written out and got by heart — only twenty-three being required; but this seems useless, for it does not require much tact at improvisation to hit upon a phrase commencing with any letter. However, it will be better to take every precaution rather than run the risk of stopping in the performance, whose success mainly depends upon the apparently in-spired rapidity of the answers. The performer might conceal in the hollow of his hand a small table exactly like the figure, to facilitate his

questions. As for the medium, he, or she, must rely entirely on memory. Of course the spectators may be allowed to see that the medium is completely blindfolded. This modern trick has always puzzled the keenest spectators