Clothes and Materials
| Coat | C |
| Overcoat | OC |
| Dress Coat | DC |
| Waistcoat | G |
| Trousers | T |
| Boots | B |
| Shoes | S |
| Handkerchief | N |
| Bodice | E |
| Skirt | F |
| Shawl | H |
| Wrapper | A |
| Silk | Q |
| Cloth | P |
| Serge | O |
| Cotton | M |
Touching a lady’s wrapper, the Professor says: “What do I touch? Answer quickly, if you please.” (Touch = part of clothing, A = wrapper, Q = silk.)
“You are now touching a silk wrapper,” replies Mlle.
Again there may be a separate code for flowers, to be introduced by “What is this before me?” to show Mlle. C that the Flower Code will follow.
| Rose | S |
| Violet | W |
| Snowdrop | T |
| Pansy | Q |
| Carnation | D |
| Orchid | P |
| Narcissus | E |
| Pink | R |
| White | A |
| Red | B |
“What is this before me? Be descriptive.”
“A red carnation,” replies the lady unhesitatingly.
“Well, if you please, what is this flower?”
“It is a violet.”
The Professor and Mlle. C have nearly finished their entertainment. But before bowing farewell to the company, he approaches a little girl, let us say in the audience, and in a whisper asks her age. With the utmost secrecy she informs him that she is just nine.
“Pray, how old is my little friend here?” he demands of Mlle.
“Nine years old,” she replies at once.
“What is your name?” whispers the Professor to the little girl.
“Margery,” she whispers back.
“Now! Be sure! Having found so easily, if you please, her age, what is the young lady’s name?” (N = m, b = a, s = r, h = g, f = e, s = r, easily = y.)
“Her name is Margery,” is the reply; and with this pretty example of his power, the Professor will close the evening.
I have dealt at such length with the Professor and his codes, because it is the easiest and most general system of mechanical second-sight. But Professor B and Mlle. C have yet another system of second-sight, more puzzling still to the spectators, as not a word is exchanged between either of the confederates during the whole performance.
Seating the lady upon the stage, facing the audience, and omitting to bandage her eyes, Professor B goes down amongst the spectators as before, examines various articles, is told different numbers and touches sundry objects exactly as in the former entertainment. Without speaking a single word he merely glances at Mlle. C, who after a few seconds mentions the number or describes the article as the case may be.
All this is highly mysterious, and is the result of a very ingenious mode of signaling which may be thus explained.
As soon as Professor B raises his eyes to Mlle. C they both start counting to themselves, and the instant he drops his eyes they cease. This has been practiced over and over again until they have learned to count exactly at the same speed. The result is that when the Professor has counted five, let us say, Mlle. C has counted five also, and so with any number.
The alphabet is then coded with numbers according to the following system.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | E | D | C | B | A |
| 2 | G | H | I | J | K | L |
| 3 | R | Q | P | O | N | M |
| 4 | S | T | U | V | W | X |
| 5 | — | — | — | — | Z | Y |
The letters are represented by the vertical figures on the left and the horizontal figures on the top, and by this ingenious means are communicated.
To signal the letter A the Professor would glance up at Mlle. C, count one, and then glance down again; he would then look up and count six and lower his eyes once more.
Supposing that some lady had lent a diamond ring, the process would be the following:—
(The letter U shows when the Professor raised his eyes, and the letter D when he lowered them. The dots designate the numbers he would count in the interval.)
Prof.—(without speaking). U . . . D, U . D = R, U . . D, U . . . D = I, U . . . D, U . . . . . D = N, U . . D, U . D = G.
Mlle.—You have a ring in your hand.
Prof.—U . D, U . . . D = D, U . . . D, U . . . . . . D = M, U . . . D, U . . . . . D = N.
Mlle.—It is a diamond ring.
Prof.—U . D, U . . . . D = C = 3.
Mlle.—It has three stones.
With reference to this last answer it must be explained that the numerals are represented by the letters of the alphabet, A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, &c.
Or again some person holds a bank-note numbered 15498. The Professor communicates this number thus:—
U . D, U . . . . . . D = 1, U . D, U . . D = 5, U . D, U . . . D = 4, U . . D, U . . . D = 9, U . . D, U . . D = 8.
Mlle. C then remarks, “The number is 15498.”
Cumbersome as this may seem at first, a little practice enables the signaling and translating to be done with great rapidity. All the codes previously described can be introduced, numbers being substituted for letters, or letters for numbers, as may seem expedient.
Mechanical second-sight has an extraordinary effect in an entertainment if well done. Both the Professor and his accomplice must be sharp and sure, the least mistake being not only disconcerting, but likely to arouse the suspicions of the spectators. If a mistake be made, the only thing to be done is for the Professor to pretend that he has himself mistaken the number or not noticed the object properly, and if this fail he must have recourse to pure “bluff.”
All things considered, the number of out-of-the-way objects likely to be produced is really very few, and there is no reason why an intelligent couple of amateurs with retentive memories should not provide a successful exhibition of second-sight wherewith to amuse their credulous friends.