No. 1.—For a Fine Day.
- 1. Tell this?—A hat.
- 2. And this?—A parasol.
- 3. And this?—A programme.
- 4. And this?—An opera-glass.
- 5. This?—A stick.
- 6. This?—A flower.
- 7. This?—An eye-glass.
- 8. This?—A breast-pin.
- 9. This?—A fan.
- 10. This?—A chain.
- 11. This?—A glove.
- 12. And this?—A head.
No. 2.—For a Wet Day.
- 1. Tell me this?—A glove.
- 2. And this?—A cloak.
- 3. And this?—An umbrella.
- 4. And this?—A locket.
- 5. This?—A hat.
- 6. This?—An eye-glass.
- 7. This?—An opera-glass.
- 8. This?—A chain.
- 9. This?—A programme.
- 10. This?—A breast-pin.
- 11. This?—A ring.
- 12. And this?—A head.
At a drawing-room entertainment such articles as we have here provided for would be quite out of place, as your visitors are not likely to carry their cloaks, hats, canes, or even opera-glasses with them. In such cases you can arrange with your clairvoyant five minutes before performance in what sequence you will take the more prominent articles on or about those ‘in front.’
A ‘head’ is chosen as the finale, so as to bring the curtain down with éclat, as the interlocutor can ask, ‘How many hairs are there on it?’ and the ready answer of, say, ‘Three thousand five hundred and sixty-five,’ will cause a hearty laugh. Besides this, all through the ‘business’ the person who interrogates will endeavour to amuse as well as to mystify his audience, to which end what is professionally known as his ‘patter’ (talk) is interlarded with ‘wheezes’ (jokes), and seemingly impromptu wit often of the most studied and built-up character. Some public performers also employ confederates, who lend an added wonder by producing very curious and out-of-the-way documents or other things, all of which, having been carefully studied beforehand, the clairvoyant can give full particulars of. The practice is, however, reprehensible; the art is sufficiently puzzling without such adventitious aids, and the secret is sure to leak out, when those who have been unable to fathom the business will jump to the conclusion that much more is due to confederacy than has really been the case.
Having gone through the drudgery, the hard study necessary to the full comprehension of the art, we now reach a stage when it may be put into practice, and can do nothing better than give an imaginary performance to show the application of the principles previously laid down.
A nice little speech will introduce yourself and confederate, the usual way being to modestly disclaim the supernatural for the wonders you are about to work. Suppose your assistant to be a young lady, she is blindfolded, and you proceed to business by requesting assistance from the spectators by the loan of any article they would wish to be described by your clairvoyante.
Then you go to work at once:—
Will you name this?—It is a ring.