“No,” he explained, “I don’t want you to say I palmed the thing. Observe carefully.”
He slid the match-box half open and, holding the box so that they could all see plainly, he placed a florin of his own among the matches.
“My coin’s under the picture of the Swan, you see?”
He closed the box and handed it over to Wraxall.
“Now put your florin in at the other end of the box. You can mark your coin, if you like.”
Wraxall contented himself with noting the date of the florin before putting it in.
“Now shut the box,” directed Douglas, “and hand it over to me. Just chuck it across.”
Wraxall did so. Douglas caught it and held it out so that it was well away from his sleeve.
“This is the sticky bit,” he announced. “Are you all sure that both coins are in the box? Quite sure? Well, seeing’s believing. Have a look.”
Holding the box in one hand, he slid the inner case forward with his finger until one coin showed. Then, without using his left hand, he reversed the box and showed the other end open, so that they could satisfy themselves that the two coins were still there.