He was of course not successful, and was never watched with as much interest as his brother, who, although not as clever, was as sober as a judge from the beginning to the end of the performance. No amount of hilarity in the audience affected him in the least. If he found it was impossible to make himself heard, he stood still and waited; but always with the same quiet, calm countenance he would have worn had he been walking up the aisle of a church. Learn to command your countenance, as one of the most important requisites of a successful magician.
THE GREAT CHINESE ROPE FEAT.
Many years ago this trick was exhibited in a show-window on Broadway, but as probably most of the people who then saw it have long since forgotten how it was performed, I give the following account:
Two ropes, each about three yards in length, are given to the audience to examine, which of course are pronounced perfect; then they are passed through the sleeves of a coat, in such a way as to suspend it; the ends are then given to two boys to hold. The performer then places his hand inside the coat, and having requested those who are holding the ends of the rope to pull, the coat falls to the floor, having in some mysterious manner worked off the ropes.
Of course, the whole secret of this trick depends upon the arrangement of the ropes, which are of themselves perfect. After they have been examined, and are returned to the performer, he pretends to measure them, and while so doing manages to bend each rope double; that is, he brings the two ends of each together; while still holding them he contrives to slip a small elastic band over the center of one, and bringing the middle of the other alongside of it, he slips the band over both, thus tying them together, as shown in the illustration.
Now holding this juncture carelessly in his left hand, over which arm a coil or two of the rope is thrown, he passes the ends marked A through one sleeve of the coat, and the end marked B through the other, and these are the ends he gives to the two persons to hold.
If he now slips off the rubber band, the coat will fall; but each person will have both ends of the same rope in his hand, and the mystery would be easily solved. To remedy this, however, the performer, under pretense of making the trick still more difficult, takes an end from each of the holders, and proceeds to tie a single loop, as seen in the illustration, thus reversing the ends, which he then returns to them.
Of course, when the band is taken off, each person has but one end of either rope in his hand.