(5) A similar coil unwound into a loose mass of paper ribbon.
(6) About three-quarters of a pint of haricot beans. Of these a sufficient number must be poured into C (around the little cone), to fill it. The remainder are to be brought forward on some sort of tray.[9]
C loaded as last described, is to be placed within B.
The trick may be introduced as follows:
“Most of you, I dare say, have seen the little natural curiosity known as the Jumping Bean. To all appearance these are just like other beans; but if you spread a dozen or so of them on the table and watch them carefully, you presently see one or more of them turn over, or even make a little jump. A young and lively bean will sometimes hop as far as half an inch.
“Scientific gentlemen tell us that their agility is caused by a little insect inside the bean. When he wags his tail, or scratches himself with his hind leg, it causes the bean to turn over, or to make a hop. That seems to me rather a lame explanation because there is no hole in the bean that the insect could possibly have got in at. I believe myself, that they are in truth magic beans, and I have been trying to train some beans of my own to do the same thing on a larger scale, and in such a way that you can all see them do it.
“Here are my beans.” (Show those on tray.) “Examine them as much as you like. The more you examine them, the more you won’t find anything particular about them. You won’t notice any difference between them and any other beans, but as a matter of fact they are a good deal more energetic than beans of the ordinary kind, and when they get to know and love you, they will do all sorts of remarkable things.
“I will pour a few of them into this glass.” (The front compartment of the mirror glass is filled to about two-thirds of its height.) “To prevent their getting out again without your knowing it I will press them down with a handful of these pretty paper shavings.”
This is also done, the quantity of paper being so regulated, in accordance with previous experiment, that when pressed down it shall come half an inch or so below the brim of the glass.
“To make matters still more secure I will ask the loan of a lady’s handkerchief to cover the glass with.”