With this or some similar introduction, the performer proceeds to exhibit
Pass I. Having Placed a Ball under each Cup, to draw it out again without Lifting the Cup.—Having produced a ball from the wand as last described, and having laid it on the table, the operator continues,—“Allow me to show you once more that all the cups are empty” (he raises them one by one, and replaces them), “and that I have nothing in either of my hands. I take this little ball” (he picks it up with the right hand, and apparently transfers it to the left, really palming it in the right), “and place it under one of the cups.” Here he raises the cup with the right hand, and simulates the action of placing the ball under it with the left. “I draw another ball from my wand” (this is really the same ball, which remained palmed in the right hand), “and place it in like manner under the second cup.” He goes through the motion of transferring it to the left hand and thence to the cup, as before, but this time actually does what on the former occasion he only pretended to do, and leaves the ball under the middle cup. “I produce another ball”—(he half draws the wand through his fingers, but checks himself half-way). “I think I heard some one assert that I have a ball already in my hand. Pray satisfy yourselves” (showing the palms of his hands, the fingers carelessly apart) “that such is not the case. A lady suggested just now, by the way—it was only said in a whisper, but I heard it—that I didn’t really put the balls under the cup. It was rather sharp on the part of the lady, but you see she was wrong. Here are the balls.”[K] So saying, the performer lifts up the middle cup with his left hand, and picking up the ball with his right, holds it up that all may see, immediately replacing it under the same cup. The last movement is simulated only, the ball being in reality palmed in the supposed act of placing it under the cup. “We have now a ball under each of these two cups. We only want one more, and—here it is”—apparently producing a third ball (really the same again) from the wand. “We will place it under this last cup.” He actually does so. “Now, ladies and gentlemen, we have three cups and three balls, one under each cup. So far, I admit that I have not shown you anything very surprising, but now comes the puzzle, to take the balls from under the cups. Perhaps some of you sharp gentlemen will say there isn’t much difficulty in that. Lift the cup, and pick up the ball!” He suits the action to the word, lifting up the third goblet with the left hand, and picking up the ball with the right. “A very good solution, but it doesn’t happen to be the right one. The problem is to draw out the balls without lifting the cups.” Here he replaces the cup, apparently placing the ball beneath it, but really palming it, as already described in the case of the middle cup, and then returns to the first or furthest cup; touching the top of the goblet, he lets the palmed ball drop to his finger-tips, and immediately exhibits it, saying—“This is the way I take the balls out of the cups. The ball being no longer needed, I return it into the wand.” This he does as described at page [277], immediately afterwards, if desired, handing the wand for examination. “In like manner I draw out the second ball” (he repeats the same process with the middle goblet), “and pass that also into my wand. I need not even handle the goblets. See, I merely touch this third goblet with my wand, and the ball instantly appears on the top.” The company, of course, cannot see any ball on the end of the wand, but a ball is nevertheless taken thence by the process already described, of letting the palmed ball drop to the tips of the fingers, as they come in contact with the wand. “I pass this also into my wand. Stay, though, on second thoughts, I shall want a ball for my next experiment, so I will leave it here on the table.”
[K] The reader will understand that nobody has in fact made any such observation, but the overhearing of an imaginary objection is often of great use, as enabling the performer to do some necessary act, which he could not well have done without such pretext. Thus in this instance, the performer wants a plausible excuse—first, for altering his apparent intention of immediately producing a second ball from the wand; and, secondly, for lifting the middle cup, and so regaining possession of the ball. A conjuror thus addressing an imaginary objector is said in French “parler à la cantonade,” but the phrase has no precise equivalent among English performers.
We have given a somewhat elaborate description of this first Pass, in order to give the reader some idea of the various feints and artifices employed in relation to the cups and balls. It would be impossible, from considerations of space, to do this as to each of the Passes, and the reader must therefore remember that the descriptions following give merely the essential outlines, which must be worked up to dramatic effectiveness by the ingenuity of the individual performer. Where practicable, we shall allow the few words put into the mouth of the performer to indicate the actions accompanying them, only giving special “stage directions” in cases where the performer does not suit the action to the words. For the sake of distinctness, we shall indicate the goblets (reckoning from the left hand of the performer) as A, B, and C. (See [Fig. 118].)
Pass II. To make a Ball Travel invisibly from Cup to Cup.—“Now, ladies and gentlemen, if you watch very closely, you will be able to see the ball travel from one cup to another. I take the ball” (transfers it apparently to left hand) “and place it under this cup (C). You all see that there is nothing under this one” (B). In raising B with the right hand he introduces under it the palmed ball. “I shall now command the ball which I have just placed under the first cup (C) to travel under this one (B). Attention! and you will see it pass.” He makes a motion of the wand from the one cup to the other. “There it goes! This cup (C), as you see, is empty, and under this one (B) is the ball. I will replace it under this same cup” (B). He in reality palms it. “There is nothing under this cup” (A). He secretly introduces the ball under A. “Now observe again. Pass! Did you see it? No? well, I don’t much wonder at it, for I can’t always see it myself. Here it is, however” (lifts A), “and this cup (B) is empty.” He replaces the cups on the table, and lays the ball beside them.
Pass III. Having placed a Ball under each of the end Cups, to make them pass successively under the Middle Cup.—Before commencing this Pass, the performer, while placing the goblets in line, or otherwise engaging the attention of the audience with his left hand, takes from the servante with his right, and palms, a second ball. He continues, “For my next experiment, ladies and gentlemen, I shall require two balls. I need hardly remark that I could instantly supply myself from the wand; but there is a curious faculty about the balls themselves; they have a constant tendency to increase and multiply. For instance, without having recourse to the wand, I can instantly make this one ball into two” (he takes up the ball on the table in his left hand, taking care so to hold it that all may see that there is nothing else in his hand), “and the most curious part of the matter is, that though mathematicians insist that the whole is always greater than its part, in this case each of the parts will be found precisely equal to the whole.” As he speaks, he takes the ball from the left hand with the fingers of the right, at the same time dropping the palmed ball into the left hand, and now taking care to so hold his right hand as to show that it contains the one ball only. He then again replaces this ball in the palm of the left hand, where it lies side by side with the second ball. Rubbing the left palm with the second and third fingers of the right, with a circular motion, he gradually lifts the fingers, and shows the single ball apparently transformed into two, both of which he places on the table.
“You will observe that there is nothing under this cup (C). I will place under it this ball” (he really palms it); “neither is there anything under either of these two cups” (B and A). He lifts the cups one with each hand, and secretly introduces the palmed ball under B. “I take this second ball, and place it under this cup” (A). He really palms it. “We now have a ball under each of these two cups” (A and C). “I draw the ball out of this one” (C). He touches the top of the cup, and produces the ball last palmed at his finger-tips. “I order it to pass under this middle cup” (B). He apparently transfers it to the left hand, really palming it, and then makes a motion with the left hand, as if passing it into B. “It has passed, you see!” He raises B with his right hand, showing the ball under it, and in replacing it secretly introduces the second palmed ball. “Now I order the ball in this cup (A) to pass in like manner.” He waves his wand from A to B, and then lifts B. “Here it is, and these two outer cups” (turning them over with the wand) “are perfectly empty.”
Pass IV. Having placed two Balls under the Middle Cup, to make them pass under the two Outer ones.—“You have just seen these two balls pass under the middle cup; now, by way of variety, we will make them pass out of it. I will take the two balls, and place them under the middle cup.” He really so places one only, palming the other. “You observe that there is nothing either under this (A), nor under this (C).” Here he secretly introduces the palmed ball beneath C. “Now I order one of the balls under the middle cup to pass under one of the outer cups. Let us see if it has done so” (lifts middle cup with left hand). “Yes, here is only one left.” He takes it up and shows it with right hand, then makes the gesture of replacing, but really palms it. “Let us see where it has gone to” (lifts A with right hand, and in replacing it secretly introduces the palmed ball under it). “It is not under this one. Then it must be under this.” He lifts C. “Yes, here it is. Now I command the other ball in like manner to leave the middle cup, and pass under the other (A). Pass! Here it is, you see, and this one (B) is entirely empty.”
Pass V. To pass three Balls in succession under one Cup.—“So far, ladies and gentlemen, what I have shown you has been mere child’s play.” He drops the right hand carelessly to the servante, and picks up two more balls, one of which he holds between the fingers, and the other in the palm. “The real difficulty only begins when we begin to work with three balls. Now which of these two balls” (taking up the two balls from the table) “is the largest? This one, I fancy, has the advantage, so I will pinch a little piece off to make a third ball.” He goes through the motion of pinching the ball with the fingers of both hands, at the same moment letting fall the ball in the palm to the tips of the fingers of the right hand. “Yes, this will do. It isn’t quite round, but that is easily rectified.” He rolls it between the fingers. “That is better. Now watch me closely, ladies and gentlemen.” He places the balls upon the table, with the exception of the fourth, which remains concealed between the fingers. “You see that there is nothing under either of the cups.” He raises all three, and introduces the fourth ball under the middle one (B). He then picks up one of the balls on the table, and apparently transfers it to his left hand, really palming it. “I command this ball to pass into the middle cup. It has passed, you see” (raising the cup with the right hand, and in replacing it, introducing the ball now palmed). The operation is repeated in like manner, until three balls have been shown under the cup, the fourth finally remaining palmed in the right hand.
Pass VI. To Place three Balls one after the other upon the top of one of the Cups, and to make them fall through the Cup on to the Table.—At the conclusion of the last Pass the performer had brought three balls under the centre cup B, a fourth remaining concealed in his hand. In lifting B to exhibit the three balls, and in replacing it beside them, he takes the opportunity of introducing beneath it this fourth ball. He next takes one of the three balls thus exposed, and placing it on the top of this same goblet (B), covering it with a second goblet (A). Making any appropriate gesture he pleases, he commands the ball to fall through the lower goblet on to the table. He then overturns (without separating) the two goblets, their mouths being towards the spectators, when the ball which he had secretly introduced will be discovered, and will appear to be that which the spectators have just seen placed on the top of the goblet (and which really still remains between the two goblets), and picks up the two goblets together, mouth upwards, with the left hand, and with the right hand takes out that which is now uppermost (B). He turns both the goblets down upon the table, placing A over the ball which he has just shown. If this is neatly done, the other ball, which has remained in A, will not be discovered, but will as it falls be covered by A, which will now have beneath it two balls. The performer now places one of the remaining balls on the top of A, covering it with either of the other goblets, and again goes through the same process till he has shown first two, and then three balls under the cup, the fourth remaining, at the close of the Pass, between the two cups last used.