Pass VII. To pass three Balls in succession upwards through the Table into one of the Cups.—You concluded the last Pass (we will suppose the reader to represent for the time being the performer) by lifting two cups together to show three balls beneath the undermost. Holding two cups in the left hand, you turn them over, mouth upwards. Taking with the right hand that which is now uppermost, you place it on the table in the ordinary position, still retaining the other, in which, unknown to the spectators, a fourth ball still remains. You continue, “Ladies and gentlemen, you may possibly imagine that there is some trick or sleight-of-hand in what I have shown you, but I am now about to perform an experiment in which that solution is clearly inadmissible. I propose to pass these three balls, one after the other, through the solid table into this empty goblet. Pray watch me carefully. I take away one of the balls” (you take in the right hand one of the three on the table), “and hold it beneath the table, thus. My left hand, as you will observe, is perfectly empty. I have only to say, ‘Pass!’” (You palm the ball in the right hand, at the same time giving a gentle tap with one finger against the under surface of the table, and immediately bring up the hand, taking care, of course, to keep its outer side towards the spectators; then gently shake the cup which you hold in the left hand, and turn the ball out upon the table.) “Here it is, you see. Now I will put it back in the cup” (you pick up the ball with the right hand, and drop it into the cup, secretly letting fall with it the palmed ball), “and take another ball.” You repeat the process, and show two balls in the cup; then again (each time dropping in the palmed ball), and show three, retaining the fourth ball, still palmed, in your right hand.
Pass VIII. To Pass two Balls in succession from one Cup to another without touching them.—You again place the three cups in a row on the table, secretly introducing under the right hand cup (C) the ball which remained in your right hand at the close of the last Pass, and then openly place the three other balls on the tops of the three cups. You then proceed, “I will take this ball” (that which is on B), “and place it under this same cup” (B). You really palm it. “I take this other ball” (that which is upon A), “and place it under this cup” (A). You secretly introduce with it the ball which you have just palmed. “I take this last” (that upon C), “and place it under this goblet (A); or, stay, I will pass it invisibly to this one” (C)—really palming it. “It has passed, you see.” You lift C, and show the ball which is already there; and in again covering the ball with the cup, you secretly introduce that which you last palmed. You now have in reality two balls under each of the end cups, and none under the centre one; but the spectators are persuaded that there is one ball under each cup. “We now have one ball under each cup. Now I shall command the ball that is under the centre cup to pass into either of the end ones at your pleasure. Which shall it be?” Whichever is chosen, suppose C, you raise and show the two balls under it. You then ostensibly replace the two balls under C, but really replace the one only, palming the other. You then raise the middle cup (B), to show that it is empty, and, in replacing it, introduce the ball you have just palmed under it. “Now I shall next order one of the two balls you have just seen under this cup (C) to go and join the one which is already under this other (A). Pass! Here it is, you observe.” You raise A to show that there are two balls under it. You also raise C to show that it now only contains one ball, and leave all three balls exposed on the table.
Pass IX. To make three Balls in Succession pass under the Middle Cup.—At the conclusion of the last Pass, three balls were left in view, while a fourth, unknown to the audience, was hidden under the middle cup. You proceed, picking up a ball with the right hand, “I take this ball, and place it under this cup” (C); (in reality palming it). “I now order it to pass under the middle cup. Presto! Here it is, you see.” You raise the middle cup to show that the ball has obeyed your command, and, in again covering the ball, secretly introduce with it that which you have just palmed. “I take this one” (you pick up another), “and place it under this cup” (A)—here you palm it as before—“and order it also to pass under the middle cup.” You raise the middle cup, and show that there are now two balls under it, and, in again covering them, introduce the ball which you last palmed. “I take this last ball, and place it under this cup” (C)—palming it—“whence I shall command it to again depart, and join its companions under the middle cup. This time it shall make the journey visibly.” You take your wand in the left hand, and with it touch the cup C. “Here it is, you see, on the end of my wand. You don’t see it? Why, surely it is visible enough. Look.” You pretend to produce the palmed ball from the wand, and exhibit it to the company. “You can all see it now.” You lay down the wand, and go through the motion of transferring the ball to the left hand, really palming it in its passage. “Now, then, pray watch me closely, and you will see it pass under the cup. One, two, three!” You make the gesture of throwing it through the middle cup, and open the hand to show it empty, immediately turning over the goblets to show that there are three balls under the middle and none under the outer ones.
Pass X. The “Multiplication” Pass.—For the purpose of this Pass it is necessary to borrow a hat, which you hold in the left hand. You then place the three balls in a row upon the table, and cover each with one of the cups. It will be remembered that a fourth ball remains palmed in your right hand. You now lift up the right hand goblet (C), and place it on the table close beside the ball which it lately covered, and as you do so, secretly introduce beneath it the palmed ball. You pick up with the right hand the ball which you have thus uncovered, and go through the motion of dropping it into the hat, really palming it in the moment during which the hand is concealed inside the hat, and at the same moment simulating, by gentle tap against the inside, the sound which the ball would make if actually dropped into the hat. You next lift B in like manner, introducing the ball just palmed beneath it, and go through the motion of placing the second ball, which is thereby left exposed, in the hat. You do the same with the third cup, then return to the first (which the spectators believe to be now empty, and from which they are astonished to see you produce another ball), continuing till you have raised each cup in succession eight or ten times, and, on each occasion of lifting a cup to uncover a ball, introducing beneath it the ball which you had just previously palmed. To the eyes of the spectators, who believe that the balls are really dropped into the hat, the effect will be exactly as if new balls, by some mysterious process of reproduction, came under the cups at each time of raising them. When you think your audience are sufficiently astonished, you remark, “I think we have about enough now; the hat is getting rather heavy. Will some one hold a handkerchief to receive the balls?” When the handkerchief is spread out, you carefully turn over the hat, and the general astonishment will be intensified at discovering that it contains nothing.
There is, of course, a ball left under each of the cups, and a fourth palmed in your right hand. This latter will not again be wanted, and you should therefore, while attention is drawn to the hat, drop it upon the servante, or into one of your pochettes.
Pass XI. To Transform the Small Balls to Larger Ones.—While the attention of the spectators is still occupied by the unexpected dénouement of the last Pass, you should prepare for this one by secretly taking with your right hand from the servante, and palming (by either the second or third method, the first being only available for the small balls) one of the larger balls. You then address the spectators to the following effect:—“Ladies and gentlemen, you see that I have little difficulty in increasing the number of the balls to an unlimited extent. I will now repeat the experiment in another form, and show you that it is equally easy to make them increase in size. You will observe that, notwithstanding the number of balls which I have just produced from the cups, there are still plenty more to come.” Here you raise C, and show that there is a ball still under it. You replace it on the table at a few inches’ distance, and as you do so, secretly introduce under it the larger ball which you have just palmed. Taking up the small ball in your right hand, you say, “To make the experiment still more surprising, I will pass the ball upwards through the table into the cup.” So saying, you place the right hand under the table, dropping as you do so the little ball which you hold on the servante, and taking in its place another of the larger balls. “Pass!” you exclaim, at the same time giving a gentle rap on the under surface of the table. You bring the hand up again as if empty. You do not touch the first cup, but repeat the operation with the second, B, and again with A; on each occasion of passing the hand under the table exchanging a small ball for a larger one, and immediately afterwards introducing the latter under the cup next in order. The last time, however, you merely drop the small ball on the servante, without bringing up any other in exchange. You now have, unknown to the audience, one of the larger, or medium-sized balls under each of the cups; and if you were about to end with this Pass, you would merely lift the cups and show the balls, thus apparently increased in size, underneath. We will assume, however, that you propose to exhibit the Pass next following (one of the most effective), in which case the necessary preparation must be made in the act of raising the cups; and we shall therefore proceed at once, while the balls still remain covered, to describe
Pass XII. To again Transform the Balls to still Larger Ones.—The last Pass having reached the stage we have just described, i.e., a large ball being under each cup, but not yet exhibited to the audience, you secretly take in your left hand from the servante one of the still larger balls. These balls should be soft and elastic, and of such a size that, if pressed lightly into the cup, they shall require a slight tap of the cup on the table to dislodge them.
Having taken the ball in the left hand, you hold it at the ends of the fingers behind the table, as near the top as possible consistently with its being out of sight of the spectators. Then saying, “Now, ladies and gentlemen, I must ask for your very closest attention,” you raise C with the right hand, and with the same movement lower it for a moment behind the table, and over the ball in the left hand, which remains in the cup of its own accord. All eyes go instinctively to the ball on the table, whose increased size is a new phenomenon, and not one in a hundred will, in this first moment of surprise, think of watching the cup, which is naturally supposed to have, for the moment, concluded its share of the trick. You replace the cup on the table lightly, so as not to loosen the ball, meanwhile getting ready another ball in the left hand, and repeat the operation with B. With A you make a slight variation in your mode of procedure. Taking a third ball in your left hand, you hold it as before, but, as if through carelessness or clumsiness, allow it to be seen for a moment above the edge of the table. When you raise the third cup, you move it behind the table as before, and make a feint of introducing the ball which the spectators have just seen, but really let it drop on the servante, and replace the cup empty. A murmur from the audience will quickly apprise you that they have, as they imagine, found you out. Looking as innocent as you can, you inquire what is the matter, and are informed that you were seen to introduce a ball into the cup. “I beg your pardon,” you reply, lifting up, however, not A, which you have just replaced, but C, which is the farthest remote from it. There is really a ball in this cup, but having been pressed in, and fitting tightly, it does not fall. The audience, seeing you raise the wrong cup, are more and more confirmed in their suspicion. “Not that one, the other,” they exclaim. You next raise B, the ball in which also does not fall, for the reason already stated. “No, no,” the audience shout, “the other cup, the end one.” “You are really very obstinate, gentlemen,” you reply, “but pray satisfy yourselves,” turning over A as you speak, and showing the inside, which is manifestly empty, and your critics rapidly subside. Meanwhile, you drop your left hand to the servante, and secretly take from it two similar balls. Then, addressing the audience, you say, “Surely, gentlemen, you don’t imagine that, if I wanted to place a ball under a cup, I should set about it after such a clumsy fashion as this!” As you say this, you place your left hand in your left pocket, as if taking a ball from thence (as it obviously would not do to give the audience cause to suspect the existence of a secret receptacle behind the table), and bring out again the two balls, but allow one only to be seen, keeping the other concealed in the palm. Bringing the cup over the hand, you squeeze in both balls as far as you can, when the innermost will remain, but the outermost, not having sufficient space, will drop out again on the table. The audience, not knowing that there are two balls, believe the cup, which you now replace on the table, to be empty. You continue, “No, gentlemen; when I pass a ball under a cup, you may be sure that I don’t let anybody see me do so.” As you speak, you take the ball on the table in your right hand, and make the movement of transferring it to your left, really palming it by the second method, and holding the left hand closed and high, as if containing it, and keeping your eyes fixed thereon, you carelessly drop your right hand till the finger-tips rest on the table, when you are able to let fall the ball upon the servante. You continue, “I will now pass this ball under either of the cups which you like to name. Indeed, I will do more; I will cause this ball invisibly to multiply itself into three, one of which shall pass under each of the cups. First, however, let me show you that there is nothing under the cups at present.” You raise each in turn—“Nothing here, nothing here, and nothing here!” The balls still adhere to the sides of the cups, which, therefore, appear to be empty, but you replace each with a slight rap on the table, and thereby loosen the ball within it. “Now, then!” You bring the two hands together, and gently rub them over each cup in turn; finally parting them and showing that both are empty, and then lifting the cups, show the three large balls underneath.
Some performers, in lifting each cup with the right hand, introduce a fresh ball, held in the left hand, as already explained. The effect is the same as in the “Multiplication” Pass, already described, with this difference, that on each occasion of uncovering a ball, the ball remains on the table, which thus becomes gradually covered with an ever-increasing number of balls. Some, again, conclude by apparently producing from the cups objects much larger than they could naturally contain, e.g., large apples, Spanish onions, etc. This is effected in the same manner as the introduction of the large balls just described, save that in this case the object, which cannot really go into the cup, is merely held against its mouth with the third finger of the right hand, and dropped with a slight shake, as if there was a difficulty in getting it out.
There are many other cup-and-ball Passes, but the series above given will be found as effective as any. If any reader desires to follow the subject further, we would refer him to the Récréations Mathématiques et Physiques of Guyot, already quoted, or another old work, under the same title, by Ozanam, in which this branch of prestidigitation is treated at considerable length.