You then return to the other room, and taking a slip of black paper, you put it into the other side of the box, strewing the ashes of the burnt paper over it. Then shaking the box for a few moments, and at the same time turning it dexterously over, you open the other side, and show the person the paper you first put in, the writing on which he will readily acknowledge to be his.
If there be a press or cupboard that communicates with the next room, you need only put the book in the press, and your assistant will open it, and put the paper in the box, which you presently after take out, and perform the rest of the amusement as before.
There may likewise be a flap on the other cover of the book; and you may rub the paper against that with red lead. In this case you give the person the choice of writing either with a black or red pencil; and present him the proper side of the book accordingly.
The Opaque Box made Transparent.
Make a box three or four inches long, and two or three wide, and have a sort of perspective-glass, the bottom of which is the same size with the box, and slides out, that you may privately place a paper on it. The sides of this perspective are to be of glass, covered on the inside with fine paper.
Let a person write on a slip of paper, putting your memorandum book under it, as in the last amusement; then give him the little box, and let him put what he has written into it. In the mean time you put the memorandum book into the press, where the perspective is already placed. Your assistant then takes the paper out of the book, and puts it at the bottom of the perspective; which you presently take out of the press, and direct the person to put the little box that contains the paper under it. You then look in at the top of the perspective, and feigning to see through the top of the box, you read what is written on the paper at the bottom of the perspective.
With this perspective box you may perform another amusement, which is, by having in a bag twelve or more ivory counters, numbered, which you show to the company, that they may see all the numbers are different. You tell a person to draw any one of them, and keep it close in his hand. You then put the bag in the press, when your assistant examines the counters, and sees which is wanting, and puts another of the same number at the bottom of the perspective, which you then take out, and placing the person's hand close to it, look in at the top, and pretending to see through his hand, you name the number on the counter in it.
The Transposable Pieces.
Take two guineas and two shillings, and grind part of them away, on one side only, so that they may be but half the common thickness; and observe, that they must be quite thin at the edge; then rivet a guinea and a shilling together. Lay one of these double pieces, with the shilling upwards, on the palm of your hand, at the bottom of your three first fingers, and lay the other piece with the guinea upwards in the like manner, in the other hand. Let the company take notice in which hand is the guinea, and in which is the shilling. Then as you shut your hands, you naturally turn the pieces over, and when you open them again, the shilling and the guinea will appear to have changed their places.