Chapter II

GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF SLEIGHT-OF-HAND APPLICABLE TO CARD TRICKS.

Among the various branches of the conjuror’s art, none will better repay the labour of the student, whether artist or amateur, than the magic of cards. It has the especial advantage of being, in a great measure, independent of time and place. The materials for half its mysteries are procurable at five minutes’ notice in every home circle; and, even in the case of those tricks for which specially prepared cards, etc., are requisite, the necessary appliances cost little, and are easily portable--two virtues not too common in magical apparatus. Further, the majority of card tricks are dependent mainly on personal address and dexterity, and, as such, will always be highly esteemed by connoisseurs in the art. Before very large audiences, indeed, the spectators being at a distance from the performer, much of the effect of a card trick is lost; which is probably the reason that, of late years, tricks of this class (with a few exceptions) have been rather neglected by professors; and that many feats which in the times of Conus and Comte were numbered among the sensations of the day, are now almost entirely forgotten. We shall endeavour in the following pages, after explaining the principles of sleight-of-hand applicable to cards, and giving instructions for some of the best of the more commonplace feats, to revive the recollection--and, we hope, the practice--of some of these brilliant performances.

_The Cards._--The adept in sleight-of-hand should accustom himself to the use of every description of cards, as frequently none but the ordinary full-sized playing cards may be available. Where, however, the choice is open to him, he should use in the actual performance of tricks, cards of a smaller and thinner make. The common French cards answer the purpose very well. Among cards of English make, some of the best for the purpose are the small cards of the French pattern made by De La Rue & Co. for use in France, and those known as the “Tankerville” cards, both imported by Peck & Snyder, 124 Nassau Street, New York City, which are thin, well made, and of small size, but of the English pattern. In any case, it is well to use only the piquet pack of thirty-two cards (the twos, threes, fours, fives, and sixes being removed), the complete whist pack being inconveniently bulky for sleight-of-hand purposes.

TO MAKE THE PASS. (_Sauter la coupe_).--The effect of this sleight, which is the very backbone of card-conjuring, is to reverse the respective positions of the top and bottom halves of the pack, _i.e._, to make those cards which at first formed the lower half of the pack, come uppermost, when those cards which at first formed the upper half will of course be undermost. It is used by card-sharpers, immediately after the cards have been cut, to replace them in the position which they occupied before the cut, and from this circumstance derives its French name. There are various methods of producing this effect, some requiring the use of both hands, some of one hand only. These we shall describe in due order.

_First Method._ (With both hands).--Hold the pack in the left hand, lengthways, with the face downwards, as if about to deal at any game. In this position the thumb will naturally be on the left side of the pack, and the four fingers on the other. Insert the top joint of the little finger immediately above those cards which are to be brought to the top of the pack (and which are now undermost), and let the remaining three fingers close naturally on the remaining cards, which are now uppermost. (_See_ Fig. 1.) In this position you will find that the uppermost part of the pack is held between the little finger, which is underneath, and the remaining fingers, which are upon it. Now advance the right hand, and cover the pack with it. Grasp the lower portion of the pack lengthways between the second finger at the upper and the thumb at the lower end, the left thumb lying, slightly bent, across the pack. Press the inner edge of the lower packet into the fork of the left thumb, so that the two packets will be as shown in Fig. 2. Next draw away the upper packet, by slightly extending the fingers of the left hand, at the same time lifting up the _outer_ edge of the lower packet, till the edges of the two packets just clear each other (_see_ Fig. 3), when by the mere act of closing the left hand they will be brought together as at first, save that they will have changed places. Do this at first very slowly, aiming only at neatness and noiselessness of execution. At the outset the task will be found somewhat difficult, but gradually the hands will be found to acquire a sort of sympathetic action; the different movements which we have above described will melt, as it were, into one, and the two packets will change places with such lightness and rapidity that they will seem to actually pass through each other. A slight momentary depression and elevation of the hands (apparently a mere careless gesture) in the act of making the pass will completely cover the transposition of the cards, which in the hands of an adept is invisible, even to the most watchful spectator.

The above is the most orthodox and the most perfect method of making the pass, and if the student be proficient in this, he need trouble himself very little about the remaining methods, which are inserted chiefly for the sake of completeness, being very inferior in all respects. Wherever in the course of this book the student is directed to make the pass, this first method will be considered to be referred to, unless otherwise specially expressed.

Before quitting the subject of this method, we should mention that it is sometimes necessary to cause the two halves of the pack to ‘kiss,’ _i.e._, to bring them face to face. This is effected by turning the original upper packet face upwards in the act of bringing the transposed packets together. When the pass in the ordinary form is fairly mastered, this slight variation will occasion no additional difficulty.

In this, as in all other branches of prestidigitation, the student will find it of the greatest possible advantage to practise before a looking-glass. By this means, better than any other, he will be enabled to judge how far his movements succeed in deceiving the eyes of a spectator. One caution may here be given with advantage: the student of legerdemain must learn to perform all necessary movements _without looking at his hands_, unless for some special reason he desires the spectators to look at them also. In every case, wherever the performer desires his audience to look, his own eyes must take that particular direction; and wherever he desires his audience not to look, he himself must carefully abstain from looking. Let us suppose, for instance, that a person has drawn a card, and has replaced it in the middle of the pack. The performer desires to bring it to the top, for which purpose it is necessary to introduce the little finger above the card in question, and to make the pass, as above described. When the card is replaced in the pack, the eyes of the drawer are naturally directed towards it; and if the performer were himself to look downward at the cards, it would multiply tenfold the chances of detection. He should pause for a moment, and, looking full at the person who drew the card, ask, “You are certain that you will know that card again?” or make any similar observation. As he speaks, a natural impulse will draw the eyes of the audience to his own face, and he may then make the pass without the slight necessary movement attracting the least attention. It is hard to believe, until tested by actual experience, what apparently obvious movements may be executed under the very noses of an audience, if only their attention is diverted at the right moment by a dexterous use of the eye and voice of the operator.

_Second Method._--(With both hands).--Holding the pack in the left hand, as directed for the first method, grasp as before the lower portion of the pack lengthways between the second finger at the upper end and the thumb at the lower end; move the left thumb, which now takes no part in the operation, a little below the pack to be out of the way. Then slide the lower half of the pack a little to the left, and the upper half to the right till they just clear each other (_see_ Fig. 4), when you will be enabled to place what was originally the upper half undermost, and _vice versâ_. This is the theory of the process, but in practice the necessary motions are not nearly so distinct. As you grow more and more expert, the necessary movement from right to left should become gradually smaller and smaller, until at last it is almost imperceptible. You must study to reduce this movement to the very minimum; and in order to do this, endeavour, after you have once seen clearly what it is you have to do, to keep the hands _together_ as much as possible. Let the edge of the palm of the right hand rest gently, but firmly, on the first three fingers of the left hand, and let the contact thus made form a kind of hinge or fulcrum for the movement of the hands. When you become expert, you will find that the mere outward movement of the two hands upon this imaginary hinge (the cards being held lightly, and allowed to accommodate themselves to the movement) is sufficient to produce the effect.

We have above recommended you to keep the hands _together_ as much as possible; but there are circumstances under which an ostentatious _separation_ of the hands is equally effective. Thus, holding the cards as above directed, you may make the pass by (apparently) merely cutting the cards, lifting, in truth, the under instead of the upper half, the latter making way (by a slight and momentary extension of the left hand) to allow it to pass. You may also, when holding the cards as just cut (_i.e._, half the pack in each hand), make the pass in the act of bringing them together. To do this you should hold the right hand packet in such manner that the thumb and second finger may project a full inch beyond the face of the cards. At the moment of bringing the two packets together (which should be done with a sidelong motion of the right hand from right to left) this thumb and finger grip the other packet, and slide it out towards the left shoulder, leaving what was originally the right hand packet in the left hand. If this is done neatly, the movement is so subtle that the keenest eye cannot detect that the two packets have changed hands. Having effected the change, you may take your own time as to placing the now uppermost packet on the other. The circumstances of each trick will indicate the cases in which it may be desirable to adopt either of these variations.

_Third Method._ (With both hands.)--This is very similar to the first method, but much less neat. Take the cards, as in the former case, face downwards in the left hand, but instead of the little finger, insert the second and third fingers immediately above those cards which are to be brought to the top of the pack, and draw the first and fourth fingers below the pack. (_See_ Fig. 5.) In this position, the lower half of the pack is held as in a forceps between the second and third and the first and fourth fingers. Now cover the pack with the right hand as directed for making the pass by the first method, but in this instance grasp therewith (between the first and second fingers at top and the thumb at bottom) the _upper_ half of the pack. Raise this upper half slightly, to allow room for the movement of the lower half, and at the same moment slightly extend the fingers of the left hand. (_See_ Fig. 6.) This will make the lower packet describe a quarter of a circle. As soon as it is clear of the upper packet, by reversing the motion (_i.e._, closing the fingers of the left hand, and at the same time lowering the right hand), the two halves of the pack will be again brought together, but that half which was originally undermost will now be uppermost. The movement will be understood more clearly on an inspection of the diagrams _a_ and _b_ (Fig. 6), _a_ representing an end view of the two portions of the pack in their original position, and _b_ of the same in their transposed position, the original lower portion being in each case indicated by the darker shade.

_Fourth Method._ (With the left hand.)--This is almost the same as the method last described, save that the left hand only is used. The upper packet, instead of being held in the right hand, is in this case clipped between the ball of the left thumb and the point where the thumb joins the hand. In other respects the movement is the same.

_Fifth Method._ (With the left hand.)--Take the cards in the left hand as before. Insert the _third_ finger above the cards which are to be brought to the top (and which now form the lower half of the pack), and close the remaining three fingers on the top of the pack. (_See_ Fig. 1, but suppose the third finger inserted in place of the fourth.) Now extend the fingers, which will make the upper part of the pack describe a semicircle (_see_ Fig. 7), and at the same moment press downward with the thumb the left top corner of the lower packet. This will tilt up the opposite end of the lower packet, and give room, as you again close the fingers, for the upper packet to pass into the lower place. (_See_ Fig. 8.) To bring the original upper packet (_i.e._, the one with the six of hearts at the bottom) from the position indicated in Fig. 7 to that which it occupies in Fig. 8, it is pressed slightly forward with the middle finger, and is thereby made to perform a semi-revolution, the third finger acting as pivot. The packet is by this means turned over endways, _i.e._, that end of the packet which was originally nearest to the performer is now farthest from him, and _vice versâ_. The movement is by no means easy to describe, but if followed step by step _with the cards_, will be readily understood.

This method of making the pass has a peculiarity which renders it specially useful in certain cases. When the upper half of the pack describes a semicircle, as above mentioned, the bottom card of such half is in full view of the performer, though the spectators see only the backs of the cards. The performer thus becomes acquainted, unknown to his audience, with that card which, after the pass, becomes the bottom card of the pack; which knowledge may occasionally be very useful. The movement of the cards in this mode of making the pass is very noticeable; but the circular sweep taken by the upper packet so confuses the eye, that the audience must be extremely keen-sighted to detect the _effect_ of the movement, which, if neatly executed, has the appearance of a mere flourish. A quick sweep of the arm from left to right as the pass is made will greatly assist in covering the transposition of the cards.

Some perform the pass last described without causing the upper packet to make the semi-revolution above mentioned. The first finger in this case does not participate in the operation, but is left extended beyond the upper end of the pack.

_Sixth Method._ (With either hand.)--Take the pack in either hand, as if you were about to stand it on end on the table, the backs of the cards being next to the palm. Insert the third finger between the two halves of the pack, and draw the second and fourth fingers behind the pack. In this position, the uppermost half of the pack is held between the third finger and the second and fourth fingers. Clip the lower or front half of the pack at its two top corners between the thumb and the first finger. (_See_ Fig. 9.) Now extend the second, third, and fourth fingers, which will carry with them the upper half of the pack. As soon as it is clear of the lower half, again close the fingers, thereby bringing the upper packet to the bottom. (_See_ Fig. 10.) This mode of making the pass may be employed as you place the pack on the table, the movement for that purpose serving to cover that by which the cards are transposed. If no table is at hand a quick movement of the hand and arm from right to left, at the moment when the pass is made, will be found to answer equally well.

_Seventh Method._ (With the right hand.)--This is a mere makeshift for the pass proper, though its effect is the same. It is performed in picking up the cards from the table after they have been cut, and left, as is usual, in two heaps. The performer picks up, as in the ordinary course, the bottom half of the pack (which should properly be placed uppermost after the cut); but, instead of picking them up in the usual way, he picks them up with the second, third, and fourth fingers under, and the first finger above the cards. In placing them apparently upon the upper heap, he tilts up the right hand edge of that heap with the tip of the first finger, and with the remaining fingers slides the heap he already holds underneath it (_see_ Fig. 11), so that the cards are again precisely as they were before the cut. This sham mode of making the pass is rarely used by conjurors, but is said to be frequently employed by card-sharpers.

TO “FORCE” A CARD.--By this phrase is signified the compelling a person to draw such card as you desire, though he is apparently allowed absolute freedom of choice. Your first step is to get sight of the bottom card, or, if you want to force a predetermined card, to get that card to the bottom. Having done this, take the pack in the left hand, and insert the little finger half-way down, in readiness to make the pass. Make the pass by the first method, but, before uniting the two halves of the pack in their new position, again slip the little finger of the left hand between them. (The two halves will now be united at the end which is towards the spectators, but divided by the little finger at the end nearest to yourself; and the original bottom card, which is the one you desire to force, is now the bottom of the top heap, resting on the little finger.) Using both hands, with the thumbs above and the fingers below the pack, spread out the cards fanwise from left to right, at the same time offering them to the person who is to draw, and requesting him to select a card. Keep the little finger of the left hand still on the face of the card to be chosen, or you may now use, if more convenient, the same finger of the right hand, both being underneath the cards. As the person advances his hand to draw, move the cards onward with the thumb, so that the particular card shall reach his fingers just at the moment when he closes them in order to draw; and, if you have followed these directions properly, it is ten to one that he will draw the card you wish. It may possibly be imagined that forcing is a very difficult matter, and requires an extraordinary degree of dexterity; but this is by no means the case. The principal thing against which a beginner must guard, is a tendency to offer the particular card a little _too soon_. When the cards are first presented to the drawer, the pack should be barely spread at all, and the card in question should be ten or fifteen cards off. The momentary hesitation of the drawer in making his choice will give time, by moving the cards quicker or slower, as may be necessary, to bring that card opposite his fingers at the right moment. Should the performer, however, miscalculate his time, and the card pass the drawer’s fingers before the choice is made, he need not be embarrassed. Still keeping the little finger on the card, he should sharply close the cards, and making some remark as to the drawer being “difficult to please,” or the like, again spread them as before, and offer them for the choice.

A moderate degree of practice will make the student so proficient that even a person acquainted with the secret of forcing will have to be very wide-awake in order not to take the desired card. You will, however, sometimes find a person, suspecting your design and wishing to embarrass you, suddenly jerk his hand away from the card which he was apparently about to take, and draw another from a different part of the pack. In the great majority of tricks this is of little consequence, inasmuch as there are numerous ways (which will be hereafter explained) of ascertaining what the drawn card was; but there are some illusions which depend upon the drawer taking a card similar in suit and number to one already prepared elsewhere for the purpose of the trick. In this case it is, of course, absolutely necessary that the card drawn should be the right one; and as even the most accomplished performer cannot always be certain of forcing a single card, another expedient must be used in order to ensure success. This is made absolutely certain by the use of what is called a “forcing pack”--_i.e._, a pack in which all the cards are alike. Thus, if the knave of hearts is the card to be drawn, the whole pack will consist of knaves of hearts, and the drawer may therefore do his utmost to exercise a free choice, but the card which he draws will certainly be the knave of hearts, and no other. Where more than one card is to be drawn, as, for instance, in the well-known trick of the “rising cards,” the pack may consist, instead of similar cards throughout, of groups of two or more particular cards. Thus, one third may be knaves of hearts, one third aces of diamonds, and the remaining third sevens of clubs--the cards of each kind being together. With the aid of such a pack, it will require very little skill to ensure one of each sort being drawn.

TO MAKE A “FALSE SHUFFLE.”--False shuffles are of two kinds, according to the object with which they are made. Those of the first kind are designed simply to keep in view a particular card or cards, the remainder of the pack being really shuffled. The second kind are designed to keep the pack in a pre-arranged order, and are shuffles in appearance only, all the cards being brought back to the same relative positions which they occupied before the shuffle.

_First Method._ (To keep a particular card or cards in view.)--Take the pack in the left hand. If the card to be kept in view is not already on the top of the pack, insert the little finger of the left hand immediately above that card, and make the pass in order to bring it to the top. Transfer this card to the right hand, and slide the remaining cards upon it, by little successive parcels of six or eight cards, one above the other. The known card will now be at the bottom. Return the pack to the left hand. Slide off three or four of the top cards into the right hand, and place the remaining cards, by parcels of six or eight as before, alternately above and below these top cards, till you come to the last card, which is the special one, and which you will place above or below as occasion may require. If there are three or four cards to be kept in view, it makes no difference in the mode of operation, save that you must treat those cards throughout as the single card, and keep them together accordingly.

_Second Method._ (To keep a particular card in view.)--Bring the card in question, as before directed, to the top of the pack. Take the pack in the left hand, holding it upright on its side, the edges of the cards resting on the palm, the four fingers (which should be slightly moistened) being at the back or top, and the thumb on the face of the pack. Now, with the thumb and middle finger of the right hand (_see_ Fig. 12) lift out edgeways that portion of the cards which now forms the middle of the pack, and drop them by packets of five or six at a time upon _the face_ of the cards remaining in the left hand, moving aside the left thumb to allow of their passage. The pressure of the fingers will always keep the top card in its place, however many of the remaining cards you lift out with the right hand; and as you only shuffle on to the face of the pack, however often you repeat the process, this card will still remain at the top.

_Third Method._--(To retain the whole pack in a pre-arranged order.)--Take the pack in the left hand, slide off with the left thumb five or six of the top cards into the right hand, and place the remaining cards by parcels of five or six at a time (apparently) alternately above and below these first cards, as in the ordinary mode of shuffling. We say _apparently_, for in reality, although you go through the motion of placing every alternate packet _above_ the cards in the right hand, you do not leave it there, but draw it back again with the thumb on to the top of the cards in the left hand, and then place it, by your next movement, _under_ the cards in the right hand. The result is, that the cards in the left hand, instead of being placed alternately above and below the cards in the right hand, are really all placed below, and in precisely the same order which they occupied at first.

Some persons are in the habit of making the genuine shuffle, of which the above is an imitation, from the right hand to the left instead of from the left hand to the right, as above described. It may be stated, once for all, that wherever it is found more easy by the student to do with the right hand that which he is here instructed to do with the left, and _vice versâ_, there is not the least objection to his doing so, though the mode here indicated is that which, it is believed, will be found most convenient by the generality of persons.

_Fourth Method._ (To retain the whole pack in a pre-arranged order.)--Take the upper half of the pack in the right hand and the lower half in the left, the thumb in each case being above and the fingers below the cards. Place the two portions edge to edge, and work in the edges of the cards in the right hand half an inch or so between the edges of those in the left, spreading the cards in the meanwhile to facilitate the introduction; but let the right hand cards project about an inch above the top edges of those in the left hand. (_See_ Fig. 13.[A]) If you were to close up the cards in the relative positions they now occupy, they would be really shuffled. To prevent their being so in fact, as well as in appearance, you clip lengthways between the thumb and second finger of the right hand the cards of the packet on that side, and bend them sharply downwards and outwards. This again disengages them from the other packet, on the top of which you quickly slide them, and press the whole square.

[A] The cards of the right-hand packet are darkened in the
figure for the better distinguishing of the two packets,
though there would, of course, be no such difference of
shade in the original.

_Fifth Method._ (To retain the whole pack in a pre-arranged order.)--Make the pass so as to bring the lower half of the pack uppermost. Take the pack in the right hand, keeping the two portions of the pack separated by the little finger of that hand. Hold the cards face downwards a few inches from the table, and let fall, by five or six at a time, those cards which now form the lower half of the pack. You should so arrange that these cards form four little heaps, falling in the order indicated by the accompanying figure (Fig. 14). Thus the bottom cards must fall at 1, the next lowest at 2, the next (comprising all that remain of the lower packet) at 3, and the remaining cards (being the whole of the upper part) at 4. Now (with the left hand) quickly place packet 1 on packet 4, and (with the right hand) packet 2 on packet 1, and finally (with the left hand) packet 3 on the top of all, when the cards will occupy precisely the same relative positions as at first. The use of the two hands alternately, coupled with the rapidity of the performer, gives to his motions an appearance of carelessness which effectually baffles the spectators, and prevents their suspecting that the heaps are re-arranged in any determinate order.

_Sixth Method._--This also retains the cards in their pre-arranged order, with this qualification, that an indefinite number are transferred from the top to the bottom of the pack, the effect being as if the cards had been cut without being shuffled. Holding the cards as directed for the last method, you drop them in four heaps as before, but beginning from the left, and proceeding straight onwards in regular succession. Now place the first heap on the fourth or right hand heap, and the second heap on the first heap, finally placing the third heap either above or below the pile thus made. Where it is necessary, after using this shuffle, to bring back the cards to the precise condition in which they were at first, this object may be effected by the use of the “bridge,” hereafter described.

TO “PALM” A CARD.--Bring the card which you desire to palm (by the pass or otherwise) to the top of the pack. Hold the pack face downwards in the left hand, covering it lengthways with the right. With the left thumb push the top card till it projects about an inch beyond the edge of the pack. With the third finger of the left hand, which is now immediately below the card, press it upwards into the right hand, which should half close over it. You must not mind about bending the card, which will lie curled up against the inside of the hand. You may either let the hand drop negligently to your side, or, still better, take the pack between the fingers and thumb of the same hand (_see_ Fig. 15) and offer it to be shuffled. This will give you the opportunity, often very valuable, of seeing what the card in question is. When it becomes necessary to return the card to the pack, the mere motion of taking the pack in the right hand, whether from the left hand or from the table, will effect that object in the most natural manner. If the card retains a curve from its bent position in the hand, you may readily straighten it by ruffling the cards, as described in the next paragraph. If the performer is fortunate enough to have a large hand, a complete pack of cards may be palmed in this manner without difficulty.

TO “RUFFLE” THE CARDS.--Hold the pack tightly by its lower end between the fingers and thumb of the left hand, the thumb being above and the fingers below the cards. Cover the pack lengthways with the right hand, and clip the cards between the fingers and thumb as if you were about to make the pass by the first method. Keep the thumb unmoved, but draw the fingers smartly upwards, so as to bend the cards slightly. The springing of the cards as they escape one by one from the pressure of the fingers, and again straighten themselves, causes a peculiar sharp sound.

The ruffle may also be executed with one hand only. Take the pack between the middle finger at top and the thumb at bottom, the first finger resting in a bent position on the back of the cards. Press strongly with the thumb, so as to bend the two ends of the cards smartly outwards, allowing them one by one to escape from the middle finger, and simultaneously straighten the first finger, so as to clip the lower end of the cards between that finger and the thumb.

The ruffle is a mere flourish, but it is by no means without its value. We have indicated in the last paragraph one of its uses, viz., to straighten a card which has been palmed. Apart from this, there are many tricks in which it is desirable to mislead the spectator as to the particular movement by which, or the point of time at which, a particular effect was produced. This may be effected by a judicious use of the ruffle. Suppose, for instance, that the trick consists in magically bringing a given card to a particular position in the pack, and that the performer has already, without the knowledge of his audience, placed the card in the required position. If, before showing that it is so placed, he ostentatiously ruffles the cards, nine out of ten of the audience will be persuaded that this noisy movement is in some way the cause of the transposition, and will be proportionately the less likely to discover the true explanation of the feat.

TO “CHANGE” A CARD. (_Filer la Carte._)--Some of the most brilliant effects in card-conjuring are produced by the aid of this sleight, by means of which a card, fairly exhibited, is forthwith apparently transformed to a different one. There are several modes of producing this effect.

_First Method._--Hold the pack in the left hand, as though about to deal the cards. Hold the card to be changed in the right hand, between the first and second fingers. (_See_ Fig. 16.) The card into which it is to be changed should have been previously placed (secretly, of course) on the top of the pack. Push this card a little forward with the left thumb, so as to make it project about three-quarters of an inch beyond the remaining cards. Bring the hands close together for an instant, and in that instant place the card held in the right hand _under_ the pack, (the second, third, and fourth fingers of the left hand opening to receive it, and the remaining finger making way for it as soon as it reaches the pack). Simultaneously with this movement, the thumb and first finger of the right hand must close upon the card projecting from the top of the pack, and, as the hands separate, carry with them that card in place of the one which the right hand originally held. A half turn of the body to the left or right, a quick downward sweep of the right hand, or any other rapid gesture, will assist in covering the momentary bringing together of the hands. In some cases it is better that the right hand alone should move, the left hand being held stationary; in other cases the left hand (the one holding the pack) should make the movement, the hand holding the single card being motionless. It will be well to practise both these modes of making the change. The direction in which the performer turns, in order to place the card on his table, or the like, will indicate which is the best mode to use in any given case.

_Second Method._--This is a very inferior mode of performing the change, but may be useful as a makeshift while the student is acquiring the greater dexterity required for the former method. Hold the pack upright towards the audience, with the card to be changed at the bottom (and therefore in full view), and the card for which it is to be changed at the top. The pack should be supported by both hands, and the two cards named should project about half an inch to the right beyond the remainder of the pack, the front or bottom card being between the first and second fingers, and the back or top card between the thumb and first finger of the right hand. (_See_ Fig. 17.) Call attention to the bottom card; make a downward sweep with the pack so as to turn the faces of the cards towards the ground, and at the same moment draw off with the right hand the top card, which the audience will imagine to be the one they have just seen at the bottom.

_Third Method._--Hold the card to be changed face downwards between the thumb and first and second fingers of the right hand, the thumb being above and the two fingers below the card. Hold the pack in the left hand, as if about to deal the cards, the card for which that first mentioned is to be changed being on the top. Bring the hands rapidly together, pushing the top card with the left thumb about an inch beyond the rest of the pack, and at the same moment place the card held in the right hand with a sliding motion upon the top of the pack. (_See_ Fig. 18.) Both this card and the original top card (which is now second) will now be between the two fingers and thumb of the right hand. Press lightly on the top card with the left thumb to keep it back, and quickly draw away the right hand, pressing gently upwards with the two fingers on the face of the second card, which you will thereby draw away in place of the top card. If neatly done, the keenest eyesight cannot detect the substitution of the second card. Your only difficulty will be to find a colourable pretext for placing the card you hold on the top of the pack. This achieved, the rest is easy. The nature of the trick you are performing will frequently suggest a plausible excuse. A very successful plan is to boldly request the company to observe that you do _not_ do that which you at the same moment actually do. “You will observe, ladies and gentlemen,” you remark, “that I do not, even for one moment, replace the card in the pack, but simply,” etc., etc. At the words “replace the card in the pack,” the hands are brought together, and make the change. The action, suiting the words, is taken by the audience as an indicative gesture only, and thus the change is effected under their very eyes without exciting the least suspicion. In this mode of making the change, you should aim at being easy and natural, rather than very rapid. The main movement (that which brings the hands together) is undisguised, but attributed to a fictitious motive; and the subsidiary movement of the fingers, which actually effects the change, is so slight as to be practically imperceptible.

_Fourth Method._ (With one hand only.)--Take the pack, face downwards, in the left hand, as if about to deal. Place the card to be changed on the top, and the card for which it is to be changed next below it. With the left thumb push forward the top card to the extent of half its width, letting it rest on the tips of the fingers. This will leave one-half of the second card exposed. By a reverse movement of the thumb, draw back this second card till its outer edge is just clear of the inner edge of the top card. Now press the second card downwards with the thumb so as to bring its opposite edge just above the level of the top card; then push it back into its place, but this time above instead of below the top card.

_Fifth Method._ (To change a given card without the aid of the pack.)--A card having been chosen and returned to the pack, make the pass to bring it to the top, and palm it. Give the pack to be shuffled, and when it is returned pick out hap-hazard any card you please, and holding it up between the first finger and thumb of the right hand (in which is the palmed card), announce boldly that that was the card chosen. You will, of course, be contradicted, whereupon you pretend to be disconcerted, and ask if the person is quite certain that that is not the card he drew, and so on. Meanwhile, you take the card, face downwards, between the first finger and thumb of the left hand, whence you immediately take it again in the right hand (_see_ Fig. 19), taking it so as to bring the palmed card immediately over it, when the two will at a little distance appear to be only one card. You then say, “Well, if you seriously assure me that it is not the right card, I must endeavour to change it to the right one. May I ask what your card was?” When you are told, you continue, “It is a very simple process. I have merely to lay the card upon my hand, _so_, or if you prefer it, I will change it in your own hands. Oblige me by holding the card face downwards. I think you said your card was”--(say) “the ace of spades? Change!” As you say the words, “lay the card upon my hand,” you place the two cards for an instant on the palm of the left hand (_see_ Fig. 20), and draw off rapidly the top card, which is the right one, leaving the other palmed in the left hand, which then drops to your side. The audience do not suspect that the change is already effected, or that you have had more than one card in your hand throughout, and if you have performed the trick neatly, will be utterly nonplussed when the transformation is revealed. You may, if you please, conclude by asking what card the audience imagine that they first saw, and, when told, remarking that they must have been mistaken in their impression, as that card has been in Mr. So-and-so’s tail-pocket all the evening, as you prove by plunging your left hand (in which the card remains palmed) into the pocket, and producing it accordingly.

_Sixth Method._ (To change several cards at once.)--This sleight is extremely useful in cases where you desire, without the knowledge of the audience, to gain possession of a given number of selected cards. Palm in the left hand, face downwards, a number of cards equal to that which you desire to abstract. Take the cards which you desire to gain possession of between the second finger and thumb of the left hand (after the manner of the single card in Fig. 19). Cover these cards lengthways with the right hand, and palm them in that hand (_see_ Fig. 21), at the same moment seizing crossways, with the fingers and thumb of the same hand, the cards already palmed in the left hand (which to the eyes of the spectators will be the same they have just seen), and throw them face downwards on the table.[B]

[B] The last two very useful and effective sleights are
inserted by special permission of the inventor, Professor
Hellis, of No. 13, Silver Street, Kensington, one of the
cleverest and most genial drawing-room performers of the
day.

TO GET SIGHT OF A DRAWN CARD.--The power of doing this is a _sine quâ non_ for the conjuror. As already mentioned, even the most expert operator cannot be absolutely _certain_ of “forcing” the card which he desires, and a novice is very likely indeed to find a wrong card occasionally drawn. It is therefore necessary to be provided with a remedy for such a _contretemps_. One mode of meeting the difficulty is to allow the card to be returned to the pack, make the pass to bring it to the top, and palm it, immediately giving the pack to be shuffled, and in so doing to get sight of the card, which remains in your own hand, and can in due time be reproduced in any way you please. (_See_ Fig. 15.) For the present purpose, we assume that you do not desire to retain possession of the card, but merely wish to know its suit and value. These may be ascertained as follows:--

_First Method._--Ask the drawer to return his card to the pack, which you offer for that purpose in the left hand, spreading the pack fanwise, in order that he may insert the card where he pleases. As he replaces the card, slip the little finger of the left hand _below_ it, and close the fan. You now have the pack held in the palm of the left hand, but divided just below the chosen card by the little finger, the three remaining fingers being on the top. Offer the cards to be shuffled, or make any gesture you like with the pack, at the same moment slightly straightening the fingers. The effect of this movement will be to lift the upper packet, and thus open the pack bookwise, the opening being towards yourself, and the lowest card of the top heap, which is the card you desire to ascertain, being for the moment in full view. (_See_ Fig. 22.)

_Second Method._--Proceed as above, but instead of opening the pack to get sight of the card, bring it secretly to the bottom by the pass, and offer the cards to be shuffled, holding them at the upper end between the thumb and first and second finger of the right hand, and slanting from you at an angle of 45°, as in Fig. 15. As the faces are towards you, you have a full view of the card. Even if it should suggest itself to the audience that you are able to see the bottom card, as they are not aware that the chosen card is now in that position, there is nothing to excite their suspicion.

You may, by way of variety, instead of offering the cards to be shuffled, hold them in the right hand, and make the single-handed “ruffle” above described, at the same time turning their faces slightly towards yourself. You may effect the same object, even more simply, by the mere act of passing the pack from the one hand to the other, keeping the bottom card turned inwards as above.

TO “SLIP” A CARD.--Hold the pack in the left hand having first slightly moistened the fingers, which should rest upon the back of the cards. Open the pack bookwise, at an angle of about 45°, holding the upper packet lengthways between the thumb and second finger of the right hand. Draw this upper packet smartly upwards to a distance of two or three inches from the lower packet. (_See_ Fig. 23.) The top card of the upper packet, being held back by the pressure of the fingers upon it, will not move upwards with the rest of the packet; but immediately the remaining cards are clear, will fold itself down on the top of the lower packet. If the top card of the lower packet be examined before and after the slip, the card will appear to have changed, the fact being that the original top card becomes the second after the slip, the slipped card covering it.

TO DRAW BACK A CARD. (_Glisser la carte._)--The performer shows the bottom card, then dropping the pack into a horizontal position, face downwards, he draws out, with the thumb and second finger of the other hand, apparently that card, but really the next above it. This is effected as follows:--Hold the pack upright in the left hand between the first finger and thumb, the back of the cards towards the palm, and the thumb and finger about the middle of each side of the pack. Let the third finger, which should be previously moistened, rest on the face of the cards. (_See_ Fig. 24.) You will find that in this position, by moving the third finger, you can draw back the bottom card about an inch below the remaining cards, and thereby leave exposed a corresponding portion of the next card. (_See_ Fig. 25.) This is the whole mechanism of the operation. You must, of course, take care, after showing the bottom card, to turn the pack downward before you slide back that card in order to draw the next card in its place.

TO “TURN OVER” THE PACK.--There are certain tricks (as, for instance, where you have undertaken to produce a given card at a particular number in the pack) for which it is necessary to deal a certain number of cards from the top, and then (without the spectator’s knowledge) to continue the deal from the opposite end of the pack. As a necessary preliminary, you must “face” the cards--_i.e._, bring the upper and lower portions face to face. This you have already been taught to do by means of the pass. Whichever way the pack is turned, it will now, of course, show backs only. Take the pack flat in the left hand, the fingers clipping it rather tightly, but without the aid of the thumb. Pass the thumb underneath, and with the ball of the thumb press the pack smartly upwards (_see_ Fig. 26), when it will describe a semi-revolution on its longer axis, the lower face of the pack being thereby brought uppermost. If performed with the hand at rest, the movement is very perceptible; but if you at the same time make a semi-circular sweep of the hand and arm from left to right, the smaller movement of the pack in the hand is much less likely to attract notice.

TO SPRING THE CARDS FROM ONE HAND TO THE OTHER.--This is a mere flourish, and belongs rather to the art of the juggler than to that of the magician; but it is so frequently exhibited by conjurors that a work on magic would hardly be complete without some notice of it. The cards are held in the right hand, between the tips of the second and third finger at the top, and the thumb at the bottom. If the thumb and fingers are now brought slowly nearer together, so as to bend the cards slightly, they will one by one, in quick succession (beginning with the bottom card) spring away from the pack; and if the pressure be continued, the whole of the cards will spring away one after the other in this manner. If the left hand be held at ten or twelve inches distance from the right, with the fingers slightly bent, the released cards will be shot into the left hand, which, as the last cards reach it, should be rapidly brought palm to palm with the right, and square up the pack to repeat the process. By giving the body a quick half turn to the right as the cards are sprung from one hand to the other, you may make the hands (and with them the moving cards) describe an arc of about two feet, and so deceive the eye of the spectator into the belief that the hands are that distance apart, though in reality, as they both move together in the same direction, they retain throughout their original relative distance of ten or twelve inches.

TO THROW A CARD.--This sleight also belongs rather to the ornamental than to the practical part of conjuring, but it is by no means to be despised. It is a decided addition to a card trick for the performer to be able to say, “You observe, ladies and gentlemen, that the cards I use are all of a perfectly ordinary character,” and by way of offering them for examination, to send half-a-dozen in succession flying into the remotest corners of the hall or theatre.

The card should be held lightly between the first and second fingers, in the position shown in Fig. 27. The hand should be curved inward toward the wrist, and then straightened with a sudden jerk, the arm being at the same time shot sharply forward. The effect of this movement is that the card, as it leaves the hand, revolves in the plane of its surface in the direction indicated by the dotted line, and during the rest of its course maintains such revolution. This spinning motion gives the flight of the card a strength and directness which it would seem impossible to impart to so small and light an object.

A skilled performer will propel cards in this way to a distance of sixty or eighty feet, each card travelling with the precision, and well-nigh the speed, of an arrow shot from a bow. The movement, though perfectly simple in theory, is by no means easy to acquire in practice. Indeed, we know no sleight which, as a rule, gives more trouble at the outset; but, after a certain amount of labour with little or no result, the student suddenly acquires the desired knack, and thenceforward finds no difficulty in the matter.

THE BRIDGE.--The object of the bridge is to enable the performer, with ease and certainty, to cut or otherwise divide the pack at a given card. It is made as follows: Holding the cards in the left hand, with the thumb across the pack, the performer covers them for an instant with his right hand, as if about to make the pass. Grasping the pack between the thumb and second finger of this hand, he bends the whole of the cards slightly inwards over the first finger of the left hand, immediately afterwards bending the upper or outward portion of the pack backwards in the opposite direction. The effect of the double movement is that the two halves of the pack are bent in a double concave form, _thus_ )(, though in a much less degree. If the cards be now cut, the concave portions, instead of being, as at first, back to back, will be face to face, _thus_ (), leaving in the centre of the pack an elliptical opening, of a maximum width of about an eighth of an inch. This slight hiatus in the middle will generally cause a person who is invited to cut to do so at that particular point, and will in any case enable the performer either to cut or to make the pass at that point with the greatest ease. The cases in which the bridge may be employed with advantage will be more particularly indicated when we come to practically apply the processes already described, but it has a special use which may be at once mentioned. It will be remembered that some of the false shuffles already described leave the cards as if cut, though they in other respects retain their pre-arranged order; and it therefore becomes necessary to again cut them at a particular point, in order to bring them back to their original condition. This point is ascertained by the use of the bridge. The cards are first bent in the manner above described; the false shuffle is then made, leaving the cards in effect cut; but by again cutting or making the pass at the bridge, they are once more precisely as at first.

We have endeavoured to be as explicit as possible in the foregoing description of the different sleight-of-hand processes, so that the reader may, by following our instructions closely, be able to teach himself, unassisted, to perform the various movements described. We have done our best to make our descriptions intelligible, and trust that we have fairly succeeded. We should, however, strongly advise any student who desires to make rapid progress to take, if possible, a few preliminary lessons under the personal guidance of a competent performer, professional or amateur. It is an old saying that an ounce of example is worth a pound of precept, and a reader who has once or twice seen the processes we have described practically illustrated by skilful hands, will not only avoid the difficulties which are sure to be at first found in even the clearest written instructions, but will escape the formation of bad habits, which it may take much time and trouble to eradicate. Should the novice seek such assistance, he must not expect to find that any one performer uses indifferently all the processes we have described. Every Professor has his own favourite methods of procedure, and, generally speaking, pours scorn and contumely upon all others; or, in the words of Byron (a little altered)--

“Compounds for _sleights_ he has a mind to,
By damning those he’s not inclined to.”

The student who commences his labours without such assistance must make his own selection. In the “pass” we should recommend him to stick to the first method, the remaining passes being rather curious than useful. Among the false shuffles, the first, third, fifth, and sixth will be found the most effective. For the remaining processes he may be guided by his own taste, and the greater or less facility with which his fingers adapt themselves to one or the other of them.

The various sleights above described will cost the student some time and perseverance before they are fairly mastered, and until they are so it is hopeless to attempt any of the more brilliant feats. For his amusement in the meantime, we subjoin a few tricks for which sleight-of-hand is not necessary, but which, if performed with neatness and tact, will cause considerable astonishment to the uninitiated.