ack. Lastly, a beautiful young girl stepped forth from the
wardrobe.

'_I never saw anything like it!_' Henry gasped, very truthfully. He had
a momentary fancy that the devil was in this extraordinary defiance of
natural laws.

'Yes,' Geraldine admitted. 'It's not bad, is it?'

As Toscato could speak no English, an Englishman now joined him and
announced that Toscato would proceed to perform his latest and greatest
illusion--namely, the unique vanishing trick--for the first time in
England; also that Toscato extended a cordial invitation to members of
the audience to come up on to the stage and do their acutest to pierce
the mystery.

'Come along,' said a voice in Henry's ear, 'I'm going.' It was Mr.
Doxey's.

'Oh, no, thanks!' Henry replied hastily.

'Nothing to be afraid of,' said Mr. Doxey, shrugging his shoulders with
an air which Henry judged slightly patronizing.

'Oh yes, do go,' Geraldine urged. 'It will be such fun.'

He hated to go, but there was no alternative, and so he went, stumbling
after Mr. Doxey up the step-ladder which had been placed against the
footlights for the ascending of people who prided themselves on being
acute. There were seven such persons on the stage, not counting himself,
but Henry honestly thought that the eyes of the entire audience were
directed upon him alone. The stage seemed very large, and he was cut off
from the audience by a wall of blinding rays, and at first he could only
distinguish vast vague semicircles and a floor of pale, featureless
faces. However, he depended upon Mr. Doxey.

But when the trick-box had been brought on to the stage--it was a sort
of a sentry-box raised on four legs--Henry soon began to recover his
self-possession. He examined that box inside and out until he became
thoroughly convinced that it was without guile. The jury of seven stood
round the erection, and the English assistant stated that a sheet
(produced) would be thrown over Toscato, who would then step into the
box and shut the door. The door would then be closed for ten seconds,
whereupon it would be opened and the beautiful young girl would step out
of the box, while Toscato would magically appear in another part of the
house.

At this point Henry stooped to give a last glance under the box.
Immediately Toscato held him with a fiery eye, as though enraged, and,
going up to him, took eight court cards from Henry's sleeve, a lady's
garter from his waistcoat pocket, and a Bath-bun ou