ee by the figure, and all the performer has to do
is to begin every question with the letter corresponding to the card.

Suppose the party has drawn the king of hearts. Its letter is A.

The performer exclaims--'Ah! I'm sure you know this!' The A at once
suggests the card in question. Suppose it is the ace of clubs. He
says--'Jump at conclusions if you like, but be sure in hitting this card
on the nail.' J begins the phrase, and represents the card in question.
Suppose it is the ten of spades, he cries out--'Zounds! if you mistake
this you are not so clever a medium as I took you for.' The ace of
diamonds--'Quite easy, my dear sir,' or 'my dear ma'am,' as the case may
be. Q represents the ace of diamonds. The queen of diamonds--'Oh,
the beauty!' The ace of hearts--'Dear me! what is this?' The ace of
spades--'You are always right, name it.' The nine of diamonds--'So! so!
well, I'm sure she knows it.'

Doubtless these specimens will suffice to suggest phrases for every
other card. Such phrases may be written out and got by heart--only
twenty-three being required; but this seems useless, for it does not
require much tact at improvisation to hit upon a phrase commencing with
any letter. However, it will be better to take every precaution rather
than run the risk of stopping in the performance, whose success mainly
depends upon the apparently inspired rapidity of the answers. The
performer might conceal in the hollow of his hand a small table exactly
like the figure, to facilitate his questions. As for the medium, he,
or she, must rely entirely on memory. Of course the spectators may be
allowed to see that the medium is completely blindfolded. This modern
trick has always puzzled the keenest spectators

15. The mystery of double sight.

All the cards of a pack, or indeed any common object touched by a
spectator, may be named by an assistant in the following way--whilst in
another apartment, or blindfolded.

Take 32 cards and arrange them in four lines, one under the other. You
arrange with your assistant to name the first line after the days of
the week; the second will represent the weeks, the third the months, the
fourth the years. The assistant is enjoined to count the days aloud, and
the first card by the left.

The following is the entire scheme:--

Days 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8* Weeks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Months 1 2 3** 4 5 6 7 8
Years 1 2 3 4 5 6 7*** 8

The cards being thus arranged, the party who has to guess them retir