experience of cards was a quiet rubber with the ladies of their
household. However, such was their unanimous opinion, and upon it the
counsel for the Crown informed the Lord Chief Justice that he had no
case so far as the fairness of the cards was concerned.

The Lord Chief Justice saw in a moment the importance of that
admission on the part of the prosecution. If that were accepted the
case was gone, since the fraud for which these men were indicted could
not have been perpetrated by honest cards.

"The Brighton magistrates!" said the Chief Justice, with becoming
emphasis. "Give me the cards; I should like to have a look at them."

They were handed up, and then a little scene took place which was
picturesque and instructive. The Judge took up the cards one by one
after carefully wiping and adjusting his glasses to his nose, while
his confidential clerk leant over his shoulder with clerk-like
familiarity. Having scrutinized them with the minutest observation,
Jervis packed them up, and, turning to Mr. Johnson, said,--

"Mr. Johnson, I will show you how the trick was done. If you will take
that card"--handing him one from the pack "--you will see that to
the ordinary eye there is nothing to attract your attention. That is
precisely as it should be in all games of cheating, for if every
fool could see the private marks the rogues could not carry on their
calling."

Johnson took the card, and, instructed by the Lord Chief Justice,
carefully looked it over, but saw nothing. His face was a perfect
blank, and his mind could not have been much more picturesque.

"Turn it over," said his lordship. Johnson obeyed. Still the cryptic
hierograph did not appear. The Judge stared at his pupil. "Do you
see," asked his lordship, "a tiny mark on the corner of the card at
the back?"

"Oh, I see it!" says Johnson, with a face beaming with delight and
simplicity.

"That means _the ace of diamonds_" said the Chief--"ace of diamonds,
Mr. Johnson!" And thus, after a while, the cards and their secret
signs were explained to the counsel for the Crown, who, on the
intelligence of the Brighton magistrates, declared that, so far as the
_cards_ were concerned, he must acquit these card-sharping rogues of
all intention to deceive.

In all cases the back of the card showed what was on the face; that
was the simple secret of the whole contrivance, although the Brighton
magistrates could not discover it, as the whole of them combined had
n