ring?" asked the magician. One was
handed to him by Placolett. He held it up between his finger and thumb.
"Presto, fly!" he exclaimed, and threw it into the centre of the room.
Everybody tried to catch it, but could not. It had vanished. Placolett
hunted about, and at last found it under a cushion at the furthest
corner of the room. Again he handed it to his master, who invited a
little girl to take it; but before it reached her fingers it had
disappeared, and Placolett, as before, hunting about, found it in
the heel of a boy's shoe. Now Placolett collected a dozen
pocket-handkerchiefs from the company, and the magician tied them up in
a handkerchief, which he placed on the table. He ordered Placolett to
bring him a basin and a jug, meaning, of course, that the jug should
contain water, but there was none, so he sent Placolett again to fetch
it, and ordered him to bring some soap. Meantime he threw some black
balls up to the ceiling, which never came down again; and then he
swallowed a mustard-pot, a salt-cellar, and a pepper-box; and then he
took three cups and three balls, and made the balls pass under the cups,
so that each cup had a ball under it, and then he brought them all
together under one cup merely by waving his wand over them; and finally
some twenty cups in succession appeared out of one of them. At last
Placolett came back, bringing some water, but it was cold instead of
hot, and there was no soap, and then an iron was wanted. Before he went
for them, his master made him borrow two hats. One the magician placed
above the other on the table. Then he took one of his magic cups, and
showing that there was nothing in it, turned it upside down. He lifted
it, and, lo and behold, there was a walnut inside! This he put into the
hat, and as often as he lifted the cup there was a walnut, which, like
the first, he transferred to the hat. At last Placolett came back.
"Now," observed the magician, "the hat is half-full of walnuts. Heigh,
presto! pass through the upper into the lower hat," he cried, and
lifting the upper hat, that was found to be empty, while the lower one
was half-full of indubitable walnuts, for the guests cracked several
which were handed to them by Placolett.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, you gave me some handkerchiefs," observed
the magician. "I shall have much pleasure in washing them for you."
Saying this, he took the bundle on the table, and emptied its contents
into the basin,