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Literary Lapses
·
Stephen Leacock
69
"My
next
trick,"
said
the
conjurer,
"is
the
famous
Hindostanee
rings.
You
will
notice
that
the
rings
are
apparently
separate;
at
a
blow
they
all
join
(clang,
clang,
clang)--Presto!"
There
was
a
general
buzz
of
stupefaction
till
the
Quick
Man
was
heard
to
whisper,
"He-must-have-had-another-lot-up-his-sleeve."
Again
everybody
nodded
and
whispered,
"The-rings-were-up-his-sleeve."
The
brow
of
the
conjurer
was
clouded
with
a
gathering
frown.
"I
will
now,"
he
continued,
"show
you
a
most
amusing
trick
by
which
I
am
enabled
to
take
any
number
of
eggs
from
a
hat.
Will
some
gentleman
kindly
lend
me
his
hat?
Ah,
thank
you--Presto!"
He
extracted
seventeen
eggs,
and
for
thirty-five
seconds
the
audience
began
to
think
that
he
was
wonderful.
Then
the
Quick
Man
whispered
along
the
front
bench,
"He-has-a-hen-up-his-sleeve,"
and
all
the
people
whispered
it
on.
"He-has-a-lot-of-hens-up-his-sleeve."
The
egg
trick
was
ruined.
It
went
on
like
that
all
through.
It
transpired
from
the
whispers
of
the
Quick
Man
that
the
conjurer
must
have
concealed
up
his
sleeve,
in
addition
to
the
rings,
hens,
and
fish,
several
packs
of
cards,
a
loaf
of
bread,
a
doll's
cradle,
a
live
guinea-pig,
a
fifty-cent
piece,
and
a
rocking-chair.
The
reputation
of
the
conjurer
was
rapidly
sinking
below
zero.
At
the
close
of
the
evening
he
rallied
for
a
final
effort.
"Ladies
and
gentlemen,"
he
said,
"I
will
present
to
you,
in
conclusion,
the
famous
Japanese
trick
recently
invented
by
the
natives
of
Tipperary.
Will
you,
sir,"
he
continued
turning
toward
the
Quick
Man,
"will
you
kindly
hand
me
your
gold
watch?"
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