Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring

We will assume, for our present purpose, that he simply pushes it into his left hand, whence it is easy to get rid of it into the pochette on the same side. He now places the bottle in the centre of the table, but in doing so hears, or pretends to hear, a sound of liquid therein. “I hope the bottle was empty,” he remarks, “I never thought about that.” He shakes the bottle, and the liquid therein is distinctly audible. “Good gracious!” he exclaims, “I’m afraid I have ruined the handkerchief.” He now pours the liquid into a glass, and then, putting his fingers inside the bottle, he pulls out the prepared piece of cambric, which, of course, is wet and stained. Leaving it hanging from the neck of the bottle, he advances to the owner, and expresses his regret at the accident; but the audience, who begin to suspect that the pretended mistake is really a part of the trick, insist that the handkerchief shall be restored in its original condition. The performer feigns embarrassment, but at last says, “Well, ladies and gentlemen, I cannot dispute the justice of your observations. The handkerchief certainly ought to be returned clean as at first, and as my washerwoman has been the cause of the mischief, she is the proper person to repair it. Will you excuse my stopping the entertainment for an hour or two, while I go to fetch her? You object to the delay?