Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring

PASS V. TO PASS THREE BALLS IN SUCCESSION UNDER ONE CUP.--“So far, ladies and gentlemen, what I have shown you has been mere child’s play.” He drops the right hand carelessly to the servante, and picks up two more balls, one of which he holds between the fingers, and the other in the palm. “The real difficulty only begins when we begin to work with three balls. Now which of these two balls” (taking up the two balls from the table) “is the largest? This one, I fancy, has the advantage, so I will pinch a little piece off to make a third ball.” He goes through the motion of pinching the ball with the fingers of both hands, at the same moment letting fall the ball in the palm to the tips of the fingers of the right hand. “Yes, this will do. It isn’t quite round, but that is easily rectified.” He rolls it between the fingers. “That is better. Now watch me closely, ladies and gentlemen.” He places the balls upon the table, with the exception of the fourth, which remains concealed between the fingers. “You see that there is nothing under either of the cups.” He raises all three, and introduces the fourth ball under the middle one (B). He then picks up one of the balls on the table, and apparently transfers it to his left hand, really palming it. “I command this ball to pass into the middle cup. It has passed, you see” (raising the cup with the right hand, and in replacing it, introducing the ball now palmed). The operation is repeated in like manner, until three balls have been shown under the cup, the fourth finally remaining palmed in the right hand.