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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, ambassador, author and conjurer - -Author: Jean Henri Robert-Houdin - -Editor: Robert Shelton Mackenzie - -Release Date: June 11, 2013 [EBook #42916] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF ROBERT-HOUDIN *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - - -[Transcriber's note: The etext attempts to replicate the printed book as -closely as possible. Many obvious errors in spelling and punctuation -have been corrected. Certain consistently used archaic spellings have -been retained (i.e. secresy, boquet, unforseen, caligraphy, caligrapher, -conjuror, etc.) A list of corrections made follows the etext. - -Footnotes have been moved to the end of the text body.] - - - - - MEMOIRS - - OF - - ROBERT-HOUDIN - - AMBASSADOR, AUTHOR, AND CONJURER. - - WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. - - EDITED BY - - DR. R. SHELTON MACKENZIE. - - PHILADELPHIA: - GEO. G. EVANS, PUBLISHER, - NO. 439 CHESTNUT STREET. - 1859. - - Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1859, by - - G. G. EVANS, - -In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of - Pennsylvania. - - STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY RINWALT & CO., - 34 SOUTH THIRD STREET. - - - - -EDITOR'S PREFACE. - - -A man may not only "take his own life," by writing his autobiography, -without committing _felo de se_, but may carry himself into future time -by producing a book which the world will not willingly let die. This is -what M. Robert-Houdin, the greatest artist in what is called Conjuring, -has lately done in the remarkable book _Confidences d'un Prestigiteur_, -a faithful translation of which is here presented to the American -reading public. The work has had the greatest success in Europe, from -its lively style as well as the various information it contains, -historical and philosophical, on the practice and principles of -sleight-of-hand, and the other details, mental as well as mechanical, -which unite to make perfect the exhibition of White Magic, the antipodes -of what our forefathers knew, persecuted, and punished as the Black Art. - -Houdin has been considered of such importance and interest in France, -that in Didot's _Nouvelle Biographie Générale_, now in course of -publication at Paris, a whole page is given to him. From this memoir, -and from his own account in the pages which follow, we learn that he -was born at Blois, on the 6th December, 1805,--that his father, a -watchmaker in that city, gave him a good education at the College of -Orleans,--that his inclination for _escamotage_ (or juggling) was so -decided as to make him averse to pursue his father's trade,--that he -early exhibited great taste for mechanical inventions, which he so -successfully cultivated that, at the Paris Exhibition of 1844, he was -awarded a medal for the ingenious construction of several -automata,--that, having studied the displays of the great masters on the -art of juggling, he opened a theatre of his own, in the Palais Royal in -Paris, to which his celebrated _soirées fantastiques_ attracted -crowds,--that, in 1848, when the Revolution had ruined all theatrical -speculations in Paris, he visited London, where his performances at St. -James's Theatre were universally attractive and lucrative,--that he made -a tour through Great Britain with equal success, returning to Paris when -France had settled down quietly under the rule of a President,--that he -subsequently visited many other parts of Europe, every where received -with distinction and applause,--that at the Great Parisian Exhibition of -1855, he was awarded the gold medal for his scientific application of -electricity to clocks,--that, shortly after, he closed ten years of -active public life by relinquishing his theatre to Mr. Hamilton, his -brother-in-law, retiring with a well-earned competency to Blois,--and -that, in 1857, at the special request of the French Government, which -desired to lessen the influence of the Marabouts, whose conjuring -tricks, accepted as actual magic by the Arabs, gave them too much -influence, he went to Algeria, as a sort of Ambassador, to play off his -tricks against theirs, and, by greater marvels than they could shew, -destroy the _prestige_ which they had acquired. He so completely -succeeded that the Arabs lost all faith in the miracles of the -Marabouts, and thus was destroyed an influence very dangerous to the -French Government. - -In his retirement, to which he has returned, Houdin wrote his -_Confidences_, and is now devoting himself to scientific researches -connected with electricity. Before the appearance of his own work, M. -Hatin had published, in 1857, _Robert-Houdin, sa vie, ses oeuvres, son -théâtre_. - -The French and English critics have generally and warmly eulogized M. -Houdin's _Confidences_, and I am persuaded that, on this side of the -Atlantic, it will be considered an instructive as well as an amusing -volume. - -One error which M. Houdin makes must not be passed over. His account of -M. de Kempelen's celebrated automaton chess-player (afterwards -Maëlzel's) is entirely wrong. This remarkable piece of mechanism was -constructed in 1769, and not in 1796; it was the Empress Maria-Theresa -of Austria who played with it, and not Catherine II. of Russia; it was -in 1783 that it first visited Paris, where it played at the Café de la -Régence; it was not taken to London until 1784; and again in 1819; it -was brought to America in 1825, by M. Maëlzel, and visited our principal -cities, its chief resting-place being Philadelphia; M. Maëlzel's death -was in 1838, on the voyage from Cuba to the United States, and not, as -M. Houdin says, on his return to France; and the automaton, so far from -being taken back to France, was sold by auction here, finally purchased -by the late Dr. J. K. Mitchell, of Philadelphia, reconstructed by him, -and finally deposited in the Chinese Museum, (formerly Peale's,) where -it was consumed in the great fire which destroyed the National Theatre, -(now the site of the Continental Hotel, corner of Ninth and Chestnut -streets,) and extending to the Chinese Museum, burnt it down on July -5th, 1854. An interesting account of the Automaton Chess-Player, written -by Professor George Allen, of this city, will be found in "The Book of -the First American Chess Congress," recently published in New York. - -M. Houdin is engaged now in writing a volume explaining the manner in -which sleight-of-hand and other conjuring tricks and deceptions are -performed. - -I have added an Index to this volume, which I trust will be accepted as -useful. - -R. SHELTON MACKENZIE. - -PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 26, 1859. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -CHAPTER I. - -.....PAGE - -My Birth and Parentage--My Home--The Lessons of Colonel -Bernard--Paternal Ambition--My first Mechanical Attempts--Had I -but a Rat!--A Prisoner's Industry--The Abbé Larivičre--My Word of -Honor--Farewell to my darling Tools......17 - -CHAPTER II. - -A Country Idler--Dr. Carlosbach, Conjurer and Professor of -Mystification--The Sand-bag and the Stirrup Trick--I turn Lawyer's -Clerk, and the Minutes appear to me very long--A small Automaton--A -respectful Protest--I mount a Step in the Office--A Machine of Porter's -Power--The Acrobatic Canaries--Monsieur Roger's Remonstrances--My Father -decides that I shall follow my bent......26 - -CHAPTER III. - -My Cousin Robert--The most important Event in my Life--How a Man becomes -a Sorcerer--My first Sleight-of-Hand Feat--An utter Failure--Practising -the Eye and the Hand--Curious Experiment in Prestidigitation--Monsieur -Noriet--An Action more ingenious than delicate--I am Poisoned--Influence -of Delirium......42 - -CHAPTER IV. - -I return to Life--A strange Doctor--Torrini and Antonio: a Conjurer and -a Fanatic for Music--A Murderer's Confession--A perambulating House--The -Fair at Angers--A portable Theatre--I witness for the first Time a -Conjuring Performance--The blind Man's Game at Piquet--A Dangerous -Rival--Signor Castelli eats a Man alive......55 - -CHAPTER V. - -Antonio's Confessions--How to gain Public Applause--The Count de -----, Mountebank--I repair an Automaton--A Mechanician's Shop on -Wheels--Nomadic Life--Happy Existence--Torrini's Lessons--His Opinions -about Sleight-of-Hand--A Fashionable Greek, Victim of his own -Swindling--The Conjurer Comus--A Duel at Piquet--Torrini proclaimed -Conqueror--Revelations--New Catastrophe--Poor Torrini!.....73 - -CHAPTER VI. - -Torrini relates his Life--Treachery of Chevalier Pinetti--A Conjurer -through Malice--A Race between two Magicians--Death of Pinetti--Exhibits -before Pius VII.--The Cardinal's Chronometer--Twelve Hundred -Francs spent on a Trick--Antonio and Antonia--The most bitter of -Mystifications--Constantinople......90 - -CHAPTER VII. - -Continuation of Torrini's History--The Grand Turk orders a -Performance--A marvellous Trick--A Page cut in two--Pitying Protest -of the Harem--Agreeable Surprise--Return to France--Torrini's Son -Killed--Madness--Decay--My first Performance--An annoying Accident--I -return Home......121 - -CHAPTER VIII. - -The Prodigal Son--Mademoiselle Houdin--I go to Paris--My -Marriage--Comte--Studies of the Public--A skillful Manager--Rose-colored -Tickets--A Musky Style--The King of Hearts--Ventriloquism--The -Mystifiers Mystified--Father Roujol--Jules de Rovčre--Origin of the word -_prestidigitateur_......136 - -CHAPTER IX. - -Celebrated Automata--A Brazen Fly--The Artificial Man--Albertus Magnus -and St. Thomas d'Aquinas--Vaucanson--His Duck--His Flute-Player--Curious -Details--The Automaton Chess-Player--Interesting Episode--Catherine II. -and M. de Kempelen--I repair the Componium--Unexpected Success......155 - -CHAPTER X. - -An Inventor's Calculations--One Hundred Thousand Francs a Year by -an Inkstand: Deception--My new Automata--The First Magician in -France: Decadence--I meet Antonio--Bosco--The Trick with the Cups--An -Execution--Resurrection of the Criminals--Mistake in a Head--The Canary -rewarded......176 - -CHAPTER XI. - -A Reverse of Fortune--Cookery and Clockwork--The Artist's -Home--Invention of an Automaton--Voluntary Exile--A modest Villa--The -Inconveniences of a Speciality--Two August Visitors--The Throat of a -mechanical Nightingale--The Tiou and the Rrrrrrrrouit--Seven Thousand -Francs earned by making Filings......192 - -CHAPTER XII. - -The Inventive Genius of a Sugar-baker--Philippe the Magician--His Comic -Adventures--Description of his Performance--Exposition of 1844--The King -and Royal Family visit my Automata......221 - -CHAPTER XIII. - -My proposed Reforms--I build a Theatre in the Palais -Royal--Formalities--General Rehearsal--Singular Effect of my -Performance--The Largest and Smallest Theatre in Paris--Tribulation--My -first Performance--Panic--Discouragement--A Fallible -Prophet--Recovery--Success......234 - -CHAPTER XIV. - -New Studies--A Comic Journal--Invention of Second Sight--Curious -Experiments--An enthusiastic Spectator--Danger of being a Sorcerer--A -Philter or your Life--Way to get rid of Bores--An Electric Touch--I -perform at the Vaudeville--Struggles with the Incredulous--Interesting -Details......253 - -CHAPTER XV. - -Seductions of a Theatrical Agent--How to gain One Hundred Thousand -Francs--I start for Brussels--A lucky Two-Sou Piece--Miseries of -professional Travelling--The Park Theatre--Tyranny of a Porter--Full -House--Small Receipts--Deceptions--Return to Paris......273 - -CHAPTER XVI. - -Reopening of my Fantastic Soirées--Minor Miseries of Good -Luck--Inconvenience of a small Theatre--My Room taken by Storm--A -gratuitous Performance--A conscientious Audience--Pleasant Story about -a Black Silk Cap--I perform at the Château of St. Cloud--Cagliostro's -Casket--Holidays......294 - -CHAPTER XVII. - -New Experiments--Aërial Suspension, &c.--A Performance at the Odéon--A -Friend in Need--1848--The Theatre deserted--I leave Paris for -London--Manager Mitchell--Publicity in England--The Great Wizard--A -Butter-mould used as a Puff--Singular Bills--A Prize for the best -Pun......312 - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -The St. James's Theatre--Invasion of England by French Performers--A -Fęte patronised by the Queen--The Diplomatist and the Sleight-of-Hand -Man--Three Thousand Pounds taken at one Haul--I perform at -Manchester--The Spectators in the Pillory--What capital Curaçoa!--A -Torrent of Wine--A Catastrophe--Performance at Buckingham Palace--A -Wizard's Repast......330 - -CHAPTER XIX. - -An Optimist Manager--Three Spectators in a Room--A Magical -Collation--The Colchester Public and the Nuts--I return to France--I -give up my Theatre--A Farewell Tour--I retire to St. Gervais--An -Academician's Predictions......359 - -CHAPTER XX. - -Travels in Algeria--Convocation of the Chieftains--Performances before -the Arabs--A Kabyle rendered powerless--Invulnerability--A Moor -disappears--Panic and Flight of the Audience--Reconciliation--The Sect -of Aďssaoua--Their pretended Miracles......371 - -CHAPTER XXI. - -Excursion in the Interior of Africa--The Abode of a Bash-Aga--A comical -Repast--A Soirée of Arab Dignitaries--A Marabout mystified--Tent-life in -Algeria--I return to France--A terrible Storm--Conclusion......398 - -CHAPTER XXII. - -A COURSE OF MIRACLES......422 - -INDEX......437 - - - - -THE AUTHOR'S OVERTURE. - - -SAINT GERVAIS, NEAR BLOIS, -September, 1858. - -Eight o'clock has just struck: my wife and children are by my side. I -have spent one of those pleasant days which tranquillity, work, and -study can alone secure.--With no regret for the past, with no fear for -the future, I am--I am not afraid to say it--as happy as man can be. - -And yet, at each vibration of this mysterious hour, my pulse starts, my -temples throb, and I can scarce breathe, so much do I feel the want of -air and motion. I can reply to no questions, so thoroughly am I lost in -a strange and delirious reverie. - -Shall I confess to you, reader? And why not? for this electrical effect -is not of a nature to be easily understood by you. - -The reason for my emotion being extreme at this moment is, that, during -my professional career, eight o'clock was the moment when I must appear -before the public. Then, with my eye eagerly fixed on the hole in the -curtain, I surveyed with intense pleasure the crowd that flocked in to -see me. Then, as now, my heart beat, for I was proud and happy of such -success. - -At times, too, a doubt, a feeling of uneasiness, would be mingled with -my pleasure. "Heavens!" I would say to myself, in terror, "am I so sure -of myself as to deserve such anxiety to see me?" - -But, soon reassured by the past, I waited with greater calmness the -signal for the curtain to draw up. I then walked on the stage: I was -near the foot-lights, before my judges--but no, I err--before my kind -spectators, whose applause I was in hopes to gain. - -Do you now understand, reader, all the reminiscences this hour evokes in -me, and the solemn feeling that continually occurs to me when the clock -strikes? - -These emotions and souvenirs are not at all painful to me: on the -contrary, I summon them up with pleasure. At times I even mentally -transport myself to my stage, in order to prolong them. There, as -before, I ring the bell, the curtain rises, I see my audience again, -and, under the charm of this sweet illusion, I delight in telling them -the most interesting episodes of my professional life. I tell them how a -man learns his real vocation, how the struggle with difficulties of -every nature begins, how, in fact---- - -But why should I not convert this fiction into a reality? Could I not, -each evening when the clock strikes eight, continue my performances -under another form? My public shall be the reader, and my stage a book. - -This idea pleases me: I accept it with joy, and immediately give way to -the sweet illusion. Already I fancy myself in the presence of spectators -whose kindness encourages me. I imagine they are waiting for me--they -are listening eagerly. - -Without further hesitation I begin. - -ROBERT-HOUDIN. - - - - -MEMOIRS - -OF - -ROBERT-HOUDIN. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - My Birth and Parentage--My Home--The Lessons of Colonel - Bernard--Paternal Ambition--My first Mechanical Attempts--Had I but - a Rat!--A Prisoner's Industry--The Abbé Larivičre--My Word of - Honor--Farewell to my darling Tools. - - -In conformity with the traditional custom which expects every man who -writes his memoirs--or not to use too strong language, his -confessions--to display his patent of gentility, I commence by stating -to my readers, with a certain degree of pride, that I was born at Blois, -the birthplace of Louis XII., surnamed the "Father of his People," and -of Denis Papin, the illustrious inventor of the steam-engine. - -So much for my native town. As for my family, it would only appear -natural, regard being had to the art to which I devoted my life, that I -should display in my family tree the name of Robert _le Diable_, or of -some medićval sorcerer; but, being the very slave of truth, I will -content myself with stating that my father was a watchmaker. - -Though he did not rise to the elevation of the Berthouds and the -Breguets, my father was reputed to be very skilful in his profession. In -fact, I am only displaying our hereditary modesty when I say that my -father's talents were confined to a single art; for, in truth, nature -had adapted him for various branches of mechanics, and the activity of -his mind led him to try them all with equal ardor. An excellent -engraver, a jeweller of the greatest taste, he at the same time could -carve the arm or leg for some fractured statuette, restore the enamel on -any time-worn porcelain, or even repair musical snuff-boxes, which were -very fashionable in those days. The skill he evinced in these varied -arts at length procured him a most numerous body of customers; but, -unfortunately, he was wont to make any repairs not strictly connected -with his own business for the mere pleasure. - -In this house, which I may almost term artistic, and in the midst of -tools and implements in which I was destined to take so lively an -interest, I was born and educated. I possess an excellent memory, still, -though my reminiscences date back so far, I cannot remember the day of -my birth. I have learned since, however, that it was the 6th of -December, 1805. I am inclined to believe that I came into the world with -a file or a hammer in my hand, for, from my earliest youth, those -implements were my toys and delight: I learned how to use them as other -children learn to walk and talk. I need not say that my excellent mother -had frequently to wipe away the young mechanic's tears, when the hammer, -badly directed, struck my fingers. As for my father, he laughed at these -slight accidents, and said, jokingly, that it was a capital way of -driving my profession into me, and that, as I was a wonderful lad, I -could not but become an extraordinary workman. I do not pretend that I -ever realized the paternal predictions, but it is certain that I have -ever felt an irresistible inclination for mechanism. - -How often, in my infantile dreams, did a benevolent fairy open before me -the door of a mysterious El Dorado, where tools of every description -were piled up. The delight which these dreams produced on me, were the -same as any other child feels when his fancy summons up before him a -fantastic country where the houses are made of chocolate, the stones of -sugar candy, and the men of gingerbread. It is difficult to understand -this fever for tools; the mechanic, the artist adores them, and would -ruin himself to obtain them. Tools, in fact, are to him what a MS. is to -the archćologist, a coin to the antiquary, or a pack of cards to a -gambler: in a word they are the implements by which a ruling passion is -fed. - -By the time I was eight years of age I had furnished proofs of my -ability, partly through the kindness of an excellent neighbor, and -partly through a dangerous illness, when my forced idleness gave me -leisure to exercise my natural dexterity. This neighbor, M. Bernard, was -a colonel on half-pay. Having been a prisoner for many years, he had -learned how to make an infinity of toys, which he taught me as an -amusement, and I profited so well by his lessons, that in a very short -time I could equal my master. I fancy I can still see and hear this old -soldier, when, passing his hand over his heavy grey moustache, he -exclaimed with energetic satisfaction, "Why, the young scamp can do -anything he likes." This compliment flattered my childish vanity, and I -redoubled my efforts to deserve it. - -With my illness my pleasures ended; I was sent to school, and from that -time I had few opportunities for indulging in my favorite tasks. Still, -on my holidays, I used to return to my father's workshop with delight, -and, yet, I must have been a great torment to that excellent parent. -Owing to my want of skill, I now and then broke some tool, and although -I might try to conceal it, the blame was generally laid on me, and, as a -punishment, I was forbidden to enter the workshop. But it was of no use -attempting to keep me from my hobby; the prohibition had to be -continually renewed. Hence it was thought advisable to attack the evil -at the root, and I must be sent away from home. - -Although my father liked his trade, experience had taught him that a -watchmaker rarely makes a fortune in a country town; in his paternal -ambition he, therefore, dreamed a more brilliant destiny for me, and he -formed the determination of giving me a liberal education, for which I -shall always feel grateful to him. He sent me to college at Orleans. I -was then eleven years of age. - -Let who will sing the praises of school life; for my own part I can -safely state, that, though I was not averse from study, the happiest day -I spent in our monastic seminary was that on which I left it for good. -However, once entered, I accepted my lot with resignation, and became in -a short time a perfect schoolboy. In my play hours my time was well -employed, for I spent the greater portion of it in making pieces of -mechanism. Thus I made snares, gins, and mouse-traps, their excellent -arrangement, and perhaps the dainty bait as well, producing me a great -number of prisoners. - -I had built for them a charming open cage, in which I had fixed up a -miniature gymnastic machinery. My prisoners, while taking their ease, -set in motion a variety of machines, which caused a most agreeable -surprise. One of my inventions more especially attracted the admiration -of my comrades; it was a method of raising water by means of a pump made -almost entirely of quills. A mouse, harnessed like a horse, was intended -to set this Lilliputian machine in motion by the muscular strength of -its legs; but, unfortunately, my docile animal, though perfectly -willing, could not overcome the resistance of the cog-wheels, and I was -forced, to my great regret, to lend it a hand. - -"Ah! if I only had a rat!" I said to myself, in my disappointment, "how -famously it would work!" A rat! But how to get one? That appeared to me -an insurmountable difficulty, but, after all, it was not so. One day, -having been caught in the act of breaking bounds by a monitor, I was -awarded twelve hours' imprisonment. This punishment, which I suffered -for the first time, produced a violent effect on me: but in the midst of -the sorrowful reflections inspired by the solitude, an idea dissipated -my melancholy thoughts by offering a famous suggestion. - -I knew that at nightfall the rats used to come from an adjacent church -into the cell where I was confined, to regale on the bread-crumbs left -by prisoners. It was a capital opportunity to obtain one of the animals -I required; and as I would not let it slip, I straight-way set about -inventing a rat-trap. My only materials were a pitcher holding water, -and, consequently, my ideas were confined exclusively to this. I, -therefore, made the following arrangement. - -I began by emptying my pitcher; then, after putting in a piece of bread, -I laid it down so that the orifice was on a level with the ground. My -object was to attract the victim by this dainty into the trap. A brick -which I dug up would serve to close the opening, but as it was -impossible for me in the darkness to notice the exact moment for cutting -off the prisoner's retreat, I laid near the bread a piece of paper which -would rustle as the rat passed over it. - -As soon as night set in, I crouched close to my pitcher, and, holding -the brick in my hand, I awaited with feverish anxiety the arrival of my -guests. The pleasure I anticipated from the capture must have been -excessive to overcome my timidity when I heard the first leaps of my -savage visitors. I confess that the antics they performed round my legs -occasioned me great nervousness, for I knew not how far the voracity of -these intrepid rodents might extend; still, I kept my ground, not making -the slightest movement, through fear of compromising the success of my -scheme, and was prepared to offer the assailants a vigorous resistance -in case of an attack. - -More than an hour passed in vain expectation, and I was beginning to -despair of the success of my trap, when I fancied I heard the slight -sound I hoped for as a signal. I laid the brick on the mouth of the -pitcher directly, and raised it up; the shrill cries inside convinced me -of my success, and I began a pćan of triumph, both to celebrate my -victory and to frighten away my prisoner's comrades. The porter, when he -came to release me, helped me to master my rat by fastening a piece of -twine to one of his hind legs, and burdened with my precious booty, I -proceeded to the dormitory, where masters and pupils had been asleep for -a long time. I was glad enough to sleep too, but a difficulty presented -itself--how should I bestow my prisoner? - -At length a bright idea occurred to me, fully worthy of a schoolboy: it -was to thrust the rat headforemost into one of my shoes. After fastening -the twine to the leg of my bed, I pushed the shoe into one of my -stockings, and placed the whole in the leg of my trousers. This being -accomplished, I believed I could go to bed without the slightest cause -for apprehension. The next morning, at five exactly, the inspector took -a turn through the dormitory to arouse the sleepers. - -"Dress yourself directly," he said, in that amiable voice peculiar to -gentlemen who have risen too soon. - -I proceeded to obey but I was fated to dire disgrace: the rat I had -packed away so carefully, not finding its quarters airy enough, had -thought proper to gnaw through my shoe, my stocking, and my trouser, and -was taking the air through this improvised window. Fortunately, it had -not cut through the retaining string, so the rest was a trifle. - -But the inspector did not regard matters in the same light as I did. The -capture of a rat and the injury to my clothes were considered further -aggravations of my previous offence, and he sent in a lengthy report to -the head-master. I was obliged to appear before the latter dressed in -the clothes that bore the proof of my offence, and, by an unlucky -coincidence, shoe, stocking and trouser were all injured on the same -leg. The Abbé Larivičre (our head-master) managed the college with truly -paternal care; ever just, and prone by nature to forgiveness, he was -adored by his pupils, and to be out of favor with him was regarded as -the severest punishment. - -"Well, Robert," he said to me, looking kindly over the spectacles which -bridged the end of his nose, "I understand you have been guilty of grave -faults. Come, tell me the whole truth." - -I possessed at that time a quality which, I trust, I have not lost -since, and that is extreme frankness. I gave the Abbé a full account of -my misdeeds, and my sincerity gained me pardon. The head-master, after a -vain attempt to repress it, burst into a loud fit of laughter, on -hearing the catastrophe of my adventures. Still, he ended his gentle -lecture in the following words: - -"I will not scold you any more, Robert. I believe in your repentance: -twelve hours' confinement are sufficient punishment, and I grant you -your release. I will do more: though you are very young, I will treat -you as a man--of honor, though--you understand me? You will pledge me -your word not only that you will not commit your old faults again, but, -as your passion for mechanics makes you often neglect your lessons, you -must promise to give up your tools, and devote yourself henceforth to -study." - -"Oh yes, sir, I give you my word," I exclaimed, moved to tears by such -unexpected indulgence; "and I can assure you, you will never repent -having put faith in my promise." - -I made up my mind to keep my pledge, although I was fully aware of all -the difficulties, which were so many stumbling-blocks in that path of -virtue I wished to follow. Much trouble, I had too, at first, in -withstanding the jests and sarcasms of the idler of my comrades, who, in -order to hide their own bad conduct, strove to make all weak characters -their accomplices. Still, I broke with them all. Sharpest pang of all, -though, was the sacrifice I made in burning my vessels--that is, in -putting aside my cages and their contents; I even forgot my tools, and -thus, free from all external distraction, I devoted myself entirely to -my Greek and Latin studies. - -The praise I received from the Abbé Larivičre, who prided himself in -having noticed in me the stuff for an excellent scholar, rewarded me for -this sublime effort, and I may say I became, thenceforth, one of the -most studious and attentive lads in the college. At times, I certainly -regretted my tools and my darling machinery, but recollecting my promise -to the head-master, I held firm against all temptation. All I allowed -myself was to set down by stealth on paper a few ideas that occurred to -me, though I did not know whether I should ever have a chance to put -them in practice. - -At length the moment arrived for my leaving college; my studies were -completed--I was eighteen years of age. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - A Country Idler--Dr. Carlosbach, Conjurer and Professor of - Mystification--The Sand-bag and the Stirrup Trick--I turn Lawyer's - Clerk, and the Minutes appear to me very long--A small Automaton--A - respectful Protest--I mount a Step in the Office--A Machine of - Porter's Power--The Acrobatic Canaries--Monsieur Roger's - Remonstrances--My Father decides that I shall follow my bent. - - -In the story I have just narrated, only simple events were -noticeable--hardly worthy, perhaps, of a man who has often passed for a -sorcerer--but grant me a few pages' patience, reader, as an introduction -to my artistic life, and what you seek in my book will be displayed -before your eager gaze. You will know how a magician is produced, and -you will learn that the tree whence my magic staff was cut was only that -of persevering labor, often bedewed by the sweat of my brow: soon, too, -when you come to witness my labors and my anxious hours of expectation, -you will be able to appreciate the cost of a reputation in my mysterious -art. - -On leaving college, I at first enjoyed all the liberty I had been -deprived of for so many years. The power of going right or left, of -speaking or remaining silent, as I listed, of getting up sooner or -later, according to my fancy, was an earthly paradise for a collegian. I -enjoyed this ineffable pleasure to the fullest extent: thus, in the -morning--although habit made me wake at five--when the clock announced -that once so dreaded hour, I burst into a loud laugh, and offered -ferocious challenges to any number of invisible superintendents; then, -satisfied by this slight retrospective vengeance, I went to sleep again -till breakfast. After that meal I went out to indulge in a pleasant -lounge about the streets; and I preferred walking in the public -promenades, for thus I had better chances of finding something to -attract my attention. In a word, not an event happened which I did not -know, and I was the real amateur "penny-a-liner" of my native town. - -Many of these incidents afforded very slight interest; one day, however, -I witnessed a scene which produced a lasting effect upon me. One -after-dinner, while walking along the side of the Loire, engaged with -the thoughts suggested by the falling autumn leaves, I was aroused from -my reverie by the sound of a trumpet, evidently blown by a practised -performer. It may be easily supposed that I was not the last to obey -this startling summons, and a few other idlers also formed a circle -round the performer. - -He was a tall fellow with a quick eye, a sunburnt face, long and crispy -hair, and he stemmed his fist in his side, while he held his head -impudently high. His costume, though rather "loud," was still cleanly, -and announced a man who probably had "some hay in his boots," to use a -favorite phrase of gentlemen in the same profession. He wore a -maroon-colored frock-coat, trimmed with large silver frogs, while round -his neck was a black silk cravat, the two ends being passed through a -jewelled ring, which a millionaire would not have disdained--had it not -unfortunately been paste. He wore no waistcoat, but his shirt was -remarkably white, and on it glistened a heavy mosaic chain, with a -collection of appendages, whose metallic sound loudly announced his -every movement. - -I had ample time to make these observations, for as the audience -collected but slowly, the stranger continued his trumpet overture for a -quarter of an hour; at length, when an average crowd had assembled, the -trumpet made way for the human voice. The artist laid the instrument on -the ground, and walked round majestically to form a ring; then, -stopping, he passed his hand through his hair, and began his address. -Being little used to this charlatanism in the streets, I regarded the -man with confiding admiration and determined not to lose a word of his -address. - -"Gentlemen," he commenced, in a firm and sonorous voice, "pray hear me. -I am _not_ what I seem to be; I may say more, I am what I do not seem to -be. Yes, gentlemen, yes--confess it--you take me for one of those scurvy -beggars who want to draw a few halfpence from your generosity. Well, you -may undeceive yourselves. Though you see me on this spot to-day, I tell -you that I have only come here for the relief of suffering humanity in -general, then for your welfare in particular, as well as for your -amusement." - -Here the orator, whose accent plainly showed that he came from the banks -of the Garonne, passed his hand once more through his hair, raised his -head, sucked his lips, and, assuming an air of majestic dignity, -continued: - -"I will tell you presently who I am, and you will be able to estimate me -at my true value; in the mean while allow me to offer you a slight -specimen of my skill." - -The artist, having then formed the circle afresh, placed before him a -small table, on which he arranged three tin goblets, so well polished -that they might have been taken for silver; after which he fastened -round his waist a red cotton velvet bag, into which he thrust his hands -for some minutes--doubtlessly to prepare the tricks he intended to -display--and the performance commenced. - -During a long series of tricks, the nutmegs, at first invisible, -appeared at the finger ends of the conjuror; then, they passed through -the cups, under the table, into a spectator's pockets, and finally -emerged, to the general delight, from the nose of a young looker-on. The -latter took the matter quite seriously, and half killed himself with -sneezing, to see whether a few more spice balls might not be left in his -brain. The address with which these tricks were done, and the apparent -simplicity of the operator in the execution of these ingenious -artifices, produced the most perfect illusion--at least, as far as I was -concerned. - -It was the first time I had ever witnessed such a sight: I was -stupefied, astounded! The man who could perform such marvels at his will -seemed to me a superhuman being; hence I saw him put aside his cups with -considerable regret. The audience seemed equally charmed; the artist -perceived it, and took advantage of it, by making a sign that he had a -few more words to say. Then, resting his hand on the table, he -proceeded: - -"Ladies and gentlemen! I was very pleased to notice the kind attention -you devoted to my tricks, and I thank you for it" (here the conjuror -bowed to the ground); "and, as I am anxious to prove that you have not -to deal with an ungrateful person, I will attempt to repay in full the -satisfaction you have made me feel. Deign to listen to me for a moment. - -"I promised to tell you what I am; I will now satisfy you." (Sudden -change of countenance, and evidence of great self-esteem.) "You behold -in me the celebrated Dr. Carlosbach: the composition of my name reveals -to you my Anglo-Francisco-Germanic origin. To praise myself would be -like painting the lily; I will, therefore, content myself with saying -that I possess an enormous talent, and that my astounding reputation can -only be equalled by my modesty. Elected, by acclamation, member of the -most illustrious learned societies through the whole world, I incline -before their judgment, which proclaims the superiority of my skill in -the grand art of curing the human race." - -This address, as strange as it was emphatic, was delivered with -imperturbable assurance; still I fancied I noticed a twitching of the -lips, that revealed the grand doctor's ill-restrained desire to laugh. -For all that, I listened attentively to his discourse. - -"But, gentlemen," he added, "I have said sufficient of myself; it is -time to speak of my works. Learn then, that I am the inventor of the -Vermifuge Balsam, whose sovereign efficaciousness is indisputable. Yes, -gentlemen, the worm, that enemy of the human race--the worm, the -destroyer of everything existing--the worm, that obstinate preyer on the -living and the dead, is at length conquered by my science; a drop, an -atom of this precious liquor is sufficient to expel this fearful -parasite for ever. - -"And, gentlemen, such is the virtue of my marvellous balsam, that it not -only delivers man from this frightful calamity during life, but his body -has nothing to fear after death. Taking my balsam is a mode of embalming -one's body prior to death; man is thus rendered immortal. Ah! gentlemen, -were you but acquainted with all the virtues of my sublime discovery, -you would rush upon me and tear it from me; but, as that would be -illegal, I check myself in time." - -The orator, in fact, stopped, and dried his brow with one hand, while -with the other he motioned to the crowd that he had not yet ended his -discourse. A great number of the audience were already striving to -approach the learned doctor; Carlosbach, however, did not appear to -notice it, and, reassuming his dramatic posture, he continued as -follows: - -"But, you will ask me, what can be the price of such a treasure? can we -be rich enough to purchase it? The moment has now arrived, gentlemen, to -make you understand the full extent of my disinterestedness. This -balsam, in the discovery of which I have worn away my days--this balsam, -which sovereigns have purchased at the price of their crown--this -balsam, in short, which is beyond all price--well, I make you a present -of it!" - -At these unexpected words, the crowd, panting with emotion, lifted up -its eager arms, and implored the generosity of the doctor. But, what -shameful deception! Carlosbach--the celebrated Dr. Carlosbach--this -benefactor of humanity, suddenly altered his tone, and burst into an -Homeric shout of laughter. The arms fell down spontaneously; the -audience looked vacantly into each other's faces. At length one laughed. -The contagion spread, and soon everybody was following the conjurer's -example. He was the first to stop, and demanded silence: - -"Gentlemen!" he then said, in a perfectly respectful tone, "do not be -angry with me for the little trick I have played you; I wished thus to -put you on your guard against those charlatans who daily deceive you, -just as I have done myself. I am no doctor, but simply a conjurer, -professor of mystification, and author of a book, in which you will -find, in addition to the discourse I have just delivered, the -description of a great number of conjuring tricks. Would you like to -learn the art of amusing yourself in society? For sixpence you may -satisfy your curiosity." - -The conjurer produced from a box an enormous packet of books; then, -going round the crowd, he soon disposed of his wares, thanks to the -interest his talent had excited. The exhibition was over, and I returned -home with my head full of a world of unknown sensations. - -It will be readily supposed that I purchased one of these precious -volumes. I hastened to examine it; but the false doctor continued his -system of mystification in it, and despite all my good will, I could not -understand one of the tricks he pretended to explain. However, I had the -famous speech I have just quoted, as some sort of consolation. - -I made up my mind to lay the book aside and think no more of it; but the -marvels it announced returned to my mind every moment. "O Carlosbach!" I -said in my modest ambition, "if I possessed your talent, how happy I -should feel!" and, filled with this idea, I decided on taking lessons of -the learned professor. Unfortunately, this determination was arrived at -too late. When I proceeded to his lodgings, I learned that the conjuror -had resorted to his own tricks, and had left his inn the previous -evening, forgetting to pay the princely score he had run up. The -innkeeper gave me the account of this last mystification on the part of -the professor. - -Carlosbach had arrived at his house with two trunks of unequal size and -very heavy; on the larger of them was painted "Conjuring Apparatus," on -the other, "Clothing." The conjuror, who stated that he had received -various invitations to perform at the adjacent châteaux, had set off the -evening before to fulfil one of these engagements. He had only taken -with him one of his trunks, that containing the apparatus; and it was -supposed he had left the other in his room as a security for the bill he -had run up. The next day the host, surprised at finding his lodger -still absent, thought it advisable to place his traps in some safe -place. He, therefore, went into his bedroom; but the two trunks had -disappeared, and in their place was an enormous bag filled with sand, on -which was written: - - THE MYSTIFYING BAG. - - THE STIRRUP TRICK. - -I continued for some time longer to enjoy the contemplative life I had -been pursuing; but at last satiety assailed me, and I was quite -surprised one day at finding myself wearied of this life of idleness. My -father, like a man who could read the human heart, had awaited this -moment to talk seriously with me; he, therefore, took me aside one -morning, and said, without further preface, in a kindly voice: - -"My good boy, you have now quitted college with a sound education, and I -have allowed you to enjoy fully the liberty for which you seemed to -aspire. But you must see this is not sufficient for a livelihood; you -must now enter on the world resolutely, and apply your parts to the -profession you wish to embrace. That profession it is now time to -choose; you have doubtlessly some inclination, some bias, and you must -let me know it; speak, then, and you will find me inclined to second -your views." - -Although my father had frequently expressed his fears lest I should -follow his trade, I thought, after these remarks, he had changed his -mind, and I joyfully said: - -"Of course I have an inclination, and you cannot be ignorant of it, for -it is of very old standing. You know I never wished to be other than--" - -My father guessed my thoughts, and would not allow me to finish. - -"I see," he objected, "that you did not understand me, and I must -explain my meaning more clearly. My desire is for you to choose a -profession more lucrative than my own. Consider, it would be -unreasonable to bury the ten years' schooling for which I made such -heavy sacrifices in my shop; remember, too, that, after thirty-five -years' hard work, I have been hardly able to save sufficient provision -for my old age. Then, pray, change your resolution, and give up your -mania for making a 'parcel of filings.'" - -My father, in this, merely followed the idea of many parents, who can -only see the disagreeable side of their own trade. To this prejudice, I -must allow, he added the praiseworthy ambition of the head of a family -desirous that his son should rise a step higher on the social ladder -than himself. - -As I was utterly ignorant of all other professions or trades save that -of a mechanician, I was unable to appreciate them, or consequently -select one; hence I remained dumb. In vain did my father try to draw an -answer from me by explaining the advantages I should derive from being a -surgeon or chemist, a barrister or a solicitor. I could only repeat that -I placed implicit confidence in his wisdom and experience. This -self-denial and passive obedience appeared to touch him; I noticed it, -and wishing to make a final attack on his determination, I said to him: - -"Before making up my mind to any decided choice of profession, allow me -to offer one observation. Are you sure that it is your trade which is -impossible of extension, or is it owing to the smallness of the town in -which you have carried it on? Let me follow my own bent, I beseech you, -and when I have become a good workman by your instruction, I will go to -Paris and make a fortune there; I feel quite convinced I can do so." - -Fearing lest he might give way, my father tried to cut the conversation -short by evading a reply to my objection. - -"As you leave it to me," he said, "I advise you to become a solicitor; -with your natural parts, aided by application and good conduct, I am -certain you will make your way famously." - -Two days later I was installed in one of the best offices at Blois, and, -owing to my caligraphy, I was employed as a copying clerk, and in -engrossing from morning till night, though rarely understanding what I -was writing. My readers can readily guess that this mechanical work -could not long satisfy the turn of my mind; pens, ink, and paper were -most unsuitable articles to carry out the inventive ideas which -continually occurred to me. Fortunately, at that period, steel pens were -unknown; hence I had a resource in making my pens, to which I devoted -the best part of my time. This simple fact will suffice to give an idea -of the deep spleen which weighed upon me like a coating of lead, and I -should have certainly fallen ill, had I not found more attractive -employment. - -Among the mechanical curiosities entrusted to my father for repair, I -had noticed a snuff-box, on the top of which a small piece of mechanism -attracted my entire attention. The top of the box represented a -landscape. On pressing a spring, a hare made its appearance, and went -towards a tuft of grass, which it began to crop; soon after a sportsman -emerged from a thicket accompanied by a pointer. The miniature Nimrod -stopped at the sight of the game, shouldered his gun and fired; a noise -indicative of the explosion of a fire-arm was heard, and the hare, -apparently wounded, disappeared in the thicket, pursued by the dog. - -This pretty piece of mechanism excited my desires in an eminent degree, -but I could not hope to possess it, as the owner, in addition to the -value he attached to it, had no reason to dispose of it, and, besides, -my pecuniary means were insufficient. As I could not make the article my -own, I determined, at least, to keep it in remembrance, and drew a -careful plan of it without my father's knowledge. This only more -inflamed my desires, and I began to ask myself whether I could not make -an exact copy of it. - -Seeing no extreme difficulty in this, I rose at daybreak each morning, -and, going down to my father's workshop, I worked till the hour when he -used to begin work. Then I rearranged the tools exactly as I had found -them, locked up my work carefully, and proceeded to my office. The joy I -experienced in finding my mechanism act was only equalled by the -pleasure I felt in presenting it to my father, as an indirect and -respectful protest against the determination he had formed as to my -choice of a trade. I had some difficulty in persuading him that I had -not been assisted by any one in my work, but when at last I removed his -doubts, he could not refrain from complimenting me. - -"It is a pity," he said, thoughtfully, "that you cannot profit by your -turn for mechanism; but," he added, suddenly, as if seeking to dispel an -idea that troubled him, "you had better take no pride in your skill, for -it may injure your prospects." - -For more than a year I performed the duties of amateur--that is, unpaid -clerk--and I was then offered a situation by a country solicitor as -second clerk, with a small salary. I accepted this unexpected promotion -very readily; but, once installed in my new duties, I found that my -employer had deceived me as to their range. The situation I occupied was -that of office-boy, having to run on errands, for the first and only -clerk could more than attend to the business. I certainly earned some -money: it was the first I had gained by my own labor, and this -consideration gilded the pill, which was rather bitter to my pride. -Besides, M. Roger (such was my new master's name) was certainly the best -fellow in the world. His manner, full of kindness and sympathy, had -attracted me the first time I saw him, and I may add that his behavior -towards me was most agreeable during the time I remained in his office. - -This gentleman, the personification of probity, possessed the confidence -of the Duc d'Avaray, whose estate he managed, and being full of zeal for -his noble client's business, he devoted more attention to it than to his -office. At Avaray legal business was very scarce, and we had hardly -enough to fill up our time. For my own part, I had many leisure hours, -which my kind master enabled me to employ by placing his library at my -service. I had the good fortune to find in it Linnćus's Treaty on -Botany, and I learned the rudiments of that science. - -The study of botany required time, and I could only devote to it the -hours prior to the office opening. Unfortunately, I had become a -tremendous sleeper--I hardly know how--and I could not manage to get up -before eight o'clock. I resolved to conquer this obstinate somnolency, -and I invented a waking apparatus, which, from its originality, deserves -honorable mention here. - -The room I occupied formed a portion of the Château d'Avaray, and was -situated over an archway, closed by a heavy gate. Having noticed that -the porter opened this gate, which led into the gardens, every morning, -the idea occurred to me of profiting by this circumstance to institute -an energetic alarum. This is how I managed it. When I went to bed, I -fastened to one of my legs the end of a cord, which, passing through my -half-opened window, was attached to the upper part of the iron gate. -When the porter pushed the gate open, he dragged me, when least -expecting it, to the middle of my bedroom. Thus violently roused from -sleep, I tried to hold on by the bed-clothes; but the more I resisted, -the more did the pitiless porter push on his side, and I at length woke -up to hear him always abusing the hinges, which he determined to oil -before the day was out. Then, I unloosed my leg, and, with my Linnćus in -my hand, I went to interrogate Nature on her admirable secrets, the -study of which caused me to spend many pleasant hours. - -As much to please my father as to scrupulously fulfil my duties in my -new office, I had promised to pay no more attention to mechanical -inventions--for I feared their irresistible attraction--and I had -religiously kept my word. There was, then, every reason to believe that -I should pass through all my grades creditably, and some day, in my -turn, become Maître Robert, solicitor, in some country town. But -Providence, in her decrees, had traced out a very different route for -me, and my stern resolutions were routed by a temptation too powerful -for my courage. In our office there was, strangely enough, a magnificent -aviary filled with canaries, whose song and plumage were intended to -dispel the impatience of a client forced by some accident to wait. This -cage being considered a portion of the office furniture, I was bound, as -errand-boy, to keep it in a proper state of cleanliness, and provide the -food of the denizens. This was the branch of my duties I performed with -the greatest zeal: in fact, I bestowed so much care on the comfort and -amusement of the birds, that they soon absorbed nearly all my time. - -I began by setting up in this cage a number of mechanical tricks I had -invented at college under similar circumstances. I gradually added fresh -ones, and ended by making the cage a work of art and curiosity, -affording considerable attraction to our visitors. At one spot was a -perch, near which the sugar and the seed-glass displayed their -attractions; but no sooner had the innocent canary placed its foot on -the fatal perch, than a circular cage encompassed it, and it was kept a -prisoner until another bird, perching on an adjoining piece of wood, set -loose a spring, which delivered the captive. At another place were baths -and pumps; further on was a small trough, so arranged, that the nearer -the bird seemed to draw to it the further off it really was. Lastly, -each denizen of the cage was obliged to earn its food by drawing forward -with its beak small pasteboards carts. - -The pleasure I felt in carrying out these small schemes soon made me -forget I was in a lawyer's office for any other purpose than to be at -the beck and call of canaries. The chief clerk drew my attention to it, -and added some just remonstrances; but I had always a protest ready, and -continued making daily improvements in the aviary. At length, matters -reached such a point, that the supreme authority, that is to say my -master in person, felt it his duty to interfere. - -"Robert," he said to me, assuming an earnest tone, which he rarely -employed towards his clerks, "when you came into my office you were -aware it was to devote yourself exclusively to business, and not to -satisfy your own thirst for pleasure; warnings have been given you to -return your duty, and you have paid no attention to them; I am, -therefore, obliged to tell you that you must either decide on giving up -your mechanical fancies, or I must send you home to your father." - -And the worthy Monsieur Roger stopped, as if to draw breath after the -reproaches he had given me, I am sure much against his will. After a -moment's silence, he reassumed his paternal tone, and said to me: - -"And now, my friend, will you let me give you a piece of advice? I have -studied you, and feel convinced you will never be more than a very -ordinary clerk, and, consequently, a still more ordinary notary, while -you might become an excellent mechanician. It would be, then, wiser for -you to give up a profession in which you have such slight prospect of -success, and follow that for which you evince such remarkable aptitude." - -The kindly tone M. Roger assumed induced me to open my heart to him. I -told him of my father's determination to keep me from his own trade, and -described to him all the vexation I had felt from it. - -"Your father fancied he was acting for the best," he replied to me, "by -putting you in a profession more lucrative than his own; he thought he -should only have a simple boyish fancy to overcome, but I am persuaded -it is an irresistible vocation, against which you should no longer -struggle. I will see your parents to-morrow, and I have no doubt I shall -induce them to change their opinion about your future prospects in -life." - -Since I quitted my father's house he had sold his business, and had -retired to a small property he had near Blois. My master went to see him -as he had promised me; a long conversation ensued, and after numerous -objections on both sides, the lawyer's eloquence vanquished my father's -scruples, and he at length yielded. - -"Well," he said, "as he absolutely desires it, let him follow my trade. -And, as I cannot instruct him myself, my nephew, who is a pupil of mine, -will act towards my son as I did towards him." - -This news overwhelmed me with joy: it seemed as if I were entering on a -new life, and the fortnight I had yet to spend at Avaray seemed to me -terribly long. At length I set out for Blois, and the day after my -arrival found me seated before a vice, file in hand, and receiving my -first lessons in watchmaking from my relative. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - My Cousin Robert--The most important Event in my Life--How a Man - becomes a Sorcerer--My first Sleight-of-Hand Feat--An utter - Failure--Practising the Eye and the Hand--Curious Experiment in - Prestidigitation--Monsieur Noriet--An Action more ingenious than - delicate--I am Poisoned--Influence of Delirium. - - -Before speaking of my labors in the watchmaker's shop, I must introduce -my readers to my new master. And, in the first place, to set myself -right, I will say that my cousin Robert, as I used to call him, has been -since my first connexion with him, one of my best and dearest friends. -It would be difficult, in fact, to imagine a more happy character, a -heart more affectionate and devoted. - -With a rare intelligence, my cousin combined other equally valuable -qualities. He possessed a graceful address, which, without flattery, I -may say is peculiar to our family, and he was justly considered the -first watchmaker in Blois, a town which has long excelled in the -horologic art. - -My cousin began by teaching me how to "make filings," as my father -called it, but I required no apprenticeship to learn the use of tools, -and hence the outset was not so painful as it is usually to novices. -From the beginning of my apprenticeship I was enabled to undertake small -jobs, which gained me my master's praise. Yet I would not have it -supposed I was a model pupil, for I had still rife in me that spirit of -investigation which drew down upon me several reprimands from my cousin, -and I could not endure to confine my imagination to the ideas of another -person. I was continually inventing or improving. - -My whole life through, this passion--or, if you will, mania--has held -sway over me. I never could fix my thoughts on any task without trying -to introduce some improvement, or strike out a novel idea. But this -temperament--eventually so favorable--was at this period very -prejudicial to my progress. Before following my own inspirations and -yielding to my fancies, I ought to have learned the secrets of my art, -and, in fact, dispelled all ideas which were only adapted to make me -diverge from the true principles of clockmaking. - -Such was the sense of the paternal observations made now and then by my -cousin, and I was obliged to recognize their justice. Then I would go to -work again with redoubled zeal, though groaning inwardly at the bonds -that fettered my genius. In order to aid my progress and afford me -relaxation, my master recommended me to study some treatises on -mechanics in general, and on clockmaking in particular. As this suited -my taste exactly, I gladly assented, and I was devoting myself -passionately to this attractive study, when a circumstance, apparently -most simple, suddenly decided my future life, by revealing to me a -vocation whose mysterious resources must open a vast field for my -inventive and fanciful ideas. - -One evening I went into a bookseller's shop to buy Berthoud's "Treatise -on Clockmaking," which I knew he had. The tradesman being engaged at the -moment on matters more important, took down two volumes from the shelves -and handed them to me without ceremony. On returning home, I sat down to -peruse my treatise conscientiously, but judge of my surprise when I -read on the back of one the volumes "SCIENTIFIC AMUSEMENTS." Astonished -at finding such a title on a professional work, I opened it impatiently, -and, on running through the table of contents, my surprise was doubled -on reading these strange phrases: - -_The way of performing tricks with the cards--How to guess a person's -thoughts--To cut off a pigeon's head, to restore it to life, &c., &c._ - -The bookseller had made a mistake. In his haste, he had given me two -volumes of the Encyclopćdia instead of Berthoud. Fascinated, however, by -the announcement of such marvels, I devoured the mysterious pages, and -the further my reading advanced, the more I saw laid bare before me the -secrets of an art for which I was unconsciously predestined. - -I fear I shall be accused of exaggeration, or at least not be understood -by many of my readers, when I say that this discovery caused me the -greatest joy I had ever experienced. At this moment a secret -presentiment warned me that success, perhaps glory, would one day accrue -to me in the apparent realization of the marvellous and impossible, and -fortunately these presentiments did not err. - -The resemblance between two books, and the hurry of a bookseller, were -the common-place causes of the most important event in my life. - -It may be urged that different circumstances might have suggested this -profession to me at a later date. It is probable; but then I should have -had no time for it. Would any workman, artisan, or tradesman give up a -certainty, however slight it may be, to yield to a passion which would -be surely regarded as a mania? Hence my irresistible penchant for the -mysterious could only be followed at this precise period of my life. - -How often since have I blessed this providential error, without which I -should have probably vegetated as a country watchmaker! My life would -have been spent in gentle monotony; I should have been spared many -sufferings, emotions, and shocks; but, on the other hand, what lively -sensations, what profound delight would have been sacrificed! - -I was eagerly devouring every line of the magic book which described the -astounding tricks; my head was a-glow, and I at times gave way to -thoughts which plunged me in ecstasy. Still the hours slipped away, and -while my mind was indulging in fanciful dreams, I did not notice that my -candle had burned down in the socket. How can I describe my -disappointment when it suddenly went out? It was the last candle I -possessed; hence I was forced to quit the sublime realms of magic all -for want of a halfpenny taper. At this instant I would have given my -whole fortune, were it only for a street lamp. - -I was not exactly in the dark: a dim ray entered my window from a -neighboring lamp: but, though I made every effort to read by it, I could -not decipher a single word, was obliged to retire to bed willy-nilly. - -In vain I tried to sleep: the febrile excitement produced by the book -prevented either sleep or rest. I went continually over the passages -which had most struck me, and the interest they inspired only the more -excited me. Finding it impossible to remain in bed, I repeatedly -returned to the window, and while casting envious glances on the lamp, I -had made up my mind to go down into the street and read by its light, -when another idea occurred to me. In my impatience to realize it I did -not wait to dress, but, confining my attire to what was strictly -necessary, if I may so call a pair of slippers and my drawers, I took my -hat in one hand, a pair of pincers in the other, and went down into the -street. - -Once there, I proceeded straight to the lamp; for I must confess, that -in my anxiety to profit at once by the sleight-of-hand tricks I had been -studying, I intended to conjure away the oil-lamp provided by the -authorities for the safety of the town. The part the hat and pincers -were to play in the operation were simple enough: the latter would -wrench open the little box containing the end of the cord by which the -lamp was raised, and the former would act as a dark lantern, and hide -the rays of light which might betray my theft.[A] - -All prospered famously; and I was about to retire in triumph, when a -miserable incident threatened to rob me of the profits of my trick. At -the moment of my success a baker's man overthrew my plans by emerging -from the door of his shop. I concealed myself in a doorway, and, while -striving to hide the light, I waited perfectly motionless till the -unlucky baker retired. But judge of my grief and terror when I saw him -lean against the door and calmly smoke his pipe! - -My position was growing intolerable; the cold and the fear of detection -made my teeth chatter, and to increase my despair, I soon felt the -lining of my hat catch fire. There was no time for hesitation: I crushed -my failure of a lantern in my hands, and thus put out the fire; but it -was a dreadful sacrifice. My poor hat, the one I wore on Sundays, was -smoked, stained with oil, and shapeless. And while I was enduring all -these torments, my tyrant continued to smoke with an air of calmness -and comfort which drove me nearly mad. - -It was quite plain I could not stay here till day-light; but how to -escape from this critical situation? To ask the baker to keep my secret -would be running a risk; while, to return home straight would betray me, -for I must pass in front of him, and he would be sure to recognise me. -The only chance left was to go down a side street and make a détour to -reach the house. This I decided on, even at the risk of any one meeting -me in my bathing attire. Without delay I took hat and lamp under my arm, -for I was forced to remove the proofs of my crime, and I started off -like an arrow. In my trouble, I fancied the baker was after me. I even -thought I heard his foot-fall behind me, and in my anxiety to escape I -doubled my speed; first I turned to the right, then to the left, and -went through such a number of streets, that it took me a quarter of an -hour to regain my room, in a state of perfect collapse, yet glad to have -escaped so cheaply. - -It is a painful confession for a man destined eventually to fill a -certain part in the annals of conjuring to make, that my trial-piece -turned out so lamentably. In fact, to use a theatrical phrase, it was an -utter _fiasco_. - -Still, I was not at all discouraged; the next day I regained all my -equanimity on finding my precious treatise on "White Magic" before me, -and I began studying the interesting secrets it contained with great -ardor. - -Within a week I knew them all by heart. - -From theory I resolved to proceed to practice; but, just as was the case -with Carlosbach's book, I suddenly met with an obstacle. The author, I -will grant, was more conscientious than the Bordelais mystifier: he gave -a very plain explanation of his tricks; still, he committed the error of -supposing his readers possessed of the necessary skill to perform them. -Now, I was entirely deficient in this skill, and though most desirous of -acquiring it, I found nothing in the book to indicate the means. I was -in the position of a man who attempts to copy a picture without -possessing the slightest notion of drawing and painting. - -In the absence of a professor to instruct me, I was compelled to create -the principles of the science I wished to study. In the first place, I -recognised the fundamental principle of sleight-of-hand, that the organs -performing the principal part are the sight and touch. I saw that, in -order to attain any degree of perfection, the professor must develop -these organs to their fullest extent--for, in his exhibitions, he must -be able to see everything that takes place around him at half a glance, -and execute his deceptions with unfailing dexterity. - -I had been often struck by the ease with which pianists can read and -perform at sight the most difficult pieces. I saw that, by practice, it -would be possible to create a certainty of perception and facility of -touch, rendering it easy for the artist to attend to several things -simultaneously, while his hands were busy employed with some complicated -task. This faculty I wished to acquire and apply to sleight-of-hand; -still, as music could not afford me the necessary elements, I had -recourse to the juggler's art, in which I hoped to meet with an -analogous result. - -It is well known that the trick with the balls wonderfully improves the -touch, but does it not improve the vision at the same time? In fact, -when a juggler throws into the air four balls crossing each other in -various directions, he requires an extraordinary power of sight to -follow the direction his hands have given to each of the balls. At this -period a corn-cutter resided at Blois, who possessed the double talent -of juggling and extracting corns with a skill worthy of the lightness -of his hands. Still, with both these qualities, he was not rich, and -being aware of that fact, I hoped to obtain lessons from him at a price -suited to my modest finances. In fact, for ten francs he agreed to -initiate me in the juggling art. - -I practised with so much zeal, and progressed so rapidly, that in less -than a month I had nothing more to learn; at least, I knew as much as my -master, with the exception of corn-cutting, the monopoly in which I left -him. I was able to juggle with four balls at once. But this did not -satisfy my ambition; so I placed a book before me, and, while the balls -were in the air, I accustomed myself to read without any hesitation. - -This will probably seem to my readers very extraordinary; but I shall -surprise them still more, when I say that I have just amused myself by -repeating this curious experiment. Though thirty years have elapsed -since the time of which I am writing, and though I scarcely once touched -the balls during that period, I can still manage to read with ease while -keeping three balls up. - -The practice of this trick gave my fingers a remarkable degree of -delicacy and certainty, while my eye was at the same time acquiring a -promptitude of perception that was quite marvellous. Presently I shall -have to speak of the service this rendered me in my experiment of second -sight. After having thus made my hands supple and docile, I went on -straight to sleight-of-hand, and I more especially devoted myself to the -manipulation of cards and palmistry. - -This operation requires a great deal of practice; for, while the hand is -held apparently open, balls, corks, lumps of sugar, coins, &c., must be -held unseen, the fingers remaining perfectly free and limber. - -Owing to the little time at my disposal, the difficulties connected -with these new experiments would have been insurmountable, had I not -found a mode of practising without neglecting my business. It was the -fashion in those days to wear coats with large pockets on the hips, -called _ŕ la propriétaire_, so whenever my hands were not otherwise -engaged they slipped naturally into my pockets, and set to work with -cards, coins, or one of the objects I have mentioned. It will be easily -understood how much time I gained by this. Thus, for instance, when out -on errands my hands could be at work on both sides; at dinner, I often -ate my soup with one hand while I was learning to _sauter la coupe_ with -the other--in short, the slightest moment of relaxation was devoted to -my favorite pursuit. As no one suspected that my paletôt was in some -degree a study, this manner of keeping my hands in my pockets began to -be regarded as a bad habit I had acquired; but after a few jests on the -subject I was left in peace. - -Though my passion for sleight-of-hand was so intense, I had, however, -sufficient command over myself not to displease my master, who never -noticed that my thoughts were away from my work, and constantly praised -me for my regularity and application. - -At length my apprenticeship was over, and my cousin, one fine day, -stated I was a journeyman and able to earn wages. I heard this with -double pleasure, for I found in it not only greater liberty, but also a -chance of improving my finances. Nor was I long ere I profited by my -advancement; a situation was offered me by a watchmaker at Tours, and I -proceeded to that town at once. - -My new master was that M. Noriet, who afterwards gained some distinction -as a sculptor. His imagination, already fall of his future works, -disdained the ordinary labor of watch repairing, and he gladly left to -his workmen what he called, ironically, the "shoe-black" part of the -trade. It was for this purpose I joined him, and I received, in addition -to board and lodging, 35 fr. a month. Little enough, I grant; but it was -an enormous sum in my eyes, for, since leaving the lawyer's, at Avaray, -my income had been reduced to a _minimum_. - -When I say I earned 35 fr., it is merely to mention a round sum; in -reality I never received it net. Madame Noriet, in her quality of an -excellent manager, was perfectly conversant with all matters relative to -discount and exchanges; and thus, she had found a way of lessening my -wages in a manner as ingenious as it was improper. She used to pay me in -crowns of six francs, and as at that time six-franc pieces were only -worth 5 fr. 80 c., the lady gained 24 sous every month, which I carried -to my "profit and loss" account. - -Although my time was fully occupied here, I managed to continue my -pocket practice; and I daily noticed with joy the progress I was making. -I had learned how to make any object I held in my hand disappear with -the greatest ease; and as for the practice of card tricks, they were -only child's play to me, and I could produce some delightful illusions. - -I confess to feeling a degree of pride in my humble power of amusing my -friends, and I neglected no occasion of displaying it. On Sunday, for -instance, after the invariable game of loto, which was played in this -patriarchal family, I gave a small performance of sleight-of-hand, which -enlivened the melancholy victims of this most monotonous of all games. I -was honored with the name of an "agreeable droll," and this compliment -delighted me. - -My regular habits, my perseverance, and perhaps a certain degree of -gaiety I possessed at the time, had gained me the friendship and -sympathy of both my master and mistress. At last I became an -indispensable member of the family, and shared in all their amusements. -Among these were frequent excursions in the country. On one of these, on -the 25th of July, 1828, (I shall never forget that memorable date, as it -was all but registered on my tombstone,) we went to a fair at an -adjacent village. Before leaving Tours, we had promised to be home to -dinner at five; but, finding ourselves much amused, we did not keep -military time, nor find our way home till eight. - -After enduring the scolding of the cook, whose dinner had got cold, we -sat down and ate like people whose appetite has been whetted by a long -walk in the open air, and eight or ten hours' fasting. - -Whatever Jeannette might say, everything she sent up was found -excellent, except a certain ragoűt, which everybody declared detestable, -and hardly touched. I, however, devoured my share of the dish, without -troubling myself the least in the world about its quality. In spite of -the jests aroused by my avidity, I asked for a second relay, and would -certainly have eaten the whole dish, had not my mistress, with due -regard for my health, prevented it. - -This precaution saved my life. In fact, dinner was hardly over and the -game of loto begun, when I felt most uncomfortable. I went to my room, -where atrocious pains seized upon me, and a doctor was sent for. After a -careful investigation, the doctor discovered that a powerful layer of -verdigris had formed in the stewpan in which the ragoűt had been cooked -and said I was poisoned. - -The consequences of this poisoning were most terrible to me: for some -time my life was despaired of, but eventually the sufferings seemed to -be modified by the gentle care bestowed on me, and I was granted some -slight relief. Strangely enough, it was not till this second phase of my -illness, when the doctor declared me out of danger, that I was haunted -by a certainty of speedy death, to which was joined an immoderate desire -to end my days in the bosom of my family. This idea--a species of -monomania--incessantly assailed me, and I soon had no other thought than -that of escaping to Blois. As I could not hope to obtain the doctor's -permission to set out, when his most urgent advice was to take care of -myself, I determined to take leave. - -At six o'clock one morning, taking advantage of a moment when I was left -to myself, I hastily dressed, went down stairs, and found a stage-coach -just starting for Blois. I entered the rotonde, in which I happened to -be the only passenger, and the coach, lightly laden as it was, soon set -off at full gallop. - -The journey was a horrible martyrdom to me. I was devoured by a burning -fever, and my head seemed to be burst asunder by every jolt of the -vehicle. In my frenzy I tried to escape my agony, and yet it was -continually increasing. Unable to endure longer, I opened the door of -the compartment, and leaped, at an imminent risk of my life, on to the -high road, where I fell in a state of insensibility. - -I cannot say what happened to me after my fainting fit; I can only -remember long days of vague and painful existence, that appeared of -eternal duration: I was in a raging fever; my dreams were frightful, and -I suffered from the most dreadful hallucinations. One of them was -incessantly recurring--it seemed as if my head opened like a snuff-box; -a doctor, with turned-up cuffs, and armed with an enormous pair of iron -pincers, drew from my brain roasted chesnuts, which immediately burst -like bombs, and scattered myriads of scintillations before my eyes. - -This phantasmagoria gradually faded away, and the illness at length -succumbed; but my reason was so shaken that it did not avail me. I was -reduced to a mechanical existence. If I noticed anything, it seemed -veiled in a thick mist, and I could not perform any process of -reasoning. It is true that all I did notice only served to increase the -confusion of my ideas. I felt as if being shaken in a carriage, and, -yet, I was in a capital bed, and the room was exquisitely clean. How -could I help fancying I was still dreaming? - -At length, a spark of intelligence was aroused in me, and the first -startling impression was produced by the sight of a man standing at my -bedside. His features were quite strange to me. Stooping over, he -affectionately urged me to swallow a draught. I obeyed; and he then -begged me to keep silent, and remain as calm as I possibly could. - -Unfortunately, my present state of weakness rendered it but too easy to -follow this prescription. Still, I tried to guess who this man could be, -and consulted my memory. It was quite useless: I could remember nothing -since the moment when, yielding to frenzy, I had thrown myself out of -the diligence. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - I return to Life--A strange Doctor--Torrini and Antonio: a Conjurer - and a Fanatic for Music--A Murderer's Confession--A perambulating - House--The Fair at Angers--A portable Theatre--I witness for the - first Time a Conjuring Performance--The blind Man's Game at - Piquet--A Dangerous Rival--Signor Castelli eats a Man alive. - - -I am by no means a fatalist; and yet I cannot refrain from remarking -here that many events in human life seem to encourage the views of -fatalists. - -Suppose, dear reader, that, on leaving Blois to proceed to Tours, -destiny had opened before me one of the fairest pages of my life, I -should certainly have been delighted at such a glorious future, but in -my heart I should have been inclined to doubt its realization. In fact, -I set out as a simple workman, with the intention of making a tour of -France. This journey would have occupied much time, as I intended to -remain a year or two in every city I visited, and France is large! Then, -when I considered myself skilful enough, I would return home and set up -as a watchmaker. - -But fate decided otherwise, and I must be drawn back to my real "groove" -when I tried to escape from it. The means employed were a poisoning, -which turned me mad, and hurled me lifeless on the high road. But I was -going to recall my reminiscences after my _fortunate_ catastrophe, and I -will take up the story from the point where I left off. - -What had happened since my fainting fit; where was I; why did this man -treat me so kindly? I longed for a solution of these problems, and I -should certainly have cross-questioned my host, had it not been for the -earnest advice he had just given me. As thought, however, was not -forbidden, I tried to form a satisfactory conclusion from surrounding -objects. - -The room I was in might be three yards long by two broad. The walls were -made of polished oak; on either side was a small window with muslin -curtains; while four walnut chairs, shelves serving as tables, and my -excellent bed, composed the furniture of this moving room, which bore a -close resemblance to the cabin of a steamboat. - -There must also be two other compartments, for, to my left, I saw my -doctor frequently disappear behind two red damask curtains, where I -heard him moving about, while to my right I heard, through a thin -partition, a voice encouraging the horses. This circumstance made me -conclude I was in a carriage, and that the latter voice belonged to the -driver. - -I already knew that hero's name, as I had often heard the person I -presumed to be his master use it. It was Antonio: and he was, at any -rate, a splendid musician, for he was continually singing pieces from -Italian operas, which he broke off to swear harmlessly at his steeds. As -for the master, he was a man of about fifty, above the average height, -and his face, though sad and serious, displayed a degree of kindness -which prepossessed me. His long black hair fell on his shoulders in -natural curls, and he was dressed in a blouse and trousers of unbleached -cloth, with a yellow silk pocket-handkerchief as cravat. But nothing in -all this served to tell me what he was, and my surprise was increased by -finding him constantly at my side, and nursing me like the fondest of -mothers. - -A day had elapsed since his recommendation to keep silent; I had gained -a little strength, and fancied myself strong enough to talk; I was, -therefore, going to begin, when my host, guessing my intention, -prevented me. - -"I can imagine," he said, "your impatience to know where you are and -whom with; nor, will I conceal from you that I am equally curious to -learn the circumstances that led to our meeting. Still, in regard for -your health, the responsibility of which I have assumed, I must ask you -to be patient for one night more; to-morrow, I believe, we shall be able -to talk as long as you like, without any risk." - -As I had no serious objection to raise, and as I had been wont for some -time to obey all my strange doctor ordered, I yielded. The certainty of -soon holding the key to the enigma secured me a peaceful sleep, whose -good effects I noticed on waking. Thus, when the doctor came to feel my -pulse, he was surprised at the progress I had made in a few hours, and, -without awaiting my questions, he said, as if replying to the mute -inquiry my eyes made: - -"Yes, I will satisfy your just curiosity; I owe you an explanation, and -you shall not wait any longer. My name is Torrini, and I am a conjurer -by profession. You are in my house--that is, in the carriage I usually -employ as my domicile. You will be surprised, I dare say, to learn that -the bedroom you now occupy can be lengthened into a theatre, and in that -room behind the red curtains is the stage on which my apparatus is -arranged." - -At the word "conjurer" I could not repress a start of satisfaction, -which my sorcerer probably did not notice, ignorant as he was that he -had before him one of the most fervent adepts of his profession. - -"As for yourself," he went on, "I need not ask you any questions: your -name, trade, as well as the cause of your illness, are known to me, for -I consulted your _livret_, and some letters I found on you, in my desire -to benefit you. I must now tell you, though, all that has happened since -you lost consciousness. After giving some representations at Orleans, I -was proceeding to Angers, where the fair will shortly begin, when, at -some distance from Amboise, I found you lying insensible, with your face -to the ground. Fortunately for you, I was then taking my morning walk by -the horses' side, and this circumstance saved you from being run over. -By Antonio's help I carried you to my bed, and my knowledge of medicine -restored you to life. But, my poor fellow! the fever caused you to make -the most terrible outbreaks; you threatened me continually, and I had -the greatest difficulty in mastering you. At Tours I would have gladly -stopped to call in a doctor, for your situation was critical, and I had -not practiced for many years:--but my hours were counted: I must arrive -in time at Angers, where I wish to choose a good spot for my exhibition, -and I had a strange fancy I should save your life, which has proved -true." - -Not knowing how to thank this excellent Torrini, I offered him my hand, -which he pressed firmly: but--must I confess it--I was checked in the -effusion of my gratitude by a thought which I deeply regretted later. - -"To what motive," I asked myself, "can I attribute this sudden -affection?" This feeling, however sincere it might be, must have some -cause, and in my ingratitude I sought whether my benefactor did not -conceal some interested design behind his apparent generosity. Torrini, -as if he had guessed my thoughts, continued, in a kindly tone: - -"You expect a fuller explanation? Well, however painful it may be to me, -I will give it. It is this-- - -"You are surprised that a mountebank, a man belonging to a class not -generally erring on the side of sensibility, should have evinced such -compassion for your sufferings, but your surprise will cease, my boy, on -learning that this compassion is produced by the sweet illusion of -paternal love." - -Here Torrini stopped an instant, tried to recover himself, and then -proceeded: - -"I had a son, a beloved son; he was my hope, my life, my happiness; but -a dread fatality robbed me of him: he died, and, terrible to say, he was -assassinated, and his murderer stands before you!" - -At this unexpected confession I could not repress a start of horror; the -cold drops beaded on my face. - -"Yes, yes, his murderer!" Torrini went on, his voice growing gradually -firmer, "and, yet, the law could not punish me; it left me life. In vain -I accused myself before my judges; they treated me as a maniac, and my -crime was regarded as accidental homicide. But what do I care, after -all, for their judgment? Whether through carelessness, or imprudence as -they say, my poor Giovanni is not the less lost to me, and I shall -reproach myself with his death my life long." - -Torrini's voice was drowned by his sobs. He remained for some time with -his hands before his eyes; then, making an effort, he continued, in a -calmer tone: - -"To spare you emotions that might prove dangerous in your present state, -I will abridge the narrative of the misfortunes to which this event was -only a terrible prelude. What I have said will suffice to explain the -natural cause of my sympathy towards you. When I first saw you, I was -struck by the likeness you bore in age and height to my unhappy boy. I -even fancied I could trace a certain resemblance in your face, and -yielding to this illusion, I decided on keeping you near me, and nursing -you as if you were my own child. You can now form an idea of the agony I -endured during the week when I was compelled to despair of your -restoration to life. But Providence, taking pity on us both, has saved -you. You are now quite convalescent, and in a few days, I trust, will be -perfectly recovered. Such, my boy, is the secret of the affection I -displayed towards you." - -Deeply moved by the father's misfortunes, and touched by the tender care -he had bestowed on me, I could only express my gratitude in half-broken -phrases, for I was almost stifled by emotion. Torrini, also feeling the -necessity of shortening this painful interview, went out, promising to -return soon. - -No sooner was I alone than a thousand thoughts crossed my mind. This -mysterious and tragical event, the thought of which seemed to overthrow -Torrini's reason; this crime of which he accused himself so -persistently; this verdict whose justice he disputed, perplexed me in -the highest degree, and gave me a great desire to obtain more complete -details about this domestic drama. Then, I asked myself how a man -possessing so agreeable a countenance, who did not lack either judgment -or talent, and who joined to a solid education a readiness of -conversation and distinguished manners, could have thus sunk to the -lowest stage of his profession. - -While absorbed in these thoughts, the vehicle stopped: we had arrived at -Angers. Torrini left us, in order to obtain the mayor's leave to -perform, and so soon as he had succeeded, he prepared to occupy the spot -allotted to him. As I have already stated, the room I occupied was to be -transformed into a theatre; hence I was carried to an adjacent inn, and -placed in a capital arm chair close to an open window. The weather was -glorious; the sun's beneficent rays seemed to impart fresh life to me, -and I began to lose that egotistic indifference which a lengthened -illness usually produces. - -I could see Antonio and his master, with their sleeves tucked up, -working at the theatre. In a few hours our residence was completely -transformed; the moving house had become a charming room. The -arrangement of this singular vehicle is so stamped on my memory, that I -can still supply an exact description of it, and I will fill up the -details I have already given of it. - -The bed on which I had lain was drawn up through a trap in the ceiling -where it occupied a very small space. If clothes or linen were required, -an adjoining trap was opened, and by means of a ring, a chest of drawers -was produced, as if by magic. A similar process revealed a small -chimney, which, by a peculiar arrangement, expelled the smoke below the -hearth. Lastly, the larder, cooking-range, and other accessories of the -household, were ready to hand, and could be easily restored to their -respective places. This strange furniture occupied all the space between -the wheels, so that the room, though amply furnished, was not crowded. - -But I was most surprised to see the vehicle, which was scarcely six -yards long, suddenly grow twice that length. This was most ingeniously -contrived: the body was double and could be pulled out like a telescope. -This prolongation, supported by trestels, was quite as secure as the -rest of the edifice. The partition, dividing the rooms off, had been -removed, so that they now formed but a single apartment. The public -entered on this side, and a staircase led to the door, before which an -elegant marquee formed a vestibule, where the tickets were issued. -Lastly, a scaffolding was erected over the front, which represented a -stuccoed house. - -The sight of this machine excited my imagination, and I built castles in -the air which I was never to inhabit. I, too, would have a similar -vehicle, though rather smaller, as my exhibition would be different. - -Here I must make room for a parenthesis, to supply an explanation I -think necessary. I have spoken so much of sleight-of-hand, that it might -be supposed I had quite given up all thoughts about mechanism. On the -contrary I still passionately loved that science; but I had modified its -application, since the love of the marvellous had inflamed my -imagination. I proposed to call to my aid automata, which I would -eventually build; then, I would traverse the whole of Europe, perhaps -the world, gaining an ample amount of honor, pleasure and profit. - -While engaged with these pleasant dreams I regained my health and -strength, and hoped that Torrini would soon allow me to be present at -one of his performances. In fact, he soon offered me an agreeable -surprise, for, one evening, he led me to his theatre, and installed me -on the first row of seats, grandly denominated "the stalls." Judging by -my own enthusiasm, I expected the theatre would be thronged so soon as -the doors opened, but to my great surprise and regret, the room was not -more than half full. - -The hour fixed for commencing at length arrived; the bell rang thrice, -the curtains were drawn back, and an exquisite little stage was visible. -The most striking thing was the entire absence of all that apparatus by -which many performers compensate for their lack of skill, while by a -graceful innovation, a few candles artistically arranged, were -substituted for that dazzling glare which, at the period of which I -write, was the indispensable ornament of all performances of "amusing -science." - -Torrini appeared, walked towards the public with great ease of manner, -made a deep bow, then demanded the indulgence of the spectators, and -ended by paying a compliment to the ladies. This slight address, though -uttered in a cold and melancholy tone, received a few encouraging bravos -from the audience. - -The performance commenced in the most perfect silence; everybody seemed -inclined to devote all attention to it. I could hardly breathe, in my -desire not to lose a single word or gesture. - -I will not describe the several tricks I saw; they all possessed -extraordinary interest for me; but Torrini appeared to excel in card -tricks. He possessed two most precious qualities in the exercise of this -art: these were extreme skill and an incredible boldness of execution. -To these he added a most aristocratic way of touching the cards; his -white and carefully-tended hands seemed hardly to rest on them, and his -tricks were so artistically performed, that the audience involuntarily -bestowed a sympathising confidence upon him. Sure of the effect he would -produce, he performed the most difficult "passes," with a coolness no -one could expect him to possess; and this produced the most successful -results. To close the performances, Torrini requested the audience to -choose some one to play a game of piquet with him, and a gentleman -immediately stepped on the stage. - -"Pardon me, sir," said Torrini, "but it is indispensable, for the -success of the experiment, that I should know your name and profession." - -"Nothing easier, sir. My name is Joseph Lenoir, at your service; and my -profession is that of a dancing-master." - -Any other than Torrini would have made some jest on the name and -profession of this rival of Vestris; but he did nothing of the sort. He -had only asked this question to gain time, for he never indulged in any -mystification; so he merely added: - -"I thank you, sir, for your kindness; and now we know who we are, we can -place confidence in each other. You have come to play a game of piquet -with me; but do you understand the game thoroughly?" - -"I flatter myself I do, sir." - -"Ah! ah!" Torrini said with a laugh. "Pray do not flatter yourself till -we have played our game. Still, not to lower your self-esteem, I will -allow you to be an excellent player; but that will not prevent you -losing the game, although the chances are all in your favor. Listen to -me carefully; the trick I am going to perform, and which is called the -'blind man's game of piquet,' requires that I should be blinded, so have -the goodness to bandage my eyes carefully." - -M. Lenoir, who, I may mention, wore spectacles, was very distrustful, -hence he took extraordinary precautions to accomplish his task. First, -he covered the patient's eyes with tow, over which he fastened three -thick bandages; and, as if this fourfold covering were not enough to -blind his opponent, he fastened an enormous shawl round his head. I know -not how Torrini kept from suffocation beneath these heavy bandages; for -my part, the perspiration ran down my face at seeing him so muffled up. -Not knowing all the resources this skilful performer had at command, I -was rather fearful as to the result of the experiment, and my alarm -reached its climax when I heard him address his opponent as follows: - -"Monsieur Lenoir, have the kindness to sit down opposite me at this -table. I have still a small service to ask you before we begin our game. -You have quite deprived me of my sight, but that is not enough. You have -now to bind my hands, so that I may be quite incapable." - -M. Lenoir raised his spectacles and looked at Torrini, as if stupefied; -but the latter, quietly placing his arms on the table, and crossing his -thumbs, said, "Now, sir, fasten them securely." - -The dancing-master took the piece of whipcord and performed his task as -conscientiously as he had done the first part. - -"Am I now blinded, and deprived of the use of my hands?" Torrini asked -his vis-ŕ-vis. - -"I am certain of it," Joseph Lenoir replied. - -"Well, then, to begin our game. But tell me first in what suit you would -like to be repiqued?" - -"In clubs." - -"Very good; now deal the cards by twos or threes, as you please. When -they are dealt out, I will leave you to select the hand you think will -enable you best to prevent a repique." - -All the time these explanations and preparations lasted, the audience -remained motionless and silent, not knowing whether a mystification or a -real trick were intended. Now, on seeing the dancing-master shuffle the -cards, there could be no further doubt; hence all rose to command a view -of the stage, and a great number of spectators even surrounded the -table. I had also drawn near, and, to my great delight, secured a front -place. - -Profound silence in the room. - -"The cards are shuffled, please to cut!" the dancing-master said, in an -ironical tone, as if secure of victory. - -"Willingly," Torrini replied. And though hampered in his movements, he -soon satisfied his opponent. - -The cards having been dealt, M. Lenoir decided on keeping those before -him. - -"Very good!" said Torrini. "You wished, I think, to be repiqued in -clubs?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Now follow my play. I throw out the sevens of spades, hearts, and -diamonds, and my two eights; the cards I take in give me a quint in -clubs, fourteen in queens, and fourteen in kings, with which I repique -you. Pray count and verify, sir." - -Torrini spoke the truth. Hearty shouts of applause greeted his success, -while jokes were cut at the expense of the poor dancing-master, who -hurried from the stage in a state of pitiable confusion. - - * * * * * - -The performance over, I expressed to Torrini the pleasure his tricks -caused me, and paid him some sincere compliments on the skill he had -evinced during the whole evening, and especially in his last trick. - -"These compliments are the more flattering," he replied, with a smile, -"as I know now they are paid me, if not by a fellow-artist, at least by -an amateur, who, I am certain, already possesses some degree of skill in -the profession." - -I know not which of us, Torrini or myself, was the more charmed by the -compliments we exchanged; at any rate, I felt most sensibly the -favorable opinion he had formed of my talents. One thing, however, -perplexed me: I had never said a word to Torrini about my -sleight-of-hand fancies: how could he have found them out? - -He read my thoughts, and added: - -"You are surprised at my detecting your secret? and you would like to -know how I did so. I am happy to tell you. My room is small; hence it is -easy for me, when on the stage, to look at every face, and judge the -various impressions I produce on the spectators. I observed you -particularly, and while watching the direction of your eyes, I could -judge what was passing in your mind. Thus when I indulged in some -amusing paradox, to draw public attention away from the side where the -trick was to be performed, you alone escaped the snare, and kept your -eyes fixed on the right spot. As for my piquet trick, though I could not -observe you while I was performing it, I have reasons to be assured that -you did not know it." - -"You have guessed perfectly right, my dear magician, and I cannot deny -that in my leisure hours I have amused myself with some of these tricks, -for which I always felt great inclination." - -"Inclination! Allow me to say that is not the proper word in your case, -my dear lad; yours is a true passion. I base my opinion on the following -observations. This evening, from the moment of the curtain rising, your -searching eye, your agitated face and half-parted lips, denoted the -state of excitement you were in. You looked like a gourmet just sitting -down to a well-covered board, or a miser gloating over his treasure. Do -you think that with these signs I need be a sorcerer to discover the -sway conjuring exercises over your mind?" - -I was about to reply, when Torrini drew out his watch, and said to me, -"Come, young gentleman, it is growing late; it is high time for a -convalescent to seek his rest. We will continue our conversation at a -better time." - -With these words my doctor led me to my room, and, after counting my -pulse, which appeared to satisfy him, retired. In spite of the pleasure -I felt in talking, I was not ill-pleased to find myself alone, for I had -a thousand souvenirs to evoke. I wished to summon up again the -experiments that had struck me most, but it was all in vain. One thought -mastered all the rest, and produced a strange sinking in my heart. I -tried, without success, to explain the motives why the public neglected -Torrini's interesting performances. - -This motive Antonio explained to me afterwards, and it is too curious to -be passed by in silence. Besides, I have here an opportunity to -introduce my readers to a very remarkable specimen of the great family -of mountebanks. - -I have said that we reached Angers at fair time; and among the numerous -providers of amusement who solicited the presence and money of the -Angevins, was another conjurer, known as Castelli. - -He was no more an Italian than was Torrini. I shall presently give -Torrini's real name, and the reasons that caused him to change it for -the one we know him by; as for the other conjurer, he was a Norman by -birth, and only assumed the name of Castelli in conformity with the -custom of most conjurers of the day, who thought an Italian name more -attractive. - -Castelli was far from possessing Torrini's marvellous address, and his -performances offered no special interest as far as sleight-of-hand was -concerned; but he thought with Figaro that "skill was better than -learning," and he proved it by his repeated successes. In truth, this -man was the incarnation of charlatanism, and he spared nothing to pique -public curiosity. Each day some new prodigy was announced on his -enormous posters. It was in reality only a deception, very often a -mystification for the audience; but his treasury was always filled to -repletion--hence, the trick was good. If the public felt wroth at being -duped, Castelli knew the art of escaping from the dilemma and drawing -the laughers on his side; he boldly made some jest in bad Italian, at -which the pit could not help laughing, and was thus disarmed. - -Besides, it must be remembered that, at this period, conjuring was not -so respectable as it is now; people went to an exhibition of that sort -to laugh at the conjurer's victims, even if themselves exposed to his -attacks. My readers ought to have seen the mystifier _par excellence_, -the celebrated physico-ventriloquist of the age, Comte, to form an idea -of the cool way in which the public was then treated. This performer, -though so graceful and gallant towards ladies, was merciless to men. -According to his notions, the cavaliers (as they were then called) were -predestined to supply amusement for the fair sex---- But I must not -poach on the biography of the "natural philosopher to the king," which -will hereafter find a place in my volume. - -The same day on which I had witnessed Torrini's performance, Castelli's -bills contained an astounding statement, well adapted, I grant, to tempt -public curiosity. The professor pledged himself to eat a man alive, and -if he did not succeed to the satisfaction of his audience, he would hand -over all the receipts to the mayor for distribution among the poor. This -seductive appeal had drawn the whole town; crowds collected round the -show, and persons who arrived too late were glad to pay double entrance -money. But the new trick played by the conjurer was quite worthy of all -that had preceded it. - -Castelli, after performing several tricks of second-rate interest, at -length arrived at the one which caused even the calmest spectator to -throb with impatience. - -"Gentlemen," he then said, addressing the audience, "we will now proceed -to the last trick. I promised to eat a man alive for my supper, and I -will keep my word. Will the courageous spectator who wishes to serve as -a repast to me (Castelli pronounced this word with the expression of a -perfect cannibal) take the trouble to mount on the stage?" - -Two victims immediately presented themselves. By accident they offered a -perfect contrast, and Castelli, who understood the art of producing an -effect, skilfully profited by it. He placed them side by side, with -their faces turned to the audience, then after surveying one of them, a -tall, bilious-looking fellow, from head to foot, he said to him, with -affected politeness, - -"I do not wish to insult you, sir, but I am sorry to tell you that, as -regards my food, I am quite of M. le Curé's opinion--you understand me?" - -The tall, thin man appeared for a moment as if trying to guess a riddle, -and ended by scratching his ear--a gesture which, among all nations, -civilized or barbarous, signifies, "I do not understand." - -"I will explain, then," Castelli continued. "You know that M. le Curé -does not like bones; at least, so they say at forfeits, and I assure you -I share the Curé's antipathy in this respect. You can retire, then; I -will not detain you." And Castelli began bowing to his visitor, who -hastened back to his seat. - -"Now, then, for us two," the conjurer said, turning to the one who -remained. He was a tall, chubby fellow, with rosy cheeks, who seemed -purposely made for the repast of an epicurean cannibal. - -"Well, my stout friend, so you consent to be eaten alive?" - -"Yes, sir, I am quite willing, and came here for that purpose." - -"Ah! ah! that is capital!" (Here Castelli licked his lips like a -gourmet, whose mouth waters at the sight of a dainty dish.) "As I have a -powerful appetite, we will begin directly." - -At this moment a gigantic cruet-stand was brought in. The stout youth -regarded it with surprise, as if trying to discover the use of this -strange utensil. - -"Don't mind it, pray!" said Castelli. "I am very fond of hot dishes, so -allow me to pepper and salt you in my usual fashion." - -And he began covering the unhappy man with a white powder, which, -adhering to his hair, face, and clothes, soon gave him an extraordinary -appearance. The stout youth, who at the beginning had tried to rival the -conjurer's gaiety, did not laugh now, and seemed earnestly to desire the -end of the jest. - -"Now, then!" Castelli added, rolling his eyes about ferociously, "kneel -down, and hold your hands over your head. Very good, my friend: it -really looks as if you had never followed any other trade than being -eaten alive. Now, then, say your prayers, and I will begin. Are you -ready?" - -"Yes, sir," the stout lad muttered, turning quite yellow with emotion, -"I am ready." - -Castelli then took the end of the patient's thumb in his mouth, and bit -it so hard that the latter, as if working by a spring, jumped up, -shouting energetically, - -"Confound it, sir, take care; you hurt me!" - -"What! I hurt you?" Castelli said, with perfect calmness. "What will you -say, then, when I reach your head? It was really absurd of you to cry -out like a baby at the first mouthful. Come, be reasonable: let me go -on. I am frightfully hungry, and long for my supper." - -And Castelli, thrusting him by the shoulders, tried to make him take his -first position. But the young man resisted with all his strength, as he -cried, in a voice palsied with fear, "I won't have it: I tell you I -won't have it. You hurt me too much!" At length, by a supreme effort, he -escaped from his tormentor's hands. During this time the audience, -foreseeing the result of this amusing scene, had been shouting with -laughter, and Castelli found some difficulty in gaining a hearing. - -"Gentlemen!" he said, assuming a tone of the deepest disappointment, -"you see me both surprised and vexed at the flight of that gentleman, -who had not the courage to allow himself to be eaten. Now, I expect some -one to take his place; for, far from shunning the performance of my -promise, I feel so comfortable, that I pledge myself, after eating the -first spectator who offers, to eat the second, and so on. Indeed, to -prove myself worthy your applause, I promise to eat the whole roomful." - -This jest was greeted by another hearty laugh, but the farce was played -out. No one came forward to be eaten, and the crowd went home to digest -the trick played on them all. - -If such manoeuvres could succeed, few spectators were left for -Torrini. As he desired to maintain a certain dignity, he never announced -tricks he did not perform, and, even if trying to render the titles -attractive, he always adhered to the strictest truth. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - Antonio's Confessions--How to gain Public Applause--The Count - de ----, Mountebank--I repair an Automaton--A Mechanician's Shop on - Wheels--Nomadic Life--Happy Existence--Torrini's Lessons--His - Opinions about Sleight-of-Hand--A Fashionable Greek, Victim of his - own Swindling--The Conjurer Comus--A Duel at Piquet--Torrini - proclaimed Conqueror--Revelations--New Catastrophe--Poor Torrini! - - -The day after the performances, Antonio came as usual to inquire after -my health. I have already said this young man possessed a charming -character: ever gay, ever singing, his fund of good humor was -inexhaustible, and frequently produced a degree of gaiety in our house, -which otherwise would have been very gloomy. On opening my door, he -stopped the operatic air he had been humming from the bottom of the -stairs. - -"Well, my little signor," he said, in French, picturesquely intermingled -with Italian, "how is the health this morning?" - -"Famous, Antonio--famous, thank you!" - -"Oh yes! famous, Antonio, famous!" and the Italian sought to repeat the -intonation of my voice. "I believe you, my dear patient, but that will -not prevent you taking this draught the doctor, my master, has sent -you." - -"I am willing; but, indeed, this medicine is becoming unnecessary, for I -now feel that I shall soon be restored to health, and then I shall only -have to thank you and your master for your attention to me, and pay him -the expenses caused by my illness." - -"What are you talking about?" Antonio said. "Do you think of leaving us? -Oh, I hope not." - -"You are right, Antonio; I am not thinking of it to-day, but I must -consider of it so soon as I am in a condition to leave. You must see, my -friend, that, in spite of all the pain our separation will cause me, I -must make up my mind to it before long, for I am anxious to return to -Blois and reassure my family, who must feel most uncomfortable about -me." - -"Your family cannot be uncomfortable, as, in order to calm your father, -you wrote to him that your illness, having had no dangerous results, you -had proceeded to Angers to look for work." - -"It is true, but----" - -"But, but," Antonio interrupted me, "you have no good reason to offer. I -repeat, you cannot quit us. Besides," he added, lowering his voice, "if -I told you something, I am sure you would be of my opinion." - -Antonio stopped, appeared to struggle for a moment against the desire he -felt to confide in me, then, making up his mind, said, resolutely, "Ah, -bah! as it is necessary, I cannot hesitate. You were talking just now -about paying my master. Do you know that he is, I fancy, in your debt?" - -"I do not understand you." - -"Well, listen to me, my dear friend," Antonio said, with a mysterious -air; "I will explain myself. You are not ignorant that our poor Torrini -is afflicted by a very grave malady that touches him here (and Antonio -laid his hand on his forehead); now, since you have been with us, and he -fancies he can trace some resemblance to his son, my master is -gradually losing his sorrow, and even indulges in gaiety now and then. -Yesterday, for instance, during his performance, you saw him make his -audience laugh twice or thrice, which has not occurred for a long time. - -"Ah, my dear sir," Antonio continued, growing more and more -communicative, "if you had seen him before that fatal event, when he -performed in the first theatres of Italy. What enthusiasm! what spirit! -Who could have foretold at that period that Count de"--here Antonio -checked himself--"that the celebrated Torrini would ever be reduced to -play in a barn as the rival of the lowest mountebanks--he, the -inimitable sorcerer, the honored artist, everywhere known as the -handsome, the elegant Torrini! However, it was only just; for he -eclipsed the richest professors by his luxury and distinguished manners, -and never did a performer more fully deserve legitimate applause for his -talent and address. - -"However, I must confess," Antonio added, carried away by his -confessions, "that this applause was sometimes my handiwork. Doubtlessly -the public appreciates talent with intelligence, but it often requires -to be guided in the outburst of its admiration. I took charge of this -duty, and without saying a word to my master, I prepared him several -ovations which extended and prolonged his success. How many times -boquets, thrown at the right moment, excited the applause of the entire -audience? how many times murmurs of approval, skilfully introduced, -aroused the enthusiasm of the theatre? What successes, my dear -fellow--what successes we had, though, in those days. I cannot give you -a better idea of them than by saying that, at times, my master could -hardly manage to spend all the money his representations produced." - -"It is a pity, that your master," I said to Antonio, "did not place -less trust in the future, and save a portion of that fortune which he -would gladly have to-day." - -"We have often made that reflection," he replied, "but it only increased -our regret. And how could we suppose then that Fortune would turn her -back on us so suddenly? Besides, my master thought luxury necessary to -acquire that prestige which he liked to possess, and considered justly -that his prodigality added to the popularity his talent had procured -him." - -This confidential talk would probably have lasted longer, had not -Torrini called Antonio, who suddenly quitted me. - -One incident struck me in this conversation: it was when Antonio -recalled his master's name. This remark only increased my desire to know -Torrini's history. But I had no time to lose, as the last performance -was announced for the following day, and I was resolved to return home. - -I therefore armed myself with courage to overcome the repugnance which, -according to Antonio, his master felt about speaking of the past, and -after we had breakfasted together, I broke the ice, in the hope I should -lead him to tell me all I so much wanted to know. - -"You are going to Angoulęme to-morrow," I said to him, "and I regret I -cannot accompany you: we must separate, however much it may cost me, -after the service you have rendered me, and the care you have devoted to -me." - -I then begged him to let my family know the expenses my illness had -entailed, and I ended by assuring him of my deep gratitude. I expected -to hear Torrini oppose my departure: but it was not so. - -"However much you may press me," he replied, with the greatest calmness, -"I will take nothing from you. How can I ask payment for what has -caused me so much happiness? Never talk about that. You wish to leave -me," he added, with that affectionate smile peculiar to him, "and I say -you will not leave me." - -I was going to reply. - -"I say you will not leave me," he repeated, quickly, "because you have -no reason to do so, and because, presently you will have a thousand to -remain some time longer with me. In the first place, you require great -care to recover your health and root out the remains of an illness which -might otherwise return. Besides, I will add, I was awaiting your -convalescence to ask a service from you which you cannot refuse; I want -you to repair an automaton I bought from a Dutch mechanician, of the -name of Opré, and I am sure you will do it admirably." - -To these excellent reasons Torrini, who doubtlessly feared some -hesitation on my part, joined the most attractive promises. - -"To lighten your labors," he said, "we will have long talks about -conjuring. I will explain to you the game of piquet, that delighted you -so much, and after, when that subject is exhausted, I will tell you the -most important events of my life. You will learn from my story what a -man is capable of suffering short of death, and the lessons you may draw -from a life now almost ended may serve, perchance, to guide you in a -career which has hardly yet commenced. Lastly," he said, offering me his -hand, "your presence, I trust, will help to dispel those gloomy thoughts -which have robbed me so long of my energy." - -I could make no reply to these touching solicitations; hence I yielded -to Torrini's wishes. The same day he gave me the automaton I was to -repair. It was a small harlequin, supposed to leap out of the box in -which it was confined, perform some evolutions, and return to prison at -the word of command; but it was in such a bad condition, that I had -almost to make a new one. For this purpose I arranged a small workshop -in the carriage, and, two days later, I began my first automatic labors, -while proceeding along the road to Angoulęme. - -Never shall I forget the charm of that journey. My health was perfectly -restored, and with it my gaiety and the full exercise of my moral -faculties. Our enormous vehicle, drawn by two horses, could not proceed -very rapidly: hence we only covered nine or ten leagues a day, and even -then we had to start very early. Still, in spite of our slow locomotion, -never did time appear to me to pass so quickly or more agreeably. Was it -not the realization of all my dreams? What more could I desire? -Installed in a small, clean room, before a window through which the -smiling panorama of Poitou and the Angoumois was unrolled before me, I -found myself amidst my beloved tools, working at the construction of an -automaton, in which I saw the first-born of a numerous progeny: it was -impossible for me to imagine anything to surpass this. - -On starting, I attacked my work with such impetuosity, that Torrini, -still anxious for my health, insisted that I should take some rest after -every meal. The same day, on leaving the dinner-table, he handed me a -pack of cards, and told me to display my skill. - -Though frightened by such a clear-sighted spectator, by a judge whose -skill had so astonished me, I collected my courage, and began by one of -those effects to which I had given the name of "flourishes." It was a -brilliant prelude, merely intended to dazzle the eyes while showing the -extreme agility of the fingers. Torrini regarded me with indifference, -and I fancied I saw a smile playing round his lips. I was, I confess, -rather disappointed, but he hastened to console me. - -"I really admire your address," he said, "but I put little faith in -those flourishes, as you call them. I find them brilliant, but useless. -Besides, I am curious to know if you use them at the beginning or end of -your card tricks." - -"It appears to me logical enough," I replied, "to place them at the -beginning, as they are only intended to dazzle the spectators." - -"Well, my boy," he went on, "we differ on that point. I think that they -ought not to be placed either at the beginning or end of any card -tricks. For this reason: after such a brilliant exhibition, the -spectator will only see in your tricks the result of dexterity, while, -by affecting a good deal of simplicity, you will prevent your audience -trying to account for them. Thus you produce a supernatural effect, and -pass for a real sorcerer." - -I quite agreed in this reasoning, the more so as at the beginning of my -experiments I had always considered nature and simplicity the bases of -the art of producing illusions, and I had laid down the maxim (only -applicable to conjuring) that "you must first gain the confidence of the -person you wish to cheat." Hence, I had not been consistent with my -principles, and humbly confessed it. - -It is certainly a singular occupation for a man to whom frankness is -natural, to be continually engaged in concealing his thoughts, and -seeking the best way of making dupes. But may it not also be urged that -dissimulation and falsehood become qualities or defects according to the -purpose they are employed for? - -Does not the merchant, for instance, regard them as precious qualities -to heighten the value of his wares? - -Does the science of diplomacy consist in stating everything with -frankness and simplicity? - -Lastly, is not fashion, or the usages of decent society, an admirable -mixture of dissimulation and deceptions? - -As for the art I cultivated, what would it be without falsehood? - -Encouraged by Torrini, I regained my assurance. I continued practising -all my tricks, and showed him several new inventions of my own. My -master paid me some compliments, to which he added sensible advice. - -"I recommend you," he said, "to moderate your vivacity. Instead of -displaying so much petulence in your movements, affect, on the contrary, -extreme calmness, and thus you will avoid those clumsy gesticulations by -which conjurers generally fancy they distract the attention of their -spectators, when they only succeed in wearying them." - -My professor then, adding example to precept, took the cards from my -hands, and showed me in the same passes I had performed the finesses of -dissimulation allied to sleight-of-hand. I looked on with sincere -admiration: probably flattered by the impression he had produced on me, -Torrini said: - -"As we are now on the subject of card tricks, I will explain to you my -game of piquet; but, in the first place, you must see the box I employ -in its performance." - -And he handed me a small box, which I turned over a score times without -detecting its use. - -"You will seek in vain," he said to me; "a few words would put you on -the right track, but I prefer, although the remembrances it summons up -are very painful, to tell you how this box fell into my hands, and for -what purpose it was originally invented. - -"About twenty years ago I was living at Florence, where I practised as -a physician. I was not a conjurer in those days (he added, with a -profound sigh), and would to Heaven I had never become so! - -"Among the young men of my own age, I was particularly intimate with a -German of the name of Zilbermann. Like myself, he was a doctor, and -equally like myself without practice. We passed the greatest part of our -leisure hours together: in other words, we were almost inseparable. Our -tastes were much the same, save on one point, where we differed -essentially. Zilbermann was passionately fond of gambling, while I felt -no attraction for play. My antipathy for cards must indeed have been -excessive to prevent me yielding to the force of contagion, for my -friend won large sums, enabling him to live like a great gentleman, -while I, though most economical, could not help incurring debts. However -this may be, Zilbermann and I lived on terms of fraternal intimacy. His -purse was at my service, but I used it discreetly, as I knew not when I -should be able to return what I borrowed. His delicacy and generosity -towards me led me to believe he was frank and loyal with all the world, -but I was deceived. - -"One day, when I had only left him a few hours before, one of his -servants came hastily to summon me, stating that his master had been -dangerously wounded, and begged to see me at once. I ran off directly, -and found my unhappy friend lying on his couch with a face of deadly -pallor. Overcoming my grief, I proceeded to offer him succor. Zilbermann -stopped me, motioned me to sit down, dismissed his attendants, and, -after being assured we were alone, begged me to listen to him. His -voice, weakened by the pain he was suffering, scarcely reached my ear, -and I was forced to stoop down over him. - -"'My dear Edmond,' he said to me, 'a man accused me of cheating. I -challenged him--we fought with pistols--and his bullet is lodged in my -chest.' - -"And when I urged Zilbermann to let me attend to him, he added: - -"'It is useless, my friend. I feel I am wounded to death. I have hardly -time to make a confession, for which I claim all your indulgent -friendship. Learn, then,' he added, offering me a hand damp with death, -'I was not unjustly insulted. I am ashamed to confess that, for a long -time, I have lived at the expense of my dupes. Aided by a fatal skill, -and still more by an instrument I invented, I daily cheated at play.' - -"'How--you, Zilbermann?' I said, withdrawing my hand sharply. - -"'Yes, I!' the dying man replied, seeming by a glance to supplicate my -mercy. - -"'Edmond!' he added, collecting all his remaining strength, 'in the name -of our old friendship do not abandon me! For the honor of my family, let -not this proof of my infamy be found here. I implore you to remove this -instrument.' And he showed me a small box attached to his arm. - -"I unfastened it, and like yourself, my boy, looked at it, without -understanding its use. Revived by a thought of his culpable passion, -Zilbermann added, with the most lively admiration, - -"'And yet see how ingenious it was. This box can be attached to the arm -without perceptibly increasing its size. Ready packed cards are put in -it beforehand; when you are going to cut, you put your hand quietly over -the cards on the table, so as to cover them completely; then you press -this spring by resting your arm gently on the table. The prepared cards -come out while a pair of pincers seize the other pack and draw it up -into the box. To-day, for the first time, the instrument failed me--the -pincers left a card on the table. My adversary----' - -"Zilbermann could not complete the phrase; he had drawn his last gasp. - -"Zilbermann's confessions and death had overpowered me, and I hastened -from his room. On returning home, I began to reflect on what had -happened, and, imagining that my known intimacy with the deceased would -forbid my stay at Florence, I determined on proceeding to Naples. I took -with me the unlucky box, though not foreseeing the use I should -eventually make of it; and for a long time I forgot its existence. -However, when I turned my attention to conjuring, I thought about my -piquet trick, and the fortunate use I made of the box gained me one of -my most remarkable triumphs as professor of sleight-of-hand." - - * * * * * - -At this recollection, Torrini's eyes sparkled with unusual brilliancy, -and prepared me for an interesting anecdote. He proceeded as follows: - -"A conjurer, named Comus, had invented a trick at piquet, which he -performed, I must allow, with extraordinary dexterity. The praise he -acquired in consequence rendered him very boastful; and thus he never -failed to announce on his bills that he alone could perform this -incomparable trick, thus challenging all the sleight-of-hand professors -known. I had some degree of reputation in those days, and Comus's -assertion stung me. Knowing his way of doing the trick, and my own to be -far superior, I resolved to pick up the glove he threw to all his -rivals. - -"I therefore went to Geneva, where he happened to be, and offered him a -share performance, in which a jury should decide on our relative merits. -Comus gladly accepted, and on the day fixed an immense number of -spectators assembled. Being my senior, my opponent commenced. But, in -order that you, my dear Robert, may also act as jury, I will first -explain to you how he performed his trick. - -"Taking a new pack of cards, he undid the cover, had them shuffled, and -then taking them in his hand, he managed to get them, as if by accident, -either face to face or back to back. This disarrangement gave him time -to manipulate the cards, while appearing to be merely putting them in -order; thus, when he had finished, I could easily see that he had made -an almost imperceptible crease on certain cards, which must give him a -suit of eight cards, a king, and fourteen in aces. - -"This done, Comus handed the cards to his adversary, begging him to -shuffle them again; and, during this time, he had his eyes bandaged. -This was a useless precaution, let me observe _en passant_, for whatever -care may be taken to deprive a person of sight in this way, the -projection of the nose always leaves a vacuum sufficient to see clearly. - -"When the other player had finished, Comus again took up the cards as if -to shuffle them; but you can easily understand that he only arranged -them so that the cards he had marked must fall to him in the deal. The -_saute de coupe_, as you are aware, neutralises the effect of cutting; -hence Comus was certain of success. In fact, matters ended so on this -occasion, and hearty applause greeted my rival's victory. - -"I have reason to believe that a great number of these bravos emanated -from his friends and accomplices, for when I came forward in my turn to -perform my trick, a murmur of dissatisfaction greeted my appearance on -the stage. The ill-will of the spectators was so manifest that it would -have intimidated me, had I not then been quite steeled against all -applause or dissatisfaction on the part of the public. - -"The audience were far from suspecting the surprise I had prepared for -them, for instead of asking any one to come from the house as my -playman, I requested Comus himself to play with me. At this request I -saw the people begin to look at each other; but what were the -exclamations when, after asking my rival to bandage my eyes and tie my -hands, I not only declined to touch the cards, but left him at liberty, -after stating in what suit he would be repiqued, to deal the cards by -twos or threes, and choose the hand he preferred! - -"I had a pack ready prepared in my box, and I was sure of my -instrument--need I say that I gained the game? - -"Owing to my secret arrangements, my mode of acting was so simple, that -it was impossible to find out how I did it, while Comus's preliminary -manipulations led to the supposition that his dexterity gained the game. -I was declared victor unanimously. Shouts greeted this decision; and -even Comus's own friends, deserting my rival, came to offer me a pretty -gold pin, surmounted by a cup, the symbol of my profession. This pin, as -one of the audience told me, had been ordered by poor Comus, who felt -certain of winning it back. - -"I may (Torrini added) fairly boast of this victory; for, though -Zilbermann left me the box, he had not taught me the game of piquet, -which I invented myself. Was not this trick, I ask you, far superior to -Comus's, which, it is true, deceived the multitude, but the poorest -sleight-of-hand performer could easily detect?" - -Torrini was extremely proud of his inventive skill; but this, I believe, -was his sole defect, and he made up for it by his readiness to praise -other persons. His story ended, I complimented him most sincerely, not -only on his invention, but on the victory he had gained over Comus. - -Travelling in this way, and stopping at times to perform in towns where -we might hope to clear a profit, we passed through Limoges, and found -ourselves on the road leading from that town to Clermont. Torrini -proposed to give some performances in the chief town of the Puy-de-Dôme, -after which he intended returning straight to Italy, whose gentle -climate and quaint ovations he regretted. - -I had made up my mind to part from him there. We had been travelling -together about two months; this was about the time I had fixed for the -repair of the automaton, and my work was almost concluded. On the other -hand, I had a right to ask my dismissal, with no fear of being -considered ungrateful. Torrini's health had become as good as we might -ever expect, and I had given up to him all the time I could reasonably -spare. - -Still I did not like to speak about our separation, for the professor, -delighted with my progress and skill, could not conceive I could have -any other wish but to travel with him, and eventually become his -successor. This position would certainly have suited me in many -respects, for, as I have said, my vocation was irrevocably fixed. But, -whether new instincts were kindled in me, or that the intimacy I lived -in with Torrini had opened my eyes to the unpleasantness of such a mode -of life, I aimed at something higher than being his successor. - -I had therefore made up my mind to leave him; but painful circumstances -deferred the moment of separation. - -We had just arrived at Aubusson, a town celebrated for its numerous -carpet factories. Torrini and his servant were on the box of the -carriage: I was at work. We were going down a hill, and Antonio was -pulling at the rope which dragged our wheels, when, suddenly, I heard -something break, and the carriage started off at full speed. The -slightest obstacles produced a tremendous shock, and every moment I -expected the carriage to go over. - -Trembling, and hardly able to breathe, I clung to my bench as a plank of -safety, and with my eyes closed, awaited the death that appeared -inevitable. For a moment we were on the point of escaping the -catastrophe. Our powerful horses, skillfully guided by Antonio, had kept -up bravely during this rapid descent, and we had passed the first houses -in Aubusson, when, as misfortune willed it, an enormous hay-cart emerged -from a side street, and barred our passage. The driver did not see the -danger till it was too late to avoid it. The accident was inevitable, -the collision frightful. - -I was momentarily stunned by the pain, but as soon as I recovered I -stepped out of the carriage to look after my comrades. I found Antonio -covered with harmless contusions, supporting Torrini, whose arm was -dislocated, and leg broken. Our two horses lay dead in the road; as for -the carriage, only the body remained intact: all the rest was knocked to -atoms. - -A doctor, hurriedly sent for, reached an adjoining inn to which we had -been directed, almost as soon as ourselves. And here I could not refrain -from admiring Torrini's magnanimity, when he insisted on our being -looked to first; and, in spite of our entreaties, we could not alter -his determination. Antonio and myself were soon all right again, but -this was not the case with Torrini: he was obliged to undergo all the -operations and different phases of a broken leg. - -Although he treated the accident so coolly, it might produce terrible -consequences for him: the repair of the carriage, the physician, our -forced stay at an inn, would cost him very dear. Could he continue his -performances--replace his horses? This idea caused Antonio and myself -cruel anxiety: Torrini alone did not despair of the future. - -"No matter," he said, with entire confidence in himself; "once I have -recovered, all will go on well. Why ought a courageous and healthy man -to fear aught? Help yourself, and Heaven will help you! our good La -Fontaine wrote. Well, we will all, then, help ourselves, and no doubt we -shall escape from this dilemma." - -In order to give my company to this excellent man, and distract his -thoughts, I put up my bench by his bedside, and, while working, -continued the conversations which had been so unfortunately interrupted. - -The day at length arrived when I gave the last touch to the automaton, -and made it perform before Torrini, who appeared delighted with it. Had -our patient been less unfortunate, I should have now quitted him; but -could I leave the man who had saved my life in this way? Besides, -another thought had occurred to me. Although Torrini told us nothing of -his pecuniary position, Antonio and I fancied he was greatly -embarrassed. Was it not my duty to try and relieve him, were it in my -power? I imparted to Antonio a scheme he approved, though begging me to -defer it a little longer, till we found whether our suppositions were -correct. - -Still the days were very long by my patient's side, for my mechanical -job was finished, and sleight-of-hand was a subject of conversation long -exhausted. One day, when Torrini and I were seeking some topic to talk -about, I remembered his promise to tell me his life history, and -reminded him of it. - -At this request Torrini sighed. "Ah!" he said, "if I could suppress many -sad incidents in my story, I should delight to read you a few pleasant -pages from an artist's life. However, it may be," he added, "I have -contracted a debt with you which I must pay. - -"Do not expect me to give you a journal of my life; that would be -tedious both to you and to myself. I will only quote some interesting -episodes, and describe to you some tricks you possibly have not heard -of. This will be the most amusing portion of my story," Torrini added, -with a smile, "for whatever may be your present resolutions about -following my art, I need not be a Nostradamus to predict that you will -devote yourself to it some day, and gain immense success. What you are -about to hear, my friend, will show you that it is not every man who can -say, with the popular proverb, 'Spring, I will not drink thy water!'" - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - Torrini relates his Life--Treachery of Chevalier Pinetti--A - Conjurer through Malice--A Race between two Magicians--Death of - Pinetti--Exhibits before Pius VII.--The Cardinal's - Chronometer--Twelve Hundred Francs spent on a Trick--Antonio and - Antonia--The most bitter of Mystifications--Constantinople. - - -My name is Edmond de Grisy, and that of Torrini belongs to Antonio, my -brother-in-law. That worthy young man, whom you wrongfully took for my -servant, has been good enough to follow me in my evil fortune, and help -me in my performances. You must have seen, though, by the way I treat -him, that while leaving to him the toil better suited for his age than -mine, I regard him as my equal, and consider him my best friend--at -least I should have called him so before knowing you--but now, one of my -best friends. - -My father, the Count de Grisy, resided on his property in Languedoc, the -sole resource left him of a once large fortune, which circumstances had -sadly diminished. Devoted to Louis XVI., and one of his most faithful -servants, on the day of danger he offered his body as a rampart for his -sovereign, and was killed at the storming of the Tuilleries on the 18th -of August. - -I was at that time in Paris, and, profiting by the disorders in the -capital, I was enabled to pass the barriers, and reach our small family -domain. There I dug up a hundred louis my father had concealed for any -unforseen accident; to this money I added some jewels left by my -mother, and with these modest resources proceeded to Florence. - -The value of my entire property was 5000 francs. On the interest of this -sum I could not live; hence I was obliged to seek some profession to -support me. I soon formed my decision: taking advantage of the excellent -education I had received, I devoted myself to the study of medicine. -Four years later I took my degree as doctor; I was then twenty-seven. - -I established myself at Florence, where I hoped to form a connexion. -Unfortunately for me, in this town, with its gentle climate and -reinvigorating sun, the number of physicians was greater than that of -the patients, and my new profession was a perfect sinecure. - -I have told you how Zilbermann's death compelled me to quit the capital -of Tuscany, and I established myself at Naples. More fortunate than at -Florence, immediately on my arrival I was called in to a patient whose -illness had defied the skill of the first Italian physicians. He was a -young man, of very high family; his recovery gained me great renown, and -I soon took my place among the best Neapolitan physicians. This success, -and the fashion I gained by it, opened to me the doors of all the -salons, and my name, aided by the manners of a gentleman brought up at -the court of Louis XVI., rendered me indispensable at all soirées and -festivals. - -What a happy and calm existence I might still be enjoying had not -destiny, jealous of my happiness, destroyed my future prospects of -felicity by hurling me into the vivid and ardent emotions of an artistic -life! - -The carnival of 1796 had just commenced. At that time one man was the -popular idol of the Italians; nothing was spoken of but the marvels -achieved by Chevalier Pinetti. This celebrated conjurer came to Naples, -and the whole city attended his interesting performances. As I was madly -attached to this sort of spectacle, I spent every evening at the -theatre, trying to guess the chevalier's tricks, and unfortunately for -myself, I discovered the key to many of them. - -But I did not stop here; I also wished to perform them before a few -friends: success stimulated me, and made me desirous of increasing my -repertoire. At length I could perform all Pinetti's tricks. The -chevalier was eclipsed; nothing was spoken of but my skill and address; -and every one besought a performance from me. But I did not accede to -all these requests, for I was chary in displaying my talent, hoping thus -to increase its value. - -My privileged spectators were only the more enthusiastic, and asserted -that I equalled Pinetti, if I did not surpass him. - -The public is so happy, my dear lad (Torrini said, with a look of -melancholy regret), when it can oppose some rising talent to any artist -in renown. It seems as if this sovereign dispenser of fashion and favor -takes a malicious pleasure in reminding the man it adores that every -reputation is fragile, and that the idol of to-day may be shattered -to-morrow. - -My vanity forebade my thinking of this. I believed in the sincerity of -the praise bestowed on me; and I, the earnest student, the clever -doctor, was proud of my futile success. - -Pinetti, far from seeming jealous of my triumph, evinced a desire to -form my acquaintance, and even came to call upon me. He might have been -about forty-six years of age at this time, but his elegant toilet made -him appear much younger. There was something distinguished in his face, -though the features were common-place and irregular, and his manners -were excellent. Still, by an inexplicable want of judgment, he used, -when performing, to wear a brilliant general's uniform, on which -numerous decorations glistened. - -This peculiarity, which bordered too much on the charlatan, ought to -have enlightened me as to the man's moral value; but my passion for -conjuring rendered me blind. We met like old friends, and our intimacy -was almost instantaneous. Pinetti was most affable, talked about his -secrets unreservedly, and even offered to take me to the theatre and -show me his stage arrangements. I accepted the offer with the greatest -readiness, and we entered his richly ornamented carriage. - -From that moment the chevalier treated me with the utmost familiarity. -In any other this would have wounded my pride, or at least aroused my -suspicion, and I should have been on my guard. On the contrary, I was -enchanted with Pinetti, for, by his unbounded luxury, he had gained such -consideration, that the noblest young gentlemen in the city were proud -of his friendship. Why, then, should I be more haughty than they? In a -few days we had become almost inseparable friends, only parting at the -time of our mutual performances. - -One evening, after one of my private exhibitions, I proceeded to sup as -usual with Pinetti, my head still a-glow with the compliments I had -received. I found him alone. On seeing me enter, the chevalier ran up to -me, embraced me affectionately, and asked how my performance had gone -off. I did not hide my success from him. - -"Ah! my friend," he said, "that does not surprise me; you are -incomparable: indeed, I should not be paying you a forced compliment if -I said you might challenge the most skillful among us." - -And during the whole supper, despite my efforts to stop him, he would -only speak of my skill and address. Though I tried to decline his -compliments, the chevalier seemed so sincere, that I ended by accepting -them. In fact, I was so convinced of their truth, that I began to pay -myself some compliments; for how could I believe it was all a trick to -make a fool of me? When Pinetti saw I had arrived at this stage, and -that the champagne had turned my head, he said: - -"Do you know, my dear count, that you could offer the Neapolitans a -surprise to-morrow, worth its weight in gold for the poor?" - -"How?" I asked. - -"Suppose, my dear friend, you take my place in a performance I am going -to give on behalf of the poor. We will put your name in the bills -instead of mine, and it will be regarded as a noble and honorable -understanding between two artists. One representation the less will not -injure my reputation, while it will cover you with glory; I shall thus -have the double satisfaction of helping the unfortunate, and displaying -my best friend's talent to advantage." - -This proposal so startled me, that I rose from the table, as if fearing -to hear more. But Pinetti was gifted with such persuasive eloquence, and -he seemed to promise himself so much pleasure from my future triumph, -that at length I ended by yielding all he asked. - -"That is right," Pinetti said to me; "dismiss such want of confidence in -yourself, which could be hardly pardoned in a schoolboy. Now, matters -settled so far, we have no time to lose. Let us draw up the bill: choose -among my tricks those you prefer, and, as for the preparations trust to -me: I will take care all is in order." - -The greater number of Pinetti's tricks were performed by the help of -accomplices, who brought to the theatre various objects of which the -conjurer had doubles. This singularly facilitated the pretended marvels, -and I had no doubt of success. - -We soon drew up the bill, at the top of which I wrote my name with great -emotion; then came a list of the tricks I proposed to do. Just as we -finished this, the usual guests entered the room, offering excuses more -or less specious to explain their delay. Still their tardy appearance -aroused no suspicion in my mind; for Pinetti's was open all hours of the -night, and his door was only closed from daybreak till two P. M., the -time he devoted to sleep and dress. - -As soon as the new arrivers heard of my resolution, they noisily -congratulated me, and promised to support me by their hearty applause. -Not that I wanted it, they added, for my performance would create an -extraordinary enthusiasm. Pinetti gave one of his servants the bill, -telling him to order the printer to have it posted all over the city -before daybreak. - -An impulse made me stretch out my hand to take back the paper, but -Pinetti checked me with a laugh. - -"Come, my dear friend," he said, "do not try to fly an assured triumph, -and to-morrow at this hour we shall all be toasting your success." - -All the visitors joined in chorus, and they drank in anticipation of my -approaching triumph. A few glasses of champagne dispelled my hesitation -and scruples. - -I returned home very late, and went to bed without thinking of what had -occurred. At two the next afternoon I was still asleep, when I was -aroused by Pinetti's voice. - -"Get up, Edmond!" he shouted through the door. "Up, man! we have no time -to lose: the great day has arrived. Open the door: I have a thousand -things to say to you." - -I hastened to open. - -"Ah! my dear count," he said, "allow me to congratulate you on your good -fortune. Your name is in every mouth: the whole theatre is taken; the -last tickets are being positively fought for; the king and the royal -family will do you the honor of being present; we have just been -informed of the fact." - -At these words the whole affair flashed across my mind: a cold -perspiration stood on my forehead: the terror that assails every novice -rendered me dizzy. In my confusion I sat down on the foot of my bed. - -"Do not reckon on me, chevalier," I said, with firmness. "Whatever may -happen, I will not perform." - -"What! you will not perform?" my perfidious friend said, affecting the -most perfect tranquility; "but my good fellow, you cannot be thinking of -what you are saying. There is no possibility of drawing back: the bills -are put up, and it is your duty to keep the engagement you have made. -Besides, you should remember this performance is for the poor, who have -already begun to bless you, and you cannot abandon them, while a refusal -would be an insult to the king. Come, come," he added, "summon up your -courage, my dear friend. Meet me at the theatre at four: we will have a -rehearsal, which I consider useless, but it may restore your pluck. Till -then, good-by!" - -So soon as I was left to myself, I remained for nearly an hour absorbed -in thought, trying in vain to elude the performance. An insurmountable -barrier ever prevented escape: the king, the poor, the entire -city--all, in short, rendered it an imperious duty to keep my rash -promise. At length I began to think there was no serious difficulty -about the performance, for a great number of the tricks, as I have -already said, being performed by the help of friends, these took the -chief labor on themselves. Encouraged by this idea, I gradually regained -my courage, and at four o'clock joined Pinetti at the theatre with a -degree of assurance that surprised even him. - -As the performance did not begin till eight, I had ample time to make my -preparations, and I employed it so well, that, when the moment arrived -to appear on the stage, my foolish fears were completely dissipated, and -I presented myself before the public with sufficient coolness for a -novice. - -The theatre was crowded. The king and his family, seated in a stage box, -appeared to regard me with sympathizing glances; for his majesty was -probably aware of my being a French émigré. - -I boldly commenced my performance with a trick which must eminently -excite the imagination of the spectators. I had to borrow a ring, place -it in a pistol, and fire through a window opening from the stage into -the sea that bathed the theatre-walls. This done, I would open a box, -previously examined, closed, and sealed by the audience, and in it would -be found an enormous fish bearing the ring in its mouth. - -Full of confidence in the success of the trick, I proceeded towards the -pit to borrow a ring. Of twenty offered me I selected one belonging to -an accomplice of Pinetti's, and begged him to place it with his own -hands in the barrel of the pistol I handed to him. Pinetti had told me -that his friend would use for this purpose a copper ring, which would -be sacrificed, and that I should return him a gold one in its place. - -The spectator obeyed me. I then opened the window and fired the pistol. -Like the soldier on the battle-field, the smell of powder excited me; I -felt full of fun and gaiety, and ventured on a few jests, which pleased -the audience. Taking advantage of the general hilarity, I seized my -magic wand and traced my cabalistic circles round the box. At length I -broke the seals and triumphantly produced the fish, which I carried to -the owner of the ring, that he might take it out of the fish's mouth. - -If the accomplice play his part well, he must evince the greatest -stupefaction, and, indeed, the gentleman, on receiving the ring, began -looking around him, and his face grew very long. Proud of my success, I -went back on the stage and bowed in reply to the applause I received. -Ah, my dear Robert! this triumph lasted but a short time, and became to -me the prelude of a terrible mystification. - -I was proceeding to another trick, when I saw my spectator gesticulating -to his neighbors, and then turning to me as if wishing to address me. I -fancied he was going on with the farce to dispel any suspicion of -collusion; still I thought he went too far. What was my surprise, then, -when the man rose and said: - -"Excuse me, sir, but it seems as if your trick is not over, since you -have given me a copper ring set with paste instead of my diamond -solitaire." - -As a mistake seemed to me impossible, I turned on my heel and commenced -my preparations for the next trick. - -"Sir," my obstinate spectator again took the word, "will you have the -goodness to reply to my question? If the end of your trick be a jest, I -acknowledge it as such, and you can return me my ring presently. If it -be not so, I cannot accept the horrible substitute you have handed me." - -Every one was silent: none knew the meaning of this protest, though many -fancied it was on ordinary mystification, which would end in still -greater glory for the performer. The claimant, the public, and myself -found ourselves in the same state of uncertainty; it was an enigma which -I alone could solve--and I did not know the word. - -Hoping, however, to escape from a position as critical as it was -ridiculous, I walked up to my pitiless creditor, and, on looking at the -ring I had given him, I was startled at finding it was really coarsely -gilt copper. "Could the spectator to whom I applied have been no -accomplice?" I thought. "Could Pinetti desire to betray me?" This -supposition appeared to me so hateful that I rejected it, preferring to -attribute the fatal mistake to chance. But what should I do or say? My -head was all on fire. - -In my despair, I was about to offer the public some explanation of this -untoward accident, when an inspiration temporarily relieved me from my -embarrassment. - -"Do you still believe, sir," I said to the plaintiff, after assuming an -extreme degree of calmness, "that your ring has been changed into copper -while passing through my hands?" - -"Yes, sir; and, besides, the one you have returned me does not in the -slightest degree resemble mine in shape." - -"Very good, sir," I continued, boldly; "that is the real marvel of the -trick; that ring will insensibly assume its old form on your finger, and -by to-morrow morning you will see it is the one you lent me. That is -what we term in the language of the cabala the 'imperceptible -transformation.'" - -This reply gained me time. I intended to see the claimant when the -performance was over, pay him the price of the ring, whatever it might -be, and beg him to keep my secret. After this happy escape I took up a -pack of cards and continued my performance, and as the accomplices had -nothing to do in this trick, I felt sure of success. Approaching the -royal box, I begged his majesty to do me the honor of drawing a card. He -did so very affably; but to my horror, the king had no sooner looked at -the card he had drawn, than he threw it angrily on the stage, with marks -of most profound dissatisfaction. - -The blow dealt me this time was too direct for me to attempt parrying it -or turning it aside. But I was anxious to know the meaning of such a -humiliating affront, so I picked up the card. Imagine, my dear boy, the -full extent of my despair when I read a coarse insult to his majesty, -written in a hand I could not mistake. I attempted to stammer some -excuse, but by a gesture the king disdainfully commanded silence. - -Oh, I cannot describe to you all that then passed in my mind, for a -dizziness attacked my brain, and I felt as if I were going mad. - -I had, at length, obtained a proof of Pinetti's perfidy. He had -determined on covering me with disgrace and ridicule, and I had fallen -into the infamous snare he had so treacherously laid for me. This idea -restored my wild energy: I was seized by a ferocious desire for revenge, -and I rushed to the side scene, where my enemy should be stationed. I -meant to seize him by the collar, drag him on the stage like a -malefactor, and force him to demand pardon. - -But the juggler was no longer there. I ran in every direction like a -maniac, but wherever I might turn, cries, hisses, and shouts pursued -me, and distracted my brain. At length, bowed down by the weight of such -intense emotions, I fainted. - -For a week I remained in a raging fever, incessantly yelling for revenge -on Pinetti. And I did not know all then. - -I learned afterwards that this unworthy man, this false friend, had -emerged from his hiding-place on my fainting. He had gone on the stage -at the request of some of his accomplices, and continued the -performance, to the great satisfaction of the entire audience. - -Thus, then, all this friendship--all these protestations of -devotion--were only a farce--a very juggling trick. Pinetti had never -felt the slightest affection for me; his flattery was only meant to draw -me into the trap he had laid for my vanity, and he wished to destroy by -a public humiliation a rival who annoyed him. - -He was perfectly successful in this respect, for from that day my most -intimate friends, fearing probably, that the ridicule I endured might be -reflected on them, suddenly turned their backs on me. This desertion -affected me deeply, but I had too much pride to beg the renewal of such -passing friendship, and I resolved on quitting Naples immediately. -Besides, I was planning a scheme of vengeance, for which solitude was -necessary. - -Pinetti, like the coward he was, had fled after the atrocious insult he -had offered me. To have challenged him would be doing him too much -honor, so I vowed to fight him with his own weapons, and humiliate the -shameful traitor in my turn. - -This was the plan I drew up: - -I determined to devote myself ardently to sleight-of-hand, and study -thoroughly an art of which I as yet knew only the first principles. -Then, when quite confident in myself--when I had added many new tricks -to Pinetti's repertoire--I would pursue my enemy, enter every town -before him, and continually crush him by my superiority. - -Full of this idea, I sold everything I possessed, and took refuge in the -country, where, completely retired from the world, I prepared my plans -for vengeance. I cannot describe to you, my friend, what patience I -devoted and how I toiled during the six months my voluntary retreat -lasted; but I was more than compensated for it, as my success was -complete. I gained a degree of skill to which I had never dared to -pretend: Pinetti was no longer my master, and I became his rival. - -Not satisfied with these results, I intended also to eclipse him by the -richness of my stage. I, therefore, ordered apparatus of unknown -brilliancy in those days, spending in this every farthing I possessed. -With what delight did I regard these glittering instruments, each of -which seemed to me a weapon capable of inflicting mortal wounds on my -adversary's vanity. How proudly my heart beat at the thought of the -contest I would commence with him! - -Henceforth, it would be a duel of skill between Pinetti and myself, but -a mortal duel; one of us must remain on the ground, and I had reason to -hope that I should be the victor in the struggle. - -Before commencing my tour I made some inquiries about my rival, and -learned that, after traversing Southern Italy, he had just left Lucca, -_en route_ for Bologna. I learned, too, that, on leaving that city, he -intended to visit Modena, Parma and Piacenza. - -Without loss of time I set out for Modena, in order to precede him -there, and thus prevent him performing. Enormous bills announced the -representations of "THE COUNT DE GRISY, THE FRENCH ARTIST," and my -programme was most attractive, for it contained all Pinetti's tricks. -The papers had puffed the latter so extravagantly for some time past, -that I felt sure my performance would be gladly witnessed. - -In fact, my room was taken by storm, as eagerly as on my disastrous -performance at Naples; but this time the result was very different. The -improvements I had introduced in my rival's tricks, and the great skill -I displayed in performing them, gained me a unanimous verdict. - -From this time my success was insured, and the following performances -raised my name above that of all the most fashionable magicians of the -day. According to the plan I had laid down, I left Modena when I heard -of Pinetti's approach, and went to Parma. My rival, full of faith in his -merits, and not believing in my success, took the theatre I had just -left. But he began to be bitterly undeceived; the whole city was -satiated with the style of amusement he announced; no one responded to -his appeal, and, for the first time, the success to which he was -accustomed slipped from his grasp. - -Chevalier Pinetti, who had so long held undivided sway, was not the man -to yield to a person he called a novice. He had guessed my plans, and, -far from awaiting the attack, he acted on the offensive, and came to -Parma, where he opened a room exactly opposite mine. But this town was -lost to him like the last: he had the misery of seeing my theatre -continually filled, while his was quite deserted. - -I must tell you, too, my friend, that all the money I netted only -covered my luxurious outlay. What did I care for gold and silver? I only -dreamed of revenge, and to satisfy that feeling I squandered my money. I -wished, above all, to pale that star which had formerly eclipsed me. I -displayed regal pomp in my performances; the theatre and its approaches -were literally covered with tapestry and flowers, while the house and -the stage, glistening with light, presented to the dazzled eyes of the -audience numerous escutcheons, bearing compliments to the ladies, who -were thus quite gained over to the side of the gallant Count de Grisy. - -In this way I crushed Pinetti, although he did all in his power to offer -me a vigorous resistance. But what could his tinsel and old-fashioned -ornaments avail against what I may fairly term my elegance and -distinguished manners? - -Piacenza, Cremona, Mantua, Vicenza, Padua, and Venice, were witnesses of -our desperate struggle, and, despite his rage and despair, the arrogant -Pinetti was obliged to endure my superiority, if he did not recognize -it. Abandoned by even his most zealous admirers, he determined to quit -the field, and proceeded towards Russia. Some slight success partly -consoled his late defeats, but, as if Fortune were determined on making -him repay the favors she had so long lavished on him, a tedious and -painful illness exhausted his strength as well as his slight savings. -Reduced to a state of abject misery, he died at the village of -Bartitchoff, in Volhynia, at the house of a nobleman, who sheltered him -from compassion. - -Pinetti once gone, my revenge was satiated, and, being master of the -battle-field, I might have abandoned a profession ill fitted for my -birth. But my medical connexion was broken up, and, on the other hand, I -yielded to a motive which you will appreciate some day; when a man has -once tasted the intoxication produced by the applause of the public, it -is very difficult to renounce it; with my will or against, I must -continue my profession as conjurer. - -I therefore determined on profiting by the reputation I had gained, and -proceeded to Rome, as a brilliant termination to my Italian -representations. Pinetti had never dared to enter that city, less -through distrust of himself, than through fear of the Inquisition, of -which he could only speak with terror. The chevalier was extremely -prudent whenever he was personally concerned: he feared being treated -like a sorcerer, and ending his days in an auto da fč. More than once he -had bid me take warning by the unhappy Cagliostro, who was condemned to -death, and only owed to the clemency of the Pope the commutation of the -penalty into perpetual imprisonment. - -Confiding in the intelligence of Pius VII., and, besides, having no -pretensions to the necromancy Pinetti affected, nor to the charlatanism -of Cagliostro, I proceeded to the capital of the Christian world, where -my performances created a great sensation. His Holiness himself, on -hearing of me, did me the signal honor of requesting a performance, at -which I was advised all the dignitaries of the Church would form my -audience. - -You can fancy, my lad, with what eagerness I acquiesced in his wish, and -what care I devoted to my preparations. After selecting all my best -tricks, I ransacked my brains to invent one worthy of my illustrious -spectators. But I had no need to search long, for chance, that most -ingenious of inventors, came to my aid. - -On the day prior to the performance I was in the shop of one of the -first watchmakers of Rome, when a servant came in to ask if his eminence -the Cardinal de ----'s watch was repaired. - -"It will not be ready till this evening," the watchmaker replied; "and I -will do myself the honor of carrying it to your master myself." - -When the servant had retired, the tradesman said to me: - -"This is a handsome and capital watch. The cardinal to whom it belongs -values it at more than 10,000 fr.; for, as he ordered it himself of the -celebrated Brčguet, he fancies it must be unique of its kind. Strangely -enough, though, only two days ago, a young scamp belonging to this city -offered me a precisely similar watch, made by the same artist for 1000 -fr." - -While the watchmaker was talking to me, I had already formed a plan. - -"Do you think," I said to him, "that this person is still inclined to -dispose of his watch?" - -"Certainly," the watchmaker replied. "This young prodigal, who has spent -all his fortune, is now reduced to sell his family jewels: hence the -1000 fr. will be welcome." - -"Is he to be found?" - -"Nothing easier: in a gambling-house he never quits." - -"Well, then, sir, I am anxious to purchase the watch, but it must be -to-day. Have the kindness, then, to buy it for me. After that, you will -engrave on it his eminence's arms, so that the two watches may be -perfectly similar, and on your discretion the profit you make by the -transaction will depend." - -The watchmaker knew me, and probably suspected the use I intended to -make of the watch; but he was assured of my discretion, as the honor of -my success would depend on it. Hence he said: - -"I only require a quarter of an hour to go to the gambling-house, and I -am confident your offer will be accepted." - -The quarter of an hour had not elapsed ere my negotiator returned with -the chronometer in his hand. - -"Here it is!" he said, with an air of triumph. "My man received me like -an envoy from Providence, and gave me the watch without even counting -the money. To-night all will be ready." - -In fact, that same evening the watchmaker brought me the two -chronometers, and handed me one. On comparing them, it was impossible to -detect the slightest difference. It cost me dear, but I was now certain -of performing a trick which must produce a decided effect. - -The next day I proceeded to the Pontiff's palace, and at six o'clock, -upon a signal given by the Holy Father, I stepped on the stage. I had -never appeared before such an imposing assembly. Pius VII., seated in a -large arm-chair on a daďs, occupied the foreground: near him were seated -the cardinals, and behind them were the different prelates and -dignitaries of the Church. - -The Pope's face breathed benevolence, and it was fortunate for me, for -the sight of this smiling and gentle face dissipated an unpleasant idea -which had been strangely troubling me for some moments. - -"Suppose this performance," I said to myself, "were merely a feigned -examination to make me confess my connexion with the infernal powers? -May not my words be taken down, and perhaps Cagliostro's perpetual -imprisonment be reserved as the punishment for my innocent experiments?" - -My reason soon dismissed such an absurdity--it was not probable the Pope -would lend himself to such an unworthy snare. Although my fears were -completely removed by this simple reasoning, my opening address -displayed my feelings in some degree, for it seemed more like a -justification than the prelude to a performance. - -"Holy Father!" I said, bowing respectfully, "I am about to show you -some experiments to which the name of 'White Magic' has been most -unjustly given. This title was invented by charlatans to impress the -multitude, but it only signifies a collection of clever deceptions -intended to amuse the imagination by ingenious artifices." - -Satisfied by the favorable impression my address produced, I gaily -commenced my performance. I could not describe to you, my dear lad, all -the pleasure I felt on this evening; and the spectators seemed to take -such lively interest in all they saw, that I felt myself in unusual -spirits. The Pope himself was delighted. - -"But, Monsieur le Comte," he continually said, with charming simplicity, -"how can you do that? I shall be quite ill with merely trying to guess -your secrets." - -After the "blind man's game of piquet," which literally astounded the -audience, I performed the trick of the "burnt writing," to which I owe -an autograph I set great store by. This is how the trick is done: - -A person writes a sentence or two: he is then requested to burn the -paper, which must be afterwards found intact in a sealed envelope. I -begged his Holiness to write a sentence: he consented, and wrote as -follows: - -"I have much pleasure in stating that M. le Comte de Grisy is an amiable -sorcerer." - -The paper was burned, and nothing could depict the Pope's astonishment -on finding it in the centre of a large number of sealed envelopes. I -received his permission to keep this autograph. - -To end my performance, and set the crown on my exploits, I now proceeded -to the trick I had invented for the occasion. - -Here I had several difficulties to contend with; the greatest was -certainly to induce Cardinal de ---- to lend me his watch, and that -without asking him directly for it, and, to succeed, I must have -recourse to a ruse. At my request several watches were offered me, but I -returned them with the excuse, more or less true, that, as they had no -peculiarity of shape, it would be difficult to prove the identity of the -one I chose. - -"If any gentleman among you," I added, "has a watch of rather large size -(this was the peculiarity of the cardinal's), and would kindly lend it -to me, I should prefer it as better suited for the experiment. I need -not say I will take the greatest care of it; I only wish to prove its -superiority, if it really possess it, or, on the other hand, to -marvellously improve it." - -All eyes were naturally turned on the cardinal, who, it was known, set -great value on the exaggerated size of his chronometer. He asserted, -with some show of reason perhaps, that the works acted more freely in a -large case. However, he hesitated to lend me his beloved watch, till -Pius VII. said to him: - -"Cardinal, I fancy your watch will suit exactly; oblige me by handing it -to M. de Grisy." - -His eminence assented, though not without numberless precautions; and -when I had the chronometer in my hands, I drew the attention of the Pope -and the cardinals to it, while pretending to admire the works and -handsome chasing. - -"Is your watch a repeater?" I then said to the cardinal. - -"No, sir, it is a chronometer, and watches of that degree of accuracy -are not usually encumbered with unnecessary machinery." - -"Indeed! a chronometer; then it must be English?" I said, with apparent -simplicity. - -"What, sir?" the cardinal replied, as if stung by my remark, "do you -think chronometers are only made in England? On the contrary, the best -specimens have always been made in France. What English maker can be -compared with Pierre Leroy, Ferdinand Berthoud, or Brčguet above all, -who made that chronometer for me?" - -The Pope began to smile at the cardinal's energy. - -"Well, then, we will select this chronometer," I said, putting a stop to -the conversation I had purposely started. "I have, then, gentlemen, to -prove to you its solidity and excellent qualities. Now for the first -trial." - -And I let the watch fall to the ground. A cry of terror rose on all -sides, while the cardinal, pale and trembling, bounded from his seat, -saying, with ill-suppressed wrath, - -"You are playing a very sorry jest, sir." - -"But, monseigneur," I said, with the greatest calmness, "you have no -occasion to be frightened; I merely wish to prove to these gentlemen the -perfection of your watch. I beg you not to be alarmed; it will escape -scathless from all the trials I subject it to." - -With these words I stamped on the case, which broke, flattened, and soon -presented but a shapeless mass. At first, I really fancied the cardinal -was going into a fit; he could scarcely restrain his passion; but the -Pope then turned to him: - -"Come, cardinal, have you no confidence in our sorcerer? For my part, I -laugh like a child at it, being convinced there has been some clever -substitution." - -"Will your Holiness permit me to remark," I said, respectfully, "that -there has been no substitution? I appeal to his eminence, who will -recognise his own watch." - -And I offered the cardinal the shapeless relics of his watch. He -examined them anxiously, and finding his arms engraved inside the case, -said, with a deep sigh, "Yes, that is certainly my watch. But," he -added, dryly, "I know not how you will escape, sir: at any rate, you -should have played this unjustifiable trick on some object that might be -replaced, for _my_ chronometer is unique!" - -"Well, your excellency, I am enchanted at that circumstance, for it must -enhance the credit of my experiment. Now, with your permission I will -proceed." - -"Good gracious me, sir, you did not consult me before destroying the -watch. Do what you please, it is no concern of mine." - -The identity of the cardinal's watch thus proved, I wished to pass into -the Pope's pocket the one I had bought the previous evening. But I could -not dream of this so long as his Holiness remained seated. Hence, I -sought some pretext to make him rise, and soon found one. - -A brass mortar, with an enormous pestle, was now brought in. I placed it -on the table, threw in the fragments of the chronometer, and began -pounding furiously. Suddenly, a slight detonation was heard, and a vivid -light came from the vessel, which cast a ruddy hue over the spectators, -and produced a magical appearance. All this while, bending over the -mortar, I pretended to see something that filled me with the liveliest -astonishment. - -Through respect for the Pope, no one ventured to rise, but the Pontiff, -yielding to his curiosity, approached the table, followed by a portion -of the audience. They might look and look: nothing was to be seen but -flame. - -"I know not whether I must attribute it to the dazed state of my brain," -said his Holiness, passing his hand over his eyes, "but I can -distinguish nothing." - -I, too, had much the same idea, but, far, from confessing it, I begged -the Pope to come round the table and chose a more favorable spot. -During this time I slipped my reserve watch into the Pope's pocket. The -experiment was certain, and the cardinal's watch had, by this time, been -reduced to a small ingot, which I held up to the spectators. - -"Now," I said, "I will restore this ingot to its original shape, and the -transformation shall be performed during its passage to the pocket of a -person who cannot be suspected of complicity." - -"Aha!" the Pope said, in a jocular tone, "that is becoming a little too -strong. But what would you do, my good sorcerer, if I asked you to -choose my pocket?" - -"Your Holiness need only order for me to obey." - -"Well, Monsieur le Comte, let be so." - -"Your Holiness shall be immediately satisfied." - -I then took the ingot in my fingers, showed it to the company, and it -disappeared on my uttering the word "Pass." - -The Pope, with manifestations of utter incredulity, thrust his hand into -his pocket. I soon saw him blush with confusion, and draw out the watch, -which he handed to the cardinal as if afraid of burning his fingers. - -At first it was supposed to be a mystification, as no one could believe -in such an immediate repair; but when my audience were assured that I -had fulfilled my promise, I received the applause so successful a trick -deserved. - -The next day the Pope sent me a rich diamond snuff-box, while thanking -me for all the pleasure I had occasioned him. - -This performance created a great sensation at Rome, and every one -flocked to see my marvels. Perhaps they hoped to witness the famous -trick of the "Broken Watch," which I had performed at the Vatican. But -though I was then very extravagant, I was not so mad as to spend 1200 -francs a night in the performance of a trick which could never again be -done under such favorable auspices. - -An operatic company was attached to the theatre while I performed, but -their performances were suspended during my stay in Rome. The manager -employed this leisure time to rehearse a fresh piece to be performed on -my departure, and this gave me a daily opportunity to mix with the -actors. I had formed a peculiar friendship with one of the youngest of -them, a charming lad of eighteen, with a tenor voice, whose elegant and -regular features formed a singular contrast to his employment. His -feminine face, with his small waist and timid demeanor, quite injured -the effect when he played the part of a lover; he looked like a -boarding-school miss in man's clothes. Yet, I discovered afterwards that -this effeminate person contained a bold and manly heart, for Antonio -(such was the tenor's name) had been engaged in several affairs of -honor, in which he had done his manly devoir. - - At this part of Torrini's story I interrupted him, for the name of - Antonio struck me. - -"What!" I said, "can it be that----?" - -"Certainly; the same person! Your astonishment is justifiable, but it -will cease when I tell you that more than twenty years have elapsed -since the time I speak of. At that period, Antonio did not wear a heavy -black beard, and his face had not yet been embrowned by the open air and -the fatigues of our laborious and nomadic life." - -Antonio's mother was also engaged at the theatre; she performed in the -ballets, and her name was Lauretta Torrini. Though close upon forty, she -had retained all her pristine charms. She must have been very beautiful -in her time, but the greatest scandal-mongers could not reproach her -with the least levity. She was the widow of a government clerk, and had -brought up her family by her own labor. - -Antonio was not her only child; she had borne a daughter with him. These -twins, as frequently happens, had such a striking resemblance, that only -their dress distinguished them; and they had been christened Antonio and -Antonia. The lad received a musical education at the theatre, but -Antonia was always sedulously kept from the stage. After a careful -education, her mother had placed her in a milliner's shop, till she -could set up for herself. - -I have dwelled so long on this family because, as you can guess, it soon -became my own. My friendship for Antonio was not quite disinterested, -for I owed to it an introduction to his sister. Antonia was lovely and -virtuous: I asked her hand, and was accepted. Our marriage was to take -place as soon as my engagement had terminated, and it was arranged that -Lauretta and Antonio should share our fortunes. - -I have already said that Antonio appeared effeminate; but although large -black eyes, fringed with long eyelashes, and exquisitely pencilled -eyebrows, a Grecian nose, and fresh and ruddy lips, were almost wasted -on Antonio, still these advantages admirably suited my betrothed. Such a -treasure could not long remain concealed: Antonia was noticed, and all -the rich young nobles fluttered round her. But she loved me, and had no -difficulty in resisting the numerous and brilliant offers made her. - -While waiting the wished-for day, Antonia and I formed plans for our -future happiness. She would enjoy a travelling life, and as she longed -for a sea-voyage, I promised to take her to Constantinople. I wished to -perform before Selim III., who was considered an enlightened prince, -and hospitably treated the artists he assembled at his court. All, -then, seemed to smile on my plans, when one morning, while dreaming of -these pleasant prospects, Antonio suddenly entered my room. - -"My dear Edmond," he said, "I defy you to guess where I have been, and -what has happened to me since last evening. I must tell you, then, as -prelude to my story, that, dragged, in spite of myself, into a drama, -which threatened to become very sanguinary, I turned it into a farce, -the details of which are worth hearing. You shall judge. - -"I was at the theatre yesterday, when a carpenter, a worthy man in many -respects, but who spends three parts of his time in public-houses, came -up and begged to tell me a secret. - -"Monsieur Antonio," he said, "if you wish to prevent a great evil, you -have no time to lose. I have just been drinking with some of my -comrades, and a man, whose acquaintance we had formed over the bottle, -told us we could gain a large sum easily. The proposal was so agreeable -that we accepted it unanimously, on condition of knowing what was wanted -of us. We were told, and this is what we promised to do: - -"This evening, when your sister leaves her shop, we are to surround her, -as if quarrelling, and drown her cries by our shouts. The Marquis -d'A----'s people will manage the rest. Now do you understand?" - -I only understood too well, and, scarcely thanking the carpenter, I -rushed off at full speed. Fortunately my brains did not fail me. I was -in front of a gunsmith's: I went in, bought a pair of pistols, and then -hastened home. - -"Mother," I said, as I went in, "I have made a bet that I should be -taken for Antonia by putting on her clothes. Dress me, then, quickly, -and tell my sister I beg her to leave the shop half an hour later than -usual." - -My mother did as I asked, and when I was dressed I so perfectly -resembled Antonia that she kissed me, and burst into a hearty laugh at -my pleasant idea. - -Nine o'clock had just struck: it was the hour appointed for the -abduction. I hastened away, doing my best to imitate my sister's walk -and manner. My heart beat violently when I saw this band of robbers and -servants approach me, and I instinctively put my hands on my firearms; -but I soon resumed the timid demeanor of a young girl and walked -onwards. - -The affair was executed just as I had been told; I was carried off with -all proper respect, in spite of my feigned resistance, and placed in a -carriage with the blinds down. - -The horses started off at a gallop. - -There was a man by my side whom I recognized in the gloom; it was -certainly the Marquis d'A----. I had to endure his warm excuses, and -then his passionate assurances, which sent the blood to my cheeks, and I -was several times on the point of betraying myself, but my vengeance was -so exquisite and near that I suppressed my anger. My purpose was, so -soon as I found myself alone with him, to challenge him to mortal -combat. - -Half an hour had scarce elapsed when we reached the end of our journey. -The Marquis begged me to descend, and politely offered me his hand to -lead me into a small isolated villa. We entered a brilliantly lighted -room, where some young gentlemen and ladies were awaiting us. My -abductor, radiant with victory, introduced me to his friends and their -companions, and received their felicitations. - -I lowered my eyes for fear my passion might be noticed, for I knew that -this humiliating triumph had been reserved for my sister, who would -certainly have died of shame. Five minutes later a servant opened the -folding-doors, and announced that supper was served. - -"To table, friends," the marquis exclaimed--"to table, and let each take -the place he likes best!" And he offered me his arm. - -We seated ourselves round a sumptuous repast, the marquis waiting on me, -for he had dismissed all the attendants. For some time I refused to -touch anything; but, you know, my dear Edmond, nature has claims which -cannot be neglected. I was fearfully hungry, and my appetite was -sharpened by the scent of the dainty dishes. In spite of my anger, I was -forced to give up my plans of abstention, and yielded to temptation. - -I could not eat without drinking, and there was no water on the table. -The other ladies had no objection to wine, so I followed their example. -Still I was very moderate, and, to play my part properly, I affected -great reserve and extreme timidity. - -The marquis was delighted to see me behaving thus. He addressed some -compliments to me, but noticing they were disagreeable, he did not press -me, feeling assured that he could take his revenge at a more suitable -season. - -We had reached the dessert; the whole of the company were in a charming -humor. May I confess to you, my dear Edmond, that the sight of these -merry comrades and coquettish dames produced the same effect on my -senses as the dishes had done on my appetite, and insensibly dispelled -my gloomy ideas? I had no strength left to continue the dramatic -character I had undertaken, and I sought a more satisfactory conclusion. -I soon made up my mind. - -Three toasts had been drunk in succession: "Wine!" "Play!" "Love!" The -ladies had joined in emptying their glasses, while I remained calm and -silent. The marquis begged me in vain to join in the general gaiety. -Suddenly I rose, glass in hand, and assuming the free-and-easy manner of -a soldier-- - -"Per Bacco!" I shouted, in a baritone voice, giving the marquis a hearty -slap on the shoulder. "Drink, my friends, to the lovely eyes of these -ladies!" Then I drained my glass at a draught, and trolled out a lively -ditty. - -I cannot describe the marquis's feelings; all I know is, he turned to -stone under my hand. His friends regarded me in stupor, taking me, -doubtlessly, for a maniac, while the women laughed convulsively at my -strange outbreak. - -"Well, gentlemen," I continued, "why are you surprised? Do you not -recognize Antonio Torrini, the tenor, all alive and well, and prepared -to accept anybody's challenge with the pistol or the glass, he doesn't -care which." At the same time I laid my pistols on the table. - -At these words, the marquis at length awoke from the torpor into which -the evanishment of his sweet dreams had plunged him, and he raised his -hand to strike me in the face. But his eyes no sooner met mine, than, -yielding to the influence of an illusion which he abandoned with such -pain, he fell back on his chair. - -"No!" he said, "I cannot strike a woman." - -"Oh, as for that, M. le Marquis," I said, as I left the table, "I only -ask ten minutes to appear before you in my proper attire." I then went -into an adjoining room, where I doffed gown, petticoats and finery: I -had kept all my own clothes under my feminine masquerade with the -exception of my coat. That article of clothing not being indispensable -to receive a blow, and as I was in fighting costume, I returned to the -dining-room. - -During my absence the scene had changed. I seemed to have "missed my -cue," as they say in the theatre, when an actor does not arrive in time -to reply. All the guests regarded me with smiles, and one coming up, -said: - -"Monsieur Antonio, my friend's seconds and yours, appointed _ex officio_ -during your absence, are agreed that you have taken ample satisfaction, -and have no occasion to fight. Do you approve of our decision?" - -I offered my hand to the marquis, who took it with very ill grace, for -he evidently could not stomach the bitter trick I had played him. This -dénoűment satisfied my vengeance, and I withdrew. But, before leaving, -each of us pledged our honor to discretion, in which the ladies joined. - - * * * * * - -After thanking Antonio for his devotion to me, and complimenting him on -his quickness, I added: - -"These gentlemen acted very gallantly in confiding a secret to the -ladies; but I, who flatter myself I can read the human heart, say with -François I., - - Souvent femme varie, - Bien fol est qui s'y fie. - -For this reason the marriage shall take place the day after to-morrow, -and in three days we will start for Constantinople." - -Antonio loved his sister as much as myself, and he was right, (Torrini -added,) for she was the most perfect woman earth ever saw. She was an -angel! - -The Count de Grisy was so excited by these reminiscences, that he raised -his arms to heaven, where he seemed to seek the woman he had so deeply -loved. But he fell back on his pillow again, exhausted by the agony the -disarrangement of his bandages produced. He was forced to break off his -narrative till the next day. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - Continuation of Torrini's History--The Grand Turk orders a - Performance--A marvellous Trick--A Page cut in two--Pitying Protest - of the Harem--Agreeable Surprise--Return to France--Torrini's Son - Killed--Madness--Decay--My first Performance--An annoying - Accident--I return Home. - - -The next day, Torrini continued his narration, without awaiting any -request from me: - -On arriving at Constantinople, we enjoyed for some time a delicious -rest, whose charm was heightened by all the intoxication of the -honeymoon. At the end of the month, however, I thought our mutual -happiness ought not to prevent me trying to realize the plan I had -formed of performing in the presence of Selim III.; but, before asking -this favor, I thought of giving some performances in the town. However -great my reputation might be in Italy, it was hardly probable that my -name had crossed the Mediterranean: hence I had a new reputation to -achieve. - -I had a theatre erected, in which my success continued: crowds came to -see me, and the highest personages were my constant visitors. I may be -permitted to boast of this success, my lad, for the Turks, naturally -indolent and phlegmatic, when utterly astounded by the sight I offered -them, reminded me, by their enthusiasm, of my excitable Italian -spectators. - -The grand vizier himself came to one of my performances. He spoke about -it to his sovereign, and excited his curiosity to such a degree, that I -received an invitation, or rather a command, to court. I proceeded, in -all haste, to the palace, where the apartment was shown me in which the -performance would take place. A body of workmen was placed at my orders, -and I was allowed all latitude for my theatrical arrangements. Only one -stipulation was made: the stage must be exactly in front of a gilded -lattice, behind which, I was told, the Sultan's wives would be seated. - -Within two days, my theatre was erected and completely decorated. It -represented a garden, filled with natural flowers, whose lively colors -and fragrant scent delighted both sight and smell. At the rear, and in -the midst of dense foliage, a fountain fell back, in thousands of drops, -into a crystal basin, sparkling like diamonds in the brilliant light, -while, at the same time, the falling water deliciously cooled the air. -Lastly, to my right and left, hedges of flowers served as side scenes -and laboratory, while the buffet, loaded with my brilliant apparatus, -was erected in the centre of this Garden of Armida. - -When all was ready, the Sultan and his numerous suite took the places -assigned to them, according to their court precedence. The Sultan -reclined on a sofa, with the grand vizier by his side, while an -interpreter, keeping respectfully in the rear, translated my remarks to -him. When the curtain rose, a shower of rose-leaves fell on the stage, -and formed an odoriferous and deliciously soft carpet. I then appeared, -dressed in a rich Louis XV. costume. - -I will spare you the account of my tricks, with the exception of one, -which, like the "broken watch," was the inspiration of the moment. I -must add, that my spectators had been already considerably startled -when I performed it. - -Addressing Selim in the grave and solemn tone proper to a magician, I -said: - -"Noble Sultan, I am about to proceed from simple tricks of skill to the -sublime science of magic: but, in order that my incantations may -succeed, I must address myself directly to your august highness. Will -you be pleased to lend me this ornament which I require?" - -And I pointed to a splendid necklace of pearls which adorned his neck. -The Sultan handed it to me, and I placed it in the hands of Antonio, who -was helping me, in a page's costume. - -"It is well known," I continued, "that magicians possess unlimited -powers, for they hold in subjection familiar spirits, who blindly obey -their masters' orders. Let these spirits, then, prepare to obey me, for -I am about to summon them." - -Here I majestically traced a circle round me with my wand, and -pronounced, in a low voice, certain magic spells. Then I turned to my -page, to take the collar from him, but it had disappeared. In vain I -asked Antonio for it: his only reply was a hoarse and sarcastic laugh, -as if he were possessed by one of the spirits I had summoned. - -"Mighty prince," I then said to the Sultan, "believe me when I say that, -far from sharing in this audacious theft, I am forced to confess myself -the victim of a plot I did not at all foresee. But your highness may be -reassured: we possess means of forcing our subordinates to return to -their duty. These means are as powerful as they are terrible, and I will -offer you an example." - -At my summons two slaves brought in a long and narrow chest, and a -trestle for saving wood. Antonio seemed to be terribly alarmed, but I -coldly ordered the slaves to seize him, place him in the chest, the -cover of which was immediately nailed down, and lay it across the -trestle. Then, taking up a saw, I prepared to cut the chest asunder, -when piercing cries were heard from behind the gilt lattice--the -Sultan's wives were protesting against my barbarity. I stopped a moment -to give them time to recover; but so soon as I set to work again, new -protestations, in which I distinguished threats, compelled me to suspend -my operations. - -Not knowing if I might be allowed to address the gilt lattice, I -determined to reassure these sympathizing ladies indirectly. - -"Gentlemen," I said to my numerous audience, "have no fears, I beg, for -the culprit; instead of feeling any pain, I assure you he will -experience the most delightful sensations." - -It was evident that my statement was believed, for silence was restored, -and I could continue my experiment. The chest was at length divided into -two parts; I raised them so that each represented a pedestal; I then -placed them side by side, and covered them with an enormous wicker cone, -over which I threw a large black cloth, on which cabalistic signs were -embroidered in silver. This duly performed, I recommenced my little -farce of magic circles and bombastic words; when suddenly the deep -silence was interrupted by two voices performing an exquisite duet -beneath the black cloth. - -During this time Bengal lights were kindled all around as if by -enchantment. At length the fires and the voices having gradually died -away, a noise was heard, the cone and the cloth were upset, and---- All -the spectators uttered a cry of surprise and admiration: for two pages, -exactly alike, appeared on the pedestals, holding a silver salver, on -which lay the collar of pearls. My two Antonios walked up to the Sultan, -and respectfully offered him his rich ornament. - -The whole audience had risen as if to give more effect to the applause -bestowed on me; the Sultan himself thanked me in his own language, which -I did not understand, but I fancied I read in his face an expression of -deep satisfaction. The next day an officer of the palace came to -compliment me on behalf of his master, and offered me the collar which -had been so cleverly juggled away the previous evening. - -The trick of the _two pages_, as I called it, was one of the best I ever -performed, and yet it was probably one of the most simple. Of course you -understand, my dear boy, that Antonio disposed of the collar while I -distracted public attention by my incantations. You also understand -that, while he was being nailed up in the chest, he escaped through an -opening corresponding with a trap in the stage; hence I had only to cut -through planks. Lastly, by the aid of the cone and the cloth, Antonio -and his sister, dressed precisely alike, came up through the trap and -took their places on the pedestals. The _mise en scčne_, and the -coolness of the performers, did the rest. - -This trick created great excitement in the city; the story, passing from -mouth to mouth; soon attained the proportions of a miracle, and -contributed much to the success of my remaining performances. - -I might have realized a large fortune by making a tour through the -Turkish provinces, but I was mortally tired of the peaceful life I was -leading, and I felt the need of changing my ground and seeking fresh -excitement. Besides, I began to feel a degree of nostalgia, and as my -wife begged me to return to Italy, or some other Christian country, as -she did not wish our first-born to come into the world among Pagans, we -set out for France. - -It was my intention to proceed to Paris, but, on arriving at Marseilles, -I read in the papers the advertisements of a conjurer of the name of -Olivier. His programme contained the whole of Pinetti's tricks, which -was almost my own. Which of the two was the plagiarist? I have reason to -believe it was Olivier. At any rate, having no desire to engage in a new -passage of arms, I evacuated the town. - -It is impossible for me, my friend, to describe to you my itinerary -during sixteen years; suffice it to say, I traversed the whole of -Europe, stopping, of preference, in the chief towns. For a long time my -reputation remained at its zenith, but suddenly, like Pinetti, I was -destined to experience the inconstancy of Fortune. - -One fine day I found my star beginning to pale; the public did not flock -so eagerly to my performances. I no longer heard the bravos that used to -greet my appearance on the stage, and the spectators appeared to me -indifferent. How was this? What could be the cause of this capricious -change? My repertoire was still the same: it was my Italian one, of -which I was so proud, and for which I had made such sacrifices; I had -introduced no change; the tricks I submitted to the public were the same -which had been so warmly accepted. I felt, too, that I had lost none of -my vigor, skill, or spirit. - -Precisely because I had made no change, the public had begun to grow -indifferent; as an author has observed, very justly, "the artist who -does not rise, descends;" and this was peculiarly applicable to my -position: while civilization had been progressing, I remained -stationary--hence, I was going down. - -When this truth struck me, I made a complete reform in my programme. The -card tricks no longer possessing the charm of novelty, as the meanest -jugglers could do them, were nearly all suppressed, and I substituted -other experiments. - -The public like, and run after, touching scenes; I invented one, which, -in this respect, would certainly satisfy them, and draw them back to me. -But why did Heaven allow me to succeed? why did my brain conceive this -fatal idea? (Torrini exclaimed, raising his hands to heaven, and his -eyes filling with tears.) Had it not been so, I should still have my -son, and should not have lost my Antonia! - - * * * * * - -It was some time before Torrini could continue his narrative, for these -terrible reminiscences caused him mental torture. At length, after -holding his hand over his eyes for some time, as if trying to -concentrate himself in his grief, he continued: - -About two years ago I was at Strasburg; I was performing at the theatre, -and every one was anxious to see my touching scene, which I had named -"The Son of William Tell." My son Giovanni played the part of Walter, -the son of the Swiss hero, but, instead of placing the apple on his -head, he held it between his teeth. On a given signal, a spectator armed -with a pistol, fired at Giovanni, and the ball lodged in the heart of -the fruit. - -Owing to the success of this trick, my money-box was soon filled again. -This restored my confidence in the future, and, far from profiting by -the lessons of adversity, I reassumed my luxurious habits, as I fancied -I had again pinioned Fortune, and she could not slip from me. - -This illusion was fearfully dispelled. - -"The Son of William Tell," of which I had made a separate act, usually -terminated the performance. We were about to execute it for the -thirtieth time, and I had ordered the curtain to be dropped in order to -have the stage arranged as the public square of Altorf, but all at once -my son, who had just put on the traditional Helvetic costume, came to -me, complaining of a sudden indisposition, and begging me to hurry on -the performance. I had just seized the bell-rope to warn the carpenters -to raise the curtain, when my son fell down in a fainting fit. - -Without caring for the impatience of the public, we paid all attention -to my poor Giovanni, and I bore him to a window. The fresh air soon -restored him--still, there was a mortal pallor on his face, which would -prevent his appearance in public. I was myself assailed by a strange -presentiment, which urged me to stop the performance, and I resolved to -announce it to the public. - -The curtain was drawn up, and, with features contracted by anxiety, I -walked to the footlights, Giovanni even paler than myself, and scarce -able to stand, being at my side. I briefly explained the accident that -had happened, rendering it impossible to perform the final experiment, -and offered to return the entrance money to any who might feel -dissatisfied. But at these words, which might excite great confusion and -grave abuses, my courageous son, making a supreme effort, stated that he -felt better, and able to perform his share in the trick, which, after -all, was passive, and not at all fatiguing. - -The public received this intimation with lively applause, and I, the -insensate and barbarous father, taking no heed of the warning that -heaven had sent me, had the cruelty, the madness, to accept this -generous act of devotion. Only one word was needed to prevent ruin, -dishonor, and death, yet that word died away on my lips! Listening -solely to the noisy applause of the audience, I allowed the performance -to commence. - -I have already stated the nature of the trick that attracted the whole -town; it consisted in substituting one ball for another. A chemist had -taught me how to make a metallic composition bearing an extraordinary -resemblance to lead. I had made balls of it which, when placed by the -side of the real ones, could not be detected. The only precaution -necessary was not to press them too hard, as they were of a very friable -nature; but for the same reason, when inserted in the pistol, they fell -into an impalpable powder, and did not go further than the wad. - -Till now I had never dreamed of any danger in the performance of this -trick, and, indeed, I had taken all possible precautions. The false -bullets were contained in a small box, of which alone I had the key, and -I only opened it at the moment of action. That evening I had been -peculiarly careful; then how can I explain the frightful error? I can -only accuse fatality. So much is certain--a leaden bullet had been mixed -with the others in the box, and was inserted in the pistol. - -Conceive all the horror of such an action! Imagine a father, with a -smile on his lips, giving the signal which will deprive his son of -life--it is frightful, is it not? - -The pistol was fired, and the spectator, with cruel adroitness, had -aimed so truly that the bullet crashed through my son's forehead. He -fell forward with his face to the ground, rolled over once or twice, -and---- - -For a moment I remained motionless, still smiling at the audience, and -incapable of believing in such a misfortune. In a second a thousand -thoughts crossed my brain. Could it be an illusion, a surprise I had -prepared, and which I had momentarily forgotten? or was it the return of -my son's attack? - -Paralysed by doubt and horror, my feet clung to the stage; but the blood -welling profusely from the wound violently recalled me to the terrible -reality. At last I understood all, and, mad with agony, I cast myself on -my son's lifeless corpse. - -I know not what took place afterwards, or what became of me. When I -recovered the use of my senses, I found myself in prison, with two men -before me, a physician and a magistrate. The latter, sympathising with -me, was kind enough to perform his painful mission with all possible -regard for my feelings; but I could scarce understand the questions he -addressed to me; I knew not what to reply, and I contented myself with -shedding tears. - -I was fully committed, and brought up at the next assises. I assure you -I took my place in the dock with indescribable delight, hoping I should -only leave it to receive the just punishment of the crime I had -committed. I was resigned to die; I even wished it, and I determined to -do all in my power to get rid of a life which was odious to me. Hence, I -offered no defence; but the court requested a barrister to undertake my -cause, and he defended me with great skill. I was found guilty of -"Homicide through imprudence," and sentenced to six months' -imprisonment, which I passed in an infirmary. Here I saw Antonio again -for the first time, who brought me terrible news: my dear Antonia, -unable to endure such complicated misery, had died of a broken heart. - -This new blow affected me so much that I was nearly dead. I spent the -greater period of my imprisonment in a state of weakness akin to death; -but at length my vigorous constitution overcame all these shocks, and I -regained my health. I had quite recovered when the doors of my prison -were opened. - -Grief and remorse accompanied me wherever I went, and cast me in a state -of apathy from which nothing could arouse me. For three months I behaved -like a madman, running about the country, and only eating just enough to -keep me from perishing of hunger. I went forth at daybreak, and did not -return till night. I could not possibly have said what I did during -these lengthened excursions, but I probably walked about with no other -object than to change place. - -Such an existence could not last long; poverty, and her mournful -handmaids, soon preyed upon me. My wife's illness, my imprisonment, and -our expenses during these three months of listlessness, had swallowed -up, not only my money, but also all my apparatus. Antonio explained our -situation to me, and begged me to recommence my performances. - -I could not leave this good brother, this excellent friend, in such a -critical position; I therefore acceded to his entreaties, on condition -that I should change my name to Torrini, and never perform in any -theatre. Antonio offered to arrange everything to my wish. By selling -the valuable presents I had received on various occasions, and which he -had managed to secrete from the officers, he paid my debts, and had the -carriage built in which we suffered this painful accident. - -From Strasburg we proceeded to Basle. My first performances were stamped -with the deepest sorrow, but I gradually substituted skill and care for -my gaiety and good spirits, and the public accepted the change. After -visiting the principal towns in Switzerland, we returned to France, and -it was thus I found you my dear boy, on the road between Tours and -Blois. - - * * * * * - -I saw by Torrini's last sentences, and the manner in which he tried to -shorten his narrative, that he not only required rest, but also to -recover from the painful emotions these melancholy reminiscences had -evoked. A few words, too, Torrini had dropped confirmed my notion that -he was in a pecuniary dilemma; hence, I left him under the pretence of -letting him sleep, and begged Antonio to take a walk with me. I wanted -to remind him it was time to carry out the plan we had formed, which -consisted in giving a few performances at Aubussen, without dropping a -word of it to our dear master. Antonio was of my opinion; but when it -came to deciding which of us should perform, he positively asserted he -knew no more of the conjuring art than he had been obliged to learn--he -could slip a card, a handkerchief, or a coin into a person's pocket, if -required, but nothing more. I learned later that Antonio, though not -very skillful, knew more than he pretended. - -We decided that I should represent the sorcerer; and I must have been -animated with a great desire to help Torrini, and pay him in part the -debt of gratitude I owed, ere I consented to mount a stage so suddenly. -For, although I had shown my friends some of my tricks, the performance -had always been gratuitous; now I had to do with spectators who paid for -their seats, and this caused me considerable apprehension. - -Still, my resolution once formed, I proceeded with Antonio to the -mayor's, in order to obtain permission to perform. This magistrate was -an excellent man; aware of the accident that had happened to us, and -that he had it in his power to do a good deed, he offered us the -gratuitous use of a concert-room. More than this, to give us a chance of -forming some acquaintances who might be of use to us, he begged us to -come to his house the next Sunday evening. We accepted this offer -gratefully, and had reason to congratulate ourselves on it. The mayor's -guests, pleased with certain tricks I showed them, faithfully kept their -promise of attending my first performance, and not one was missing. - -My heart panted audibly when the curtain rose, and I was obliged to -whisper to myself that the spectators, aware of the object of my -performance, would be inclined to look over much. Some cheering applause -restored my confidence, and I got through my first tricks very decently. -This success heightened my assurance, and at length I acquired a degree -of coolness I did not think myself capable of. - -It is true, I was perfectly _au fait_ in my tricks, through having seen -Torrini perform them so often. The principal ones were, the Trowel, the -Pyramids of Egypt, the Bird Dead and Alive, and the Omelette in the Hat. -I concluded with the Blind Man's Game of Piquet, which I had carefully -studied; I was fortunate enough to succeed, and was warmly applauded. - -An accident that happened during the performance singularly lessened the -joy I felt in my triumph. I had borrowed a hat to make an omelette in. -Those who have seen this trick are aware that it is chiefly intended to -produce a laugh, and that the object borrowed runs no risk. I had got -through the first part excellently, consisting in breaking the eggs, -beating them, throwing in the salt and pepper, and pouring it all into -the hat. After this, I had to feign the frying of the omelette; I -placed a candle on the ground, then, holding the hat sufficiently high -above it to escape the flame, I began turning it gently round, while -making some of the stereotyped jokes adapted to the trick. The public -laughed so heartily and loudly that I could scarce hear myself speak, -but I could not suspect the cause of their hilarity. Unfortunately, I -detected it only too soon. A strong scent of burning made me turn my -eyes on the candle: it had gone out. I then looked at the hat: the crown -was quite burned and stained. I had kept on turning the hat round -unsuspectingly, until I at length put it on the top of the candle and -covered it with grease. - -Quite dazed by this sight, I stopped, not knowing how to escape. -Fortunately for me, my alarm, though so truthful, was regarded as a -well-played farce: it was supposed this was only a heightened effect, -and this confidence in my skill was an additional torture, for my -supernatural power could not repair a hat. My only chance was to gain -time; so I continued the trick, with a tolerably easy air, and produced -to the public a splendidly cooked omelette, which I had enough courage -left to season with a few jokes. - -Still, that quarter of an hour of which Rabelais speaks had arrived. I -must restore the hat, and publicly confess myself a clumsy blockhead. I -had resigned myself to this, and was going to do so, with all the -dignity I could muster, when I heard Antonio call me from the side. His -voice restored my courage, for I felt assured he had prepared some way -for escape. I went up to him, and found him standing with a hat in his -hand. - -"Look here," he said, exchanging it for the one I held, "it's yours; but -no matter, keep a good face: rub it as if you were removing the stains, -and, on handing it to the owner, ask him, gently, to read what is at the -bottom." - -I did as he told me; and the owner of the burnt hat, after receiving -mine, was going to betray me, when I pointed to the note fastened in the -crown. It ran as follows: - -"An act of carelessness caused me to commit a fault, which I will -repair. To-morrow I will do myself the honor of asking your hatter's -address: in the meanwhile, be kind enough to act as my accomplice." - -My request was granted, for my secret was honestly kept, and my -professional honor saved. The success of this performance induced me to -give several others: the receipts were excellent, and we realized a very -fair sum. Immense was our joy when we carried our treasure triumphantly -to Torrini. That worthy man, after listening to all the details of our -plot, was half inclined to scold us for our secrecy, but he could not -find heart to do so. He thanked us most heartily, and we began to set -matters straight again, as our master was now convalescent, and could -attend to his own business. Torrini paid all his creditors in full, -purchased two horses, and, having nothing further to do at Aubusson, he -determined on starting. - -The moment of our separation had arrived, and my old friend had been -arming himself for it during several days. The parting was painful to us -all; a father quitting his son, without hope of ever seeing him again, -could not have displayed more violent grief than did Torrini when -pressing me in his arms for the last time. I, too, felt inconsolable at -the loss of two friends with whom I would so gladly have passed my -life. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - The Prodigal Son--Mademoiselle Houdin--I go to Paris--My - Marriage--Comte--Studies of the Public--A skillful - Manager--Rose-colored Tickets--A Musky Style--The King of - Hearts--Ventriloquism--The Mystifiers Mystified--Father - Roujol--Jules de Rovčre--Origin of the word _prestidigitateur_. - - -How my heart beat when I returned to my native town! I felt as if I had -been absent an age, and yet it was only six months. The tears stood in -my eyes as I embraced father and mother: I was stifled with emotion. I -have since made long journeys in foreign countries; I have always -returned to my family safely, but never, I can declare, have I been so -profoundly affected as on this occasion. Perhaps it is the same with -this impression as with so many others, habit at last renders it flat. - -I found my father very quiet on my account, for I had employed a trick -to ease his mind. A watchmaker of my acquaintance had sent him my -letters, as if from Angers, and he had also forwarded me the replies. -Still, I must furnish some reason for my return, and I hesitated about -describing my stay with Torrini. At length, however, urged by that -desire, common to all travellers, of narrating their travelling -impressions, I gave an account of my adventures, even to their minutest -details. - -My mother, frightened, and thinking I was still brain-struck, did not -await the end of my narrative to send for a physician, who reassured -her by stating, what my face indeed confirmed, that I was in a state of -perfect health. - -It may be thought, perhaps, that I have dwelt too long on the events -that followed my poisoning; but I was compelled to do so, for the -experience I acquired from Torrini, his history, and our conversations, -had a considerable influence on my future life. Before that period my -inclination for conjuring was very vague: from that time it gained a -complete mastery over me. - -Still, I was bound to wrestle against this feeling with all my energy, -for it was not presumable that my father, who had unwillingly yielded to -my passion for watchmaking, would be so weak as to let me try a novel -and most singular profession. I could, certainly, take advantage of my -being of age, and my own master; but, besides my unwillingness to grieve -my father, I reflected, too, that as my fortune was very small, I ought -not to risk it without his consent. These reasons induced me to defer, -if not renounce, my plans. - -Besides, my success at Aubusson had not altered my decided opinion about -conjuring, that a man who wishes to be thought capable of performing -incomprehensible things should have attained an age which leaves it to -be supposed that his superiority is the result of lengthened study. The -public may permit a man of forty to deceive them, but they will not bear -it from a young man. - -After a few days devoted to killing the fatted calf, I entered the shop -of a Blois watchmaker, who set me to work cleaning and brushing. As I -have already said, this mechanical and wearisome task reduces the -journeyman watchmaker to the level of an automaton. Each day was spent -in the same monotonous round, here a spring to repair, there a pin to -replace (for cylinder watches were rare at that period,) a chain to -refasten; lastly, after a cursory examination of the works, a turn of -the brush to make all bright again. I am far from wishing to run down -the trade of a repairing watchmaker, and I can always honor the skill -employed in repairing a watch by doing as little as possible. - -Sometimes, it may be remarked, a watch comes back from the mender's in -as bad a state as when it went. It is true, but with whom is the fault? -In my belief, with the public. In the country, more especially, it is -impossible to perform repairs conscientiously, for the public bargain -about their watch or clock as they would do in buying vegetables. The -consequence is, the watchmaker is forced to compound with his -conscience, and the customer loses his money. - -One thing is certain: I did not like the trade, and I was growing -atrociously idle. But if I were cold and indolent as regarded watch -repairing, I felt a devouring need for activity in some other -department. To satisfy this, I gave myself up entirely to an amusement -which delighted me--I became an amateur actor. - -No one, I fancy, can blame me for this; for, among those who read my -confessions, I am sure there is hardly one who has not performed in some -shape. From the boy who recites a speech at the school distribution of -prizes, up to the old gentleman who often accepts the part of "heavy -father" at one of those agreeable parties arranged on long winter -evenings, not one but enjoys the sweet satisfaction of being applauded. -I, too, had this weakness; and, urged on by my travelling recollections, -I wished to appear once more before the public, who had already treated -me so kindly. - -Some young friends joined me in forming a light comedy company, and I -had the pleasure of performing all Perlet's parts in the most -fashionable pieces of the day. Our performance was gratis: hence, I need -not say we had crowded audiences. Of course, too, we were all wonderful -actors--at least, people told us so--and our gratified self-love found -no cause for refusing their praise. - -Unfortunately for our brilliant success, rivalry and wounded feelings, -as so frequently happens, produced discord among us, and at last only -the hair-dresser and candle-snuffer were left of our goodly company. -These two faithful followers, finding themselves thus abandoned, held a -council, and, after mature deliberation, decided that they would accept -each other's resignation, as they could not perform alone. In order to -explain the heroic persistency of these two artistes, I may as well -state they were the only persons paid for their services. - -My father regretted to see me leave work for pleasure, and, in order to -bring me back to healthy ideas, he formed a plan which must have the -double advantage of improving my conduct, and tying me down to his side: -in short, he meant to establish me in business, and make me marry. - -I do not know--or, rather, I will not say--why I declined the latter -proposal, under the pretext that I felt no inclination for marriage. As -for my beginning business, I easily made my father understand that I was -too young even to dream of it. But I had hardly intimated my refusal, -when a very simple circumstance entirely changed my views, and made me -forget all my oaths of fidelity to a certain party. - -The success my acting had met with procured me admission to certain -salons, where I often spent an agreeable evening; for acting went on -here, too, in the shape of charades. - -One evening, we were requested, as usual, to enliven the visitors by one -of our proverbs. I do not remember the word proposed; I only know I was -chosen to fill the part of a bachelor gourmet. I sat down to table, and -while indulging in a meal like those usually served up at a theatre, I -improvised a warm defence of celibacy. This apology was all the more -easy to me, as I needed only to repeat the fine arguments I had employed -to my father about his double proposition. Now, it happened that, among -the persons listening to this description of the blessings of celibacy, -was a young lady of seventeen, who inclined a serious ear to my -arguments against marriage. It was the first time I had met her; so I -could not ascribe any other reason for her fixed attention than her -desire to detect the word. - -A man is always delighted to find an attentive listener, more especially -when it is a pretty young girl: hence, I thought it my bounden duty to -make some polite remarks to her during the course of the evening. A -conversation ensued, and became so interesting, that we had a great deal -still to say to each other when the hour came for separation, and I -believe the regret at parting was not felt by myself alone. - -This simple event was, however, the cause of my marriage with -Mademoiselle Houdin, and this marriage took me to Paris. The reader will -now understand why my name is Robert-Houdin; but I have also to add that -this double name, which I at first assumed to distinguish me from my -numerous homonymes, eventually became my patronymic, by a decision of -the council of state. I may be pardoned for remarking that this favor, -always so difficult to obtain, was granted me in consideration of the -popularity my long and laborious toil had gained me while using that -name. - -My father in-law, M. Houdin, a celebrated watchmaker, was a native of -Blois, and had gone to Paris, as a better field for his talents. He was -now engaged in the wholesale clock trade, while making, with his own -hands, astronomical clocks, chronometers, and regulators. It was agreed -that we should live together, and that I should help him in his -business. - -M. Houdin was quite as fond as myself of everything appertaining to -mechanism, and was thoroughly versed in the subject. Hence, we had long -and interesting conversations on the topic, and at the end of one of -these I confided to him my scheme of setting up a room for the display -of mechanical toys and sleight-of-hand tricks. M. Houdin understood me, -adopted my plans, and urged me to carry on my studies in the path I had -chosen. Proud of the approbation of a man with whose extreme prudence I -was acquainted, I gave myself up seriously, during my leisure hours, to -my favorite exercises, and began by contriving some instruments for my -future cabinet. - -My first care, on arriving at Paris, was to attend a performance of -Comte's, who had long lorded it in his theatre at the Gallery Choiseul. -This celebrated professor was now resting on his laurels, and only -performed once a week. The other evenings were devoted to the -performances of his young actors, who were perfect prodigies. - -Many of my readers will remember his bills, with their singular -announcement of the principal parts performed by M. ARTHUR, aged 5; -MADEMOISELLE ADELINA, aged 4˝; MADEMOISELLE VICTORINE, aged 7; little -VICTOR, aged 6. These baby actors attracted the whole of Paris. - -Comte might have left the stage entirely, and contented himself with -being manager and dry-nurse to these children of Thalia, for he -possessed a very comfortable fortune; but he made it a point to appear -at least once a week, from a double motive: his performances, owing to -their rarity, always exercised a beneficial effect on the receipts; and, -on the other hand, by continuing to act he prevented other professors of -conjuring setting up in opposition to him. - -Comte's tricks were all drawn from the same repertory I knew by heart; -hence they had no great interest for me; still I derived some profit -from attending his performances, for I was enabled to study the -audience. - -I listened attentively to all said around me, and often heard very -judicious remarks. These being generally made by persons not apparently -gifted with great penetration, led me to the conclusion that the -conjurer ought to distrust plain mother wit, and I worked out the -problem to my own satisfaction: "that it is easier to dupe a clever man -than an ignorant one." - -This seems to be a paradox; but I will explain it. - -The ordinary man only sees in conjuring tricks a challenge offered to -his intelligence, and hence representations of sleight-of-hand become to -him a combat in which he determines on conquering. Ever on his guard -against the honeyed words by means of which the illusion is produced, he -hears nothing, and shuts himself up in this inflexible reasoning: - -"The conjurer," he says, "holds in his hand an object, which he pretends -he makes disappear. Well, whatever he may say to distract my attention, -my eyes shall not leave his hand, and the trick cannot be done without -my finding out how he manages it." - -It follows that the conjurer, whose artifices are principally directed -to the mind, must double his address to delude this obstinate -resistance. - -The clever man, on the contrary, when he visits a conjuring performance, -only goes to enjoy the illusions, and, far from offering the performer -the slightest obstacle, he is the first to aid him. The more he is -deceived the more he is pleased, for that is what he paid for. He knows, -too, that these amusing deceptions cannot injure his reputation as an -intelligent man, and hence he yields to the professor's arguments, -follows them through all their developments, and allows himself to be -easily put off the right scent. - -Is not my problem proved? - -Comte was also an object of interesting study to me, both as manager and -as artist. As manager, Comte could have challenged the most skillful to -a comparison, and he was a famous hand at bringing grist to his mill. -The little schemes a manager employs to attract the public and increase -his receipts are tolerably well known; but Comte, for a long time, did -not require to have recourse to them, as his room was always crowded. At -length the day arrived when the benches allowed some elbow room; then he -invented his "family tickets," his "medals," his "reserved boxes for the -prize-holders at schools and colleges," &c., &c. - -The family tickets gave admission to four persons at half price. Though -all Paris was inundated with them, every one into whose hands one of -these tickets came believed himself specially favored by Comte, and none -failed to respond to his appeal. What the manager lost in quality he -amply regained in quantity. - -But Comte did not stop here; he also wished that his _rose-colored -tickets_ (the name he gave his family tickets) should bring him a small -pecuniary profit, as compensation for reduced prices. He therefore -offered each person who presented one of these tickets a copper medal, -on which his name was engraved, and asked in exchange the sum of one -penny. Suppose the ticket-holder declined, he was not admitted, and when -matters came to that pass, people always paid. - -It may be said that a penny was a trifle; but with this trifle Comte -paid for his lights; at least he said so, and he may be believed. - -During the holidays the pink tickets disappeared, and made room for -those reserved for the school prize boys, which were far more productive -than the others, for what parents could deny their sons the acceptance -of M. Comte's invitation, when they could promise themselves the extreme -pleasure of seeing their beloved boys in a box exclusively occupied by -_crowned heads_? The parents, consequently, accompanied their children, -and for a gratis ticket the manager netted six or seven fold the value -of his graceful liberality. - -I could mention many other ways Comte augmented his receipts by, but I -will only allude to one more. - -If you arrived a little late, and the length of the _queue_ made you -fear the places would be all taken, you had only to enter a small café -adjoining the theatre, and opening into the Rue Ventadour. You paid a -trifle more for your cup of coffee or your glass of liqueur, but you -were quite sure that before the public were admitted the waiter would -open a secret door, allowing you to reach the paying-place in comfort -and choose your seat. In fact, Comte's café was a true box-office, -except that the spectator received something in return for the sum -usually charged for reserving seats. - -As artist, Comte possessed the double talent of ventriloquism and -sleight-of-hand. His tricks were performed skillfully and with a good -share of dash, while his performances generally pleased, for the ladies -were treated most gallantly. My readers may judge for themselves from -the following trick, which I believe was his own invention, and which -always pleased me when I saw it. - -This experiment was called "The Birth of the Flowers," and it began with -a short address in the shape of agreeable pleasantry. - -"Ladies," the professor said, "I propose on the present occasion to make -twelve of you disappear from the pit, twenty from the first circle, and -seventy-two from the second." - -After the burst of laughter this pleasantry always produced, Comte -added: "Reassure yourselves, gentlemen; in order not to deprive you of -the most graceful ornament of this room, I will not perform this -experiment till the end of the evening." This compliment, spoken very -modestly, was always excellently received. - -Comte proceeded to perform the trick in this way: - -After sowing seeds in some earth contained in a small cup, he spread -over this earth some burning liquid and covered it with a bell, which, -as he said, was intended to concentrate the heat and stimulate -vegetation. In fact, a few seconds later, a boquet of varied flowers -appeared in the cup. Comte distributed them among the ladies who graced -the boxes, and during this distribution contrived to "plant" the -following graceful remarks: "Madam, I keep a pansy (_pensée_) for -you.--It will be my care, gentlemen, that you find no cares (_soucis_) -here.--Mademoiselle, here is a rose which you have forced to blush with -jealousy." - -Before long the little bouquet was exhausted, but suddenly the -conjurer's hands were liberally filled with flowers. Then with an air -of triumph, he exclaimed, displaying the flowers which had come as if by -enchantment: - -"I promised to metamorphose all these ladies: could I choose a form more -graceful and pleasing? In metamorphosing you all into roses, I am only -offering a copy for the original. Tell me, gentlemen, have I not -succeeded?" - -These gallant words were always greeted by a salvo of applause. - -On another occasion, Comte, while offering a rose and a pansy to a lady, -said: "I find you here, madam, exactly depicted. The rose represents -your freshness and beauty; the pansy your wit and talent." - -He also said, in allusion to the ace of hearts, which he had "passed" on -one of the most beautiful women in the room: "Will you be kind enough, -madam, to lay your hand on your heart? You have only one heart I -presume? Pardon my indiscreet question, but it was necessary; for, -though you have only one heart, you might possess them all." - -Comte was equally gallant towards sovereigns. - -At the end of a performance he gave at the Tuilleries, before Louis -XVIII., he invited his majesty to select a card from the pack. It may be -that chance led the king to draw his majesty of hearts; it may be, -though, that the conjurer's address produced this result. During this -time, a servant placed on an isolated table a vase filled with flowers. - -Comte next took a pistol loaded with powder, in which he inserted the -king of hearts as a wad; then, turning to his august spectator, he -begged him to fix his eye on the vase, as the card would appear just -over it. The pistol was fired, and the bust of Louis XVIII. appeared -among the flowers. - -The King, not knowing how to explain this unexpected result, asked -Comte the meaning of this strange apparition, adding, in a slightly -sarcastic tone, - -"I fancy, sir, that your trick has not ended as you stated." - -"I beg your majesty's pardon," Comte replied, assuming the manner of a -courtier; "I have quite kept my promise. I pledged myself that the king -of hearts should appear on that vase, and I appeal to all Frenchmen -whether that bust does not represent the King of all hearts?" - -It may be easily supposed that this trick was heartily applauded by the -audience. In fact, the _Royal Journal_ of the 20th December, 1814, thus -describes the end of the performance: - -"The whole audience exclaimed, in reply M. Comte, 'We recognise him--it -is he--the king of all hearts! the beloved of the French--of the whole -universe--Louis XVIII., the august grandson of Henri Quatre!' - -"The King, much affected by these warm acclamations, complimented M. -Comte on his skill. - -"'It would be a pity,' he said to him, 'to order such a talented -sorcerer to be burnt alive. You have caused us too much pleasure for us -to cause you pain. Live many years for yourself, in the first place, and -then for us.'" - -But though Comte was so amiable to the ladies, he was pitiless to -gentlemen. It would be a long story were I to describe all the spiteful -allusions and mystifications to which his masculine spectators were -exposed. For instance, there was his ace of heart's trick, which he -ended by producing aces from every part of his victim's body, who knew -not what saint to implore in order to stop this avalanche of cards. -Then, again, there was the ball-headed gentleman who had politely lent -his hat, and received a volley of compliments of the following nature: - -"This article must belong to you," said Comte, drawing a wig from the -hat. "Aha, sir! it appears you are a family man. Here are socks--then a -bib--a chemise--a charming little frock," and as the public laughed -heartily, "on my faith, a goody-two-shoes!" he added producing a pair of -shoes. "Nothing is wanting for the dress--not even the stays and their -laces. I suppose, sir, you thought you could stay my tongue when you -placed that article in your hat." - -Ventriloquism added a great charm to Comte's performances, as it gave -rise to numerous little scenes that produced a striking effect. This -faculty too often suggested to him curious mystifications, the best of -them (if such a thing can ever be good) being reserved for his travels, -when they served as a puff of his performances, and helped to attract -crowds. - -At Tours, for instance, he induced the people to break in four doors, in -order to rescue an unhappy man supposed to be dying of hunger. At Nevers -he renewed the miracle of Balaam's ass, by causing a donkey that was -weary of its master's weight, to lift up its voice in complaint. One -night, too, he caused a profound consternation in a diligence, for a -dozen brigands were heard at the doors shouting, "Money, or your life!" -The terrified passengers hastened to hand their purses and watches to -Comte, who offered to treat with the robbers, and they retired -apparently satisfied with their spoil. The passengers were glad to have -escaped so cheaply, and the next morning, to their still greater -satisfaction, the ventriloquist returned them the tribute they had paid -to their fears, and explained to them the talent by which they had been -duped. - -Another time, at Mâcon fair, he saw a country-woman driving a pig -before her, which could hardly move, so laden was it with fat. - -"What's the price of your pig, my good woman?" - -"A hundred francs, my good looking gentleman, at your service, if you -wish to buy." - -"Of course I wish to buy; but it is a great deal too much: I can offer -you ten crowns." - -"I want one hundred francs, no more and no less: take it or leave it." - -"Stay," Comte said, approaching the animal; "I am sure your pig is more -reasonable than you. Tell me on your conscience, my fine fellow, are you -worth one hundred francs?" - -"You are a long way out," the pig replied, in a hoarse and hollow voice; -"I'm not worth one hundred pence. I am meazled, and my mistress is -trying to take you in." - -The crowd that had assembled round the woman and pig fell back in -terror, fancying them both bewitched, while Comte returned to his hotel, -where the story was told him with sundry additions, and he learned that -some courageous persons had gone up to the woman, begged her to be -exorcised, and thus drive the unclean spirit out of the pig. - -Still, Comte did not always escape so easily; and he almost paid dearly -for a trick he played on some peasants at Fribourg, in Switzerland. -These fanatics took him for a real sorcerer, and attacked with sticks; -and they were even going to throw him into a lime-kiln, had not Comte -escaped by causing a terrible voice to issue from the kiln, which routed -them. - -I will end my account of these amusing adventures with a little -anecdote, in which Comte and myself were in turn mystifier and -mystified. - -The celebrated ventriloquist paid me a visit at the Palais Royal, and I -accompanied him to the foot of the stairs on his departure. Comte walked -down before me, still talking, so that the pockets of his coat were at -my mercy. The opportunity was too good to neglect the chance of playing -a trick on my talented _confrčre_, so I filched his handkerchief and a -handsome gold snuff-box: and I took care to turn the pocket inside out, -as a proof that my performance had been properly executed. - -I was laughing at the comic result my trick must have when I returned -Comte his property; but it was "diamond cut diamond:" for, while I was -thus violating the laws of hospitality, Comte was scheming against me. I -had scarce concealed the handkerchief and box, when I heard a strange -voice on the first floor landing. - -"Monsieur Robert-Houdin, will you be kind enough to step up to the -box-office: I wish to speak to you." - -My readers will guess that the ventriloquist had played me a trick; -indeed, on reaching the office, I only found the clerk, who could not -understand what I was talking about. I perceived, too late that I was -victimised, and I heard Comte celebrating his victory by shouts of -laughter. For a moment, I confess I felt vexed at having been taken in, -but I soon regained my equanimity on thinking I might have the best of -it yet. So I went down stairs very calmly. - -"What did that person want?" Comte asked, with ill-repressed delight. - -"Can't you guess?" - -"I?--no." - -"It was a penitent thief, who begged me to return you the articles he -had filched from you. Here they are, my master!" - -"I prefer it to end so!" Comte said, returning his pocket to its place. -"We are now quits, and I hope we shall always be good friends." - -From all the preceding remarks it may be concluded that the fundamental -principles of Comte's performances were mystifying gentlemen (sovereigns -excepted), complimenting ladies, and jesting with everybody. Comte was -right in employing these means, as he generally gained his object; for -he delighted and raised a laugh. At this period French manners justified -such behavior, and the professor, by flattering the taste and instincts -of the public, was sure to please. - -There has been a great change since, and puns are no longer held in such -esteem; banished from good society, they have sought refuge in studios, -when the pupils too often make an immoderate use of them, and though -they may be permitted now and then among intimate friends, they are not -proper in a performance of sleight-of-hand. The reason is very simple: -not only do puns raise a belief that the artist fancies himself a wit, -which may be injurious to him, but, if he succeed in raising a laugh, it -weakens the interest felt in his experiments. - -It is a recognised fact that, in those performances where imagination -plays the chief part, "astonishment is a hundred-fold better than a -silly laugh;" for, though the mind may remember what has delighted it, -laughter leaves no trace on the memory. - -Symbolical or complimentary language is also completely out of fashion, -at least the age does not err in excess of gallantry, and "musky" -compliments would be badly received in public. I have always thought, -too, that ladies visit a performance like mine in order to refresh their -minds, and not to be put in evidence themselves. They possibly prefer to -remain simple lookers-on rather than expose themselves to florid -compliments. - -As for mystification, a more powerful pen than mine must undertake its -apology. - -In saying this, I have no wish to cast censure on Comte. I am writing at -this moment in accordance with the spirit of my age; Comte acted in -accordance with his; we both succeeded, though differing in our -treatment, and this only proves that "all styles are good except that -which is wearisome." - -These performances of Comte's, however, inflamed my imagination; I only -dreamed of theatres, conjuring, mechanism, automata, &c.; I was -impatient to take my place among the adepts of magic, and make myself a -name in the marvellous art. The time I required in forming a -determination seemed to me so much stolen from my future success. My -success! I did not know what trials I should undergo ere I merited it. I -had no suspicion of the toil, the care, and trouble which I should have -to pay for it. - -Still, I resolved on continuing my studies of automata and instruments -suited to produce magical illusions. Though I had seen many of them -while with Torrini, I had many more to learn, for the stock of conjuring -tricks in those days was enormous. Fortunately I found an opportunity of -materially abridging my studies. - -I had noticed, while passing along the Rue Richelieu, a modest little -shop, in front of which conjuring apparatus was exposed for sale. This -was a piece of good luck, so I bought some of the things, and while -paying repeated visits to the master of the shop, under pretext of -asking information, I got into his good graces, and he grew to look on -me as a friend. - -Father Roujol (such was his name) was perfectly acquainted with his -trade, and he held the confidence of every conjurer of note; hence, he -could give me much valuable information, so I became more polite than -ever, and the worthy man soon initiated me into all his mysteries. But -my repeated visits to the shop had another object as well, for I wished -to meet some of the masters of the art who could increase my knowledge. - -Unfortunately, my old friend's shop was not so visited as before. The -revolution of 1830 had turned persons' ideas to more serious matters -than "physical amusements," and the greater number of conjurers had -wandered into strange countries. Old Roujol's good times had, therefore, -passed away, which rendered him very gloomy. - -"Things are not as they used to be," he would say, "and it might really -be fancied the jugglers had juggled themselves away, for I don't see a -single one. Will the time ever return," he added, "when the Duc de -M---- did not disdain to visit my humble shop, and remain here for hours -talking to me and my numerous visitors. Ah, that was a time! when all -the first conjurers and amateurs formed a brilliant club here; for each -of these masters, desirous of proving his superiority over the others, -showed his best tricks and his utmost skill." - -I felt the old gentleman's regret equally with himself, for I should -have revelled in such society, as I would have walked any time twenty -leagues for the sake of talking with a professor. Still, I had the luck -to form here the acquaintance of Jules de Rovčre, the first to employ a -title now generally given to fashionable conjurers. Being of noble -birth, he desired a title in accordance with it; but, as he had rejected -with disdain the vulgar name of _escamoteur_, and as, too, that of -_physicien_ was frequently used by his rivals, he was compelled to -create a title for himself. - -One day the pompous title of "PRESTIDIGITATEUR" was visible on an -enormous poster, which also condescended to supply the derivation of -this breath-stopping word, _presto digiti_ (activity of the fingers). -Then came the details of the performance, intermingled with Latin -quotations, which must attract the attention of the public by evidencing -the learning of the conjurer--I beg pardon, prestidigitator. - -This word, as well as _prestidigitation_, due to the same author, were -soon seized upon by Jules de Rovčre's rivals, who liked a good mouthful -too. The Academy itself followed this example by sanctioning the -formation of the word, and thus handing it down to posterity. I am bound -to add, though, that this word, originally so pompous, is no longer a -distinction, for, as the most humble jugglers were at liberty to -appreciate it, it follows that conjuring and prestidigitation have -become synonymous. The conjurer who requires a title should seek it in -his own merit, and recognise the sound truth that "it is better for a -man to honor his profession than to be honored by it." For my own part, -I never made any distinction between the two names, and I shall employ -them indiscriminately, until some new Jules de Rovčre arrive to enrich -the Dictionary of the French Academy. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - Celebrated Automata--A Brazen Fly--The Artificial Man--Albertus - Magnus and St. Thomas d'Aquinas--Vaucanson--His Duck--His - Flute-Player--Curious Details--The Automaton - Chess-Player--Interesting Episode--Catherine II. and M. de - Kempelen--I repair the Componium--Unexpected Success. - - -Owing to my persevering researches I had nothing left to learn in -conjuring; but, in order to carry out my scheme, I had to study the -principles of a science on which I greatly depended for the success of -my future performances. I allude to the science, or rather art, of -making automata. - -While occupied with this idea I made active investigations; I applied to -the public libraries and their keepers, whom my tenacious importunity -drove into despair. But all the information I collected only brought me -descriptions of mechanical toys, far less ingenious than certain -playthings of the present day, or absurd statements of chefs-d'oeuvre -published in the dark ages. My readers may judge from the following: - -I found, in a work bearing the title "Apologie pour les Grands Homines -Accusés de Magie," that "Jean de Montroyal presented to the Emperor -Charles V. an iron fly, which made a solemn circuit round its inventor's -head, and then reposed from its fatigue on his arm." Such a fly is -rather extraordinary, yet I have something better to tell my -readers--still about a fly. - -Gervais, Chancellor to the Emperor Otho III., in his book entitled "Otia -Imperatoris," informs us that "the sage Virgilius, Bishop of Naples, -made a brass fly, which he placed on one of the city gates, and that -this mechanical fly, trained like a shepherd's dog, prevented any other -fly entering Naples; so much so, that during eight years the meat -exposed for sale in the market was never once tainted." - -How much should we regret that this marvellous automaton has not -survived to our day? How the butchers, and still more their customers, -would thank the learned bishop! Pass we to another marvel: - -Francis Picus relates that "Roger Bacon, aided by Thomas Bungey, his -brother in religion, after having rendered their bodies equal and -tempered by chemistry, employed the Speculum Amuchesi to construct a -brazen head which should tell them if there were any mode of enclosing -the whole of England by a high wall. They forged at it for seven years -without relaxation, but misfortune willed it that when the head spoke -the two monks did not hear it, as they were engaged on something else." - -I have asked myself a hundred times how the two intrepid blacksmiths -knew the head had spoken, when they were not present to hear it. I never -discovered any other solution than this: it was, doubtlessly, _because -their bodies were equalized and tempered by chemistry_. - -But here is a far more astounding marvel. - -Tostat, in his "Commentaires sur l'Enode," states that "Albertus Magnus, -Provincial of the Dominicans, at Cologne, constructed a brass man, which -he worked at continually for thirty years. This work was performed -_under various constellations_ and _according to the laws of -perspective_." - -When the sun was in the sign of the Zodiac the eyes of this automaton -melted metals, on which the characters of the same sign were traced. -This intelligent machine was equally gifted with motion and speech, and -it revealed to Albertus Magnus some of his most important secrets. -Unfortunately, St. Thomas Aquinas, Albertus's pupil, taking this statue -for the handiwork of the devil, smashed it with a big stick. - -As a finale to these fables, which are well fitted to figure among the -marvels performed by Perrault's fairies, I will quote from page 252 of -the "Journal des Savants" for 1677: "The artificial man of Reysolius, a -statue so resembling the human form, that, with the exception of the -operations of the soul, everything that takes place in the body may be -witnessed." - -What a pity the mechanician stopped so soon! for it would have cost him -so little, while making so exquisite a resemblance to the fairest work -of the Creator, to add to his automaton a soul moving by clockwork! - -This quotation does much honor to the savants who accepted the -responsibility of such a statement, and is a further proof how history -is written. - -It may be easily supposed these works furnished me no guide to the art I -so much wished to study; and although I continued my inquiries, I only -attained the unsatisfactory result that nothing serious had been written -on the subject of automata. - -"What!" I said to myself, "can it be possible that the marvellous -science which raised Vaucanson's name so high--the science whose -ingenious combinations can animate inert matter, and impart to it a -species of existence--is the only one without its archives?" - -When about to give up the subject in despair, I stumbled on a memoir of -the inventor of the "Automaton Duck." This memoir, bearing date 1738, is -addressed by the author to the members of the Academy of Sciences. In it -will be found a learned description of his flute-player, as well as a -report of the Academy, which I here transcribe. - - _Extract from the Registers of the Royal Academy of Sciences for - April 30, 1738_: - - "The Academy, after hearing M. de Vaucanson's memoir read, - containing a description of a wooden statue, copied from Coysvoix's - marble fawn, which plays twelve different airs on a German flute - with a precision deserving of public attention, was of opinion that - this machine was extremely ingenious; that the inventor had - employed novel and simple means both to give the fingers the - necessary motion and to modify the wind entering the flute, by - augmenting or diminishing its velocity, according to the various - tones; by varying the arrangement of the lips, and setting a valve - in motion to perform the functions of the tongue; lastly, by - artificially imitating all that a man is obliged to do; and that, - in addition, M. de Vaucanson's memoir possessed all the clearness - and perception such matter is capable of, proving the intelligence - of the author, and his great knowledge of the different branches of - mechanism. In confirmation of which I have signed the present - certificate. - -FONTENELLE, -"Perpetual Secretary, Royal Academy of Sciences. - - "Paris, May 3, 1738." - -After this report comes a letter of Vaucanson's, addressed to the Abbé -D. F., in which he informs him of his intention of presenting to the -public on Easter Monday-- - -1. A player of the German flute. - -2. A player of the tambourine. - -3. An artificial duck. - -"In this duck," the celebrated automatist writes, "will be noticed the -mechanism of the viscera, intended to perform the functions of eating, -drinking and digesting. The action of all the parts is exactly imitated. -The bird puts out its head to take up the seed, swallows it, digests it, -and evacuates it by the ordinary channels. - -"All thoughtful persons will understand the difficulty of making my -automaton perform so many different movements, as when it stands on its -legs and moves its head to the right and left. They will also see that -this animal drinks, dabbles with its bill, quacks like the living duck, -and, in short, is precisely similar in every respect." - -I was the more surprised at the contents of the memoir, as it was the -first trustworthy information I had gained about automata. The -description of the flute player gave me a high opinion of the inventor's -talent; but I much regretted finding so short an account of the -mechanical combinations of the duck. - -For a time, I contented myself with admiring and believing in the great -master's work, but, in 1844, Vaucanson's duck was exhibited in a room at -the Palais Royal.[B] Of course I was one of the first to visit it, and -was much struck by its skillful and learned formation. Some time after, -one of the wings having been injured, the duck was sent to me to repair, -and I was initiated into the famous mystery of digestion. To my great -surprise, I found that the illustrious master had not disdained to have -recourse to a trick which a conjurer would have been proud of. The -digestion, so pompously announced in the memoir, was only a -mystification--a real _canard_, in fact. Decidedly, Vaucanson was not -only my master in mechanism, but I must bow before his genius for -juggling. - -The trick was as simple as it was interesting. A vase, containing seed -steeped in water, was placed before the bird. The motion of the bill in -dabbling crushed the food, and facilitated its introduction into a pipe -placed beneath the lower bill. The water and seed thus swallowed fell -into a box placed under the bird's stomach, which was emptied every -three or four days. The other part of the operation was thus effected: -Bread-crumb, colored green, was expelled by a forcing pump, and -carefully caught on a silver salver as the result of artificial -digestion. This was handed round to be admired, while the ingenious -trickster laughed in his sleeve at the credulity of the public. But, -before leaving this subject, I must give a short biographical notice of -this illustrious man. - -Jacques de Vaucanson was born at Grenôble on the 24th February, 1709, of -a noble family, and his taste for mechanism was developed at an early -age. In 1730, the flute-player at the Tuilleries suggested to him the -idea of constructing on this model an automaton which should really play -the flute, and he spent four years in perfecting it. The story runs that -Vaucanson's valet was the only person acquainted with his secret, and at -the first notes produced by the flute-player, the faithful servant fell -at his master's feet, as if he were more than mortal, and they embraced -with tears of joy. - -The duck and tambourine-player soon followed, and were chiefly intended -to speculate on public curiosity. Though noble by birth, Vaucanson -exhibited his automata at the fair of Saint Germain and at Paris, where -his receipts were enormous. He is also said to have invented a loom on -which a donkey worked cloth; this he made in revenge upon the -silk-weavers of Lyons, who had stoned him because he attempted to -simplify the ordinary loom. We also owe to Vaucanson a chain that still -bears his name, and a machine to make meshes of equal size. - -It is also said he invented for the performance of Marmontel's -_Cleopatra_, an asp which fastened itself with a hiss on the bosom of -the actress who played the principal character. On the first performance -of the tragedy, a jester, more struck by the hissing of the automaton -than by the beauty of the tragedy, exclaimed, "I am of the asp's -opinion!" - -This illustrious mechanician retained all his activity to the last -moment of his life. While dangerously ill, he devoted himself to his -machine for making his endless chain. - -"Do not lose a minute," he said to his workmen; "I fear I may not live -long enough to explain my idea thoroughly." - -Eight days later, on the 21st of November, 1782, he died, at the age of -seventy-three; but, before leaving this world, he had the consolation of -seeing his machine at work. - -One piece of good luck never arrives without another; thus, in 1844, I -also saw at the house of a mechanician of the name of Cronier, at -Belleville, the famous _chess-player_, who defeated the whole chess -world. I never saw it at work, but since then I have received some -information about the automaton of a certain degree of interest, and I -trust my readers will feel the same surprise as I did when I heard it. - -My story commences in Russia: the first division of Poland in 1792 had -produced a certain fermentation, the effects of which were felt some -years later. In 1796, a revolt broke out in a half-Russian, half-Polish -regiment stationed at Riga, at the head of the rebels being an officer -of the name of Worousky, a man of great talent and energy. He was of -short stature, but well built; and he exercised such influence, that the -troops sent to suppress the revolt were beaten back with considerable -loss. However, reinforcements came from St. Petersburg, and the -insurgents were defeated in a pitched battle. A great number perished, -and the rest took to flight across the marshes, where the soldiers -pursued them, with orders to grant no quarter. - -In this rout Worousky had both thighs shattered by a cannon-ball, and -fell on the battle-field; however, he escaped from the general massacre -by throwing himself into a ditch behind a hedge. At nightfall, Worousky -dragged himself along with great difficulty to the adjacent house of a -physician of the name of Osloff, whose benevolence was well known, and -the doctor, moved by his sufferings, attended upon, and promised to -conceal him. His wound was serious, but the doctor felt confident of -curing him, until gangrene set in, and his life could only be saved at -the cost of half his body. The amputation was successful, and Worousky -saved. - -During this time, M. de Kempelen, a celebrated Viennese mechanician, -came to Russia to pay a visit to M. Osloff, with whom he had been long -acquainted. He was travelling about to learn foreign languages, the -study of which he afterwards displayed in his splendid work on the -"Mechanism of Words," published at Vienna in 1791. M. de Kempelen -stopped a short time in every country the language of which he desired -to learn, and his aptitude was so great that he acquired it very -speedily. - -This visit was the more agreeable to the doctor, as for some time he had -been alarmed as to the consequences of the noble action he had -performed; he feared being compromised if it were found out, and his -embarrassment was extreme, for, living alone with an old housekeeper, he -had no one to consult or help him. Hence, he told M. de Kempelen his -secret, and begged his aid. Though at first startled by sharing such a -secret--for he knew that a reward was offered for the insurgent chief, -and that the act of humanity he was about to help in might send him to -Siberia--still, M. de Kempelen, on seeing Worousky's mutilated body, -felt moved with compassion, and began contriving some plan to secure his -escape. - -Dr. Osloff was a passionate lover of chess, and had played numerous -games with his patient during his tardy convalescence; but Worousky was -so strong at the game that the doctor was always defeated. Then Kempelen -joined the doctor in trying to defeat the skillful player, but it was of -no use; Worousky was always the conqueror. His superiority gave M. de -Kempelen the idea of the famous Automaton Chess-player. In an instant -his plan was formed, and he sat to work immediately. The most remarkable -circumstance is, that this wonderful chef-d'oeuvre, which astonished -the whole world, was invented and finished with three months. - -M. de Kempelen was anxious his host should make the first essay of his -automaton; so, he invited him to play a game on the 10th of October, -1796. The automaton represented a Turk of the natural size, wearing the -national costume, and seated behind a box of the shape of a chest of -drawers. In the middle of the top of the box was a chess-board. - -Prior to commencing the game, the artist opened several doors in the -chest, and M. Osloff could see inside a large number of wheels, pulleys, -cylinders, springs, &c., occupying the larger part. At the same time, he -opened a long drawer, from which he produced the chessmen and a cushion, -on which the Turk was to rest his arm. This examination ended, the robe -of the automaton was raised, and the interior of the body could also be -inspected. - -The doors being then closed, M. de Kempelen wound up one of the wheels -with a key he inserted in a hole in the chest; after which the Turk, -with a gentle nod of salutation, placed his hand on one of the pieces, -raised it, deposited it on another square, and laid his arm on the -cushion before him. The inventor had stated that, as the automaton could -not speak, it would signify check to the king by three nods, and to the -queen by two. - -The doctor moved in his turn, and waited patiently till his adversary, -whose movements had all the dignity of the Sultan he represented, had -moved. The game, though slow at first, soon grew animated, and the -doctor found he had to deal with a tremendous opponent; for, in spite of -all his efforts to defeat the figure, his game was growing quite -desperate. It is true, though, that for some minutes past, the doctor's -attention had appeared to be distracted, and one idea seemed to occupy -him. But while hesitating whether he should impart his thoughts to his -friend, the figure gave three nods. The game was over. - -"By Jove!" the loser said, with a tinge of vexation, which the sight of -the inventor's smiling face soon dispelled, "if I were not certain -Worousky is at this moment in bed, I should believe I had been playing -with him. His head alone is capable of inventing such a checkmate. And -besides," said the doctor, looking fixedly at M. de Kempelen, "can you -tell me why your automaton plays with the left hand, just like -Worousky?"[C] - -The mechanician began laughing, and not wishing to prolong this -mystification, the prelude to so many others, he confessed to his friend -that he had really been playing with Worousky. - -"But where the deuce have you put him, then?" the doctor said, looking -round to try and discover his opponent. - -The inventor laughed heartily. - -"Well! do you not recognize me?" the Turk exclaimed, holding out his -left hand to the doctor in reconciliation, while Kempelen raised the -robe, and displayed the poor cripple stowed away in the body of the -automaton. - -M. Osloff could no longer keep his countenance, and he joined the others -in their laughter. But he was the first to stop, for he wanted an -explanation. - -"But how do you manage to render Worousky invisible?" - -M. de Kempelen then explained how he concealed the living automaton -before it entered the Turk's body. - -"See here!" he said, opening the chest, "these wheels, pulleys and -cranks occupying a portion of the chest, are only a deception. The -frames that support them are hung on hinges, and can be turned back to -leave space for the player while you were examining the body of the -automaton." - -"When this inspection was ended, and as soon as the robe was allowed to -fall, Worousky entered the Turk's body we have just examined, and, while -I was showing you the box and the machinery, he was taking his time to -pass his arms and hands into those of the figure. You can understand -that, owing to the size of the neck, which is hidden by the broad and -enormous collar, he can easily pass his head into this mask, and see the -chess-board. I must add, that when I pretend to wind up the machine, it -is only to drown the sound of Worousky's movements." - -"Very good, then," the doctor replied, to show he perfectly understood -the plan; "while I was examining the chest, my confounded Worousky was -in the Turk's body, and when the robe was lifted, he had passed into the -chest. I frankly allow," M. Osloff added, "that I was done by this -ingenious arrangement; but I console myself with the idea that cleverer -persons than I will be deceived." - -The three friends were the more delighted by the result of this private -rehearsal, as this instrument furnished an excellent means of escape for -the poor prisoner, and at the same time assured him a livelihood. The -same evening the road by which the frontier should be reached was agreed -on, as well as the precautions to be taken during the journey. It was -also arranged that, in order to arouse no suspicions, performances -should be given in all the towns they passed through, beginning with -Toula, Kalouga, Smolensk, &c. - -A month later, Worousky, now entirely recovered, gave a first specimen -of his marvellous skill to a numerous audience at Toula. I possess a -copy of the original bill, which was given me by M. Hessler, nephew of -Dr. Osloff, who also supplied me with all these details. Worousky won -every game he played at Toula, and the papers were full of praises of -the automaton. Assured of success by the brilliancy of their début, M. -de Kempelen and his companion proceeded towards the frontier. - -It was necessary that Worousky should be concealed from sight somewhere -even when travelling; hence he was literally packed up. The enormous -chest in which the automaton was conveyed only travelled very slowly, -apparently through fear of breaking the machinery, but in reality to -protect the skillful chess-player who was shut up in it, while air-holes -were made in the side of this singular post-chaise to enable Worousky to -breathe. - -The poor cripple endured all this inconvenience calmly, in the hope of -soon being out of reach of the Muscovite police, and arriving safe and -sound at the end of this painful journey. The fatigue, it must be -granted, was considerably alleviated by the enormous receipts they -netted by the exhibition. - -Our travellers had arrived at Vitebsk, on the road to the Prussian -frontier, when one morning Kempelen rushed into the room where Worousky -was concealed. - -"A frightful misfortune hangs over us," the mechanician said, in a -terrible state of alarm, and showing a letter dated St. Petersburg. -"Heaven knows how we shall escape it! The Empress Catherine, having -heard through the papers of the automaton's wonderful talent, desires to -play a game with it, and requests me to bring it straight to the -imperial palace. We must hit on some plan to evade this dangerous -honor." - -To Kempelen's extreme surprise, Worousky heard this great news very -calmly, and even seemed to be pleased at it. - -"Refuse such a visit!--by no means: the wishes of the Czarina are orders -which cannot be infringed without peril; we must, therefore, obey her as -quickly as possible. Your zeal will have the double effect of gaining -her favor, and removing any suspicions that might arise about your -automaton. Besides," the bold soldier added, with a degree of pride, "I -confess I should like to find myself face to face with the great -Catherine, and show her that the head on which she set the price of a -few roubles is, under certain circumstances, as good as her own." - -"Madman that you are!" M. de Kempelen exclaimed, startled by the -excitement of the impetuous insurgent. "Remember, that we may be -discovered, and you will lose your life, while I shall be sent to -Siberia." - -"Impossible!" Worousky quietly replied; "your ingenious machine has -already deceived so many skillful persons, that I am convinced we shall -soon have one dupe more. Besides, what a glorious reminiscence, what an -honor it will be to us, if we can say some day that the Empress -Catherine II., the haughty Czarina, whom her courtiers proclaim the most -intellectual person in her vast empire, was deceived by your genius, and -conquered by me!" - -Kempelen, though not sharing Worousky's enthusiasm, was obliged to -yield. Hence, they set off without further argument; the journey was -very long and fatiguing, but Kempelen did not quit his companion for a -moment, and did all in his power to ameliorate his position. At length -they reached their journey's end, but though they had travelled as fast -as they could, Catherine, on receiving Kempelen, appeared rather angry. - -"My roads must be very bad, sir, if you require fifteen days to travel -from Vitebsk to St. Petersburg." - -"Will your majesty," the crafty mechanician replied, "allow me to make a -confession which will serve as my excuse?" - -"Do so," Catherine replied, "provided it be not a confession of the -incapacity of your marvellous machine." - -"On the contrary, I would confess that, being aware of your majesty's -skill at chess, I desired to offer you a worthy opponent. Hence, before -starting, I made some additions which were indispensable for so -important a game." - -"Ah!" the empress said, with a smile, smoothed down by this flattering -explanation. "And you fancy these new arrangements will enable your -automaton to beat me?" - -"I should be much surprised were it otherwise." - -"Well, we shall see, sir," the empress continued, nodding her head -ironically. "But," she added, in the same tone, "when will you bring my -terrible opponent before me?" - -"Whenever your majesty may please." - -"If that is the case, I am so impatient to measure my strength with the -conqueror of the most skillful players in my country, that I will -receive him this very evening in my library. Put up your machine there, -and at eight o clock I will join you. Be punctual!" - -Kempelen took leave of Catherine, and hastened to make his preparations -for the evening. Worousky was delighted at the prospect of amusing the -empress; but although Kempelen was resolved to risk the adventure, he -wished to take all possible precautions, so that he might have a way of -escape in case of danger. Hence, he had the automaton carried to the -palace in the same chest in which it travelled. - -When eight o'clock struck, the empress, accompanied by a numerous suite, -entered the library and took her place at the chess-board. - -I have forgotten to say that Kempelen never allowed any one to pass -behind the automaton, and would not consent to begin the game till all -the spectators were in front of the board. - -The court took their places behind the empress, unanimously predicting -the defeat of the automaton. The chest and the Turk's body were then -examined, and when all were perfectly convinced they contained nothing -but the clockwork I have already mentioned, the game began. It proceeded -for some time in perfect silence, but Catherine's frowning brow speedily -revealed that the automaton was not very gallant towards her, and fully -deserved the reputation it had gained. The skillful Mussulman captured a -bishop and a knight, and the game was turning much to the disadvantage -of the lady, when the Turk, suddenly forgetting his dignified gravity, -gave a violent blow on his cushion, and pushed back a piece his -adversary had just moved. - -Catherine II. had attempted to cheat; perhaps to try the skill of the -automaton, or for some other reason. At any rate the haughty empress, -unwilling to confess her weakness, replaced the piece on the same -square, and regarded the automaton with an air of imperious authority. -The result was most unexpected--the Turk upset all the pieces with a -blow of his hand, and immediately the clock work, which had been heard -during the whole game, stopped. It seemed as if the machinery had got -out of repair. Pale and trembling, M. de Kempelen, recognising in this -Worousky's impetuous temper, awaited the issue of this conflict between -the insurgent and his sovereign. - -"Ah, ah! my good automaton! your manners, are rather rough," the empress -said, good humoredly, not sorry to see a game she had small chance of -winning end thus. "Oh! you are a famous player, I grant; but you were -afraid of losing the game, and so prudently upset the pieces. Well, I am -now quite convinced of your skill and your violent character." - -M. de Kempelen began to breathe again, and regaining courage, tried to -remove the unfavorable impression which the little respect shown by the -automaton must have produced. Hence he said, humbly, - -"Will your majesty allow me to offer an explanation of what has just -happened?" - -"By no means, M. de Kempelen," Catherine said, heartily--"by no means; -on the contrary, I find it most amusing, and your automaton pleases me -so much that I wish to purchase it. I shall thus always have near me a -player, somewhat quick perhaps, but yet able to hold his own. You can -leave it here to-night, and come to-morrow morning to arrange the -price." - -There is strong reason to believe that Catherine wished to commit an -indiscretion when she evinced a desire that the figure should remain at -the palace till the next morning. Fortunately, the skillful mechanician -managed to baffle her feminine curiosity by carrying Worousky off in the -big chest. The automaton remained in the library, but the player was no -longer there. - -The next day Catherine renewed her proposition to purchase the -chess-player, but Kempelen made her understand that, as the figure could -not perform without him, he could not possibly sell it. The empress -allowed the justice of these arguments; and, while complimenting the -mechanician on his invention, made him a handsome present. - -Three months after the automaton was in England, under the management of -Mr. Anthon, to whom Kempelen had sold it. I know not if Worousky was -still attached to it, but I fancy so, owing to the immense success the -chess-player met with. Mr. Anthon visited the whole of Europe, always -meeting with the same success; but, at his death, the celebrated -automaton was purchased by Maëlzel, who embarked with it for New York. -It was then, probably, Worousky took leave of his hospitable Turk, for -the automaton was not nearly so successful in America. After exhibiting -his mechanical trumpeter and chess-player for some time, Maëlzel set out -again for France, but died on the passage of an attack of indigestion. -His heirs sold his apparatus, and thus Cronier obtained his precious -relic. - -My fortunate star again furnished me with an excellent occasion for -continuing my studies. A Prussian of the name of Koppen exhibited at -Paris, about the year 1829, an instrument known as the Componium. It was -a perfect mechanical orchestra, playing operatic overtures with -remarkable precision and effect, and it owed its name to the -circumstance that, by means of truly marvellous arrangements, this -instrument improvised charming variations without ever repeating itself. -It was asserted to be as difficult to hear the same variation twice, as -to find two similar quaternes drawn in succession at a lottery. - -The Componium was enormously successful, but at last public curiosity -was exhausted, and it was withdrawn, after bringing in the owner one -hundred thousand francs clear profit in a year. This amount, whether -correct or not, was adroitly published, and some time after the -instrument was put up for sale. A speculator by the name of D----, -seduced by the hope of obtaining equally large receipts in a foreign -country, bought the instrument, and took it to England. Unfortunately -for D----, at the moment when this goose with the golden eggs arrived in -London, George IV. died; the court went into mourning, and no one -visited the instrument. In order to avoid useless expense, D---- -thought it prudent to give up a scheme commenced under such evil -auspices, and determined on returning to Paris. The Componium was -consequently taken to pieces, packed up and carried to France. - -D----, hoped the instrument would enter duty free, but, on leaving -France, he had omitted some formality indispensable before obtaining -this favor. The Customs stopped it, and he was obliged to refer the case -to the Minister of Trade. While awaiting his decision, the chests were -deposited in damp ware-rooms, and it was not till the end of the year, -and after numberless formalities and difficulties, that the instrument -returned to Paris. - -This will give an idea of the state of disorder, confusion and damage in -which the Componium was left. - -Discouraged by the ill success of his trip to England, D---- resolved on -selling his mechanical improviser, but, before doing so, he cast about -for a mechanician who would undertake to put it in working order. I have -forgotten to state that, on the sale of the Componium, M. Koppen had -handed over with it a very clever German workman, who was, as it were, -the driver of this gigantic instrument. This person, finding he must sit -with his hands before him during the interminable formalities of the -French Customs, thought he could not do better than return home. - -The repair of the Componium was a tedious business--a work of -perserverance and research--for, as its arrangement had always been kept -secret, no one could supply the least information. D---- himself, having -no notion of mechanism, could not be of the slightest use, so the -workman must only depend on his own ideas. - -I heard the matter talked about, and, urged by a probably too flattering -opinion of myself, or rather dazzled by the glory of executing such a -splendid job, I offered to undertake the immense repairs. - -I was laughed at: the confession is humiliating, but perfectly truthful. -I must say, too, that it was justifiable, for I was only known at that -time as an humble workman, and it was feared that, far from making the -instrument act properly, I should cause still greater injury, while -trying to repair it. However, as D---- met with no better offer, and I -offered to deposit a sum, to be forfeited in the event of my doing any -injury, he eventually yielded to my wishes. - -It will be allowed that I was a very conscientious workman; but, in -reality, I acted for my own benefit, as this undertaking, by supplying -me with an interesting object of study, would prove a perfect lesson in -mechanism for me. - -As soon as my offer was accepted, all the boxes in which the componium -was packed were carried into a large room I used as workshop, and -emptied, pell-mell, into sheets, spread for the purpose, on the ground. - -When alone, and I saw this heap of rusty iron, these myriads of parts, -whose meaning I did not understand, this orchestra of instruments of -every size and shape, such as cornets, bugles, hautboys, flutes, -clarionets, bassoons, organ pipes, big drum, triangle, cymbals, &c., all -arranged in sizes, according to the chromatic scale, I was so frightened -by the difficulty of my task, that I was quite annihilated for several -hours. - -To better understand my mad presumption, which only my passion for -mechanics and my love of the marvellous can excuse, I must add that I -never even saw the componium performing; hence, all was an unknown -country for me. Add to this, that the greater portion of the works were -covered with rust and verdigris. - -Seated in the midst of this musical chaos, with my head resting in my -hands, I asked myself a hundred times this simple question, "Where shall -I begin?" and then my imagination was quite paralysed. One morning, -however, finding myself well disposed, and feeling the influence of the -Hippocratic axiom, "Mens sana in corpore sano," I felt disgusted at my -long sloth, and rushed headforemost at my immense task. - -If my readers were only mechanicians, how willingly would I describe to -them all my trials, attempts, and studies! With what pleasure I would -explain the skillful and ingenious combinations that arose successively -from this chaos! But as I fancy I can see my readers turning over my -pages to seek the end of a chapter that is growing too serious, I will -check my inclination, and content myself with stating that, for a whole -year, I proceeded from the known to the unknown, in solving this -inextricable problem, and one day I had the happiness of seeing my -labors crowned with complete success. The componium--a new -phoenix--had risen from its ashes. - -This unexpected success gained me the greatest praise, and D---- bade me -name my own price; but I would not accept anything beyond my actual -outlay, feeling amply repaid by such a glorious result. And yet, however -high my reward might have been, it would not have repaid me what this -task, which overtasked my strength, eventually cost me. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - An Inventor's Calculations--One Hundred Thousand Francs a Year by - an Inkstand: Deception--My new Automata--The First Magician in - France: Decadence--I meet Antonio--Bosco--The Trick with the - Cups--An Execution--Resurrection of the Criminals--Mistake in a - Head--The Canary rewarded. - - -My sleepless nights, my incessant toil, and, above all, the feverish -agitations resulting from all the emotions of such an arduous -undertaking, had undermined my health. A brain-fever attacked me, and -though I recovered from it, it was only to pass five long years in -listlessness and vacuity. My mind seemed quite gone: I felt no passion, -no love, no interest, even in the arts I had so delighted in: conjuring -and mechanism only existed for me in the shape of recollections. - -But this illness, which had mastered the faculty of Paris, could not -resist the refreshing air of the country, where I retired for six -months, and when I returned to Paris, I was a new man. With what joy I -saw again my beloved tools! With what ardor I reassumed my work! for I -had to regain not only the lost time, but also the enormous expenses -incurred by my long illness. - -My modest fortune was for the moment sensibly diminished, but on this -point I was case-hardened; for would not my future performances fill up -all these losses, and insure me a handsome fortune? Thus I discounted an -uncertain future; but, after all, do not all inventors like to convert -their schemes into ingots? - -Perhaps, too, I unconsciously yielded to the influence of one of my -friends, an extraordinary projector, whom mistakes and deceptions never -hindered forming fresh schemes. Our manner of calculating the future had -considerable affinity. But I must do him this justice: however high my -estimate might be, he was far superior to me in that respect. Here is an -instance to judge by. - -One day this friend called upon me, and showing me an inkstand of his -invention, which combined the double merit of being safe from upset, and -of always keeping the ink at the same level, said, - -"At last, my lad, I have hit it; this invention will make a revolution -in the writing world, and allow me to walk about like a gentleman, with -a hundred thousand francs a year--at the very lowest, understand me. But -you can judge for yourself, if you follow my calculations closely. You -know, there are thirty-six millions of inhabitants in France?" - -I nodded an affirmative. - -"Starting on this basis, I do not think I err if I assume that at least -one-half can write, eh? or, say we take one-third, or, to be still more -sure, the round sum of ten millions. Now, I hope I shall not be charged -with exaggeration, if, out of these ten millions, I take one-tenth, or a -million, as the number of those looking after what may be useful to -them." - -And my friend stopped here and looked at me, as much as to say, "Am I -not reasonable in my estimates?" - -"We have, then, in France one million men capable of appreciating the -benefits of my inkstand. Well, of this number how many will you allow -who, during the first year, hear of my inkstand, and consequently will -purchase it?" - -"Well," I replied, "I confess to a difficulty in giving you an exact -answer." - -"Good Heavens! who spoke about exactness? I only want an approximation, -and that must be the lowest possible, that there may be no mistake." - -"Well," I went on, continuing my friend's decimal calculations, "take a -tenth." - -"Now, mind, _you_ said a tenth, or, in other words, one hundred -thousand. But," the inventor continued, charmed at seeing me share his -brilliant calculations, "do you know what the sale of these one hundred -thousand inkstands will produce me in a year?" - -"I can form no idea." - -"I will then tell you. I have reserved myself one franc on each inkstand -sold. This gives a profit then----" - -"Of one hundred thousand francs, of course." - -"You see, there is no difficulty in making the calculation. You must -bear in mind, too, that the other nine hundred thousand writers we left -on one side will end by appreciating my inkstand: they will also buy it. -Then what will the nine millions we omitted do? And notice, too, that I -am only speaking of France, which is a mere dot on the globe. When -foreign countries know its merits, when the English and their colonies -order it---- Oh, it would require a mathematician to reckon all this -up!" - -My friend wiped his brow, which had grown quite damp during the heat of -his address, and he ended by repeating, "Remember, we established our -estimate on the lowest basis." - -Unfortunately, that was the place where my friend's calculation broke -down. His inkstand, being much too dear, was not purchased, and the -inventor ended by adding this gold mine to his many other deceptions. - -I, too, I confess, based my calculations on the census, or, at least, on -the approximative number of visitors to the capital, and even at the -lowest figure I arrived at a most satisfactory result. But I do not -regret having given way to these fancies, for though they occasioned me -various disappointments, they served to keep up some energy in my mind, -and enabled me to wrestle against the numberless difficulties I -encountered in making my automata. Besides, who has not, once in his -life at least, indulged in the gilded calculations of my friend the -inkstand inventor? - -I have already repeatedly mentioned the automata I made, and it is high -time to describe the nature of the articles intended to be used in my -performances. - -The first was a small pastrycook issuing from his shop door at the word -of command, and bringing, according to the spectator's request, patties -and refreshments of every description. At the side of the shop assistant -pastrycooks might be seen rolling paste and putting it in the oven. - -Another specimen represented two clowns, Auriol and Debureau. The latter -held out at arm's length a chair, on which his merry comrade performed -acrobatic tricks, like his namesake at the circus in the Champs Elysées. -After these performances Auriol smoked a pipe, and ended by accompanying -on the flagolet an air played by the orchestra. - -The next was a mysterious orange-tree, on which flowers and fruit burst -into life at the request of the ladies. As the finale, a handkerchief I -borrowed was conveyed into an orange purposely left on the tree. This -opened and displayed the handkerchief, which two butterflies took by the -corners and unfolded before the spectators. - -Lastly, I made a dial of transparent glass, which marked the hours at -the will of the spectators, and struck the time on a crystal bell. - -At the time I was most deeply engaged in these labors, I made a very -agreeable rencontre. While walking along the Boulevards, full of -thought, according to my usual habit, I heard some one calling me. On -turning round, an elegantly-dressed man pressed my hand. - -"Antonio!" I exclaimed, as I embraced him, "how glad I am to see you! -But why are you here--what are you doing--and Torrini?" - -Antonio interrupted me. "I will tell you all about it. Come to my -apartments, where we shall be more at ease. I only live a few doors -off." - -In fact, within two minutes we stopped in the Rue de Lancry, before a -very handsome house. - -"Go up," Antonio said: "I live on the second floor." - -A servant opened the door. "Is your mistress at home?" Antonio asked. - -"No, sir; but I was to tell you she would be in soon." - -After leading me into a pretty drawing-room, Antonio made me sit down by -his side on a sofa. - -"Now, my friend, let us talk, for we must have a great deal to tell each -other." - -"Yes, let us talk; for I confess that my curiosity is strongly excited. -I fancy, at times, I am dreaming." - -"I will bring you back to real life," Antonio continued, "by telling you -what has happened to me since we parted. Let us begin with poor -Torrini." - -I made a movement of pained surprise. - -"What do you say, Antonio? Can our friend----?" - -"Yes, it is only too true. Death struck him at the moment we had every -reason to hope a happier fate. On leaving you, Torrini intended to -return as quickly as possible to Italy. The Count de Grisy was anxious -to reassume his name and revisit the scenes of past successes, for he -hoped there to become again the brilliant magician of yore. God decided -otherwise. Just as we were about leaving Lyons, where we had been giving -some successful performances, he was suddenly seized with typhus fever, -which carried him off in a few days. - -"I was his residuary legatee, and after paying the last honors to a man -to whom I had pledged my life, I began realizing my small fortune. I -sold the horses and travelling-carriage, and kept the apparatus, as I -intended to use it. I had no profession, so I thought I could not do -better than to take up one, for which the road was clear before me, and -I hoped that my name, to which my brother-in-law had given a certain -celebrity in France, would assist me. It was very bold in me to try and -fill the place of such a master, but I thought my impudence would answer -as well as talent. - -"Hence I called myself Signor Torrini, and, after the fashion of my -rivals, I added the title of 'first magician of France.' Each of us is -always the first and the most skillful in the country where he happens -to be, unless he think proper to call himself the first in the whole -world. Conjuring is a profession in which, as you know, no one errs -through excess of modesty, and the custom of producing illusions -facilitates this issue of bad money, which the public, it is true, -appreciates and sets its true value on. - -"So it behaved to me, for, despite my pompous announcements, I frankly -confess it did not recognize the celebrity I claimed. On the contrary, -my performances were so little attended, that my receipts were hardly -sufficient for my existence. Still I went from town to town, giving my -performances, and nourishing myself more often on hope than on reality. -But the moment arrived when this unsubstantial food no longer sufficed -me, and I was forced to stop. I had exhausted my resources: I had -nothing left but my instruments. My clothes were reduced to the sheerest -necessity, and threatened to desert me at any moment: thus hesitation -was impossible. I decided on selling my instruments, and, provided with -the small sum they produced me, I set out for Paris, the last refuge of -those whose talent is neglected and position hopeless. - -"In spite of my ill success, I had lost none of my stock of philosophy, -and, though not very happy, I was full of hope in the future. Yes, my -friend--yes, I had a presentiment at that time of the brilliant position -fate reserved for me, and to which it lead me, I may say, by the hand. - -"Once arrived at Paris, I hired a modest room, and determined to live as -savingly as possible, in order to make my money hold out. You see that, -in spite of my confidence in the future, I took some precautions, so as -not to run the risk of dying of hunger; but you will allow I acted wrong -in not trusting entirely to my lucky star. - -"I had hardly been in Paris a week, when I met an old comrade, a -Florentine, who used to perform as second basso in my old theatre. He, -too, had been maltreated by Fortune, and having come to Paris, he found -himself reduced to accept a situation in the chorus of the Opera. When I -had revealed my position to him, he told me a tenor situation was vacant -in the chorus, and advised me to try and get it: I accepted the offer -with pleasure, though, of course, as merely transitional, for I felt a -pang at my descent. Still, prudence suggested I had better guard against -want. - -"I have often noticed," Antonio continued, "that those events which -inspire us with the greatest doubt, turn out the most favorable, and -mine was a case in point. As I had a good deal of spare time, I thought -I would employ it in giving singing lessons. I, therefore described -myself as a singer at the Opera, while concealing the position I -occupied there. Procuring my first pupil was as difficult as saving the -first hundred pounds towards a fortune, and I had to wait a long time. -At length I caught him; then others; and, gradually, I had enough pupils -to enable me to leave the theatre. - -"I must tell you this determination had another reason. I loved one of -my lady pupils, and she returned my affection. Under such circumstances, -it was not prudent to remain a chorus-singer, which might have impeded -my views. You naturally expect some romantic adventure; but nothing -could be more simple than the event which crowned our loves--it was -marriage. - -"Madame Torrini, whom you will see presently, was the daughter of a -retired laceman. Her father, a widower, with no other children, had no -will but his daughter's, and he accepted my offers. He was the worthiest -of men; but, unfortunately we lost him two years ago. I retired from my -professional duties on the fortune he left us, and I now live happily -and calmly, in a position which realizes my most brilliant dreams of -old. This is another proof," my philosophic friend said, in conclusion, -"that, however precarious may be the position in which a man finds -himself, he ought never to despair of luck turning." - -My story was not so long as Antonio's, for with the exception of my -marriage, there was no event worthy narrating. I told him, however of my -long illness, and the work that had brought it on, and I had scarce -ended, when Madame Torrini entered the room. My friend's wife received -me most kindly, saying: - -"I have known you, sir, for a long time, as Antonio told me your -history, which caused me to feel the greatest interest, and my husband -and myself often regretted we could not hear of you. Now, however, M. -Robert," she added, "that we have found you, consider yourself an old -friend of the family and come to see us often." - -I profited by this kind invitation, and more than once went to seek -consolation and encouragement from these worthy friends. - -Antonio still took an interest in conjuring, although it was a mere -distraction by which he amused his friends.--Still, not a conjurer -announced his performance but he went to see him. One morning he entered -my workshop in great haste. - -"Look here," he said, offering me a paper, "as you run after all the -celebrated conjurers, here is one that will astonish you. Read." - -I took the paper eagerly, and read the following puff: - -"The famous Bosco, who can conjure away a house as easily as a nutmeg, -is about to give his performances at Paris, in which some miraculous -tricks will be executed." - -"Well, what do you say to that?" Antonio asked me. - -"A man must possess very great talent to undertake the responsibility of -such praise. After all, I think the journalist is amusing himself at the -expense of his readers, and that the famous Bosco only exists in his -columns." - -"You are quite wrong, my dear Robert: this conjurer is not an imaginary -being, for not only have I read this puff in several papers, but I even -saw Bosco last night at a café, giving some specimens of his skill, and -announcing his first performance for next Tuesday." - -"If it be so," I said to my friend, "I must ask you to spend the evening -with M. Bosco, and I will come and call for you." - -"Done," said Antonio, "mind and call for me on Tuesday at half-past -seven, as the performance commences at eight." - -At the appointed time we proceeded to the Rue Chantereine, where the -performance was announced. At the money-taker's we found ourselves face -to face with a stout gentleman, dressed in a coat adorned with frogs and -trimmed with fur, making him look like a Russian prince on his travels. -Antonio nudged me with his elbow, and said, in a whisper, "That's he!" - -"Who's he?" - -"Why, Bosco." - -"All the worse," I said; "I am sorry for him." - -"Explain yourself, for I do not understand the harm a Boyard's dress can -do a man." - -"My friend, I do not blame M. Bosco so much for his dress as for -occupying his present place. I think an artiste cannot be too chary of -his person off the stage; there is so much difference between the man -whom an entire audience listens to and applauds, and the director who -comes openly to watch his paltry interests, that the latter must injure -the former." - -During this conversation, my friend and myself had entered the room and -taken our seats. According to the idea I had formed of a magician's -laboratory, I expected to find myself before a curtain whose large -folds, when withdrawn, would display before my dazzled eyes a brilliant -stage ornamented with apparatus worthy of the celebrity announced; but -my illusions on this subject soon faded away. - -A curtain had been considered superfluous, and the stage was open. -Before me was a long three-storied sideboard, entirely covered with -black serge. This lugubrious buffet was adorned with a number of wax -candles, among which glistened the apparatus. At the topmost point of -this strange _étargčre_ was a death's-head, much surprised, I have no -doubt, at finding itself at such a festival, and it quite produced the -effect of a funeral service. - -In front of the stage, and near the spectators, was a table covered by a -brown cloth, reaching to the ground, on which five brass cups were -symmetrically arranged. Finally, above this table hung a copper ball, -which strangely excited my curiosity.[D] - -For the life of me I could not imagine what this was for, so I -determined to wait till Bosco came to explain it. Antonio had entered -into conversation with his neighbor, who spoke in the most enthusiastic -manner of the performance we were about to witness. The silvery sound of -a small bell put an end to my reverie and to my friend's conversation, -and Bosco appeared on the stage. - -The artiste had changed his costume: he had substituted for the Russian -great-coat a little black velvet jacket, fastened round the waist by a -leathern belt of the same color. His sleeves were excessively short, and -displayed a handsome arm. He wore loose black trousers, ornamented at -the bottom with a ruche of lace, and a large white collar round his -neck. This strange attire bore considerable resemblance to the classical -costume of the Scapins in our plays. - -After making a majestic bow to his audience, the celebrated conjurer -walked silently and with measured steps up to the famous copper ball. -After convincing himself it was solidly hung, he took up his wand, which -he wiped with a white handkerchief, as if to remove any foreign -influence; then, with imperturbable gravity, he struck the ball thrice -with it, pronouncing, amid the most solemn silence, this imperious -sentence: _Spiriti miei infernali, obedite_. - -I, like a simpleton, scarce breathed in my expectation of some -miraculous result, but it was only an innocent pleasantry, a simple -introduction to the performance with the cups. I was, I confess, rather -disappointed, for, in my opinion, this performance was only suited for -the public streets, and I did not expect any one would venture it on a -Paris stage in 1838. I was justified in this view, as two persons, -Miette and Lesprit, might be daily seen going through this performance -in the streets. Still, I must say that Bosco displayed great skill, and -was heartily applauded by the public. - -"Well," Antonio's neighbor said, victoriously, "was I not right--is he -not remarkably clever? But you'll see, that's nothing as yet." - -Either Antonio was in a bad temper, or the performance did not please -him, for he could not "plant" the admiration he had been quite prepared -to bestow. In fact, he became most impatient when Bosco commenced the -"pigeon trick." Still, it must be allowed that the _mise en scčne_ and -the execution were of a nature to irritate nerves even less sensitive -than my friend's. - -A servant placed on small tables on either side the stage two small -blocks of black wood, on each of which a death's-head was painted. They -were the blocks for the culprits. Bosco then came forward, holding a -knife in one hand and a black pigeon in the other. - -"Here is a pizon" (I forgot to state that Bosco spoke with a strong -Italian accent) "zat has behaved badly. I am going to cut off his head; -zall it be, ladies, wiz blood or wizout?" (This was one of his strong -points.) - -Some people laughed, but the ladies hesitated to reply to this strange -question. - -"Without blood," a spectator said. Bosco then placed the pigeon's head -on the block and cut it off, being careful to press the neck, and -prevent the effusion of blood. - -"You zee, ladies," the operator said, "zat ze pizon does not bleed, as -you ordered." - -"With blood," suppose another spectator said. Then Bosco loosened the -artery, and let the blood run on a plate, which he handed round for -inspection. The head, after being cut off, was placed upright on one of -the blocks; and Bosco, taking advantage of a convulsive movement, which -caused the beak to open, made this barbarous jest: "Come, mossiou, bow -to zis amiable company--now once more. Ah, ah, zat is right." - -The public listened, but no longer laughed. - -The same operation was performed on a white pigeon without the slightest -variation, after which Bosco placed the bodies in two false-bottomed -boxes, being careful to put the black head with the white pigeon, and -the white head with the black one. Then he repeated his conjurations -over the boxes, and when he opened them, a black pigeon came with a -white head, and a white one with a black head. Each of the culprits, -according to Bosco, had been restored to life, and assumed its comrade's -head. - -"Well, what do you think of that?" Antonio's neighbor asked him, as he -clapped vociferously. - -"To tell you the truth," my friend replied, "I must say the trick is not -very wonderful. Besides, I should like it better were it performed with -less cruelty." - -"Ah, you have delicate nerves, I see," the neighbor said; "perhaps you -experience similar sensations when you see a fowl killed and put on the -spit?" - -"Allow me, sir, before answering you," my friend replied, sharply, "to -ask if I have come here to see a kitchen performance?" - -The discussion was growing warm, and was rather savage in its tone, when -a third party terminated the dispute by the following jest: - -"Hang it, sir," he said to Antonio, "if you do not like cruelty, at any -rate do not disgust other people with it." - -Bosco now returned on the stage with a canary in his hand. - -"Zentlemen," he said, "this is Piarot: he is very polite, and zall -zalute you. Come, Piarot, do your duty." And he pinched the bird's claws -with such force that the unfortunate tried to escape from this cruel -clutch. Overcome by pain, it bent down over the juggler's hand, uttering -cries of distress. - -"Zat is good; I am satisfied wiz you. You see, ladies, he not only -zalutes you, but he says 'Good-night.' Continue, Piarot, you zall be -rewarded." - -The same torture made the bird bow twice more, and to _reward_ it its -master placed it in the hands of a lady, begging her to keep it. But -during the passage the bird had ended its life, and reached the lady's -hand dead. Bosco had strangled it. - -"Oh, good Heavens, madam!" the conjurer exclaimed, "I believe you have -killed my Piarot--you zall have squeezed him too moch. Piarot--Piarot!" -he added, tossing the bird in the air, "Piarot, answer to me. Ah, -madam, he is dezidedly dead. What zall my wife say when she sees Bosco -arrive wizout his Piarot: quite zurely I zall be beaten by Madame -Bosco." (I must observe, here, that all I describe is literally true.) - -This bird was interred in a large box, whence, after fresh conjurations, -a living bird came out. This new victim was fated to suffer shorter -agony. It was thrust alive into the barrel of a large pistol, and Bosco, -holding a sword in his hand, begged a spectator to fire at the point of -the weapon he held out to him. The pistol was fired, and a third victim -was seen spitted on the point of the sword. - -Antonio rose. "Let us go," he said, "for I am turning sick." - -I have seen Bosco several times since then, and each time I studied him -carefully, not only to try and explain the cause of the great fashion he -enjoyed, but also to be able to compare the various opinions expressed -about this celebrated man. Here are some deductions drawn from my -observations. - -Bosco's performances generally please a large number, for the public -suppose that, through some inexplicable address, the bird-murders are -simply feigned, and, tranquil, on this point, they indulge in all the -pleasure caused by the talent of the conjurer and the originality of his -accent. - -Bosco has a quaint and full-sounding name, adapted to become popular, -and no one knows better than he how to take advantage of it. Neglecting -no opportunity for notoriety, he performs at any hour of the day, -whatever may be the quality and number of the spectators. In a coach, at -a table d'hôte, in cafés or shops, he never fails to give some specimen -of his skill, by juggling a coin, a ring, and so on. - -The witnesses of these little improvised performances consider -themselves bound to return Bosco's politeness, by attending his public -performance. They have formed the acquaintance of the celebrated -conjurer, and are obliged to sustain the reputation of their new friend. -Hence, they urge all their acquaintances to go also, puff off the -performance, and thus the room is always full. - -It must also be mentioned that numerous accomplices help Bosco's -popularity materially. Each of them, it is known, is instructed to hand -the magician a handkerchief, shawl, watch, &c., which he has in double. -This allows him to pass them with an appearance of magic or skill, into -a cabbage, a loaf, a box, or any other object. These accomplices, while -aiding in the conjurer's experiments, have a great interest in securing -their success: for their self-love finds its profit in the success of -the mystification. Besides, they have no objection to accept some of the -applause as their due: hence, the magician has as many admirers as -accomplices, and the influence a dozen intelligent prompters can exert -in a room is well known. - -Such were the influences which, joined to Bosco's talent, gained him a -great renown for many years. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - A Reverse of Fortune--Cookery and Clockwork--The Artist's - Home--Invention of an Automaton--Voluntary Exile--A modest - Villa--The Inconveniences of a Speciality--Two August Visitors--The - Throat of a mechanical Nightingale--The Tiou and the - Rrrrrrrrouit--Seven Thousand Francs earned by making Filings. - - -In the meanwhile I worked indefatigably at my automata, hoping that when -these were completed, I should be able to establish myself permanently. -But, in spite of my activity, I advanced very slowly towards the -realization of my long-deferred hopes. - -Only an inventor can know the value of a day's work on the gloomy road -to success in combining automata. Numberless trials and deceptions of -every nature foil at any moment the best-conceived plans, and seem to -realize the pleasant story about reaching the end of a journey by making -two steps forward and three backward. - -I performed this wearisome progress during six months, and, at the end -of that time, though I had several specimens far advanced, it was still -impossible for me to fix the period when they would be quite finished. -In order not to defer my appearance before the public, I therefore -resolved to begin with my conjuring tricks and such automata as were -ready. I had arranged with an architect, who was to help me in finding a -suitable site for a theatre, but I had scarce taken my first steps, when -an unforeseen catastrophe ruined both my father-in-law and myself. - -This reverse of fortune threw me into a state of abject despondency, for -I saw, to my terror, the realization of my plans indefinitely postponed. -I could no longer think of inventing machines, but must work, day by -day, to support my large family. I had four children, all very young, -and this was a heavy burden on a man who had never yet thought of his -own interests. - -The vulgar truth, "Time dissipates the severest griefs," is not the less -true from being so often repeated; and it was the case with me. I was at -first as wretched as man could well be; then my despair gradually died -away, and made room for sorrow and resignation. At last, as it is not my -nature to keep up a melancholy character long, I ended by accepting the -situation. Then the future, which had appeared so gloomy, assumed a -different face, and, by a gradual process of reasoning, I began to -indulge in reflections whose consoling philosophy restored my courage. - -"Why should I despair?" I said to myself. "At my age, time itself is a -fortune, and I have a considerable reserve fund of that. Besides, who -knows whether Providence, by sending me this trial, has not wished to -delay an undertaking that was not yet quite assured of success?" - -In fact, what had I to offer the public that would overcome the -indifference a new performer always inspires?--improved conjuring -tricks! Those, I thought, would not prevent me failing, for I was -unaware at that period that, in order to please the public, an idea must -be, if not novel, at least completely transformed, so that it cannot be -recognized. Only in that way can an artiste escape a remark that always -fills him with dread--"I have seen that before." My automata and -mechanical curiosities would not have betrayed the hopes I built upon -them, but I had too few, and the specimens I had in hand still required -years of study and labor. - -These wise reflections restored my courage, and, resigned to my new -situation, I resolved to effect an utter reform in my budget. I had -nothing more to look for than what I earned with my own hands, so I -hired a modest lodging, at three hundred francs a year, in the Rue du -Temple. It consisted of a room, a cabinet and a stove in a cupboard, to -which my proprietor gave the name of kitchen. I converted the largest -room into our common sleeping apartment, the cabinet served as my -workshop, while the stove kitchen was used to prepare our modest meals. - -My wife, though in delicate health, undertook the household department. -Fortunately, this was not very laborious, as our meals were most modest; -and as our rooms were limited in number, there was not much moving about -required. The proximity of our mutual laboratories had also this double -advantage, that, whenever my housekeeper was absent, I could watch the -pot-au-feu or stir a ragoűt without leaving my levers, wheels and cogs. - -These vulgar occupations for an artiste will make many a reader smile, -but when a man cannot afford to keep a servant, and the quality of the -dinner, consisting of a single dish, depends on the care devoted to it, -it is better to pocket one's dignity and attend to the culinary -department, at any rate, without feeling false shame. However, it -appears that I performed my confidential mission admirably, for my -exactitude gained me abundant praise. Still, I must confess that I had -very slight talent for cooking, and this boasted exactitude was produced -by my fear of incurring the reproaches of my head cook. - -This humble existence was less painful to me than I had imagined. I had -always been moderate, and the privation of succulent dishes affected me -very little. My wife, surrounded by her children, to whom she devoted -her utmost care, seemed equally happy, while hoping for better times to -come. - -I had resumed my first trade, that of repairing watches and clocks. -Still, this was only to secure our hand-to-mouth existence, for all the -while I was repairing I was meditating a piece of clockwork, the success -of which restored some ease to our household. It was an alarum, which -was thus arranged: - -You placed it by your side when you went to bed, and, at the hour -desired, a peal aroused the sleeper, while, at the same time, a ready -lighted candle came out from a small box. I was the prouder of this -invention and its success, as it was the first of my ideas which -produced me any profit. - -This "alarum-light," as I christened it, was so popular that, in order -to satisfy the great demand for it, I was obliged to add a workshop to -my rooms and hire several workmen. Encouraged by such a favorable -result, I turned my attention afresh to inventions, and gave a free -scope to my imagination. I succeeded in making several more toys, among -which was one which my readers will probably remember to have seen in -the shop-windows. It was a glass dial, mounted on a column of the same -material. This "mysterious clock" (as I called it), although entirely -transparent, indicated the hour with the greatest exactness, and struck, -without any apparent mechanism to make it move. I also constructed -several automata, such as a conjurer playing with cups, a dancer on the -tight-rope, singing birds, &c. - -It may strike the reader that, with so many strings to my bow, and such -amusing toys to make, my situation would be considerably improved, but -it was not so. Each day, on the contrary, produced fresh trouble in my -trade as well as in my household, and I even saw a financial crisis -approaching which I found it impossible to prevent. - -The cause of this result was very simple. While engaged with the -mechanical toys I have just mentioned, I still worked at my theatrical -automata, for which my passion had been again aroused by my present -labors. Like the gambler, who throws his last farthing on the board, I -invested all my earnings in my theatrical preparations, hoping these -would soon repay me for my sacrifices with a hundred per cent. profit. - -But it was fated that I should no sooner see the realization of my -projects close at hand, than an unforseen event should remove it again -from my grasp. I had a sum of two thousand francs to pay at the end of -the month; I had not a penny to meet it, and I had only three days left -before the bill I had accepted became due. - -Never did an embarrassment arrive more inopportunely! I had just formed -the plan of an automaton in which I placed the greatest hopes. It was a -"writing and drawing automaton," answering in writing or emblematic -designs questions proposed by the spectators, and I intended to employ -this figure between the performances in my future theatre. - -Once more was I obliged to check the flight of my imagination to absorb -myself in the vulgar and difficult problem of meeting a bill when you -have no money. I might, it is true, have saved myself all trouble by -applying to my friends, but prudence and delicacy rendered it my duty -to pay it from my own resources. Providence, doubtlessly, recognized -the merit of my resolution, for she sent me a saving idea. - -I had sold several mechanical toys to M. G----, a rich curiosity dealer, -who had always treated me with marked kindness. I went to him, and gave -him an exact description of my new automaton, and necessity must have -rendered me eloquent, for M. G---- was so satisfied that he bought my -automaton on the spot, which I bound myself to deliver to him within -eighteen months. The price was arranged at five thousand francs, half of -which M. G---- agreed to pay me in advance, reserving to himself the -right, if I failed, in my promise, of recouping himself by purchasing -several of my automatic toys. - -Imagine my joy when I returned home, holding in my hands the money to -meet the bill! But the prospect of devoting myself for a long time to -the manufacture of an article satisfying my mechanical taste, rendered -me even happier. - -Still, the princely way in which M. G---- had concluded the bargain, -produced some serious thoughts as to the promise I had made him. I now -saw a thousand obstacles to prevent me keeping my word. I calculated -that, even if I devoted every moment to my work, I should lose much time -by causes I could not foresee or hinder. There were, first, friends, -customers, and bores; then a family dinner, an evening party, that could -not be declined, a visit that must be paid, and so on. These claims on -politeness, which I must respect, would inevitably cause me to break my -word: in vain I racked my brain in devising some scheme to gain time, or -at least not lose it; still, I could only succeed at the expense of my -good temper. I therefore formed a resolution which my relations and -friends declared to be madness, but from which they could not turn me, -and that was to exile myself voluntarily until my task was completed. - -Paris not appearing to me a secure place against annoyance, I chose the -suburbs as my retreat, and one fine day, despite the prayers and -supplications of my whole family, after entrusting my business to one of -my workmen, whose talent and probity I was convinced of, I proceeded to -Belleville, and installed myself in a little room in the Rue des Bois, -which I hired for twelve months, at a hundred francs. The only furniture -was a bed, a chest of drawers, a table, and a few chairs. - -This act of madness, as my friends called it, or this heroic -determination, as I called it, saved me from imminent ruin, and was my -first step on the ladder of success. From this moment an obstinate will -was aroused in me which enabled me to confront many obstacles and -difficulties. - -I am bound to confess that the first days of my retirement were painful, -and I bitterly deplored the harsh necessity that thus isolated me from -all I loved. The society of my wife and children had grown a necessity -to me; a kiss from these dear beings restored my courage in hours of -despondency, and now I was deprived of it. Surely I must have been -supported by an enormous strength of will not to turn back at the -prospect of this frightful vacuum. - -Many times I furtively wiped away a tear, but then I closed my eyes, and -straightway my automaton and the various combinations that were to -animate it appeared before me like a consoling vision; I passed in -review all the wheels I had created; I smiled upon them like so many -children of my own; and when I emerged from this restorative dream I -set to work again, filled with a courageous resignation. - -It had been arranged that my wife and children should spend every -Thursday evening with me, and I always dined at home on Sunday. These -few hours devoted to my family were the only amusements I allowed -myself. - -At my wife's request, the portress of the house had agreed to prepare my -meals; this excellent creature, an old _cordon bleu_, had left service -to marry a mason of the name of Monsieur Auguste. This gentleman, -judging by my modest existence in the house, thought me a poor devil who -found some difficulty in keeping himself: hence, he assumed an air of -generous protection, or kindly pity towards me. As he was a worthy man -at the bottom, I pardoned his ways, and only laughed at them. - -My new cook had received special instruction to treat me famously, but, -not wishing to increase my household expenses, I, on my side, made -stipulations which were kept with the greatest secresy. I arranged my -meals after the following fashion: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and -Thursdays I lived on an enormous dish, to which my chef gave the generic -name of _fricot_, but that made no difference to me. On Friday and -Saturday, for the sake of my health, I lived low; haricot beans, either -white or red, satisfied my hunger, and with them a composite soup, often -reminding me of the gastronomic tastes of an Auvergnat, and I dined as -well, perhaps better, than Brillat-Savarin himself. - -This mode of life offered me two advantages: I spent little, and -indigestion never troubled the clearness of my ideas. I required this, -however, for it must not be supposed that mechanical difficulties were -the only ones I had to contend against in making my automaton. My -readers may judge, from the following incident, which also proves the -truth of the proverb, "Willing is doing." - -At the commencement of my labor I had ordered from a wood-carver the -body, head, legs, and arms of my writer, and had applied to an artist, -particularly recommended to me as most skillful, and I had tried to make -him understand the importance I attached to my automaton having an -intelligent face. My Phidias had replied that I might trust to him. - -A month after, my sculptor made his appearance: he carefully removed the -wrapper, and showed me arms and legs splendidly carved, and ended by -handing me the head, with an air that seemed to signify, "What do you -think of that?" - -After what I had already seen I was prepared to admire a masterpiece, -but imagine my stupor on observing that the head belonged to a saint! -Quite astonished at this, I looked at my friend as if seeking an -explanation, but he did not seem to understand me and continued to point -out all the beauties of his work. I had no good reason to refuse it, -for, after its fashion, it was a very fine head, so I accepted it, -though it could be of no use to me. At any rate I wished to know the -motive that induced my sculptor to select such a type, and, by dint of -cross-examination, I learned that his special trade was carving saints, -and he could not emerge from his usual "groove." - -After this check I applied to another artist, being careful to inquire -of him previously whether he had been in the habit of carving heads of -saints. In spite of my precautions, I only got from this artist a head -bearing a strong family likeness to those Nuremberg dolls made to act as -lay figures in studios. - -I had not the courage to make a third trial; yet, my writer required a -head, and I regarded my chefs-d'oeuvre in turn. Neither could by -possibility suit me. A head with not the slightest expression spoiled my -automaton, while a holy Jerome on the body of a writer dressed in the -Louis XV. style would be a terrible anachronism. - -"And yet the face I want is engraved here," I said, striking my -forehead. "What a pity I cannot carve it--suppose I were to try!" - -It has always been my character to set about a scheme as soon as I had -formed it, whatever the difficulties might be. Hence I took a piece of -modeling wax, made it into a ball, in which I formed three holes, -representing mouth and eyes, then sticking on a patch for a nose, I -stopped to admire my handiwork. - -Have you ever noticed a toy belonging to earliest youth, representing -two blacksmiths at work on an anvil, which they are made to strike in -turn by pulling two parallel rods? Well, those mechanical combinations, -sold at one penny, I believe, are perfect marvels of art in comparison -with my first essay in modeling. - -Dissatisfied, disgusted, and almost angry, I threw my clumsy attempt -aside, and thought of some other plan to escape my difficulty. But I -have already said I am obstinate and persevering in all I undertake, and -the greater the difficulty seems, the more I feel myself pledged to -surmount it. The night passed in dreams which showed me my task -satisfactorily accomplished, and the next morning I took heart, and went -at it again. In fact, by passing a chisel over my ball--by taking away -from one side and adding to the other--I succeeded in making eyes, -mouth, and nose, which, if not regular, had at least the appearance of a -human form. - -The following days were spent in fresh studies and improvements, and -each time I noticed some progress in my work. Still, a moment arrived -when I was terribly embarrassed. The face was regular, but that was not -enough. I must give it some sort of character; but, as I had no model, -the task seemed beyond my strength. - -The idea struck me of looking in the glass, and judging from my own face -what features produce expression. Sitting down, then, as if writing, I -studied my full face and profile, and tried to imitate what I saw. I was -engaged at this task a long while, incessantly touching and retouching, -until one fine day I found my work finished, and I stopped to look at it -more attentively. Judge of my surprise on finding that I had -unconsciously produced an exact likeness of myself. Far from being vexed -at this unexpected result, I was pleased, for it was quite natural this -child of my imagination should have my features. I was not sorry to -place this family seal on a work to which I attached such importance. - -I had been now living for more than a year at Belleville, and I saw with -extreme pleasure the end of my task and of my exile drawing near. After -many doubts as to the success of my enterprise, the solemn moment -arrived when I should make the first trial of my writer. I had spent the -whole day in giving the last touches to the automaton, which sat before -me as if awaiting my orders, and prepared to answer the questions I -asked it. I had only to press the spring in order to enjoy the long -awaited result. My heart beat violently, and though I was alone, I -trembled with emotion at the mere thought of this imposing trial. - -I had just laid the first sheet of paper before my writer, and asked him -this question: - -"Who is the author of your being?" - -I pressed the spring, and the clockwork began acting. I dared hardly -breathe through fear of disturbing the operations. The automaton bowed -to me, and I could not refrain from smiling on it as my own son. But -when I saw the eyes fix an attentive glance on the paper--when the arm, -a few seconds before numb and lifeless, began to move and trace my -signature in a firm handwriting--the tears started to my eyes, and I -fervently thanked Heaven for granting me such success. And it was not -alone the satisfaction I experienced as inventor, but the certainty I -had of being able to restore some degree of comfort to my family, that -caused my deep feeling of gratitude. - -After making my Sosia repeat my signature a thousand times, I gave it -this next question: "What o'clock is it?" - -The automaton, acting in obedience to a clock, wrote: "It is two in the -morning." - -This was a very timely warning. I profited by it, and went straight to -bed. Against my expectations, I enjoyed a sleep I had not known for a -long time. - -There may be among those who read my book some who have also created -some successful work. They will know that next to the happiness of -enjoying one's own invention, nothing is so flattering as to offer it to -the notice of a third party. Moličre and J. J. Rousseau consulted their -servants, and, I must confess, it afforded me great pleasure the next -morning to invite my portress and her husband to be present at the first -performance of my writer. - -As it was Sunday, and M. Auguste had no work to do, I found him at -breakfast. He held a modest sardine with his thumb on a piece of bread, -while in the other hand he had a knife, the handle of which was fastened -to his waist by a lanyard. My invitation was graciously accepted, and -they came to my room to witness the aristocratic performance of a -nobleman of the age of Louis XV. The mason's wife chose this question: -"What is the emblem of fidelity?" The automaton replied by drawing a -pretty little greyhound lying on a cushion. Madame Auguste, quite -delighted, begged me to make her a present of the drawing, while her -husband, having by this time finished his breakfast, begged to see the -work, for, as he said, - -"I understand something about that sort of thing, for I have always to -grease the vane on the church steeple, and have even taken it down -twice. Ah! if I were to direct my attention to mechanics, I have no -doubt I should be very successful." - -Although, of course, he understood nothing of what he saw, the worthy -mason carefully examined the mechanical arrangements; then, as if -yielding to an impulsive frankness, he said, in a kindly protecting -tone, - -"If I was not afraid of vexing you, I would make an observation." - -"Pray do so, Monsieur Auguste, and be sure I shall treat it as it -deserves." - -"Well, in your place, I would have made the mechanism much more simple; -for then those who do not understand that sort of thing, would be able -to do so more easily." - -With some difficulty I maintained sufficient gravity to reply: - -"Your observation is very just, Monsieur Auguste; I had not thought of -that: but be assured I shall now profit by your suggestions, and -speedily remove half the machinery; there will be quite sufficient -left." - -"Oh, certainly," the mason said, believing in the sincerity of my -remarks, "there will be quite enough left then." - -At this moment the garden-bell rang, and M. Auguste, ever attentive to -his duties, ran to answer it, and as his wife also took her departure, I -was enabled to laugh at my ease. - -It is curious that an automaton which was visited by all Paris and -gained me such reputation--that the designer, which interested Louis -Philippe and his family so greatly, should at the outset only receive -the stupid criticism of a porter. Well, a man is no more a prophet in -his own house than in his own country. - -It was more extraordinary, though, that I had eventually to make an -alteration in the automaton for the following reasons: the public (I do -not mean the educated portion) generally understand nothing of the -mechanical effects by which an automaton is moved; but they are pleased -to see them, and often only value them by the multiplicity of their -parts. I had taken every care to render the mechanism of my writer as -perfect as possible, and had set great store on making the clockwork -noiseless. In doing this I wished to imitate nature, whose complicated -instruments act almost imperceptibly. - -Can it be credited that this very perfection, which I had worked so hard -to attain, was unfavorable to my automaton? On its first exhibition, I -frequently heard persons who only saw the outside, say: - -"That writer is first rate; but the mechanism is probably very simple. -It often requires such a trifle to produce great results." - -The idea then struck me of rendering the clock-work a little less -perfect, so that a whizzing sound should be heard, something like cotton -spinning. Then the worthy public formed a very different estimate of my -work, and the admiration increased in ratio to the intensity of the -noise. Such exclamations as these where continually heard: "How -ingenious! What complicated machinery! What talent such combination must -require!" - -In order to obtain this result, I had rendered my automaton less -perfect; and I was wrong. In this I followed the example of certain -actors who overdo their parts in order to produce a greater effect. They -raise a laugh, but they infringe the rules of art and are rarely ranked -among first-rate artists. Eventually, I got over my susceptibility, and -my machine was restored to its first condition. - -My writer thus finished, I could have ended my voluntary imprisonment if -I pleased; but I wished to finish another automaton, for which a -residence in the country would be requisite. Although this second -automaton was very complicated, it did not so fully occupy my time as -the first. It was a nightingale, which a rich merchant of St. Petersburg -had ordered, and I had agreed to produce a perfect imitation of the song -and actions of this delightful wood minstrel. - -This undertaking offered some serious difficulties; for though I had -already made several birds, their singing was quite arbitrary, and I had -only consulted my own taste in arranging it. The imitation of the -nightingale's pipe was much more delicate, for I had to copy notes and -sounds which were almost inimitable. - -Fortunately, we were in the season when this skillful songster utters -his delicious accents; hence, I could employ him as my teacher. I went -constantly to the wood of Romainville, the skirt of which almost joined -the street in which I lived, and, laying myself on a soft bed of moss in -the densest foliage, I challenged my master to give me lessons. (The -nightingale sings both by night and day in Continental Europe, and the -slightest whistle, in tune or not, makes him strike up directly.) - -I wanted to imprint on my memory the musical phrases with which the bird -composes its melodies. The following are the most striking among them; -_tiou-tiou-tiou_, _ut-ut-ut-ut-ut_, _tchit-chou_, _tchit-chou_, -_tchit-tchit_, _rrrrrrrrrrrrrouit_, _&c._ I had to analyse these strange -sounds, these numberless chirps, these impossible rrrrouits, and -recompose them by a musical process. Now, here was the difficulty. I -only knew so much of music as a natural taste had taught me, and my -knowledge of harmony was hence a very feeble resource. I must add that -in order to imitate this flexibility of throat, and produce these -harmonious modulations, I had a small copper tube, about the size and -length of a quill, in which a steel piston moving very freely, produced -the different sounds I required; this tube represented in some respects -the nightingale's throat. - -This instrument would have to work mechanically; clock work set in -motion the bellows, opened or closed a valve which produced the -twittering, the modulation, and the sliding notes, while it guided the -piston according to the different degrees of speed and depth I wanted to -reach. - -I had also to impart motion to the bird: it must move its beak in -accordance with the sounds it produced, flap its wings, leap from branch -to branch, &c. But this part of my task troubled me much less than the -other, as it was purely mechanical. - -I will not attempt to describe to the reader all the trials and -investigations I had to make; suffice it to say that, after repeated -experiments, I created a system, half musical, half mechanical, which -only required to be improved by fresh studies. Provided with this -instrument, I hurried off to the wood of Romainville, where I seated -myself under an oak, near which I had often heard a nightingale sing, -which I thought was the "star" among the virtuosi. I wound up the -clockwork, and it began playing in the midst of profound silence; but -the last notes had scarce died away ere a concert commenced from various -parts of the wood, which I was almost inclined to regard as a general -protest against my clumsy imitation. - -This collective lesson did not suit my purpose, for I wished to compare -and study, and could positively distinguish nothing. Fortunately for me, -all the musicians ceased, as if by word of command, and one of them -began a solo: it was doubtlessly the _premier sujet_, the Duprez of the -company--possibly the nightingale I have just mentioned. This tenor -indulged me with a succession of dulcet sounds and accents, which I -followed with all the attention of an industrious pupil. - -Thus I passed a portion of the night; my professor was indefatigable, -and, for my part, I was not weary of listening. At length we were -obliged to part, for, in spite of the pleasure I felt, I began to grow -chilly and sleepy. However, my lesson had done me so much good, that the -next morning I began making important corrections in my mechanism. After -five or six more visits to the wood, I attained the required result--the -nightingale's song was perfectly imitated. - -After eighteen months' stay at Belleville, I at length returned home to -enjoy the company of my wife and children; in my absence my business had -prospered, and I, by the manufacture of my two automata, had gained the -enormous sum of seven thousand francs. - -Seven thousand francs by making filings, as my father used to say. -Unfortunately, that excellent man could not enjoy the beginning of my -success--I had lost him a short time before the reverse of my fortune. -With his love for mechanical inventions, how proud he would have been of -my successes! - -Having thus regained a certain degree of comfort, I was now able to -enjoy some amusement, and visit my friends, among them Antonio, who -could not blame me for deserting him so long. In our long conversations -my friend never ceased to encourage me to realize the projects he had -suggested--I mean my theatrical schemes, of which he predicted the -certain success. - -While not neglecting my work, I had recommenced my conjuring exercises, -and began to make the acquaintance of several conjurers. I also wished -to see those ingenious personages who, not having a theatre to display -their talents in, visit the cafés. Such men as these are obliged to -employ an extraordinary degree of skill, for they have to deal with -people who are set upon detecting them. I met several interesting -specimens from whom I learned something; but a slight adventure soon -told me I must be on my guard in the choice of my acquaintances. - -A conjurer, whom I had formerly met at Roujol's, and to whom I had -rendered a service, introduced me one day to a person by the name of -D----. He was a young man of prepossessing appearance and very elegantly -dressed, while his manners evidenced the thorough gentleman. - -"My friend tells me, sir," he said, after the usual salutations, "that -you are in search of a person possessing a certain degree of address. -Although I have no wish to compliment myself, I may be able to show many -things you do not know." - -"I accept your offer willingly," I replied, "but I must tell you before -hand I am not a novice." - -This introduction took place in my study, and we sat down to a table on -which refreshments were served. This was a trap by which I intended to -make my visitor more communicative. I then took up a pack of cards, and -showed him my dexterity in _sauter la coupe_ and various other tricks. - -I was watching D---- to observe the impression I produced on him, and -after a few moments' careful following my hands, he gave his comrade a -gentle wink, of which I did not understand the meaning. I stopped for a -moment, and not wishing to ask a direct explanation, I opened a bottle -of Bordeaux, and filled his glass several times. This scheme was -successful, and the wine loosened his tongue, and he told me something -that surprised me. - -"I have a remark to make, M. Robert-Houdin," he said, emptying his -glass, and holding it out to be filled again: "I thought I had come here -to deal with what we call a 'pigeon;' I perceive it is quite otherwise, -and as I do not wish to expose the tricks by which I earn my livelihood, -I will content myself with the pleasure of having formed your -acquaintance." - -The technical terms seemed to me a startling contrast to my visitor's -elegant manners, still, as I did not wish to give in yet, I said, in a -tone of disappointment, - -"I hope, sir, you will recall your decision, and not leave me till you -have shown me how you handle the cards. You can do this without -prejudice, I think?" - -To my great satisfaction he at length consented. - -"Very well," he said, taking up a pack of cards; "but you will see our -modes of 'working' do not agree." - -It would be difficult for me to give a name to what he performed in my -presence. It was not, properly speaking, sleight-of-hand; but they were -tricks and processes applied to cards, and were so unexpected, that -they must deceive everybody. This manipulation was only an exhibition, -however, of certain principles I learned at a later date. - -Like singers who begin by being urged, and who, when they have once -started, cannot leave off, D----, animated both by the sincere praise I -offered him and the great number of glasses of Bordeaux he had -swallowed, said to me with that frankness common to drinkers, "And now, -sir, I will give you another hint. I am not a professor of -sleight-of-hand, but only perform a few tricks I show to amateurs. These -lessons, you can understand, would not suffice for my livelihood, and I -will tell you, then," he added, emptying his glass again, and holding it -out to be filled, as if he wished me to pay for his confidence, "I visit -in the evening houses where I have managed to gain an introduction, and -profit by some of the principles I have just shown you." - -"I suppose you give a performance?" D---- smiled slightly, and repeated -the wink he had once before given his comrade. - -"Performances!" he replied. "Never! or rather, I give them after my own -fashion; I will explain that to you presently, but I will first amuse -you by telling you how I manage to get a handsome prize for the lessons -I give my amateurs; after that I will return to my _performances_. - -"You can suppose, for reasons easy to understand that I only give -lessons to young men whose pockets I presume are well lined. On -beginning my explanations I tell my pupil that I leave my price to him, -and during the lesson I perform an interlude which must heighten his -generosity. - -"Drawing near my pigeon--pray pardon the word--" - -"I have already done so." - -"Ah, very good; I beg your pardon. I say, taking one of his buttons in -my hand, 'Here is a mould piercing the cloth, and you might lose it.' - -"At the same time I throw a Louis on the table; then I examine his -buttons, one after the other, and pretend to draw a gold piece from -each. As I only perform this trick as a harmless pleasantry, I pick up -my gold with the greatest indifference. I even push my indifference so -far as to leave one or two by mistake on the table, but only for a short -time, of course. - -"I continue my lesson, and, as I expected, my pupil pays but slight -attention to it, being fully engaged with the reflections I have so -skillfully suggested. Can he offer five francs to a man who appears to -have his pocket full of gold? Of course not; the least he can do is to -add one more piece to those I had displayed, and that always happens. - -"Like a modern Bias, then, I carry all my fortune about me; I am -sometimes tolerably rich, and then my pockets are well lined. Often -enough, too, I am reduced to a dozen of these 'yellow boys,' but them I -never touch, as they are the instruments by which I procure others. Many -times I have gone without my dinner, though having this small fortune in -my pocket, because I laid it down as a rule not to break into it." - -"The performances you give in society," I said to my narrator, in order -to bring him back to that point, "are of course more lucrative?" - -"They are so, but prudence prevents me giving them so often as I should -like." - -"I do not understand you." - -"I will explain my meaning. When I am in society I am a young man of -good family, and, like all young men, play. The only difference is, I -have my own way of playing, which is not that of all the world, but it -seems it is not bad, because it often renders chances favorable. You -shall judge." - -Here my narrator stopped to refresh himself, then, as if doing the most -legal or harmless thing in the world, he showed me several tricks, or -rather acts of swindling, which he executed with so much grace, skill, -and simplicity, that it would be impossible to detect him. - -In order to understand the effect these culpable confessions produced -upon me, my readers ought to know what it is to love a science of which -you seek to solve the mysteries. Far from feeling repugnance or even -disgust at this man with whom justice would have one day an account to -settle, I admired, I was stunned! The finesse and perfection of his -tricks made me forget their blameworthy application. - -At length my Greek left me, and so soon as he was gone the remembrance -of his confessions sent the blood to my cheeks. I was as ashamed of -myself as if I had been his accomplice. I even reproached myself -severely for the admiration I could not restrain, and the compliments it -extorted from me. In some measure to compound with my conscience, I -ordered my door to be closed against this man; but it was an unnecessary -precaution--I never heard of him again. - -Strangely enough, in consequence of my meeting with D----, and the -revelations he had made me, I was enabled, at a later period, to render -a service to society by unmasking a piece of swindling which the most -skillful experts could not detect. - -In 1849, M. B----, a magistrate belonging to the police office of the -Seine, begged me to examine and verify one hundred and fifty packs of -cards, seized in the possession of a man whose antecedents were far from -being as unblemished as his cards. The latter, indeed, were perfectly -white, and this peculiarity had hitherto foiled the most minute -investigation. It was impossible for the most practised eye to detect -the least alteration or the slightest mark, and they all seemed very -respectable packs of cards. - -I consented to examine the cards, as I hoped to detect a manoeuvre -which must be clever as it was so carefully concealed. I could only do -so after my performance was over, and so each night, before going to -bed, I sat down with a bright lamp, and remained at my task till sleep -or want of success routed me from my post. - -Thus I spent nearly a fortnight, examining, both with my eyes and a -strong magnifying-glass, the form and imperceptible varieties in the -cards composing the one hundred and fifty packs. I could detect nothing, -and, weary of the job, I began to agree in the opinion of the previous -experts. - -"I am sure there is nothing the matter with these cards," I said one -night, angrily, as I threw them across the table. - -Suddenly I fancied I noticed a pale spot on the glistening back of these -cards, and near one of the corners. I stepped forward, and it -disappeared, but, strangely enough, it reappeared as I fell back. - -"What a magnificent dodge!" I exclaimed, in my enthusiasm. "I have it: -that is a distinguishing mark." - -And following a certain principle which D---- had explained to me, I -assured myself that all the cards possessed a mark, which, according to -its position, indicated the value and color. - -For the last quarter of an hour I have been burning with a desire to -explain to my readers a most interesting process, but I am restrained by -the fear that this ingenious swindling may facilitate false play. Still, -it is an indubitable truth, "that to avoid a danger, it must be known." -Hence, if every player were initiated into the stratagems of the -card-swindlers, the latter would find it impossible to employ them. - -I am, therefore, inclined to make the communication I have stated, that -a single mark placed in a certain part of a card is sufficient to make -it known. To explain this, I must employ a diagram: - - - DIAGRAM 1. - - Ace. King. Queen. Knave. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. - +---------------------------------------------------------+ - | | - Hearts | | - | | - Diamonds | . | - | | - Clubs | | - | | - Spades | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - +---------------------------------------------------------+ - -Suppose a card divided into eight parts vertically, and four -horizontally, as in diagram 1; the former will indicate the value of the -cards, the latter the suit. The mark is placed at the point where two -lines intersect. Such is the process: practice does the rest. - -As for the process employed in impressing the mysterious mark I have -mentioned, I may be excused from stating it, as my object is to expose -swindling, and not show the way to do it. Suffice it to say that, looked -at closely, this point is lost in the white of the card; but, at a -distance, the light renders the card brilliant, while the mark alone -remains dull. - -At the first blush, it will appear, perhaps, rather difficult to find -out the division to which the isolated dot on the back of the card -belongs. Still, by a little attention, it may be accurately detected by -a practised eye. Thus, on my diagram, the dot indicates the Queen of -Diamonds. - -It must be remembered that a Greek using these cards stakes, I will not -say his honor but, his liberty, against fortune, and that he has -carefully studied an art on which his livelihood depends. - -After the explanation I have given, I can easily imagine my reader -forming an heroic determination. - -"Since these things take place," he says to himself, "I will only play -with chequered cards, and so I shall be safe." - -Unfortunately, chequered cards are better adapted for swindling purposes -than the others, and to prove it, I must employ another diagram. Suppose -the chequer to be formed of dots or any other figures regularly -arranged, as is usually the case with fancy backed cards: - - DIAGRAM 2. - - +-----------------------------+ - | | - | * * * * | - | | - | . . . | - | | - | * * * * | - | | - | . . . | - | | - | . * * * * | - | | - | . . . | - | | - | * * * * | - | | - +-----------------------------+ - -the first dot, starting from the left-hand top of the card, as in the -previous diagram, will represent hearts; the second, downwards, -diamonds; the third, clubs; and the fourth, spades. If, now, another -small dot is placed by the side of one of these chequers, it will -indicate the value of the card. This dot must be placed in one of the -divisions marked in fig. 3 The topmost point indicates an ace; the next, -to the right, a king; the third, a queen; the fourth, a knave; and so -on. Of course, a single dot, as in fig. 2, when it is placed by the -third point or color, indicates the eight of clubs. - -[Illustration] - -There are many other arrangements, but they are more difficult to -explain than to understand. Thus I have had chequered cards given me to -inspect which had had no mark at all on them, but the pattern was more -or less altered by the way in which the cards were shaped, and this -simple peculiarity indicated them all. - -There are also the cards on the edge of which the Greek, when playing, -makes a mark with his thumb-nail, which he can detect as they pass -through his hands. If he is playing écarté, the kings are thus marked, -and when these pass through his fingers, he can, by a familiar trick, -leave them on the pack and deal the next card. This substitution can be -done so cleverly that it is impossible to detect it. I have also met -persons of such practised sight that, after playing two or three games -with a pack, they could recognize every card. - -Returning to the prepared cards, it may be asked how it is possible to -change the cards, for in all society where play goes on the cards are -only taken out of the paper just before beginning. - -Well! this is simple enough. The Greek finds out at what shop these -houses buy their cards: at first he will make some small purchases, so -that he may be regarded as a regular customer: then, on one fine day, he -says that a friend has commissioned him to buy a dozen packets of packs. -The next day these are brought back under the pretext that they are not -of the color required, and as the packets are still sealed, the -tradesman, full of confidence, changes them for others. - -But the Greek has spent the night in undoing the bands and sealing them -up again by a process known to conjurers; the cards have been all marked -and properly arranged, and as the tradesman has them now in his shop, -the trick is accomplished. Before long, they will reach the house where -they are wanted. - -All these swindling arts are very shocking, but there is another even -more so in the shape of "imperceptible telegraphy." Without the -slightest appearance of collusion, a Greek can tell his partner every -card his opponent holds in his hand by a system similar to that of my -"second sight." - -I could describe many other tricks, but I will stop here. 1 believe I -have said enough about card-sharpers and their swindling to induce a -person never to sit down but with persons whose honor is unimpeachable. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - The Inventive Genius of a Sugar-baker--Philippe the Magician--His - Comic Adventures--Description of his Performance--Exposition of - 1844--The King and Royal Family visit my Automata. - - -The long looked-for change in my fortunes had at length arrived; my -automata had gained me a certain degree of reputation, and I was making -arrangements to commence my performances. Before describing these, I -must devote a few pages, however, to some account of my immediate -predecessor in the conjuring art, whose success in Paris at this period -was most brilliant: I mean Philippe, the renowned magician, sorcerer, -sleight-of-hand performer, and conjurer. - -Philippe Talon was born at Alais, near Nîmes; after having carried on -his sweet trade of confectioner for some time in Paris, his want of -success compelled him to expatriate himself. London, that _pays de -Cocagne_, the perspective El Dorado, was close at hand; so our tradesman -proceeded thither, and soon set up again in trade in the capital of the -United Kingdom. The French confectioner had fair chance of success, for -in addition to the English liking for sweet-stuff, French confectionary -has ever enjoyed a reputation in that country, only comparable with that -which _real_ English blacking has so long held in France. Still, despite -these advantages, it seems that fresh difficulties arose; the fogs of -the Thames, or, as some say, dangerous speculations, melted the fragile -wares; the comfitures suffered a decided discomfiture. - -Talon packed up a second time and went to Aberdeen, to ask shelter from -the Scotch mountaineers, to whom he offered in exchange his seductive -cates. Unfortunately, the Scotch of Aberdeen, differing greatly from the -mountaineers in _La Dame Blanche_, wear neither silk stockings nor -patent leather shoes, and consume very few jujubes and tarts. Thus, the -new shop would soon have undergone the fate of the other two, had not -Talon's inventive genius found an issue from this precarious position. - -The confectioner rightly thought that, in order to sell wares, they must -be known; and in order for them to be known, they must be made known. -Relying on this judicious reasoning, Talon soon compelled the -Aberdonians to eat his sugar-plums, and, better still, to pay for them. - -At this period, there was a company of actors at Aberdeen much in the -same condition as Talon's "goodies;" they were neglected, and no one -cared to try them. In vain had the manager prepared a pantomime full of -tricks and blue-fire, the public remained deaf to his repeated appeals. - -One fine day, Talon called on the Scotch impresario: "I have a proposal -to make to you, sir," he said, without further preface, "which, if -accepted, will fill your theatre, I am convinced." - -"Pray explain yourself, sir," the manager said, nibbling at the bait, -but putting little faith in a promise which he had good reasons for -believing difficult of realization. - -"It is simply," Talon continued, "to join to the attraction of your -performance a lottery, for which I will pay all the cost. This shall be -the arrangement: each spectator, on entering, must pay, in addition, -the sum of sixpence, giving him a claim-- - -"1. To a paper of mixed sugar-plums. - -"2. To a lottery-ticket, by which he may gain the first prize, of the -value of five pounds." - -Talon also promised a new performance, the secret of which he confided -to the manager under the seal of discretion. - -These proposals being accepted, the bargain was soon completed, and the -intelligent Talon had not deceived himself. The public attracted by the -bonbons, the pantomime, and the promised surprise, filled the theatre. - -The lottery was drawn; the prize made one person happy, and the other -twelve or fifteen hundred spectators, provided with their papers of -sugar-plums, consoled their disappointment by exchanging their -"goodies." Under such favorable circumstances the pantomime was found -charming. - -Still, this piece was drawing to its close, and the promised surprise -had not yet come off, when suddenly the dancers in the ballet arranged -themselves in a circle, a sharp cry was heard, and a magnificent Punch -bounded on to the stage. It was Talon disguised by two cotton humps and -the traditional costume. - -Our new artist performed Punch's eccentric dance with rare talent, and -was heartily applauded. To thank the audience for their kind reception, -the dancer tried to make a bow, but managed it so clumsily that he fell -over on his side and could not rise again. The performers hastened to -pick the wounded man up; he spoke in a faint voice, and complained of a -broken rib. He earnestly asked for a box of Morrison's pills, and a -servant hastened to bring him pills of an enormous size. - -The public, who till then had pitied poor Punch's pain, and remained -silent sympathisers, now began to scent a jest. First they smiled, and -then they laughed when the patient, taking one of the pills, pretended -to swallow it. Half a dozen having followed the same road, Punch found -himself perfectly recovered, so, making a polite bow, he retired amidst -shouts of laughter. - -Philippe had given his first performance--the confectioner had exchanged -the barley-sugar trick for the magician's wand. - -This burlesque scene met with extraordinary success, and the receipts -swelled day by day, until the confectioner had disposed of all his -wares. Then he set off to give a specimen of his new talent in other -towns. - -I do not know whence the new magician acquired his art, but it is -probable (historical gaps are always filled up with probabilities) that -Talon had learned conjuring, as he had Punch's dance, to amuse his -friends. One thing is certain, the performance he offered the worthy -Aberdonians was not first rate, and it was not till he left that town -that he made the great improvement to which he owed his future -reputation. - -Henceforth, laying aside his comfitures and Punch's garb and squeak, -Philippe (the name the conjurer assumed) traversed England, giving at -first very modest performances. Then, his repertory becoming gradually -increased by a certain number of tricks he picked up from conjurers of -the day, he attacked the large towns, and proceeded to Glasgow, where he -built a wooden theatre in which to give his performances. - -While the magic temple was building, Philippe noticed among the -bricklayer's lads a young fellow who seemed to have remarkable -intelligence, and he eventually engaged him to appear on the stage as -assistant magician. Macalister (as his assistant was called) had a -natural genius for tricks and models; he required no apprenticeship in -this mysterious art, and indeed soon invented some tricks which -attracted his master's attention. - -From this moment, either by Macalister's help or for some other reason, -success attended Philippe everywhere, and he began acting in theatres. -After a lengthened tour through England he crossed over to Dublin, where -he acquired two new tricks, which were the foundation of his future -reputation. - -Three Chinese, who had come to France to perform some very startling -tricks, attempted some performances at Paris, which, owing to their ill -success, caused a quarrel among the Celestials. In France as well as in -China, "horses fight when there is no hay in the manger," and, though -our jugglers did not have recourse to such extremities, they separated. -One of them proceeded to Dublin, where he taught Philippe the -"gold-fish" trick, as well as the "rings." On learning the first of -these tricks, Philippe was in great trouble about performing it, for he -wanted a robe. He could not assume a Chinese costume, as his face had -none of the distinguishing features of a mandarin, nor could he dream of -a dressing-gown, for however rich it might have been, the public would -not have endured such a slight. Hence Philippe extricated himself from -the difficulty by assuming the attire of a magician. It was a daring -innovation, for, till that period, no conjurer had ventured to take on -himself the responsibility of such a costume. - -Once possessed of these two tricks, Philippe formed the project of -returning to his ungrateful country; he, therefore, came to Paris in the -summer of 1841, and performed at the Salle Montesquieu. The gold-fish -and ring tricks, a brilliant costume, a magnificent pointed cap, and a -comfortably arranged room, soon attracted large audiences, among whom -was the manager of a Vienna theatre. Delighted with the performance, the -latter on the spot offered the conjurer an engagement at half profits, -which Philippe willingly accepted. As the Salle Montesquieu was used for -public balls during the winter, this engagement also allowed him time to -have a theatre constructed in readiness for his return to Paris. - -The opening of the room Bonne-Nouvelle created a sensation in Paris when -Philippe came back from his Austrian tour, and crowds went to see the -gold-fish trick, which the performances in the Salle Montesquieu had -made known. - -My reader will have the kindness to accompany me to the _Palais des -Prestiges_ (as the new temple of magic was christened), and we will -attend one of the magician's performances. - -On reaching the end of the first-floor passage in the Bonne-Nouvelle -Bazaar, you passed through a doorway, and were quite surprised to find -yourself in a room excellently adapted for this style of performance. -There were stalls, pit, gallery, and boxes; the decorations were most -elegant, and, above all, there was plenty of room to stretch your legs. - -An orchestra composed of six musicians of doubtful talent executed a -symphony to the accompaniment of the _mélophone_, a species of accordeon -recently invented by a man of the name of Leclerc, who undertook the -musical arrangements of the palace. - -The curtain rises. - -To the great surprise of the spectators the stage is in perfect -darkness. - -A gentleman dressed in black emerges from a side door and walks towards -us. It is Philippe: I recognise him by the Provençal twang of his -accent. All the other spectators take him for the manager, and fear they -are about to hear some painful intelligence, as this gentleman holds a -pistol in his hand. - -Their uncertainty is, however, soon dispelled, for Philippe introduces -himself. He states that he has been delayed in his preparations, but, in -order to save time, he will light the innumerable candles on his stage -by firing a pistol. Although a fire-arm is not required for the -experiment, and is only intended to throw powder in the spectators' -eyes, the candles are suddenly lighted at the sound of the detonation. - -The audience applaud vociferously, and deservedly so, for this trick is -remarkably striking. However much it may be applauded, the time it -requires for preparation, and the mortal terror it occasions the -performer, are beyond recompense. - -In fact, like all experiments in which static electricity plays the -chief part, this magic inflammation is not infallible. When this -misfortune occurs, the position of the operator is the more -embarrassing, as the phenomenon has been announced as the result of -magic. Now, a magician must be omnipotent, or, if he be not so, he most -avoid at all risks any failure which may lower his prestige in the eyes -of the audience. - -The stage once lighted, Philippe commenced his performance. The first -part, composed of very average tricks, was relieved by the manoeuvres -of some curious automata. For instance: - -The _Cossack_, which should have been called the _Grimacer_, so quaint -were the contortions in which it indulged. This Cossack was also a very -clever juggler, for it passed into its pocket with considerable skill -various articles of jewelry its master had borrowed from the spectators. - -The _magic peacock_, which uttered its unmelodious screech, expanded its -gorgeous plumes, fed from its master's hand, &c. - -And lastly, a _Harlequin_, like the one I repaired for Torrini. - -After the first part of the performance, the curtain fell to enable -preparations to be made for a scene called in the bills, "A Festival at -a Palace in Nankin." This was an attractive title for those who dealt in -that description of cloth, but was only chosen to call to the -spectator's memory the Chinese trick, which would end the performance. - -When the curtain rose again the stage was entirely transformed. The -tablecloths had been replaced by brocades glistening with gold and -precious stones (at least, they looked so at a distance); the candles, -although so numerous before, had been multiplied, and gave the stage the -appearance of a fiery furnace, the veritable abode of an ally of the -Evil One. - -The magician made his appearance in a costume which, in the public -admiration, it must have exhausted the riches of Golconda to buy, and -the _Festival of Nankin_ commenced with the very clever trick derived -from the Chinese. - -Philippe took up several rings about eight inches in diameter, and -intertwined them into chains and knots with the greatest possible ease. -Then suddenly, when it seemed impossible for him to unravel his -handiwork, he blew upon them, and the rings fell separately at his feet. -This trick produced a charming illusion. - -The one that succeeded it, and which I never saw performed by any one -else, was quite equal to the preceding one in interest. - -Macalister, the Scotch bricklayer (who on the stage was a negro of the -name of Domingo), brought in on a table two sugar-loaves still covered -with that horrible paper which the honest grocer sells at the price of -colonial wares. Philippe borrowed a dozen handkerchiefs (not from -accomplices), and after placing them in a blunderbuss, he fired at one -of the sugar-loaves chosen by the audience. He then broke it asunder -with an axe, and all the handkerchiefs were found in it. - -Next came _Fortunatus's hat_. Philippe, after producing from this hat, -which he had borrowed from a spectator, an innumerable number of -objects, at last pulled out enough feathers to make a bed. The most -amusing part of this trick consisted in the conjurer making a lad kneel -down, who was completely buried in this avalanche of feathers. - -Another striking trick was the one called "The Kitchen of -Parafaragarmus." At Philippe's request two schoolboys came on the stage, -whom he dressed, one as scullion, the other as professed cook. Thus -metamorphosed, the two young _cordons bleus_ underwent all sorts of -pleasantries and mystifications. (This was a trick of Castelli's -school.) - -The conjurer then proceeded to perform the trick; for this purpose he -suspended from a tripod an enormous copper caldron full of water, and -ordered the two lads to put in it dead pigeons, an assortment of -vegetables, and plenty of seasoning. Then he lit some spirits of wine -under the caldron, and pronounced some magical incantations. At his -voice, the pigeons, returning to life, flew out of the caldron; while -the water, vegetables, and seasoning had entirely disappeared. - -Philippe usually ended the evening's performance with the famous Chinese -trick, to which he had given the pompous name of "Neptune's Basins, or -the Gold-Fish." - -The magician, clothed in his brilliant costume, mounted on a sort of low -table, which isolated him from the stage. After a few manoeuvres to -prove he had nothing about him, he threw a shawl at his feet, and, on -lifting it up, he displayed a glass basin filled with water, in which -gold-fish swam about. This was thrice repeated, with the same result; -but, in his desire to improve on his brethren of the Celestial Empire, -the French conjurer had added a variation to their trick, which gave an -amusing termination to the performance. Throwing the shawl on the ground -for the fourth time, several animals, such as rabbits, ducks, chickens, -&c., emerged from it. This trick was performed, if not gracefully, at -least in a way to excite the lively admiration of the spectators. - -Generally, Philippe was very amusing in his entertainment. His -experiments were performed with a good deal of conscientiousness, skill, -and dash, and I have no hesitation in saying that the conjurer of the -Bonne-Nouvelle Bazaar might then be considered one of the best of the -day. Philippe quitted Paris the following year, and has since performed -entirely in foreign countries, or the provinces. - -Philippe's success would not have failed to rekindle my desire to -realize my theatrical schemes, had not, at this period, a misfortune -hurled me into a state of profound wretchedness. I lost my wife. - -Left with three young children, I was obliged to undertake their charge, -although so unskilled in household cares. Thus, at the end of five -years, robbed by some, deceived by others, I had almost lost all that my -labor had produced me, and was going to ruin. - -Forced by my intolerable position, I determined on reconstituting my -home, and I married again. I shall have so many occasions of speaking -of my new wife, that I shall refrain at present from praising her -according to her deserts; besides, I am not sorry to abridge these -domestic details, which, though personally important to me, only possess -a very slight interest in my story. - -The Exhibition of 1844 was about to open, so I asked and obtained leave -to exhibit some specimens of my skill. The site granted me, opposite the -door of honor, was undoubtedly one of the best in the hall, and I -erected a circular stand, on which I placed a specimen of all the -mechanical pieces I had as yet made. Among these my _Writer_ took the -first place, which M. G---- had been kind enough to lend me for the -occasion. I may say I enjoyed all the honor of the exhibition, for my -productions were constantly surrounded by a crowd of spectators, who -were all the more eager as the performance was gratis. - -Louis Philippe paid daily visits to the Palace of Industry, and as my -automata had been pointed out as deserving his attention, he evinced a -wish to see them, and gave me twenty hours' notice of his visit. I thus -had time enough to make all my arrangements. The king arrived, holding -the Comte de Paris by the hand, and I stood on his left hand to explain -my various articles. The Duchess of Orleans was by my side, and the -other members of the royal family formed a circle around his majesty, -while the crowd, kept back by the keepers of the palace and the police -agents, left an open space round my exhibition. - -The king was in a charming humor, and seemed to take a pleasure in all I -showed him. He frequently asked me questions, and missed no occasion to -show his excellent judgment. At the end of the _séance_, the party -stopped before my Writer. This automaton, it must be borne in mind, -wrote or drew according to the question asked. The king made the -following inquiry: "How many inhabitants does Paris contain?" The writer -raised its left hand as if to indicate that it required a sheet of -paper, on receiving which, it wrote very distinctly, "Paris contains -998,964 inhabitants." - -The paper passed from the king's hand into those of the royal family, -and all admired the beauty of the writing; but I saw that Louis Philippe -had a critique to offer, his smile proved that plainly enough. Hence I -was not surprised when, pointing to the paper which had come back to -him, he said: - -"Monsieur Robert-Houdin, you did not, perhaps, recollect that this -number will not agree with the new census, which is almost completed?" - -Contrary to my expectations, I felt quite at ease with my illustrious -visitors. - -"Sire!" I replied, with sufficient assurance for a man not much -accustomed to the society of crowned heads, "I hope at that period my -automaton will be intelligent enough to make any necessary corrections." - -The king appeared satisfied with this reply, and I took advantage of his -good humor to mention that my Writer was also a poet, and explained -that, if he would deign to offer an unfinished quatrain, the automaton -would fill up the rhyme in the fourth line. The king chose the -following: - - Lorsque dans le malheur, accablé de souffrance, - Abandonné de tous, l'homme va succomber, - Quel est l'ange divin qui vient le consoler? - C'est.... - -_L'Espérance_, the writer added to the fourth line. - -"That is really charming," the king said to me. "But, Monsieur -Robert-Houdin," he added, in a confidential tone, "you must have given -your writer instructions in the poetic art?" - -"Yes, sire, as far as my weak powers permitted." - -"Then my compliment is merited more by the master than the pupil." - -I bowed to thank the king as much for his compliment as for the delicate -manner in which it was conveyed. - -"Now then, Monsieur Robert-Houdin," Louis Philippe continued, "I see by -the notice attached to this automaton that it is a draughtsman, in -addition to its merits as a writer and poet. If it be so, come," he -said, addressing the Comte de Paris, "choose your own subject for a -drawing." - -Thinking to cause the prince an agreeable surprise, I had recourse to -palmistry to influence his decision, and he, consequently selected a -crown. The automaton began drawing the outline of this regal ornament -with great skill, and every one followed its movements with interest, -when, to my great disappointment, the point of the draughtsman's pencil -broke, and the crown could not be finished. I was going to recommence -the experiment, when the king declined, with thanks. - -"As you have learned to draw," he said to the Comte de Paris, "you can -finish this for yourself." - -This performance, besides being the prelude of the kindly interest the -Orleans family afterwards displayed towards me, probably exerted some -influence on the decision of the jury, which granted me a silver medal. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - My proposed Reforms--I build a Theatre in the Palais - Royal--Formalities--General Rehearsal--Singular Effect of my - Performance--The Largest and Smallest Theatre in - Paris--Tribulation--My first Performance--Panic--Discouragement--A - Fallible Prophet--Recovery--Success. - - -It may seem strange that I thus pass from my mechanical labors to my -studies in sleight-of-hand; but if my readers will bear in mind that -these two sciences were to unite in producing my success, it will easily -be understood that I felt an equal degree of affection for them, and -that after mentioning one I must allude to the other. The Exhibition did -not drive from my thoughts my theatrical projects. - -The instruments intended for my future performances were on the point of -completion, for I had never stopped working at them. I was hence enabled -to commence operations as soon as an opportunity offered. In the mean -time, I determined on the changes I intended to introduce into the usual -routine of conjuring performances. - -Remembering Torrini's principles, I intended to have an elegant and -simple stage, unencumbered by all the paraphernalia of the ordinary -conjurer, which looks more like a toyshop than a serious performance. I -would have none of those enormous metal shades usually placed over -objects that are to disappear, and whose secret duties cannot escape -the notice of the simplest spectator. Apparatus of transparent or opaque -glass, according to circumstances, would suffice for all my operations. -In the performance of my tricks I also intended to abolish those -double-bottomed boxes of which some conjurers made such an abuse, as -well as all instruments designed to make up for the performer's want of -skill. Real sleight-of-hand must not be the tinman's work but the -artist's, and people do not visit the latter to see instruments perform. - -Of course, after the abuse I have showered upon the use of accomplices, -I quite did away with them. I have always regarded such trickery as -unworthy a real artist, as it raises doubts as to his skill. Besides, -having frequently acted as an accomplice, I remembered the unfavorable -impression this employment had left upon me as to the talent of my -partner. - -Jets of gas, covered by opaque globes, were to be substituted on my -stage for the thousands of candles, whose brilliancy is only intended to -dazzle the spectators and thus injure the effect of the experiments. - -Among the reforms I intended to introduce on the stage, the most -important was the abolition of those long tablecloths reaching to the -ground, beneath which an assistant is always suspected, and, generally -with some show of reason. For these immense chests of deception I -substituted consoles of gilt wood after the style of Louis XV. - -Of course, I abstained from any eccentric costume, and I never thought -of making any change in the attire civilized society has agreed to -accept for evening dress, for I was always of opinion that bizarre -accoutrements, far from giving the wearer any consideration, on the -contrary cast disfavor upon him. - -I had also traced out for my performances a line of conduct from which I -never diverged; that was to make no puns or play upon words, and never -to permit myself to be guilty of a mystification, even were I sure of -gaining the greatest success. - -Finally, I wished to offer new experiments divested of all charlatanism, -and possessing no other resources than those offered by skillful -manipulation, and the influence of illusions. - -This was, it will be seen, a complete regeneration in the art of -conjuring; my only fear was whether the public would accept these -important reforms and such elegant simplicity. It is true, Antonio, the -usual confidant of my plans and thoughts, strongly encouraged me. - -"Don't be alarmed about your success," he said; "you have precedents to -prove the good taste of the public and their willingness to accept -reforms based on reason. Remember Talma appearing suddenly at the -Thčâtre-Français clothed in the simple antique toga, at a time when -tragedies were performed in silk coats, powdered perukes, and red -heels." - -I accepted the reasoning, though I did not recognise the justice of the -comparison. In fact, Talma could impose his taste on the public by the -authority of his talent and reputation, while I, who as yet held no -brevet rank in the army of conjurers, trembled to see my innovations -badly received. - -We had now reached the month of December, 1844, and, having nothing -further to detain me, I decided on striking the grand blow--that is to -say, I went out one morning determined on finding a site for my theatre. -I passed the whole day in attempting to find a spot combining advantage -of situation, chance of receipts, and many other benefits. I stopped -through preference at the best spots and before the handsomest houses, -but found nothing that exactly suited me. - -Wearied with searching, I singularly lowered my pretentions and wants. -Here I found an enormous price asked for a room that only in part suited -me; there, proprietors who would not, for any consideration, have -performances in their houses; in short, obstacles and impossibilities on -all sides. - -Thus I ran about Paris for a fortnight, passing from the largest to the -smallest houses in turn, and ended by convincing myself that fate was -adverse to my plans. Antonio relieved me from my difficulty, for that -worthy friend, who aided me in the search, came to tell me he had found -a room in the Palais Royal which could be easily converted into a -theatre. I went straight to 164 in the Galerie de Valois, where I found, -in fact, all the conditions I had sought elsewhere, combined. - -The proprietor of this house had been dreaming for a long time in vain -about a benevolent tenant, who, while paying an exhorbitant price for -his room, would come in without expecting any repairs to be done. I was, -therefore, most welcome, when I not only agreed to pay the rent asked, -but endured passively every sort of imposition. Indeed, I would have -given much more, so afraid as I was lest this desirable house should -slip from me. - -When the bargain was concluded, I applied to an architect, who soon -brought me the plan of a charming room, which I jumped at. A few days -later he set to work, partitions were knocked down, the ground cleared, -and the carpenters began erecting my theatre, which was to contain from -180 to 200 persons. Though small, this room was all I wanted for my -style of performance; for supposing, according to my famous -calculations, that it was constantly full, it would be an excellent -affair for me. - -Antonio, ever filled with zeal for my interests, paid constant visits to -my workmen and stimulated their activity, but one day my friend was -struck by a sudden idea. - -"By the way," he said, "have you thought of asking permission from the -Prefect of Police to construct your theatre?" - -"Not yet," I replied, quietly. "It cannot be refused me, as this -construction makes no change in the architectural arrangements of the -house." - -"That is possible," Antonio added, "but in your place I would take this -step immediately, that no difficulty may occur when it is too late." - -I followed his advice, and we went together to M. X----'s office, who -then had the direction of theatrical affairs. After an hour waiting, we -were introduced to the head of the office, who, being at the moment -engaged in some interesting reading, did not seem even to notice our -presence. In ten minutes, however, M. X---- laid down his book, opened -and shut a few drawers, called his clerk, gave orders, lifted his -spectacles, and made us a sign that he was ready to hear a sentence -which I had already commenced twice or thrice without being able to end -it. This impertinent coolness made my blood boil; still I said, as -politely as my vexation would allow me, - -"I have come, sir, to ask your permission to open a room for -performances of magic and sleight-of-hand in the Palais Royal." - -"Sir," the head of the office replied, very dryly, "if you have chosen -the Palais Royal for your performance, I can tell you you will not -obtain permission." - -"Why so, sir?" I said, in consternation. - -"Because a ministerial decree forbids any new establishment being opened -there." - -"But pray consider, sir, that, not being aware of this decision, I have -taken a room on a long lease, and my theatre is at this moment being -built. The refusal of this permission will be my ruin. What can I do -now?" - -"That is not my business," the bureaucrat replied, disdainfully; "I am -not a theatrical agent." - -With these words M. X----, after the method employed by solicitors and -physicians to announce that a consultation is over, rose, led us to the -door, and, himself opening it, showed us clearly what we had to do. -Antonio and myself, equally in despair, remained for more than an hour -at the door of the Prefecture, vainly taxing our brains how to escape -from this difficulty. With all our reasoning, we always arrived at the -mournful conclusion that we could do no less than stop the building, and -compound with B---- to take the lease off my hands. It was my ruin, -Antonio understood as well as I, and he could offer me no consolation. - -"But, stay," he said suddenly, striking his forehead, "I have an idea. -Tell me, during the late exhibition, did you not sell a 'mysterious -clock' to M. Benjamin Delessert, a banker?" - -"Well, suppose I did, what has that to do with----" - -"What! do you not understand me? M. Delessert is brother of the Prefect -of Police. Go and see him; he is said to be good hearted, perhaps he -will give you good advice, or even better than that. If he would speak -to his brother on your behalf, we should be saved, for M. Gabriel -Delessert is omnipotent in theatrical matters." - -I adopted Antonio's advice with joy, and proceeded to carry it into -effect. M. B. Delessert received me kindly, complimented me on the -clock, with which he was quite satisfied, and made me inspect his -magnificent picture-gallery, in which it was put up. Emboldened by this -kind reception, I explained to him the embarrassment in which I was -placed. - -"Well, M. Robert-Houdin," he said to me, "console yourself; we may -possibly arrange this affair. I am going to give a large party next -Wednesday evening, to which my brother has promised to come. Do me the -pleasure to join us; you will give us a specimen of your talents, and -when M. le Préfet has learned to appreciate you, I will speak to him of -your matter." - -On Wednesday, I proceeded to the house of my new protector, who had the -kindness to present me to some of his guests, while confidentially -praising my sleight-of-hand talents. My performance came off, and, -judging by the applause I received, I may say it justified their -anticipated compliments. A week had scarce elapsed when I received a -summons to the office of Prefect of Police. I went there with all speed, -and M. Gabriel Delessert informed me that he had been able to induce the -minister to revoke his decision. "Hence you can now go," he added, "and -obtain your permission in M. X----'s office, where it has been sent for -some formalities." - -It was curious about my reception on this occasion, but M. X---- -displayed such extreme politeness towards me, that it largely made up -for the cavalier treatment he had offered me on the first occasion. Far -from leaving me standing, he would willingly have offered me two chairs -instead of one, and when I quitted his office, he overwhelmed me with -all the attention due to a man protected by a superior power. I was too -happy to bear M. X---- any malice; hence we separated quite reconciled. - -I will spare my readers the numberless tribulations which accompanied my -unending building; mistakes in time and money are so usual in such -matters, that I need not allude to them here. At length, all this was -over, and with the liveliest pleasure I saw the last workman depart not -to return again. - -We had now reached the end of June, and I hoped to commence at the -beginning of July. For this purpose I hastened my preparations, for each -day was an enormous loss, as I was spending much and earning nothing. - -I had already given some partial rehearsals, and I now decided on -holding one to precede the general rehearsal, but, as I was not quite -sure of the success of my experiments, I only invited half a dozen -intimate friends, pledged to give me their opinion with the greatest -severity. This performance was fixed for the 25th June, 1845, and on -that day I made my preparations with as much care as if I were going to -give my opening performance, for I had been suffering for nearly a month -from a regular panic, which I could attribute to no other cause than my -nervous and impressionable temperament. - -I could not get a wink of sleep, my appetite had left me, and I thought -of my performances with a species of dread. I, who had hitherto treated -so lightly the performances I gave to my friends--I, who had obtained -such success at Aubusson, trembled like a child. - -The reason was, that hitherto I had performed before spectators ever -smiling or ready to smile, and the success of my experiments made no -difference to me. Now, I was about to appear before a real audience, and -I trembled at the thought of "the right they purchased at the door." - -On the appointed evening, at eight precisely, my friends having duly -arrived, the curtain rose, and I appeared on the stage. Half a dozen -smiles greeted my appearance, which rekindled my courage and even gave -me a species of coolness. The first of my experiments was performed very -decently, and yet my address was very badly repeated. I recited it like -a schoolboy who tries to remember his lesson, but the good favor of my -spectators once acquired, I continued famously. - -To explain what follows, I must mention that, during the whole day, -heavy clouds had hung over Paris; and the evening, far from bringing any -relief, wafted into the room puffs of heated air, which seemed to issue -from a stove. - -Well, I had scarcely reached the middle of the first part, when two of -my spectators had yielded to the soporific influences of the weather and -my "patter." I could excuse them, however, for my own eye-lids were -beginning to droop. Not being accustomed to sleep standing, however, I -held my own. - -But it is well known that nothing is so contagious as sleep, hence the -epidemic made rapid progress. At the end of a few moments the last of -the survivors let his head fall on his chest and completed the sextet, -whose snoring, continually _crescendo_, at length drowned my voice. My -situation was disagreeable, and though I tried to arouse my audience by -speaking in a louder key, I only succeeded in causing one or two -eye-lids to open, which, after a few insane winks, closed again. - -At length the first part of the performance was over and the curtain -fell, and with much pleasure I stretched myself in an arm-chair to enjoy -a few minutes' rest! Five minutes would be enough, and I was asleep -before I could repel the invader. My son, who helped me on the stage, -had not waited so long; he had laid himself on the ground and was -sleeping like a top, while my wife, a busy, courageous woman, though -struggling against the common foe, watched near me, and, in her tender -care, did not disturb a sleep I required so much. Besides, she had -peeped through the hole in the curtain, and our spectators seemed so -happy, that she had not the heart to disturb them. But, insensibly, her -strength betrayed her courage, and unable to resist the temptation of a -nap, she fell asleep too. - -The pianist, who represented my orchestra, having seen the curtain fall, -and hearing no movement on the stage, thought my performance was over, -and determined on going. As the porter had orders to turn off the gas at -the main when he saw my pianist go out, and was most anxious to be exact -at the beginning of his engagement, he hastened to obey my orders, and -plunged the room into utter darkness. - -We had been enjoying this delightful sleep for about two hours, when I -was aroused by a confused sound of voices and shouts. I rubbed my eyes -and wondered where I was, but seeing nothing, I grew quite alarmed. "Can -I possibly have gone blind?" I exclaimed; "I can see nothing!" - -"Hang it, no more can we see anything!" said a voice, which I recognized -as Antonio's. "For goodness' sake, give us a light!" - -"Yes, yes, a light!" my five other spectators repeated in chorus. - -We were soon on our feet; the curtain was raised, and then, having -lighted some candles, we saw our five sleepers rubbing their eyes, and -trying to find out where they were; while Antonio was growling away -under the stalls, where he had fallen asleep. - -All was then explained; we had a hearty laugh at the adventure, and -separated with the promise of meeting again. - -There were only four days to the 1st of July, and to any one acquainted -with the preparations for a first performance, and, far more important -still, for opening a theatre, this lapse of time will appear very short, -for there is always so much to be done at the last moment. Thus, the 1st -of July arrived, and I was not prepared, and the opening did not take -place till three days later. - -On this day, by a strange coincidence, the Hippodrome and the "fantastic -soirées" of Robert-Houdin, the largest and smallest stage in Paris, were -opened to the public. The 3d of July, 1845, saw two bills placarded on -the walls of Paris; one enormous, belonging to the Hippodrome, while the -other, of far more modest proportions, announced my performances. Still, -as in the fable of the reed and the oak, the large theatre, in spite of -the skill of the managers, has undergone many changes of fortune; while -the smaller one has continually enjoyed the public favor. - -I have sacredly kept a proof of my first bill, the form and color of -which has always remained the same since that date. I copy it word for -word here, both to furnish an idea of its simplicity, and to display the -programme of the experiments I then offered to the public: - - +----------------------------------------------------------------+ - | TO-DAY, THURSDAY, JULY 3, 1845. | - | | - | FIRST REPRESENTATION | - | | - | OF | - | | - | THE FANTASTIC SOIRÉES | - | | - | OF | - | | - | ROBERT-HOUDIN. | - | | - | AUTOMATA, SLEIGHT-OF-HAND, MAGIC. | - | | - | The Performance will be composed of entirely novel Experiments| - | invented by M. ROBERT-HOUDIN. | - | | - | AMONG THEM BEING: | - | | - | THE CABALISTIC CLOCK. | - | AURIOL AND DEBUREAU. | - | THE ORANGE-TREE. | - | THE MYSTERIOUS BOUQUET. | - | THE HANDKERCHIEF. | - | PIERROT IN THE EGG. | - | OBEDIENT CARDS. | - | THE MIRACULOUS FISH. | - | THE FASCINATING OWL. | - | THE PASTRYCOOK OF THE PALAIS ROYAL. | - | | - | TO COMMENCE AT EIGHT O'CLOCK. | - | | - | Box-office open at Half-past Seven. | - | | - |Price of places: Upper Boxes, 1 fr. 50 c.; Stalls, 3 fr.; Boxes,| - | 4 fr.; Dress Circle, 5 fr. | - +----------------------------------------------------------------+ - -The day of my first representation had at length arrived. To say how I -spent it is impossible; all I remember is, that, at the end of a -feverish and sleepless night, occasioned by the multiplicity of my -tasks, I had to organise and foresee everything, for I was at once -manager, machinist, author and actor. What a terrible responsibility for -a poor artist, whose life had hitherto been spent among his tools! - -At seven in the evening, a thousand things had still to be done, but I -was in a state of febrile excitement which doubled my strength and -energy, and I got through them all. - -Eight o'clock struck and echoed through my heart like the peal that -summons the culprit to execution; never in my life did I experience such -emotion and torture. Ah! if I could only draw back! Had it been possible -to fly and abandon this position I had so long desired, with what -happiness would I have returned to my peaceful avocations! And yet, why -did I feel this mad terror? I know not, for three-fourths of the room -were filled with persons on whose indulgence I could rely. - -I made a final attack on my pusillanimity. - -"Come!" I said to myself, "courage! I have my name, my future, my -children's fortune at stake; courage!" - -This thought restored me; I passed my hand several times over my -agitated features, ordered the curtain to be raised, and without further -reflection I walked boldly on the stage. - -My friends, aware of my sufferings, received me with some encouraging -applause; this kind reception restored my confidence, and, like a gentle -dew, refreshed my mind and senses. I began. - -To assert that I acquitted myself fairly would be a proof of vanity, and -yet it would be excusable, for I received repeated signs of applause -from my audience. But how to distinguish between the applause of the -friendly and the paying public? I was glad to deceive myself, and my -experiments gained by it. - -The first part was over, and the curtain fell. My wife came directly to -embrace me, to encourage me, and thank me for my courageous efforts. I -may now confess it: I believed that I had been alone severe to myself, -and that it was possible all this applause was sterling coin. This -belief did me an enormous good; and why should I conceal it, tears of -joy stood in my eyes, which I hastened to wipe away lest my feelings -might prevent my preparations for the second part. - -The curtain rose again, and I approached my audience with a smile on my -lips. I judged of this change in my face by those of my spectators, for -they began all at once to share my good humor. - -How many times since have I tried this imitative faculty on the part of -the public? If you are anxious, ill-disposed, or vexed, or should your -face bear the stamp of any annoying impression, your audience, -straightway imitating the contraction of your features, begins to frown, -grows serious, and ill-disposed to be favorable to you. If, however, you -appear on the stage with a cheerful face, the most sombre brows -unwrinkle, and every one seems to say to the artist: "How d'ye do, old -fellow, your face pleases me, I only want an opportunity to applaud -you." Such seemed to be the case with my public at this moment. - -It was more easy for me to feel at my ease as I was beginning my -favorite experiment, "the surprising pocket-handkerchief," a medley of -clever deceptions. After borrowing a handkerchief, I produced from it a -multitude of objects of every description, such as sugar-plums, feathers -of every size up to a drum-major's, fans, comic journals, and, as a -_finale_, an enormous basket of flowers, which I distributed to the -ladies. This trick was perfectly successful, but, to tell the truth, I -had it at my fingers' ends. - -The next performance was the "orange-tree," and I had every reason to -calculate on this trick, for, in my private rehearsals, it was the one I -always did best. I began with a few juggling tricks as introduction, -which were perfectly successful, and I had every reason to believe I was -getting through it capitally, when a sudden thought crossed my mind and -paralyzed me. I was assailed by a panic which must have been felt to be -understood, and I will try to explain it by an illustration. - -When you are learning to swim, the teacher begins by giving you this -important piece of advice; "Have confidence, and all will be well." If -you follow his advice, you can easily keep yourself up on the water, and -it seems perfectly natural; thus you learn to swim. But it often happens -that a sudden thought crosses your mind like lightning: "Suppose my -strength failed me!" From that time you hurry your movements, you -redouble your speed, the water no longer sustains you, you flounder -about, and, if a helping hand were not by, you would be lost. - -Such was my situation on the stage; the thought had suddenly struck me: -"Suppose I were to fail!" And immediately I began to talk quick, hurried -on in my anxiety to finish, felt confused, and, like the tired swimmer, -I floundered about without being able to emerge from the chaos of my -ideas. - -Oh! then I experienced a torture, an agony which I could not describe, -but which might easily become mortal were it prolonged. - -The real public were cold and silent, my friends were foolish enough to -applaud, but the rest remained quiet. I scarcely dared to look round the -room, and my experiment ended I know not how. - -I proceeded to the next, but my nervous system had reached such a degree -of irritation that I no longer knew what I said or did. I only felt that -I was speaking with extraordinary volubility, so that the four last -tricks of my performance were done in a few minutes. - -The curtain fell very opportunely; my strength was exhausted; but a -little longer and I should have had to crave the indulgence of my -audience. - -In my life I never passed so frightful a night as the one following my -first performance. I had a fever, I am quite certain, but that was as -nothing in comparison with my moral sufferings. I had no desire left or -courage to appear on the stage. I wished to sell, give up, or give away, -if necessary, an establishment which taxed my strength too severely. - -"No," I said to myself, "I am not born for this life of emotion. I will -quit the parching atmosphere of a theatre. I will, even at the expense -of a brilliant fortune, return to my gentle and calm employment." - -The next morning, incapable of rising, and, indeed, firmly resolved to -give up my representations, I had the bill taken down that announced my -performance for that evening. I had made up my mind as to all the -consequences of this resolution. Thus, the sacrifice accomplished, I -found myself far more calm, and even yielded to the imperious claims of -a sleep I had for a long time denied myself. - -I have now arrived at a moment when I shall quit for ever the mournful -and wearisome details of the numerous misfortunes that preceded my -representations; but my readers will notice with some surprise to what a -futile circumstance I owed my release from this state of discouragement, -which I fancied would last for ever. - -The repose I had taken during the day and the following night had -refreshed my blood and my ideas. I regarded my situation under a very -different aspect, and I had already made up my mind not to give up my -theatre, when one of my friends--or, who called himself so--came to pay -me a visit. - -After expressing his regret at the unhappy result of my first -performance, at which he had been present, he said: - -"I called in to see you because I noticed your room was closed, and I -had a wish to express my feelings to you on the subject. I must say, -then, to speak frankly" (I have noticed that this phrase is always -followed by some bad compliment, which is meant to pass under the guise -of friendly frankness), "that you are perfectly right to quit a -profession beyond your strength, and that you have acted wisely by -anticipating with good grace a decision to which you would have been -forced sooner or later. However," he added, with a self-sufficient air, -"I foretold it. I always thought you were committing an act of madness, -and that your theatre would no sooner be opened than you would be -obliged to close it." - -These cruel compliments, addressed under the cloak of apocryphal -frankness, wounded me deeply. I could easily detect that this offerer of -advice, sacrificing to his vanity the slight affection he felt for me, -had only come to see me in order to parade his perspicacity and the -justice of his previsions, of which he had never mentioned a syllable to -me. Well, this infallible prophet, who foresaw events so truly, was far -from suspecting the change he was producing in me. The more he talked, -the more he confirmed me in the resolution of continuing my -performances. - -"Who told you my room was closed?" I said, in a tone that had nothing -affectionate about it. "If I did not perform yesterday, it was because, -worn out by the fatigue I have undergone for some time, I wished to rest -for at least one day. Your foreboding will, therefore, be disappointed, -when I tell you that I shall perform this very evening. I hope, in my -second representation, to take my revenge on the public; and this time -they will judge me less severely than you have done. I am quite -convinced of it." - -The conversation having taken this turn, could not be continued much -longer. My offerer of advice, dissatisfied at my reception of him, -quitted me, and I have never seen him since. Yet, I bear him no malice; -on the contrary, if he reads my Memoirs, I beg to offer him in this -place my thanks for the happy revolution he produced in me by wounding -my vanity to the quick. - -Bills were immediately posted to announce my performance for that -evening, and I made my preparations calmly, while thinking over those -parts of my performance in which it would be advisable to introduce a -change. - -This second representation went on much better than I had hoped, and my -audience appeared satisfied. Unfortunately, that audience was small, and -my receipts, consequently, were the same. Still, I accepted it all -philosophically, for the success I had obtained gave me confidence in -the future. - -However, I soon had real causes for consolation. The celebrities of the -press came to my representations, and described my performance in the -most flattering terms. Some contributors to the comic papers also made -very pleasant allusions to my performances and myself. Among others, the -present editor of the _Charivari_ wrote an article full of fun and dash -about my performances, which he terminated with some lines, expressive -of his decided opinion that I belonged to the family of Robert le Diable -and Robert Macaire. - -Finally, the _Illustration_, desirous of evincing its sympathy, engaged -Eugčne Forey to draw a sketch of my theatre. Such publicity soon -attracted the attention of the first Parisian circles: people came to -see my performances: they appointed to meet at my room, and from this -moment commenced that reputation which has never left me since. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - New Studies--A Comic Journal--Invention of Second Sight--Curious - Experiments--An enthusiastic Spectator--Danger of being a - Sorcerer--A Philter or your Life--Way to get rid of Bores--An - Electric Touch--I perform at the Vaudeville--Struggles with the - Incredulous--Interesting Details. - - -Fontenelle says, somewhere or other, "There is no success, however -merited, in which luck does not have a share;" and, although I was of -the same opinion as the illustrious Academician, I determined by sheer -toil to diminish as much as in me lay the share luck could claim in _my_ -success. In the first place, I redoubled my efforts to improve the -execution of my tricks, and when I believed I had attained that result, -I tried to correct a fault which, I felt, must injure my performance. -This was speaking too rapidly; and my "patter," recited in a schoolboy -tone, thus lost much of its effect. I was drawn in this false direction -by my natural vivacity, and I had great trouble in correcting it; -however, by resolutely attacking my enemy, I managed to conquer it. - -This victory was doubly profitable to me: I performed with much less -fatigue, and had the pleasure of noticing, in the calmness of my -audience, that I had realized the scenic truth, "the more slowly a story -is told, the shorter it seems." In fact, if you pronounce slowly, the -public, judging from your calmness that you take an interest in what you -are saying, yield to your influence and listen to you with sustained -attention. If, on the contrary, your words reveal a desire to finish -quickly, your auditors gradually submit to the influence of this -restlessness, and they are as anxious as yourself to hear the end of -your story. - -I have said that people of the first rank came to my theatre, but I -noticed, on the other hand, to my regret, that my pit was scantily -filled. As I was ambitious to have my room thronged, I thought I could -not effect this more easily than by making my theatre better known than -I had hitherto done. - -From time immemorial it has been the custom, at conjuring performances, -to distribute small presents to the audience, in order to "maintain -their friendship." Toys were generally selected, which spectators of all -ages contended for; and this often made Comte say at the moment of -distribution, "Here are toys for great children and small." These toys -had a very ephemeral existence, and as nothing indicated their origin, -they could attract no attention to the giver. While, then, I was as -liberal as my predecessors, I wished that my little presents should keep -up for a longer period the remembrance of my name and experiments. -Instead of dolls and other similar objects, I distributed to my -spectators, under the form of presents produced by magic, illustrated -comic journals, elegant fans, albums, and rebuses, all accompanied by -bouquets and excellent bonbons. Each article bore, not only the -inscription "Recollections of Robert-Houdin's fantastic soirées," but -also details of my performances, according to the nature of the article. -These were generally presented in the shape of verses. The thing that -caused me the most trouble was my comic journal, the "Cagliostro," which -I was forced to edit at the expense of my night's rest. The audience -were amused by my jests, and the perusal of the paper between the acts -gave me a little time to make my preparations. - -The experiment, however, to which I owed my reputation was one inspired -by that fantastic god to whom Pascal attributes all the discoveries of -this sublunary world: chance led me straight to the invention of _second -sight_. - -My two children were playing one day in the drawing-room at a game they -had invented for their own amusement. The younger had bandaged his elder -brother's eyes, and made him guess the objects he touched, and when the -latter happened to guess right, they changed places. This simple game -suggested to me the most complicated idea that ever crossed my mind. - -Pursued by the notion, I ran and shut myself up in my workroom, and was -fortunately in that happy state when the mind follows easily the -combinations traced by fancy. I rested my head in my hands, and, in my -excitement, laid down the first principles of second sight. - -It would require a whole volume to describe the numberless combinations -of this experiment; but this description, far too serious for these -memoirs, will find a place in a special work, which will also contain -the explanation of my theatrical tricks. Still, I cannot resist the -desire of cursorily explaining some of the preliminary experiments to -which I had recourse before I could make the trick perfect. - -My readers will remember the experiment suggested to me formerly by the -pianist's dexterity, and the strange faculty I succeeded in attaining: I -could read while juggling with four balls. Thinking seriously of this, I -fancied that this "perception by appreciation" might be susceptible of -equal development, if I applied its principles to the memory and the -mind. - -I resolved, therefore, on making some experiments with my son Emile, -and, in order to make my young assistant understand the nature of the -exercise we were going to learn, I took a domino, the cinq-quatre for -instance, and laid it before him. Instead of letting him count the -points of the two numbers, I requested the boy to tell me the total at -once. - -"Nine," he said. - -Then I added another domino, the quarter-tray. - -"That makes sixteen," he said, without any hesitation. - -I stopped the first lesson here; the next day we succeeded in counting -at a single glance four dominoes, the day after six, and thus we at -length were enabled to give instantaneously the product of a dozen -dominoes. - -This result obtained, we applied ourselves to a far more difficult task, -over which we spent a month. My son and I passed rapidly before a -toy-shop, or any other displaying a variety of wares, and cast an -attentive glance upon it. A few steps further on we drew paper and -pencil from our pockets, and tried which could describe the greater -number of objects seen in passing. I must own that my son reached a -perfection far greater than mine, for he could often write down forty -objects, while I could scarce reach thirty. Often feeling vexed at this -defeat, I would return to the shop and verify his statement, but he -rarely made a mistake. - -My male readers will certainly understand the possibility of this, but -they will recognize the difficulty. As for my lady readers, I am -convinced beforehand they will not be of the same opinion, for they -daily perform far more astounding feats. Thus, for instance, I can -safely assert that a lady seeing another pass at full speed in a -carriage, will have had time to analyze her toilette from her bonnet to -her shoes, and be able to describe not only the fashion and quality of -the stuffs, but also say if the lace be real, or only machine made. I -have known ladies do this. - -This natural, or acquired, faculty among ladies, but which my son and I -had only gained by constant practice, was of great service in my -performances, for while I was executing my tricks, I could see -everything that passed around me, and thus prepare to foil any -difficulties presented me. This exercise had given me, so to speak, the -power of following two ideas simultaneously, and nothing is more -favorable in conjuring than to be able to think at the same time both of -what you are saying and of what you are doing. I eventually acquired -such a knack in this, that I frequently invented new tricks while going -through my performances. One day, even, I made a bet I would solve a -problem in mechanics while taking my part in conversation. We were -talking of the pleasure of a country life, and I calculated during this -time the quantity of wheels and pinions, as well as the necessary cogs, -to produce certain revolutions required, without once failing in my -reply. - -This slight explanation will be sufficient to show what is the essential -basis of second sight, and I will add that a secret and unnoticeable -correspondence existed between my son and myself, by which I could -announce to him the name, nature, and bulk of objects handed me by -spectators. - -As none understood my mode of action, they were tempted to believe in -something extraordinary, and, indeed, my son Emile, then aged twelve, -possessed all the essential qualities to produce this opinion, for his -pale, intellectual, and ever thoughtful face represented the type of a -boy gifted with some supernatural power. - -Two months were incessantly employed in erecting the scaffolding of our -tricks, and when we were quite confident of being able to contend -against the difficulties of such an undertaking, we announced the first -representation of second sight. On the 12th of February, 1846, I printed -in the centre of my bill the following singular announcement: - -"_In this performance M. Robert-Houdin's son, who is gifted with a -marvellous second sight, after his eyes have been covered with a thick -bandage, will designate every object presented to him by the audience_." - -I cannot say whether this announcement attracted any spectators, for my -room was constantly crowded, still I may affirm, what may seem very -extraordinary, that the experiment of second sight, which afterwards -became so fashionable, produced no effect on the first performance. I am -inclined to believe that the spectators fancied themselves the dupes of -accomplices, but I was much annoyed by the result, as I had built on the -surprise I should produce; still, having no reason to doubt its ultimate -success, I was tempted to make a second trial, which turned out well. - -The next evening I noticed in my room several persons who had been -present on the previous night, and I felt they had come a second time to -assure themselves of the reality of the experiment. It seems they were -convinced, for my success was complete, and amply compensated for my -former disappointment. - -I especially remember a mark of singular approval with which one of my -pit audience favored me. My son had named to him several objects he -offered in succession; but not feeling satisfied, my incredulous -friend, rising, as if to give more importance to the difficulty he was -about to present, handed me an instrument peculiar to cloth merchants, -and employed to count the number of threads. Acquiescing in his wish, I -said to my boy, "What do I hold in my hand?" - -"It is an instrument to judge the fineness of cloth, and called a thread -counter." - -"By Jove!" my spectator said, energetically, "it is marvellous. If I had -paid ten francs to see it, I should not begrudge them." - -From this moment my room was much too small, and was crowded every -evening. - -Still, success is not entirely rose-colored, and I could easily narrate -many disagreeable scenes produced by the reputation I had of being a -sorcerer; but I will only mention one, which forms a résumé of all I -pass over: - -A young lady of elegant manners paid me a visit one day, and although -her face was hidden by a thick veil, my practised eyes perfectly -distinguished her features. She was very pretty. - -My incognita would not consent to sit down till she was assured we were -alone, and that I was the real Robert-Houdin. I also seated myself, and -assuming the attitude of a man prepared to listen, I bent slightly to my -visitor, as if awaiting her pleasure to explain to me the object of her -mysterious visit. To my great surprise, the young lady, whose manner -betrayed extreme emotion, maintained the most profound silence, and I -began to find the visit very strange, and was on the point of forcing an -explanation, at any hazard, when the fair unknown timidly ventured these -words: - -"Good Heavens! sir, I know not how you will interpret my visit." - -Here she stopped, and let her eyes sink with a very embarrassed air; -then, making a violent effort, she continued: - -"What I have to ask of you, sir, is very difficult to explain." - -"Speak, madam, I beg," I said, politely, "and I will try to guess what -you cannot explain to me." - -And I began asking myself what this reserve meant. - -"In the first place," the young lady said, in a low voice, and looking -round her, "I must tell you confidentially that I loved, my love was -returned, and I--I am betrayed." - -At the last word the lady raised her head, overcame the timidity she -felt, and said, in a firm and assured voice, - -"Yes, sir--yes, I am betrayed, and for that reason I have come to you." - -"Really, madam," I said, much surprised at this strange confession, "I -do not see how I can help you in such a matter." - -"Oh, sir, I entreat you," said my fair visitor, clasping her hands--"I -implore you not to abandon me!" - -I had great difficulty in keeping my countenance, and yet I felt an -extreme curiosity to know the history concealed behind this mystery. - -"Calm yourself, madam," I remarked, in a tone of tender sympathy; "tell -me what you would of me, and if it be in my power----" - -"If it be in your power!" the young lady said, quickly; "why, nothing is -more easy, sir." - -"Explain yourself, madam." - -"Well, sir, I wish to be avenged." - -"In what way?" - -"How, you know better than I, sir; must I teach you? You have in your -power means to----" - -"I, madam?" - -"Yes, sir, you! for you are a sorcerer, and cannot deny it." - -At this word sorcerer, I was much inclined to laugh; but I was -restrained by the incognita's evident emotion. Still, wishing to put an -end to a scene which was growing ridiculous, I said, in a politely -ironical tone: - -"Unfortunately, madam, you give me a title I never possessed." - -"How, sir!" the young woman exclaimed, in a quick tone, "you will not -allow you are----" - -"A sorcerer, madam? Oh no, I will not." - -"You will not?" - -"No, a thousand times no, madam." - -At these words my visitor rose hastily, muttered a few incoherent words, -appeared suffering from terrible emotion, and then drawing near me with -flaming eyes and passionate gestures, repeated: - -"Ah, you will not! Very good; I now know what I have to do." - -Stupefied by such an outbreak, I looked at her fixedly, and began to -suspect the cause of her extraordinary conduct. - -"There are two modes of acting," she said, with terrible volubility, -"towards people who devote themselves to magic arts--entreaty and -menaces. You would not yield to the first of these means, hence, I must -employ the second. Stay," she added, "perhaps this will induce you to -speak." - -And, lifting up her cloak, she laid her hand on the hilt of a dagger -passed through her girdle. At the same time she suddenly threw back her -veil, and displayed features in which all the signs of rage and madness -could be traced. No longer having a doubt as to the person I had to deal -with, my first movement was to rise and stand on my guard; but this -first feeling overcome, I repented the thought of a struggle with the -unhappy woman, and determined on employing a method almost always -successful with those deprived of reason. I pretended to accede to her -wishes. - -"If it be so, madam, I yield to your request. Tell me what you require." - -"I have told you, sir; I wish for vengeance, and there is only one -method to----" - -Here there was a fresh interruption, and the young lady, calmed by my -apparent submission, as well as embarrassed by the request she had to -make of me, became again timid and confused. - -"Well, madam?" - -"Well, sir, I know not how to tell you--how to explain to you--but I -fancy there are certain means--certain spells--which render it -impossible--impossible for a man to be--unfaithful." - -"I now understand what you wish, madam. It is a certain magic practice -employed in the middle ages. Nothing is easier, and I will satisfy you." - -Decided on playing the farce to the end, I took down the largest book I -could find in my library, turned over the leaves, stopped at a page -which I pretended to scan with profound attention, and then addressing -the lady, who followed all my movements anxiously, - -"Madam," I said, confidentially, "the spell I am going to perform -renders it necessary for me to know the name of the person; have the -kindness, then, to tell it me." - -"Julian!" she said, in a faint voice. - -With all the gravity of a real sorcerer, I solemnly thrust a pin through -a lighted candle, and pronounced some cabalistic words. After which, -blowing out the candle, and turning to the poor creature, I said: - -"Madam, it is done; your wish is accomplished." - -"Oh, thank you, sir," she replied, with the expression of the -profoundest gratitude; and at the same moment she laid a purse on the -table and rushed away. I ordered my servant to follow her to her house, -and obtain all the information he could about her, and I learned she had -been a widow for a short time, and that the loss of an adored husband -had disturbed her reason. The next day I visited her relatives, and, -returning them the purse, I told them the scene the details of which the -reader has just perused. - -This scene, with some others that preceded and followed it, compelled me -to take measures to guard myself against bores of every description. I -could not dream, as formerly, of exiling myself in the country, but I -employed a similar resource: this was to shut myself up in my workroom, -and organize around me a system of defence against those whom I called, -in my ill-temper, thieves of time. - -I daily received visits from persons who were utter strangers to me; -some were worth knowing, but the majority, gaining an introduction under -the most futile pretexts, only came to kill a portion of their leisure -time with me. It was necessary to distinguish the tares from the wheat, -and this is the arrangement I made: - -When one of these gentlemen rang at my door, an electric communication -struck a bell in my workroom; I was thus warned and put on my guard. My -servant opened the door, and, as is customary, inquired the visitor's -name, while I, for my part, laid my ear to a tube, arranged for the -purpose, which conveyed to me every word. If, according to his reply, I -thought it as well not to receive him, I pressed a button, and a white -mark that appeared in a certain part of the hall announced I was not at -home to him. My servant then stated I was out, and begged the visitor to -apply to the manager. - -Sometimes it happened that I erred in my judgment, and regretted having -granted an audience; but I had another mode of shortening a bore's -visit. I had placed behind the sofa on which I set an electric spring, -communicating with a bell my servant could hear. In case of need, and -while talking, I threw my arm carelessly over the back of the sofa, -touching the spring, and the bell rang. Then my servant, playing a -little farce, opened the front door, rang the bell, which could be heard -from the room where I sat, and came to tell me that M. X---- (a name -invented for the occasion) wished to speak to me. I ordered M. X---- to -be shown into an adjoining room, and it was very rare that my bore did -not raise the siege. No one can form an idea how much time I gained by -this happy arrangement, or how many times I blessed my imagination and -the celebrated savant to whom the discovery of galvanism is due! - -This feeling can be easily explained, for my time was of inestimable -value. I husbanded it like a treasure, and never sacrificed it, unless -the sacrifice might help me to discover new experiments destined to -stimulate public curiosity. - -To support my determination in making my researches, I had ever before -me this maxim: - -IT IS MORE DIFFICULT TO SUPPORT ADMIRATION THAN TO EXCITE IT. - -And this other, an apparent corollary of the preceding: - -THE FASHION AN ARTISTE ENJOYS CAN ONLY LAST AS HIS TALENT DAILY -INCREASES. - -Nothing increases a professional man's merit so much as the possession -of an independent fortune; this truth may be coarse, but it is -indubitable. Not only was I convinced of these principles of high -economy, but I also knew that a man must strive to profit by the fickle -favor of the public, which equally descends if it does not rise. Hence I -worked my reputation as much as I could. In spite of my numerous -engagements, I found means to give performances in all the principal -theatres, though great difficulties frequently arose, as my performance -did not end till half-past ten, and I could only fulfil my other -engagements after that hour. - -Eleven o'clock was generally the hour fixed for my appearance on a -strange stage, and my readers may judge of the speed required to proceed -to the theatre in so short a time and make my preparations. It is true -that the moments were as well counted as employed, and my curtain had -hardly fallen than, rushing towards the stairs, I got before my -audience, and jumped into a vehicle that bore me off at full speed. - -But this fatigue was as nothing compared to the emotion occasionally -produced by an error in the time that was to elapse between my two -performances. I remember that, one night, having to wind up the -performances at the Vaudeville, the stage-manager miscalculated the time -the pieces would take in performing, and found himself much in advance. -He sent off an express to warn me that the curtain had fallen, and I was -anxiously expected. Can my readers comprehend my wretchedness? My -experiments, of which I could omit none, would occupy another quarter -of an hour; but instead of indulging in useless recriminations, I -resigned myself and continued my performance, though I was a prey to -frightful anxiety. While speaking, I fancied I could hear that cadenced -yell of the public to which the famous song, "_Des lampions, des -lampions_," was set. Thus, either through preoccupation, or a desire to -end sooner, I found when my performance was over I had gained five -minutes out of the quarter of an hour. Assuredly, it might be called the -quarter of an hour's grace. - -To jump into a carriage and drive to the Place de la Bourse was the -affair of an instant; still, twenty minutes had elapsed since the -curtain fell, and that was an enormous time. My son Emile and I -proceeded up the actors' stairs at full speed, but on the first step, we -had heard the cries, whistling, and stamping of the impatient audience. -What a prospect! I knew that frequently, either right or wrong, the -public treated an artiste, no matter whom, very harshly, to remind him -of punctuality. That sovereign always appears to have on its lips the -words of another monarch: "I was obliged to wait." However, we hurried -up the steps leading to the stage. - -The stage-manager, who had been watching, on hearing our hurried steps, -cried from the landing: - -"Is that you, M. Houdin?" - -"Yes, sir--yes." - -"Raise the curtain!" the same voice shouted. - -"Wait, wait, it is imp----" - -My breath would not allow me to finish my objection; I fell on a chair, -unable to move. - -"Come, M. Houdin," the manager said, "_do_ go on the stage, the curtain -is up, and the public are so impatient." - -The door at the back of the stage was open, but I could not pass through -it, fatigue and emotion nailed me to the spot. Still, an idea occurred -to me, which saved me from the popular wrath. - -"Go on to the stage, my boy," I said to my son, "and prepare all that is -wanting for the second-sight trick." - -The public allowed themselves to be disarmed by this youth, whose face -inspired a sympathizing interest; and my son, after gravely bowing to -the audience, quietly made his slight preparations, that is to say, he -carried an ottoman to the front of the stage, and placed on a -neighboring table a slate, some chalk, a pack of cards, and a bandage. - -This slight delay enabled me to recover my breath and calm my nerves, -and I advanced in my turn with an attempt to assume the stereotyped -smile, in which I signally failed, as I was so agitated. The audience at -first remained silent, then their faces gradually unwrinkled, and soon, -one or two claps having been ventured, they were carried away and peace -was made. I was well rewarded, however, for this terrible ordeal, as my -"second-sight" never gained a more brilliant triumph. - -An incident greatly enlivened the termination of my performance. - -A spectator, who had evidently come on purpose to embarrass us, had -tried in vain for some minutes to baffle my son's clairvoyance, when -turning to me, he said, laying marked stress on his words: - -"As your son is a soothsayer, of course he can guess the number of my -stall?" - -The importunate spectator doubtlessly hoped to force us into a -confession of our impotence, for he covered his number and the adjacent -seats being occupied, it was apparently impossible to read the numbers. -But I was on my guard against all surprises, and my reply was ready. -Still, in order to profit as much as possible by the situation, I -feigned to draw back. - -"You know, sir," I said, feigning an embarrassed air, "that my son is -neither sorcerer nor diviner; he reads through my eyes, and hence I have -given this experiment the name of second-sight. As I cannot see the -number of your stall, and the seats close to you are occupied, my son -cannot tell it you." - -"Ah! I was certain of it," my persecutor said, in triumph, and turning -to his neighbors: "I told you I would pin him." - -"Oh, sir! you are not generous in your victory," I said, in my turn, in -a tone of mockery. "Take care; if you pique my son's vanity too sharply, -he may solve your problem, though it is so difficult." - -"I defy him," said the spectator, leaning firmly against the back of his -seat, to hide the number better--"yes, yes--I defy him!" - -"You believe it to be difficult, then?" - -"I will grant more: it is impossible." - -"Well, then, sir, that is a stronger reason for us to try it. You will -not be angry if we triumph in our turn?" I added, with a petulant smile. - -"Come, sir; we understand evasions of that sort. I repeat it--I -challenge you both." - -The public found great amusement in this debate, and patiently awaited -its issue. - -"Emile," I said to my son, "prove to this gentleman that nothing can -escape your second sight." - -"It is number sixty-nine," the boy answered, immediately. - -Noisy and hearty applause rose from every part of the theatre, in which -our opponent joined, for, confessing his defeat, he exclaimed, as he -clapped his hands, "It is astounding--magnificent!" - -The way I succeeded in finding out the number of the stall was this: I -knew beforehand that in all theatres where the stalls are divided down -the centre by a passage, the uneven numbers are on the right, and the -even on the left. As at the Vaudeville each row was composed of ten -stalls, it followed that on the right hand the several rows must begin -with one, twenty-one, forty-one, and so on, increasing by twenty each. -Guided by this, I had no difficulty in discovering that my opponent was -seated in number sixty-nine, representing the fifth stall in the fourth -row. I had prolonged the conversation for the double purpose of giving -more brilliancy to my experiment, and gaining time to make my -researches. Thus I applied my process of two simultaneous thoughts, to -which I have already alluded. - -As I am now explaining matters, I may as well tell my readers some of -the artifices that added material brilliancy to the second sight. I have -already said this experiment was the result of a material communication -between myself and my son, which no one could detect. Its combinations -enabled us to describe any conceivable object; but, though this was a -splendid result, I saw that I should soon encounter unheard-of -difficulties in executing it. - -The experiment of second sight always formed the termination of my -performance. Each evening I saw unbelievers arrive with all sorts of -articles to triumph over a secret which they could not unravel. Before -going to see Robert-Houdin's son a council was held, in which an object -that must embarrass the father was chosen. Among these were -half-effaced antique medals, minerals, books printed in characters of -every description (living and dead languages), coats-of-arms, -microscopic objects, &c. - -But what caused me the greatest difficulty was in finding out the -contents of parcels, often tied with a string, or even sealed up. But I -had managed to contend successfully against all these attempts to -embarrass me. I opened boxes, purses, pocket-books, &c., with great -ease, and unnoticed, while appearing to be engaged on something quite -different. Were a sealed parcel offered me, I cut a small slit in the -paper with the nail of my left thumb, which I always purposely kept very -long and sharp, and thus discovered what it contained. One essential -condition was excellent sight, and that I possessed to perfection. I -owed it originally to my old trade, and practice daily improved it. An -equally indispensable necessity was to know the name of every object -offered me. It was not enough to say, for instance, "It is a coin;" but -my son must give its technical name, its value, the country in which it -was current, and the year in which it was struck. Thus, for instance, if -an English crown were handed me, my son was expected to state that it -was struck in the reign of George IV., and had an intrinsic value of six -francs eighteen centimes. - -Aided by an excellent memory, we had managed to classify in our heads -the name and value of all foreign money. We could also describe a -coat-of-arms in heraldic terms. Thus, on the arms of the house of X---- -being handed me, my son would reply: "Field gules, with two croziers -argent in pale." This knowledge was very useful to us in the _salons_ of -the Faubourg Saint Germain, where we were frequently summoned. - -I had also learned the characters--though unable to translate a -word--of an infinity of languages, such as Chinese, Russian, Turkish, -Greek, Hebrew, &c. We knew, too, the names of all surgical instruments, -so that a surgical pocket-book, however complicated it might be, could -not embarrass us. Lastly, I had a very sufficient knowledge of -mineralogy, precious stones, antiquities, and curiosities; but I had at -my command every possible resource for acquiring these studies, as one -of my dearest and best friends, Aristide le Carpentier, a learned -antiquary, and uncle of the talented composer of the same name, had, and -still has, a cabinet of antique curiosities, which makes the keepers of -the imperial museums fierce with envy. My son and I spent many long days -in learning here names and dates, of which we afterwards made a learned -display. Le Carpentier taught me many things, and, among others, he -described various signs by which to recognise old coins when the die is -worn off. Thus, a Trajan, a Tiberius, or a Marcus Aurelius became as -familiar to me as a five-franc piece. - -Owing to my old trade, I could open a watch with ease, and do it with -one hand, so as to be able to read the maker's name without the public -suspecting it: then I shut up the watch again and the trick was ready; -my son managed the rest of the business. - -But that power of memory which my son possessed in an eminent degree -certainly did us the greatest service. When we went to private houses, -he needed only a very rapid inspection, in order to know all the objects -in a room, as well as the various ornaments worn by the spectators, such -as châtelaines, pins, eye-glasses, fans, brooches, rings, bouquets, &c. -He thus could describe these objects with the greatest ease, when I -pointed them out to him by our secret communication. Here is an -instance: - -One evening, at a house in the Chaussée d'Antin, and at the end of a -performance which had been as successful as it was loudly applauded, I -remembered that, while passing through the next room to the one we were -now in, I had begged my son to cast a glance at a library and remember -the titles of some of the books, as well as the order they were arranged -in. No one had noticed this rapid examination. - -"To end the second sight experiment, sir," I said to the master of the -house, "I will prove to you that my son can read through a wall. Will -you lend me a book?" - -I was naturally conducted to the library in question, which I pretended -now to see for the first time, and I laid my finger on a book. - -"Emile," I said to my son, "What is the name of this work?" - -"It is Buffon," he replied, quickly. - -"And the one by its side?" an incredulous spectator hastened to ask. - -"On the right or left?" my son asked. - -"On the right," the speaker said, having a good reason for choosing this -book, for the lettering was very small. - -"The Travels of Anacharsis the Younger," the boy replied. "But," he -added, "had you asked the name of the book on the left, sir, I should -have said Lamartine's Poetry. A little to the right of this row, I see -Crébillon's works; below, two volumes of Fleury's Memoirs;" and my son -thus named a dozen books before he stopped. - -The spectators had not said a word during this description, as they felt -so amazed; but when the experiment had ended, all complimented us by -clapping their hands. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - - Seductions of a Theatrical Agent--How to gain One Hundred Thousand - Francs--I start for Brussels--A lucky Two-Sou Piece--Miseries of - professional Travelling--The Park Theatre--Tyranny of a - Porter--Full House--Small Receipts--Deceptions--Return to Paris. - - -Had it not been for my constant toil and the inconveniences attached to -it, I should have been quite happy and satisfied with the daily profit -my performances brought me in. But one fine day the demon of seduction -presented himself before me in the obsequious form of a theatrical -agent. - -"Monsieur Robert-Houdin," he said, with a smile on his lips, as if we -were old friends, "I am commissioned by M. X----, manager of the royal -theatres of Brussels, to offer you an engagement for the summer season." - -My first answer was a refusal, which I based on excellent reasons. As I -was very successful, it would not be prudent to break the vein, while I -saw no occasion to go a long distance in search of advantages I could -secure at home. This reasoning would have settled any one but a -theatrical agent; but nothing, it is well known, can shake off the grip -of these skillful crimps. - -"Permit me, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, not to be quite of your opinion. I -allow, of course, that with your talents you are always secure of good -receipts, but you should bear in mind that the dog-days are approaching, -and your room is stifling in summer. This consideration might induce -the Parisian public to defer till autumn the pleasure of witnessing your -performances, while, by going to Brussels, where the theatres are large -and airy, you would have no reason to fear such a result. Come," the -plenipotentiary continued, in a most candid tone, "I must tell you, -without wishing to flatter you the least in the world, that everybody is -talking about you in Belgium; I may add, even, that the manager has been -urged to make you offers by a great number of his subscribers." - -This flattering insinuation began to shake my decision, and I offered in -my defence reasons whose weakness only attested to my indecision. My -clever touter noticed this, and thinking the moment arrived to strike -his great blow, said: - -"Do you know, sir, the probable proceeds of my offer?" - -"No, sir." - -"Well, make an estimate." - -"It is impossible." - -"Then, approximate." - -"I must decline; for I understand nothing of such calculations." - -"Well, then, I understand them, and am rarely mistaken," said the agent, -stroking his chin, "and I tell you it is an affair to you" (here my -seducer stopped, as if to make a most accurate calculation)--"an affair -of one hundred thousand francs." - -"One hundred thousand francs!" I exclaimed, dazzled at such a prospect, -"you cannot mean it." - -"It is precisely because I mean it that I tell you, and repeat it again: -you will clear one hundred thousand francs by your trip. Add to this, -the advantage of having seen a splendid country, and being received with -all the attention due to an artist of your merit. You will then return -to your impatient spectators, whose curiosity, heightened by their long -privation, will produce you receipts far more brilliant than any you -might have expected by remaining in Paris." - -Being little conversant at that period with theatrical matters, and -having no reason to doubt the honesty of my eloquent "humbugger," I -easily believed his fine promises. The chink of one hundred thousand -francs still ringing in my ears fascinated me; and I gave way -unconsciously to the same mode of reasoning the inkstand inventor had -employed. - -"And, really," I said to myself, "supposing, for instance, that----" -And, leaping from supposition to supposition, my calculations exceeded -those of the agent. But, in order to be reasonable, I concluded, like my -friend the inventor, in this way: "Well, to prevent any -misunderstanding, suppose we say only fifty thousand francs--surely -nobody can accuse me with exaggeration." - -Though dazzled by this brilliant calculation, I strove to conceal my -desire of accepting the offer. - -"It is all very well," I said, in my turn, after the style of a perfect -man of business, "but what are the conditions?" - -"Oh, most simple!" the crafty fellow said; "the same as are made with -all distinguished artists. Monsieur X---- will pay all the expenses, but -to cover those, he will deduct three hundred francs from the gross -receipts, exclusive of the claim of the poor, and the rest will be -fairly divided between him and yourself." - -"Still, I should like to know how much the sum to be divided will amount -to?" - -"How is it possible to say?" the agent exclaimed, with an aspect of the -greatest sincerity. "With such success as awaits you, it will be -enormous." - -In spite of my pressing, the agent always entrenched himself in his -exclamations, and the impossibility of making such an estimate. Tired of -the struggle, I at length formed my decision. - -"I will go to Brussels," I said, in a resolute tone. - -The theatrical agent immediately drew from his pocket a printed form, -which he had brought in case of our coming to terms, and we had only to -add the stipulations to it. - -"Tell me, sir," the manager's representative said, in a conscientious -tone, "will you have any objection to a forfeit of six thousand francs? -As the engagement is reciprocal, you must find this but fair." - -I only saw in the agent's request a very natural desire to defend his -employer's interests; and I drew this conclusion from it: if the -agreement was advantageous for the manager, it must be equally so for -me, as we were to share the receipts. I consented to the clause, and -affixed my signature. The agent could not repress his satisfaction, but -he cleverly ascribed it to the interest he felt in me. - -"I congratulate you sincerely on the engagement you have just made," he -said, as he offered me his hand; "you will soon be able to tell me of -the results you will draw from it. By the way," he added, in a friendly -tone, after a pause, "will you now permit me to give you a piece of -advice?" - -"Certainly, sir--certainly." - -"I would recommend you, then, to take a collection of showy bills and -posters with you to Belgium. They do not know how to get them up in -Brussels, and they will produce a prodigious effect. It would be also as -well to have a handsome lithograph, representing your stage; it can be -put up in the various picture-shops, and you will obtain increased -publicity." - -These counsels, and the familiar, almost protecting, tone in which they -were given, appeared to me strange; and I could not refrain from -expressing my surprise to the man of business. - -"What need of all these precautions? I fancied I understood you -that----" - -"Good gracious me! all professionals are alike," the giver of advice -interrupted me; "absorbed in their art, they understand nothing of -business. But tell me, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, would you feel annoyed at -netting one hundred and fifty thousand francs, instead of the one -hundred thousand I promised you?" - -"On my word, no," I said, with a smile; "and I confess that, far from -feeling vexed, I should be very pleased at it." - -"Well, then, the more you make yourself known, the more you will add to -the amount I stated." - -"But I thought that notoriety was generally the business of managers." - -"Certainly, ordinary publicity, but not extraordinary. You must see that -is unlikely, as it will be all for your advantage." - -Though little conversant with business, as the agent had just remarked, -I saw that his arguments were not always in accordance with logic. -However, I consented to the posters and the lithograph, in consideration -of the promised results. - -"That is right," the agent said, his familiarity sensibly increasing -since the signature of the contract--"that is right: that is what I call -managing things properly." - -And my man left me, after complimenting me once more on the arrangement -I had made. - -When left to myself, I indulged at my ease in daydreams about the -magnificent result promised me, and this anticipated joy was probably -all I tasted from the moment of signing this engagement to its -termination. The first unpleasantness it occasioned me was a slight -discussion with my cashier, that is to say, my wife, who, in -consideration of her employment, had a deliberative voice in all -theatrical matters. I could not certainly have found an employée of -greater probity, or a more devoted clerk, but I am bound to say that -this clerk, probably through her intimate connexion with her employer, -sometimes ventured to contradict him. Thus I feared when I described to -that functionary the brilliant perspective of my agreement. - -Although I finished my statement with this harmonious phrase, on every -word of which I laid a heavy stress, in order to give it more value, -"and we shall return to France with one--hundred--thousand--francs clear -profit," my wife, or rather my cashier, coolly said to me: - -"Well, in your place, I should not have made such a bargain." - -"But why not?" I said, piqued by this unexpected opposition. - -"Why? because nothing guarantees you the promised profits, while you are -perfectly certain as to your expenses." - -Wishing to cut short a discussion from which I did not see my way out -with honor: - -"Women are all alike," I said, employing the phrase of the theatrical -agent; "understanding nothing of business, they oppose one out of -obstinacy. But," I added, tossing my head, "we shall soon see which of -us is in the right." - -I confess that in this instance I allowed myself too easily to be led -astray by flattering illusions; but I must add, that it was for the last -time; for, thenceforth, I was so skeptical as regarded calculations, -that my modest expectations always remained below the reality. - -The period for starting soon arrived, and we made our preparations with -incredible activity, for I desired to lose as little time as possible -between the closing of my performances at Paris and their commencement -in Brussels. - -The Great Northern line not being open at that period, I was obliged to -content myself with a post-chaise. Consequently, I hired from a builder -of public conveyances, for two hundred francs a month, a diligence which -had formerly been used in the environs of Paris; it was composed of a -coupé and a vast rotonde, over which was an impériale for the luggage. -On the 25th of May, the day fixed for our departure, my carriage was -loaded with an immense number of chests, containing my apparatus, and -after we had taken our places, the postillion's whip cracked, and we -started. - -We took with us on this trip, besides my two boys who performed with me, -a manager, a workman, also acting as servant, and my wife's mother, who -came partly for pleasure, and partly to help her daughter in her -theatrical details. Galloping through Paris, we soon left the Faubourg -and the Barričre St. Denis behind us. The weather was splendid--a -perfect spring evening; my wife and I, with the children, were -comfortably established in the coupé, and as it was Madame -Robert-Houdin's first journey, she was so delighted with it, that I -believe, if I had then offered her the calculation of my presumed -profits, she would probably have herself augmented it. For my own part, -I was plunged in a delicious reverie. I recalled my journey with -Torrini, and while giving a thought of regret to that excellent friend, -I compared his carriage with my brilliant equipage, his modest claims on -fortune with the magnificent prospects promised me; and I could not help -yielding to a feeling of noble pride when I remembered I owed this -position solely to my labor and to my energy. Then, finding myself freed -from the annoyance of any theatrical administration, and my inventive -ideas abandoned, I experienced an undefinable comfort, and were it not -for the fear of making a pun, I would add, at this moment I was really -transported. - -What would I have given to see myself thus bowling along in my own -carriage! I fancied that the very passers-by regarded us with a certain -degree of satisfaction; and in this infantile illusion I smiled upon -them most benignantly. - -At some distance from the barrier we stopped. - -"Will you please to get out and have your carriage weighed? Here is the -office." - -"Before proceeding to weigh," the receiver of the toll said, approaching -me, "I warn you that I shall summons you for carrying a heavier weight -than the law allows." - -I could not appeal to my ignorance of this, for no one ought to be -ignorant of the law; I therefore submitted philosophically enough to the -threatened summons, and we soon recommenced our journey, laughing -heartily at the incident. The shades of night began to cover the country -when we reached the environs of Senlis. An old beggar, seeing us -approaching, held out his hat; I understood this expressive gesture, and -had the satisfaction of doing a clever trick and a good action at the -same time; for I threw out a penny, which fell in his hat. - -I had hardly executed this adroit manoeuvre, when cries of "Stop! -stop!" reached my ear; and at the same time I saw the old man running -panting after the carriage, and shouting. The postillion at length -stopped the horses, and he was just in time--a few paces further on, and -our heavy carriage would have been upset. The worthy beggar had -perceived that one of our wheels was on the point of losing its tire, -and as the old man in his haste had lost his coin, and was beginning to -look for it, I spared him this trouble by giving him a five-franc piece. - -How true it is that an act of kindness is never lost: to a simple penny -we owed our escape from an accident, the consequences of which would -have been incalculable. A neighboring cartwright soon came up and told -us it was necessary to have the two wheels of the carriage repaired; and -he gave us the following explanation of the accident that had occurred: - -The diligence had been standing for a long time in a damp coach-house, -and the felloes had swollen. The heat produced by our rapid locomotion -had dried them, and they had caught fire under the tire. The operation -lasted four hours, and cost me forty francs; this was, perhaps, twenty -more than it was worth, but what could I do but pay, as I should have -lost precious time by appealing to the law? - -I was beginning to understand that travelling impressions in a diligence -are not at all of a nature to enrich a traveller; but the reflection -came too late, and I could only continue my journey. I, therefore, did -so, not very gaily, perhaps, but at any rate with a degree of careless -resignation. - -I will pass over the details of a thousand petty miseries we had to -undergo, like so many pin-pricks echeloned on our passage to prepare us -for more bitter deceptions. We at length reached Quiévrain, the frontier -town of Belgium, where we were to give up our horses and put our -carriage on the railway running to Brussels; beforehand, however, we had -to endure the formalities of the custom-house. - -I hoped, as the theatrical agent had informed me, to pass all my traps -summarily, by declaring the nature of my apparatus, and hence I went to -the office and made my declaration. - -"There is only one way of passing your luggage, sir," a clerk said to -me, very politely. (Belgian officials are generally very gentle and -civil--at least, I always found them so.) - -"Then," I replied, in the same tone, "will you have the kindness, sir, -to tell me the way, that I may profit by it as speedily as possible?" - -"You must unpack your instruments, put an _ad valorem_ duty on them, -which the comptroller will verify, and pay 25 per cent. on the amount, -after which you can start as soon as you please." - -"But, sir, that is not possible," I said, greatly annoyed at this -_contretemps_. - -"And why not?" - -"Because my instruments are not merchandise." - -I then explained to my clerk that I was going to Brussels to give some -performances, after which I intended to return to France with the same -luggage. According to the information the official gave me, it seems I -had neglected to fulfil a simple formality, through the want of which -the office at Quiévrain would not let me go on without payment. To pass -my instruments duty free, I ought to have applied to the Belgian -Minister, who would willingly have granted me the permission. I could -certainly do so still, but I could not receive an answer under a week, -and that was just three days after the period fixed for my commencing at -Brussels. - -Hence I found myself between the horns of a dilemma. I must either, -after paying a heavy duty, lose precious time in packing, valuing and -unpacking my instruments, or forfeit six thousand francs to my manager -while awaiting a ministerial reply. Although I made all sorts of -supplications to the different custom officials, I could only obtain -this answer, dictated by their inflexible orders, "We can do nothing." - -I was in despair; in vain, conforming to the maxim, "It is better to -address the king than his officials," I pursued the director himself -with my entreaties; he would not hear a word. He was a stout, -good-looking man, of some fifty years of age, dressed in an enormous -paletot, much resembling in cut the one I have described as my costume -when learning my sleight-of-hand tricks at Tours. - -We were both standing at the door of the custom-house, near the high -road, where my chests had been deposited. Wearied with listening to my -eternal remonstrances, the director began talking to me about -indifferent matters; but I always led the conversation back to the same -subject. - -"You are a prestidigitator, then?" my stout Belgian said to me, laying a -stress on this word, to prove to me that he knew the pompous title by -which the juggler is distinguished. - -"Yes, sir, that is my profession." - -"Ah, ah! very good; I know several celebrities in that art. I have even -witnessed their performances with a great deal of pleasure." - -While my amateur was thus talking, an idea occurred to me, which I -immediately put in execution, for I trusted the result of it would -powerfully aid in favoring my entreaties. - -"What are your most striking tricks?" the stout man added, in the tone -of a perfect connoisseur. - -"I really cannot describe them to you, it would be too difficult. There -is one which can only be appreciated when seen; but I can easily give -you a specimen." - -"I should much like it, if you would," the official said, not sorry thus -to console himself for the trouble I had caused him. My son, at this -moment, was playing some distance off on the high road, and kicking a -pebble about. - -"Emile!" I cried, hailing him, "can you tell us what this gentleman has -in his pocket?" - -"Certainly!" the boy replied, without leaving off his game; "he has a -blue-striped handkerchief." - -"Oh, oh!" the stout gentleman said, with an air of astonishment. Then he -recovered, and putting his hands in both pockets to conceal their -contents, - -"That's all very good!" he added, with an air of doubt; "but chance may -have aided that discovery." - -After a slight pause, during which he seemed considerably bothered, he -continued! - -"Can he tell me, though, what is under the handkerchief?" - -"The gentleman asks what is under the handkerchief?" I shouted to my -son. - -"There is," he replied, in the same loud voice, "a green morocco -spectacle case, without the spectacles." - -"That's really curious--very curious!" said the man of the paletot. -"But," he added, shrugging his shoulders, "I should much like him to -mention the article under the spectacle case." - -And my incredulous friend shoved his hands in his pockets. I drew a -good omen from this last exclamation, and so, desirous to ensure my -success, I took my precautions that my son should answer correctly, and -I transmitted him the question just asked me. - -Emile, who had not left off his game for a moment, exclaimed, as if -anxious to get rid of us, "It is a piece of sugar which the gentleman -saved from his cup of coffee." - -"Ah! that is too fine!" the director exclaimed, in a tone of admiration; -"the lad is a sorcerer." - -My second-sight performance was at an end; still I saw with pleasure -that it produced a lively impression on the director of the customs, -who, after some moments' reflection, himself returned to the subject we -had left. - -"Come, sir," he remarked, "I will infringe my regulations for your sake. -We will not open your chests; I will rely on your statement of their -contents and value, and you will pay the duty according to the tariff. -When you have reached Brussels, and have obtained the ministerial -authority to introduce your instruments duty free, I will return you the -money you have paid." - -I thanked my new protector, and, a few hours later, personnel and -luggage had reached the station at Brussels. - -Before leaving Quiévrain for ever, I will give my reader an idea of the -conjuring trick which enabled me to produce those startling instances of -second sight to which I owed my deliverance. - -I have already said that the director wore a paletot, with large -pockets, so, profiting by the art by which I had so cleverly emptied -Comte's pockets some time before, I found out what he had in them, and -my son consequently learned it from me. As for the piece of sugar, it -was easy enough to perceive by its regular shape that it had come from -a café--besides, I could have no doubt that a lump of sugar, taken from -the pocket of a man of fifty, and, above all, a Belgian, must be saved -from his after-dinner coffee. - -At the Brussels station, a postillion who had three horses out of work, -offered to take our heavy carriage to the Tirlemont Hotel, and I -consented, for I really knew not what hotel to go to. After driving -through the city at full speed, we entered a winding street, in the -midst of which our driver began smacking his whip loudly to announce our -arrival, and with the skill of a practised driver, he turned into an -archway that opened on to the hotel yard. We made a princely entrée -here, which reminded me of our departure from Paris, for the master of -the hotel, his wife, and the servants, were all at their posts ready to -receive us worthily. We had gone safely through about half the narrow -entry, when our vehicle suddenly stopped, as if riveted to the pavement: -blows fell like hail on the unhappy steeds, but these, though -accompanied by vigorous oaths and stimulants of every description, could -not conquer the unknown obstacle. - -Being quite convinced that the road was clear on either side, our -postillion decided on trying a final effort; so he got down rapidly from -his seat, took the horses by the bit, and drew them forward sharply. The -carriage appeared to yield to this powerful attraction, and began to -move slowly. All at once a sound of breaking was heard, while at the -same moment cries of alarm issued from both compartments of the -carriage. - -The doors were hurriedly opened, women and children emerged, and the -last of our party was still on the step, when the impériale gave way, -and the numerous heavy trunks crashed into the centre of the carriage. -In the emotion produced by such danger, I looked round my party, and -thanks to Heaven, we were all safe and sound. - -My wife and children were carefully attended to, while I, though not -entirely recovered from my terror, sought the cause of this unforeseen -catastrophe. I soon discovered that our carriage, being too highly -loaded, had caught in the projecting sides of the archway, and that this -gradual and powerful pressure had forced the mouldering framework of our -old vehicle to give way. - -In comparison with the misfortune from which we had so miraculously -escaped, the injury to the carriage was an accident of no importance--a -loss which would be quickly forgotten in the success that awaited us. -The carriage was sent to be repaired, and the accident was soon a thing -of the past, as we sought to recover from the fatigue of our long and -wearying journey. - -My first walk in Brussels led me straight to the manager, who appeared -delighted at my keeping my word, and gave me a most polite reception: -thence, I proceeded to the Park Theatre, where I was to give my -performances. - -This building, lately destroyed by fire, was situated on one of the most -agreeable sites in the city, for it formed the angle of a magnificent -park, which is to Brussels what the Tuilleries are to Paris. - -During the summer no theatrical performance took place, and it was to -fill up this gap that the engagement had been formed with me. - -This theatre was city property, and I learned the fact in the following -way. The porter, whom the manager ought to have recommended to give me -all necessary information, stated to me that he was attached to the -theatre, both as keeper and head machinist. He also told me, with -pedantic gravity, that I could not drive in a nail, form an opening in -the stage, or, in a word, make the slightest change, until he, as -responsible official, had referred the point to the city architect. - -"Such supervision is not possible," I said to this important personage. -"How do you manage, then, when the theatrical performances are on?" - -"Ah, that is different. As the architect places confidence in me, he -allows me to do whatever I think proper, and I am responsible for -everything." - -"If that is all, I can take the responsibility on myself, and the matter -can be settled at once." - -"If you think so," the porter replied, in an ironical tone, "you can -apply to the city authorities; the council will take it into -consideration, and you will receive permission in a fortnight." - -I saw that the crafty gentleman wished to force himself upon me, but I -soon destroyed his hopes by making him understand I would allow no -stranger to be initiated into my mysterious arrangements. - -This conversation had taken place on the stage, by the light of a candle -which the conservator of the royal theatre held in his hand, but so soon -as I had intimated my intention of doing without him, he turned on his -heel and retired to his den, leaving us in perfect darkness. - -"Wait a moment, sir," I cried to him; "we cannot be groping about in -this way; so, open the windows." - -"Windows!" the machinist said, with a laugh; "who ever heard of windows -in a theatre? What use would they be when the rehearsals always take -place by candle-light?" - -"Excellently reasoned, my worthy man," I replied, checking my -inclination to laugh; "I always thought like you that windows could be -done without if you had lights, but when you have no lights----" - -"Why, then, you do as I do, you go money in hand to the grocer's and -buy candles; I see no difficulty in that." - -And, while making this reply, the porter and his candle were gradually -eclipsed. I had no time to lose in arguing, and besides, this man, whom -I would have gladly brought to his senses under other circumstances, -might play me some trick that might prevent me performing _mine_. My -instruments would remain, so to speak, at his mercy during the night, -and he would have all possible facility to do me some injury, which he -could deny in safety. Hence, I sent my servant straight to the grocer's, -that natural providence of any one who wants a light. - -All my readers have probably read descriptions of theatrical interiors, -and they are all much alike, although their cleanliness and arrangement -vary according to the intelligence of the stage-manager. Nor is the same -luxury of decorations and accessories visible in all theatres; some are -literally encumbered with them, while others are almost entirely wanting -in these qualities. - -I remember that, when giving a dozen performances at Chester, I found -the theatrical decorations charmingly original. Properly speaking, there -was only one scene; but, as it would have been impossible to produce the -scenic effect with this, the machinist had very cleverly painted a -forest on the back, and the scene moved on a pivot, which my friend -turned by the aid of a winch, and thus could display a hall or a forest -at will. - -With such feeble resources, the scenic illusion was often compromised, -but, according to the machinist, the actors corrected any glaring -anachronisms of place by ingenious new readings, and sometimes, too, by -the _expression of their faces_. - -This machinist was like his scenery, for he filled many parts; he was in -turn porter, painter, wig-maker, property man, tailor, and -ticket-taker; but with so many strings to his bow, this worthy man found -himself out of work during three parts of the year, for during that -period there were no performances at Chester. - -But to return to the porter, machinist, and keeper of the Park Theatre. -This man could never forgive my refusal of his services, and his -impertinence and ill-will pursued me to the close, and occasioned me -continual annoyance; and although I complained to the manager, I could -obtain no redress. The porter, being paid by government, claimed the -right, like his brethren the porters of Paris, of making his tenants -feel his power and his independence. - -I have performed in many royal theatres, but I never had to deal with -any but most polite machinists and managers, who could flatter -themselves they were masters in their own house. - -However, I managed to surmount difficulties of every description, and -the day of my first representation arrived. - -On this very day was opened that fiery furnace which was called "the -summer of 1846;" and the heat was astounding. Still, the theatre was -full, and the success of my experiments was as great as I could desire. -The second sight, especially, produced an enthusiasm which the generally -cold inhabitants of Brussels expressed by noisy bravos. - -I was proud and happy, for, in addition to the satisfaction success -always produces, I foresaw the realization of the theatrical agent's -brilliant promises. Thus, to take a slight revenge for my cashier's -obstinacy, I never failed, each time I left the stage, to say to her in -a tone of triumph: - -"Well! do you believe in the one hundred thousand francs now? That's how -I like business." - -And I returned on the stage with a smiling and animated face. - -The performance over, the curtain fell on the illusions I had produced, -as well as on those I had nursed as to my receipts. They were equally -ephemeral in either case, for I had scarcely left the stage when I saw -my manager coming towards me in the attitude once assumed by the steeds -of Hippolytus, according to Theramene's recital. He, so joyous at the -commencement of the performance, - - L'oeil morne maintenant et la tęte baissée, - Semblait se conformer ŕ sa triste pensée. - -"Here, sir," he said, pointing to a small rouleau, "is your share." - -"What! my share?" I exclaimed, in a tone of indescribable -disappointment; "and the rest?" - -"The rest, sir, has gone in the expenses, and the poor-rate." - -"But the rest," I still insisted--"the rest, what has become of it?" - -"Well, sir," my manager replied, in a lamentable tone, "the cashier -states that the greater part of the audience received free admissions." - -Irritated by such an explanation, I hurried to the office, and opened -and closed the door violently. The employé turned towards me, and -without being affected by my abruptness, he bowed to me politely -(another instance of Belgian courtesy). - -"How is it," I said, without replying to his bow, "that so many free -admissions were given without my sanction?" - -"They were given, sir, by the manager's orders," the man replied, with a -calmness that made me believe he was used to such scenes, "and you must -be aware," he added, in a conciliatory tone, "that there are numerous -claims on the first night of a new performance at a royal theatre. Thus -we have, for instance, the authorities, the city architect, the manager -of the gas company, the newspaper writers, the manager's relations and -friends, the police inspector, who has a right to a box; and all these -gentlemen, as you may suppose, bring their families with them. We have, -again----" - -"Oh, sir," I replied, ironically, "for goodness' sake, stop, for if you -go on at that rate I shall begin to fear you had not a seat left for the -paying public. To-morrow, I presume, I shall have to hand you back the -modest sum you have just sent me. However, I shall certainly insist on -an explanation with the manager." - -The next day I proceeded to call on M. X----, with the firm intention of -evincing to him my dissatisfaction; but he was so ready with his -explanations that I could not be angry, and we ended by agreeing that, -henceforth, all free admissions should have my signature, and that they -should not be dispensed quite so liberally. - -This measure, perhaps, checked some new abuses, but was not enough to -suppress them all, for though the theatre grew more and more crowded, my -strong-box did not follow the same progression. - -Far from netting the fabulous sum which had so dazzled me, I only -brought back from my trip to Brussels an illusion dispelled and -experience, while, as my cashier had predicted, my expenses rather more -than balanced my receipts. - -I have great reason for believing that, during my stay at the Park -Theatre, I was cheated out of my proper share. It was my first affair of -the kind, and I was obliged to study at my own expense; but, from that -period, I was on my guard, and evaded every attempt at fraud. I will -add, too, that at a later date I had the satisfaction of dealing only -with managers of well-known probity, to whom I gave my entire confidence -without ever having any reason to regret it. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - - Reopening of my Fantastic Soirées--Minor Miseries of Good - Luck--Inconvenience of a small Theatre--My Room taken by Storm--A - gratuitous Performance--A conscientious Audience--Pleasant Story - about a Black Silk Cap--I perform at the Château of St. - Cloud--Cagliostro's Casket--Holidays. - - -The recommencement of the performances on my own stage largely -recompensed me for my bitter _impressions de voyage_. My room was taken -a week beforehand for my first performance, as well as for the -following, and I had to send away four times as many persons as I could -receive. - -This success had been foreseen by the theatrical agent, and I owed it as -much to my absence from the capital as to the attraction my experiments -held out. My repertory was still a novelty to the Parisian public, as I -had started for Brussels at the height of my success. This did not -prevent me, however, from offering some new tricks, one of which more -especially produced a striking effect. - -After my son had mounted on a very small table, I covered him with an -enormous stuffed cone, which concealed him from sight, and then, at the -sound of a pistol, the cone was thrown over, and at the same instant the -lad appeared at my side. Afterwards, in large theatres, and especially -in London, this trick was improved upon, and seemed more marvellous -still. Instead of appearing by my side, the boy was instantaneously -transported to a box at a long distance from the stage, where every body -could easily see him. - -It is a well-known fact that a man cannot enjoy perfect happiness in -this world, and that the greatest prosperity has its disagreeable side; -this is what is called "the minor evils of good luck." One of my special -annoyances was having a room much too small, which disabled me from -satisfying all the demands made for places, and, though I racked my -brain, I could hit on no expedient to remedy this inconvenience. - -As I have already said, my room was often taken beforehand; in that case -the office was not opened, and a placard on the door announced it was -useless for any non-holders of tickets to apply. But it daily happened -that persons, annoyed at being unable to enjoy a promised treat, took no -heed of the notice and went straight to the pay place. On being refused -admission, they abused the money-taker, and still more the management. - -These complaints were generally absurd, and of the following -description: - -"Such an abuse is most improper," one of these disappointed persons -said, with great simplicity; "I will certainly go to-morrow and complain -to the prefect of police, and we shall see whether Monsieur -Robert-Houdin has a right to have too small a theatre." - -When these recriminations went no further, I confess I laughed at them, -but they did not always end in such a pacific manner. My employés were -sometimes personally attacked, and on one occasion my theatre was taken -by storm. The story is worth telling: - -One evening a dozen young men, after heating their brains by an -excellent dinner, presented themselves at the door of my theatre; the -notice they read only appeared to them an excellent jest. Consequently, -paying no attention to the observations made to them, they collected -round the door, and to employ the usual expression in such cases, they -began to form "the head of the tail." Other visitors, encouraged by -their example, collected, and gradually a considerable crowd assembled -in front of the theatre. - -The manager, informed of what was happening, came forward, and prepared -to address the crowd from the head of the stairs, after coughing to -render his voice clearer. But he had scarce commenced his address, when -his voice was drowned by derisive laughter and shouts, which compelled -his silence. In his despair, he came to tell me the dilemma, and ask -what he had better do. - -"Do not disturb yourself," I said; "all will end better than you expect. -Stay," I added, looking at my watch; "it is now half-past seven, and the -ticket-holders will begin to arrive; so, open the doors, and, as soon as -the room is full the public outside will be compelled to abandon the -ground." - -I had scarcely uttered the words, when a servant came in all haste to -tell me that the crowd had broken down the barrier, and rushed into the -room. I hastened on to the stage, and through the hole in the curtain, -could assure myself of the truth of the statement: the room was full. - -I confess I was much embarrassed as to what I should do. To have the -room cleared by the neighboring guard was a scandal I wished to avoid, -and I could not calculate the consequences. Besides, if the police -interfered, I should have to attend at the court, and thus lose precious -time. Lastly, the Prefecture, which had hitherto imposed but a single -sentry on me, would not fail to send a corporal's guard, at least, to -the great increase of my daily expenses. - -I immediately formed a decision. - -"Have the doors closed," I said to my manager, "and put up a notice -that, owing to a sudden indisposition, the evening's performance is -postponed till to-morrow. As this measure applies to the ticket-holders, -be in readiness to return the money to those who will not exchange their -tickets. As for me," I continued, "I have made up my mind. I will give a -gratis performance, and my revenge will consist in compelling the public -to be ashamed of the schoolboy trick they have played." - -This plan arranged, I prepared to do the honors of my house properly, -and the curtain soon rose. - -When I appeared on the stage, I noticed that the greater number of the -spectators evinced considerable embarrassment; still, I soon put them at -their ease by the nonchalant air I assumed, as if ignorant of what had -occurred. I did even more. I performed with an unusual amount of dash; -and when the time arrived to offer my small presents, I was so liberal -with them that not a single spectator was overlooked. - -I need not say that I was heartily applauded. The public vied with me in -"reciprocating" compliments, and thus hoped to compensate me for the -annoyance they fancied they had caused me. - -An original and extremely comic scene was performed when my audience -lingeringly departed. - -Nearly all the persons present had only seen in this assault on my room -a means to obtain places, and each intended to pay for his seat after -having occupied it. - -But, for my part, I determined on maintaining the original character of -my gratuitous performance, even if my pocket suffered. Thus, foreseeing -this feeling of delicacy, I had ordered all my attendants to leave -before the performance was over, and they had obeyed me so well, that -manager, money-taker, and box-openers had disappeared. - -I then posted myself where I could see everything without being noticed. -The spectators looked for the office; searched all around to find some -official; thrust their hands in their pockets, and collected in small -groups, until, worn out, they went away. - -Still, the public would not allow themselves to be beaten, and for -several days I had a regular procession of people coming to pay their -debt. Some persons added their apologies, and I also received by post a -note for 100 fr., with the following letter: - - "SIR,--Having been dragged into your room last night by a party of - thoughtless young men, I tried in vain, after the performance, to - pay for the seat I had occupied. - - "I do not wish, however, to quit France without paying the debt I - have contracted. In consequence, estimating the price of my stall - by the pleasure you caused me, I send you a hundred-franc note, - which I beg you to accept in payment of the debt I involuntarily - contracted. - - "Still, I should not consider myself out of your debt were I not - also to offer you my compliments for your interesting performance, - and beg you to accept, sir, the assurance of my consideration." - -As the loss entailed on me by the assault on my room was light, I had no -cause to repent the decision I had formed. On the other hand, the -adventure became known, and added still more to my credit, as it is -notorious the public prefer going to theatres where they are certain of -finding no room. - -As a general rule, family parties came to see me, but it was not unusual -for a number of persons to form a rendezvous at my theatre. The -following incident will offer an instance: - -The ingenious author of those eccentric caricatures, which delight -everybody who is not himself attacked, Dantan the younger, came one day -to my box-office. - -"Madam," he said to the lady in command, "how many stalls have you to -let?" - -"I will consult my book," the lady replied. "Do you wish them for -to-night?" - -"No, madam, for this day week." - -"Oh, in that case, you can have as many as you like." - -"How, as many as I like? Why, your room must be made of india-rubber." - -"No, sir, I merely mean to say that of fifty stalls I have at my -disposal, you can take as many as you please." - -"Very good, madam, I now understand," Dantan continued, laughingly; -"then, if I can have as many as I please, have the goodness to keep me -sixty." - -The lady, much embarrassed to solve this problem, sent for me, and I -easily arranged the affair by converting the first pit row into stalls. - -The reason why the sculptor required so many seats was as follows: - -Dantan, junior, has an enormous number of friends, and the original idea -had occurred to him of inviting a certain number of them to -Robert-Houdin's performance, and for that purpose he had engaged these -sixty seats. - -I have mentioned this incident, because it both proves the renown my -theatre enjoyed at that time, and reminds me of the commencement of one -of the most agreeable acquaintances I ever made in my life. From this -moment I became, and have always remained, one of the intimate friends -of the celebrated sculptor. - -Before knowing him personally, like the majority of his admirers, I was -unacquainted with his serious works, but when I was admitted to his -studio, I could appreciate the full extent of his talent. - -Dantan has in this room, arranged on enormous shelves, the most perfect -collection of busts of contemporary celebrities. I do not think a single -illustrious person of the age is missing. Each is properly classified -and arranged as in a museum; monarchs and statesmen, less numerous than -the others, are collected on one shelf; then come authors, musicians, -singers, composers, physicians, warriors, dramatic artists--in a word -great men of every description and country. But the most interesting -thing in the gallery is that every bust is accompanied by its -caricature, so that, after admiring the original, you laugh heartily at -noticing all the comic details of the other. - -On seeing these numberless heads, it is difficult to imagine that one -man's life could suffice for such a toil. Dantan, however, has a -remarkable talent in catching the characteristic features of a face, and -often enough he need only see a person once in order to produce an -extraordinary likeness. Witness the following fact, which I will cite as -much for its singularity as because it bears an affinity, in some -degree, to sleight-of-hand: - -The son of Lieutenant-General Baron D---- came one day to Dantan, -begging him to make a bust of his father. "I will not hide from you," he -said to the artist, "that you will encounter an almost insurmountable -difficulty in performing your task. Not only would the general never -consent to sit to you, but you cannot even be introduced to him at home. -As my father has been ill for many years, he sees no other persons than -his servants, and he keeps almost always alone. Hence, you will have to -manage to catch a glimpse at him unawares, but I do not know how." - -"Does your father never go out?" the sculptor asked. - -"Oh yes, sir; every afternoon at four my father takes the 'bus and goes -to read the papers at a room in the Place de la Madeleine, after which -he comes back and shuts himself up again." - -"I require no more," the artist said. "I will begin making my -observations to-day, and set to work to-morrow." - -In fact, at four o'clock precisely, Dantan posted himself before a house -forming the corner of the Boulevards and the Rue Louis-le-Grand, and -soon saw the general come out and walk to an omnibus. The sculptor -followed his model and entered the vehicle with him, but, unfortunately, -the only two seats vacant were on the same side, and the artist could -only make profile studies, being very careful not to attract attention. - -At last the 'bus stopped before the Madeleine church; pursuer and -pursued went in together to the same reading-room, where each took up -his favorite paper, and was soon lost in the perusal. - -Dantan had taken a seat opposite the general, and, while apparently -absorbed in a leader, took stealthy glances at his model. - -All was going on favorably, and the artist continued his studies quietly -for some moments, until the general, already surprised that his -fellow-passenger should come to the same reading-room, caught his eye -fixed upon himself. - -Annoyed by this impertinent curiosity, for which he could assign no -reason, he attempted to foil it by forming a rampart of his enormous -paper. - -The face of the old baron disappeared, but the top of his head was still -visible, and Dantan would have been able to continue his task -satisfactorily, had it not been for a frightful silk cap he wore. - -Many a conjurer, even the most famous, would have been checked by such a -difficulty; but Dantan did not long rack his brains, which renders his -trick only the more striking. - -He went up to the lady at the counter, spoke with her for a few moments, -and then quietly returned to his post of observation. - -It is necessary to state that the reading-room, heated by a large stove, -was already quite warm enough; but suddenly an insupportable degree of -heat filled the room, and drops of perspiration stood on the foreheads -of several persons. - -The general, who at this moment held the _Gazette des Tribunaux_ in his -hand, and was doubtlessly amusing himself with some lugubrious drama, -was one of the last to notice the heightened temperature. Even he, -though, at length found it necessary to remove his silk cap, and put it -in his pocket, growling, "Confound it, how hot the room is!" - -The trick was done. - -The reader has already guessed that the clever sculptor was the cause of -this vapor-bath, which he induced the lady to produce by explaining to -her his important mission. - -This result once obtained, Dantan hastily made his phrenological studies -on the venerable head of the old warrior; then, rising from the table, -he cast a final glance over his features, photographed him, so to speak, -in his mind, and ran off to set to work. - -A short time after, the sculptor sent the general's family the most -perfect bust possibly ever produced by his chisel. - -Here I will close the parenthesis I commenced with reference to the -evils the smallness of my theatre entailed on me; and I will now begin -another about the pleasures my success procured me. - -At the beginning of November, I received a "command" to St. Cloud, to -give a performance before Louis Philippe and his family. I accepted the -invitation with the greatest pleasure; for as I had never yet performed -before a crowned head, this was an important event for me. - -I had six days before me to make my preparations, and I took all -possible pains, even arranging a trick for the occasion, from which I -had reason to expect an excellent result. - -On the day fixed for my performance, a fourgon came at an early hour to -fetch me and my apparatus, and we were conveyed to the château. A -theatre had been put up in a large hall selected by the king for the -representation, and in order that I might not be disturbed in my -preparations, a guard was placed at one of the doors leading into the -corridor. I also noticed three other doors in this apartment; one, -composed of glass, opened on to the garden opposite a passage filled -with splendid orange-trees; the two others, to the right and left, -communicated with the apartments of the king and the Duchess of Orleans. - -I was busy arranging my apparatus, when I heard one of the doors I have -just mentioned open quietly, and directly a voice made the following -inquiry in the most affable manner: - -"Monsieur Robert-Houdin, may I be permitted to come in?" - -I turned my head in the direction, and recognized the king, who, having -asked this question merely as a form of introduction, had not waited for -my reply to walk towards me. - -I bowed respectfully. - -"Have you all you require for your preparations?" the king asked me. - -"Yes, sire; the steward of the château supplied me with skilled workmen, -who speedily put up this little stage." - -My tables, consoles and tabourets, as well as the various instruments -for my performance, symmetrically arranged on the stage, already -presented an elegant appearance. - -"This is all very pretty," the king said to me, drawing near the stage, -and casting a stealthy glance on some of my apparatus; "I see with -pleasure that the artist of 1846 will justify the good opinion produced -by the mechanician of 1844." - -"Sire," I replied, "on this day I will strive, as I did two years ago, -to render myself worthy of the great favor your majesty deigns to bestow -on me, by witnessing my performance." - -"Your son's second-sight is said to be very surprising," the king -continued: "but I warn you, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, to be on your guard, -for we intend to cause you considerable difficulties." - -"Sire," I replied, boldly, "I have every reason for believing that my -son will surmount them." - -"I should be vexed were it otherwise," the king said, with a tinge of -incredulity, as he retired. "Monsieur Robert-Houdin," he added, as he -closed the door after him, "I shall feel obliged by your punctuality." - -At four o'clock precisely, when the royal family and the numerous guests -were assembled, the curtains that concealed me opened, and I appeared on -the stage. Owing to my repeated performances, I had fortunately acquired -an imperturbable assurance and a confidence in myself which the success -of my experiments fully justified. - -I began in the most profound silence, for the party evidently wished to -see and judge before giving me any encouragement. But, insensibly, they -became excited, and I heard several exclamations of surprise, which were -soon followed by still more expressive demonstrations. - -All my tricks were very favorably received, and the one I had invented -for the occasion gained me unbounded applause. - -I will give a description of it: - -I borrowed from my noble spectators several handkerchiefs, which I made -into a parcel, and laid on the table. Then, at my request, different -persons wrote on the cards the names of places whither they desired -their handkerchiefs to be invisibly transported. - -When this had been done, I begged the king to take three of the cards at -hazard, and choose from them the place he might consider most suitable. - -"Let us see," Louis Philippe said, "what this one says: 'I desire the -handkerchiefs to be found beneath one of the candelabra on the -mantelpiece.' That is too easy for a sorcerer; so we will pass to the -next card: 'The handkerchiefs are to be transported to the dome of the -Invalides.' That would suit me, but it is much too far, not for the -handkerchiefs, but for us. Ah, ah!" the king added, looking at the last -card, "I am afraid, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, I am about to embarrass you. -Do you know what this card proposes?" - -"Will your majesty deign to inform me?" - -"It is desired that you should send the handkerchiefs into the chest of -the last orange-tree on the right of the avenue." - -"Only that, sire? Deign to order, and I will obey." - -"Very good, then; I should like to see such a magic act: I, therefore, -choose the orange-tree chest." - -The king gave some orders in a low voice, and I directly saw several -persons run to the orange-tree, in order to watch it and prevent any -fraud. - -I was delighted at this precaution, which must add to the effect of my -experiment, for the trick was already arranged, and the precaution hence -too late. - -I had now to send the handkerchiefs on their travels, so I placed them -beneath a bell of opaque glass, and, taking my wand, I ordered my -invisible travellers to proceed to the spot the king had chosen. - -I raised the bell; the little parcel was no longer there, and a white -turtle-dove had taken its place. - -The king then walked quickly to the door, whence he looked in the -direction of the orange-tree, to assure himself that the guards were at -their post; when this was done, he began to smile and shrug his -shoulders. - -"Ah! Monsieur Robert-Houdin," he said, somewhat ironically, "I much fear -for the virtue of your magic staff." Then he added, as he returned to -the end of the room, where several servants were standing, "Tell William -to open immediately the last chest at the end of the avenue, and bring -me carefully what he finds there--if he _does_ find anything." - -William soon proceeded to the orange-tree, and though much astonished at -the orders given him, he began to carry them out. - -He carefully removed one of the sides of the chest, thrust his hand in, -and almost touched the roots of the tree before he found anything. All -at once he uttered a cry of surprise, as he drew out a small iron coffer -eaten by rust. - -This curious "find," after having been cleaned from the mould, was -brought in and placed on a small ottoman by the king's side. - -"Well, Monsieur Robert-Houdin," Louis Philippe said to me, with a -movement of impatient curiosity, "here is a box; am I to conclude it -contains the handkerchiefs?" - -"Yes, sire," I replied, with assurance, "and they have been there, too, -for a long period." - -"How can that be? the handkerchiefs were lent you scarce a quarter of an -hour ago." - -"I cannot deny it, sire; but what would my magic powers avail me if I -could not perform incomprehensible tricks? Your majesty will doubtlessly -be still more surprised, when I prove to your satisfaction that this -coffer, as well as its contents, was deposited in the chest of the -orange-tree sixty years ago." - -"I should like to believe your statement," the king replied, with a -smile; "but that is impossible, and I must, therefore, ask for proofs of -your assertion." - -"If your majesty will be kind enough to open this casket they will be -supplied." - -"Certainly; but I shall require a key for that." - -"It only depends on yourself, sire, to have one. Deign to remove it from -the neck of this turtle-dove, which has just brought it you." - -Louis Philippe unfastened a ribbon that held a small rusty key, with -which he hastened to unlock the coffer. - -The first thing that caught the king's eye was a parchment, on which he -read the following statement: - - THIS DAY, THE 6TH JUNE, 1786, - THIS IRON BOX, CONTAINING SIX HANDKERCHIEFS, WAS PLACED AMONG THE - ROOTS OF AN ORANGE-TREE BY ME, BALSAMO, COUNT OF CAGLIOSTRO, TO - SERVE IN PERFORMING AN ACT OF MAGIC, WHICH WILL BE EXECUTED ON THE - SAME DAY SIXTY YEARS HENCE BEFORE LOUIS PHILIPPE OF ORLEANS AND HIS - FAMILY. - -"There is decidedly witchcraft about this," the king said, more and more -amazed. "Nothing is wanting, for the seal and signature of the -celebrated sorcerer are placed at the foot of this statement, which, -Heaven pardon me, smells strongly of sulphur." - -At this jest, the audience began to laugh. - -"But," the king added, taking out of the box a carefully sealed packet, -"can the handkerchiefs by possibility be in this?" - -"Indeed, sire, they are; but, before opening the parcel, I would request -your majesty to notice that it also bears the impression of Cagliostro's -seal." - -This seal once rendered so famous by being placed on the celebrated -alchemist's bottles of elixir and liquid gold, I had obtained from -Torrini, who had been an old friend of Cagliostro's. - -"It is certainly the same," my royal spectator answered, after comparing -the two seals. Still, in his impatience to learn the contents of the -parcel, the king quickly tore open the envelope, and soon displayed -before the astonished spectators the six handkerchiefs which, a few -moments before, were still on my table. - -This trick gained me lively applause, but in my second sight, which was -to terminate the performance, I had really to sustain a terrible -struggle, as the king had warned me. - -Among the objects handed me, there was, I remember, a medal, which it -was expected would embarrass me. Still, I had no sooner taken it in my -hand than my son described it in the following terms: - -"It is," he said, confidently, "a Greek medal of bronze, on which is a -word composed of six letters, which I will spell: _lamba_, _epsilon_, -_mu_, _nu_, _omicron_, _sigma_, which makes _Lemnos_." - -My son knew the Greek alphabet; hence, he could read the word Lemnos, -although he could not possibly have translated it. - -This was in itself a severe trial for so young a lad; but it did not -satisfy the royal family. - -I was handed a small Chinese coin with a hole through the centre, and -its name and value were immediately indicated; and, lastly, a -difficulty, from which I managed to escape successfully, was the -brilliant finale of my performance. - -I had been surprised to see the Duchess of Orleans, who took a lively -interest in the second sight, retire to her apartments; but she soon -returned, and handed me a small case, the contents of which she wished -my son to describe, but I must be careful not to open it. - -I had foreseen this prohibition; so, while the princess was speaking to -me, I opened the case with one hand, and, by a rapid glance, satisfied -myself as to its contents. Still, I pretended for a moment to be -startled by the proposal, in order to produce a greater effect. - -"Your highness," I remarked, as I returned the case, "will allow me to -appeal against such a proposal, for you must have remarked that, until -now, I required to see the object before my son could name it." - -"Yet you have surmounted greater difficulties," the amiable duchess -retorted. "However, if it is not possible, let us say no more about it, -for I should be grieved to cause you any embarrassment." - -"What your highness wishes is, I repeat, impossible; and yet my son, -feeling anxious to justify the confidence you place in his clairvoyance, -will attempt to see through the case, and describe its contents. - -"Can he do so even through my hands?" the duchess continued, trying to -conceal the case. - -"Yes, madam, and even if your highness were in the next room, my son -would be able to see it." - -The duchess, declining the new trial I proposed, satisfied herself by -questioning my son with her own lips. - -The boy, who had long received his instructions, replied, without -hesitation, "There is in the case a diamond pin, the stone being -surrounded by a garter of sky-blue enamel." - -"That is perfectly correct," the duchess said, as she showed the -ornament to the king. "Judge for yourself, sire;" then, turning to me, -she added, with infinite grace, "Monsieur Robert-Houdin, will you accept -this pin in remembrance of your visit to St. Cloud?" - -I thanked her highness sincerely, as I assured her of my gratitude. - -The performance was over: the curtain fell, and, in my turn, I was -enabled to enjoy a curious scene at my ease; it was to look through a -small hole at my audience, who had assembled in groups, and were talking -about the impression I had produced. - -Before leaving the château, the king and queen again sent me the most -flattering messages by the person charged to hand me a souvenir of their -munificence. - -This representation could not increase my reputation--that was not -possible--but it helped powerfully to maintain it. My performance at St. -Cloud, more especially, created a sensation among the aristocracy, who, -until that moment, had hesitated about visiting my small room. Their -curiosity overcame other considerations, and they came in their turn to -assure themselves of the reality of the marvels attributed to me. - -The summer heats were, however, beginning to be felt: we had reached the -commencement of July, and I had to think about closing my theatre. -However, instead of running after fortune, as in the previous year, I -occupied myself with changing and improving my performance. The task was -heavy; for I was filled with bold emulation, as I could not conceal from -myself that my success imposed certain duties on me, and that, in order -to keep it up, I must be constantly deserving of it. - -The most painful part of my inquiries was, that my inventions must be -completed by a certain day and hour, for the reopening of my theatre was -fixed for the first of the next September, and, for many reasons, I -determined on being punctual. - -For two months I worked with great ardor, granting myself no rest or -pleasure. Sometimes, however, after dinner on Sunday, I allowed myself a -recreation which may seem strange to many of my readers: I went to the -fairs round Paris, and studied the mountebanks. There I amused myself, I -may say, as much as any of the spectators around me; though the pleasure -I felt was not of the same nature as that of my neighbors. I amused -myself by seeing their amusement, and nothing more; for any one who has -seen this style of spectacle must have noticed that the mountebank gives -his public very little for their money. The best part of the sight is -often seen outside. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - - New Experiments--Aërial Suspension, &c.--A Performance at the - Odéon--A Friend in Need--1848--The Theatre deserted--I leave Paris - for London--Manager Mitchell--Publicity in England--The Great - Wizard--A Butter-mould used as a Puff--Singular Bills--A Prize for - the best Pun. - - -Instead of being able to recommence my performances on the 1st of -September, as I had hoped, my compulsory holidays, which might be called -my "penal servitude," were prolonged another month, and it was not till -the 1st of October that I was prepared to offer my new experiments to -the public. - -My pecuniary interests were much affected by this delay, but I trusted, -correctly enough, to the zeal of the public to visit me, as a -compensation. - -My new repertory contained the _Crystal Box_, the _Fantastic Portfolio_, -the _Trepčze Tumbler_, the _Garde Française_, the _Origin of Flowers_, -the _Crystal Balls_, the _Inexhaustible Bottle_, the _Ethereal -Suspension_, &c. - -I had devoted especial care to the last experiment, on which I built -great hopes. Surgery had supplied me with the first idea of it. - -It will be remembered that in 1847 the insensibility produced by -inhaling ether began to be applied in surgical operations; all the world -talked about the marvellous effect of this anćsthetic, and its -extraordinary results. In the eyes of many people it seemed much akin to -magic. - -Seeing that the surgeons had invaded my domain, I asked myself if this -did not allow me to make reprisals. I did so by inventing my _ethereal -suspension_, which, I believe, was far more surprising than any result -obtained by my surgical brethren. - -The subject I intended to operate on was my younger son, and I could not -have selected one better suited for the experiment. He was a stout lad -of about six years of age, and his plump and rosy face was the picture -of health. In spite of his youth, he displayed the greatest intelligence -in learning his part, and played it with such perfection, that the most -incredulous were duped. - -This trick was very much applauded, and I am bound to say that my -arrangements were excellently made: this was the first time I tried to -direct the surprise of my spectators by gradually heightening it up to -the moment when, so to speak, it exploded. - -I divided my experiment into three parts, each more surprising than the -former. - -Thus, when I removed the stool from beneath the child's feet, the -public, who had smiled during the preparations for the suspension, -became thoughtful. - -When I next removed one of the canes, exclamations of surprise and fear -were heard. - -Lastly, at the moment when I raised my son to an horizontal position, -the spectators, at this unexpected result, crowned the experiment with -hearty applause. - -Still, it sometimes happened that sensitive persons, regarding the -etherization too seriously, protested in their hearts against the -applause, and wrote me letters in which they severely upbraided the -unnatural father who sacrificed the health of his poor child to the -pleasures of the public. Some went so far as to threaten me with the -terrors of the law if I did not give up my inhuman performance. - -The anonymous writers of such accusations did not suspect the pleasure -they caused me. After amusing the family circle, I kept the letters -preciously as proofs of the illusion I had produced. - -The fashion this performance raised could not surpass that of the -previous year: I could not expect any other result than filling my -theatre, and that occurred every evening. - -The royal family also wished to see my new experiments; and for this -purpose the whole room was taken for the afternoon, so that my evening -performances were not interrupted. - -This performance, which the Queen of the Belgians witnessed with her -family, was only so far peculiar, that my little room was filled with -exalted personages. All the seats were occupied, for their majesties -were accompanied by their respective courts, and a great number of -ambassadors and royal dignitaries. - -As I had reason to hope, my noble spectators were satisfied, and deigned -to thank me in person. - -In the midst of this gentle satisfaction, I had every reason to believe -that I possessed the favor of the public; I learned, though, at a heavy -penalty, that even if the favor of that sovereign may appear secured, a -trifle will cause it almost to expire. - -On the 18th of February, 1848, Madame Dorval took her benefit at the -Odéon, and I promised that eminent actress to perform some of my tricks -as an interlude. - -I was punctual to my appointment across the water; half-past eleven -struck, when the curtain fell just prior to my performance. As I had -been ready to begin for some time, ten minutes were sufficient to give a -final glance to my preparations. - -My first care, on taking possession of the stage, had been to conceal my -operations from indiscreet eyes; hence, I had dismissed everybody. -Unfortunately, I had not even made an exception in favor of the -stage-manager, and the sorrowful effects of this measure will now be -seen. - -In most excellent humor, I ordered my servant to give the three usual -taps, and the orchestra began playing while I walked to the side-scene, -prior to making my appearance. But at the moment the curtain rose, I -remembered I had forgotten one of my "accessories," and I ran to my -dressing-room to fetch it. Unfortunately, in my hurry, I did not notice -that the machinist had inadvertently left a small trap open, and my leg -slipped into it up to the knee. - -The pain drew from me a sharp cry of distress; my servant ran up, and he -could only release me with some difficulty. But I was in a sad state, -for my trouser was torn completely up, exposing my bleeding and -lacerated leg. - -In this unhappy condition, I could not possibly return to the stage; -hence I looked around in search of some one to announce to the public -the accident that had happened to me, but I could only see two firemen. -They would not do for so delicate a mission, and although I had my -servant, this worthy lad was a negro with woolly head, blubber lips, and -an ebony skin, whose simple language would not have failed to raise a -laugh at my painful position. - -The stage-manager alone could undertake the mission; but where should I -find him? - -These reflections, prompt as lightning, were interrupted by the -commencement of a storm in the theatre; the public summoned me, for it -must be remembered the curtain had risen, and in the eyes of the public -I had missed my entrance; this was disrespect, and, therefore, -unpardonable! - -My negro, without caring for what was passing elsewhere, tore up his -handkerchief and mine, and bound my wound with considerable skill. This -did not prevent me suffering severe pain, but I soon experienced a -torture a thousand-fold greater when I heard a violent storm burst out -in the house. The public, who had begun by stamping, were now hissing, -shouting, and yelling in all the discordant tones of dissatisfaction. - -Overcoming my pain, I changed my trousers in haste, and decided on going -myself to describe my accident. I therefore walked slowly to the door of -the stage, and I was just going to open it, when a frightful noise -turned me cold with terror, and checked me. My heart failed me. Still, I -put a stop to this. "Courage," I said to myself, with a supreme -effort--"courage!" and straight-way throwing open the folding doors, I -walked on the stage. - -I shall never forget my reception. On one hand, cries, hisses, yells; on -the other, clapping of hands and applause, enough to wake the dead. The -two parties were apparently attempting to conquer each other in making a -noise. - -Pale and trembling at such a rough reception, I waited patiently for a -moment when the combatants, wearied with the contest, would allow me to -explain my delay. This moment at length arrived, and I was enabled to -describe my painful adventure. My paleness testified to the truth of my -words. The public allowed themselves to be disarmed, and hisses were no -longer mingled with the applause which greeted my explanation. - -Any one who knows the relief and comfort bravos and hearty applause -arouse in the heart of an actor, will understand the sudden change they -produced in me. The blood rushed to my cheeks and restored my color, my -strength returned, and, possessed by fresh energy, I stated to the -public that I found myself so much recovered that I would go on with my -performance. I did so; and such was the power of my excitement, that I -scarce felt the pain produced by my wound. - -I have said that, on my appearance, I was saluted by demonstrations of a -very different nature. Although many of my spectators hissed, others -applauded me. Truth extorts a confession from me. I was supported on -this evening by an omnipotent protector. - -This requires an explanation. Hence, that my readers may solve the -enigma, I am obliged to narrate a slight anecdote: - -At the period when I invented my experiment of second sight, several -Parisian managers proposed to me to perform, as an interlude, in their -theatres, but I had refused, because, as I was tired by my own -performances, I did not wish to prolong them. My determination on this -point was quite formed, when I received a visit from an actress of the -Palais Royal, Madame M----, who performed the part of duennas. - -"I have not the honor of your acquaintance, sir," she said, with a -certain degree of hesitation, "hence I am almost afraid to ask you to -render me a great service. These are the circumstances of the case: our -excellent manager, Dormeuil, has offered me a benefit, the profits of -which are intended to release my son from the conscription. It only -depends on you, sir, to ensure the success of the performance by giving -me your assistance." And the poor mother, deriving her eloquence from -her love for her son, painted in such lively colors the distress she -would feel from a failure, that, touched by her grief, I rescinded my -determination, and consented to add my performance of the "second sight" -to her bill. - -I dare not form the flattering idea that my name had any share in the -success of the performance; still, the house was crowded, and the -receipts more than covered the price of a substitute. - -The next day the happy mother called to tell me of her good fortune, and -thank me. She was accompanied by a gentleman I did not know, but who, so -soon as Madame M---- had ceased speaking, told me in his turn the object -of his visit. - -"I have taken the liberty of accompanying Madame M---- to compliment you -on what you have done for her. It is a good action, for which all her -theatrical friends owe you abundant thanks; and, for my part, I hope, -sooner or later, to evidence my gratitude in my own way." - -While flattered at my visitor's remarks, I was much puzzled as to the -sense of his last sentence. He noticed it, and, giving me no time to -reply, continued: - -"Ah! I forgot to tell you who I am, and I ought to have begun with that. -My name is Duhart, and I manage theatrical successes at the Palais -Royal. By the way," he added, "were you satisfied with the reception you -had last night?" - -This confession, I grant, robbed me of a sweet illusion. I had fancied I -owed my reception to my own merits, and I now could not guess what share -of the applause legitimately belonged to me. Still, I thanked M. Duhart -for his kindness, both past and to come. Three months later, I had -almost forgotten this incident, when one day, as I was going to give a -performance at the Porte Saint-Martin, my friend Duhart called on me. - -"Only one word, Monsieur Houdin," he said, without taking the trouble to -sit down. "I read in the bills that you are going to perform for -Raucourt's benefit, and I have recommended you to P----, who will 'take -care of you.'" - -I was in fact, "taken care of," for when I appeared on the stage, I was -greeted by a reception worthy of the highest artistic celebrities. It -was easy to recognize an ovation warmly recommended, but I was glad to -notice that the public "followed suit," and that the bravos emanating -from the pit radiated through the whole house. - -A few months later, when about to perform at the Gymnase, came another -visit from Duhart, the same recommendation to his comrade, and a similar -result. In short, I rarely quitted my own stage but my grateful -protector interested himself in my success. - -I am forced to say that I let him do so, and saw no harm in it; far from -that, these encouragements were a stimulant for me, and I always -redoubled my efforts to deserve them. - -I have taken a pride in relating this incident, for it admirably depicts -the character of a man capable of being so long grateful for a slight -service rendered to a friend. However, the performance at the Odéon was -the last in which the worthy Duhart went out of his way for me, as the -revolution of February arrived a few days later. - -It will be remembered that this event was an utter "smasher" for all the -theatres. - -After exhausting all the attractive baits of their repertory, the -managers, finding all their attractions fail, vainly formed a congress -to relieve them from such a disastrous situation. - -I was invited to the meeting, but, though I put in an appearance, it was -merely through politeness, as I was in a position very different from -that of my brethren. - -This position depended simply on the fact that my establishment, instead -of having the name of a theatre, was called a "spectacle." Through this -slight difference of title I enjoyed rights infinitely more extended. - -Thus, while the theatres could only have bills of a size arranged by a -police decree, I was at liberty, as the manager of a spectacle, to -announce my performances in unbounded proportions. - -I could also lessen or increase the number of my performances at my -pleasure, which was not one of the slightest advantages of my -management. - -Lastly, I had a right, whenever I thought proper, to put the key of my -room in my pocket, dismiss my staff, and walk about at my leisure in -expectation of better times. - -All these advantages, to which I will add that of being burdened with -very slight expenses compared with my brethren, offered me no other -result than that of not losing my money. However I might try, the public -remained deaf to my appeal as to theirs. - -I am mistaken though; for some days I received very polite letters from -the Provisional Government, in the shape of "free passes," which begged -me to find room in my hall for the students of the Polytechnic and St. -Cyr schools, accompanied by their tutors. - -I was enchanted, it is true, by this amiable act of politeness, which -augmented the number of my scanty spectators; for I performed, at -least, before a well-filled room, and I had no longer the annoyance of -seeing those unlucky benches empty--a sight which usually paralyzes the -most philosophic performers. - -This illusion was, in truth, very ephemeral, for each evening, after the -performance, my cashier assumed a very gloomy face on approaching me. - -What disenchantment! What bitter reprisals on the part of the blind -goddess who, for some time, had granted me such sweet favors! - -Still, in these moments of distress, I may say with perfect sincerity -deceptions and torment were not confined to the profit and loss account; -and though a manager does not take money, he desires to conceal his -misery. In order to produce a deception, he tries to furnish his -theatre, and he gives free admissions. I had recourse to this measure; -but, what will appear strange, these tickets, which, a month earlier, -would have been regarded as an immense favor, were viewed with -considerable indifference, and it often happened that people did not -take the trouble to accept my invitation. - -Having become a philosopher through necessity, I ended by resigning -myself to seeing my room nearly empty, and I sent out no more -invitations. Besides, I had enjoyed an opportunity of studying the "free -admissions," and I had remarked that this class of spectators is, or -pretends to be, quite indifferent to the performance. In fact, the "free -admission," when he believes the theatre short of spectators, imagines -he is doing an act of kindness by accepting the invitation offered him. -If he find the house full, he fancies all the places are occupied by -gratis tickets (and he is sometimes correct), and he concludes from it -that the performance cannot be very amusing. If he happen to be -mistaken, he does not applaud, in his fear of being taken for a -gratuitous visitor, and pass for an accomplice paying for his seat in -applause. - -I was in the thick of my managerial troubles when, one morning, I -received a visit from the manager of the French theatre in London. -Mitchell (that is his name), far from seeking to delude me by false -promises, like my Brussels theatrical agent, merely made me the -following simple proposal: - -"Monsieur Robert-Houdin," he said to me, "you are well known in London; -come and perform at the St. James' Theatre, and I have every reason to -believe you will be successful. Besides, we shall be equally interested, -for we will share the gross receipts, and I will pay all the expenses. -You will perform alternately with my Opéra Comique, that is to say, on -Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and you will begin, if you please, on -the 7th of May next, or a month from to-day." - -These conditions appearing to me very acceptable, I may add, most -advantageous, I agreed to them most readily. Mitchell, then, offered me -his hand, I gave him mine, and this friendly sanction was the only -agreement we made for this important affair. Though there was no forfeit -on either side, no arrangement or signature, never was a bargain better -cemented. - -From that time, during all my long connection with Mitchell, I had many -occasions of appreciating all the value of his word. I may say loudly -that he is one of the most conscientious managers I ever had dealings -with. In addition, Mitchell adds an extreme affability, and a remarkable -degree of generosity and disinterestedness to the merit of keeping his -word. Under all circumstances, he will be found to act as a perfect -gentleman, and one of the most brilliant qualities he possesses as -manager, is his courteous behavior to his performers. The following -instance will serve as a proof: - -Jenny Lind was singing at Her Majesty's Theatre on the same evenings I -performed at St. James's, so that, despite all the wish I felt to go and -hear her, I could not make up my mind to sacrifice a performance for -this attractive pleasure. However, in consequence of a circumstance too -lengthy to detail here, I happened to find myself free on one of the -nights when Jenny Lind sang. I must add that, besides managing the St. -James's Theatre, Mitchell had hired a certain number of boxes at Her -Majesty's by the year, and, according to the English custom, let them -out to the highest bidders. It happened at times that all the tickets -were not sold, and in that case Mitchell gave them to a few privileged -friends. I was aware of this circumstance, and intended to ask him a -similar favor for this evening. - -At the moment I was going out to seek my manager, he came into my room. - -"By Jove, my dear Mitchell," I said to him, "I was just going to prefer -a request to you." - -"Whatever it may be, my dear friend," he replied, politely, "be assured -it will be willingly heard." - -And when I explained to him what I wanted, - -"Good Heavens! Houdin," he said, in a tone of real annoyance, "how -unlucky you should ask that of me." - -"Why so?" I replied, in the same tone; "if it is not possible, my dear -friend, pray let me withdraw my request." - -"On the contrary, my dear Houdin--on the contrary, it is very easy; I am -only vexed at missing the surprise I intended to offer you: I was going -to give you an excellent box for to-night: here it is." - -A more delicate and amiable way of behaving could hardly be suggested. - -A fortnight had scarce elapsed since my interview with Mitchell, when, -after a most successful passage, I disembarked at London. On the moment -of my arrival, my manager led me to a delightful lodging close to the -theatre, and showed me all the rooms. On reaching the sleeping -apartment, he said: - -"You have a celebrated bed before you: it is the one in which Rachel, -Déjazet, Jenny Colon, and many other artistic celebrities, rested after -the emotion produced by their successes. You cannot but enjoy the ideas -which the remembrance of these illustrious guests will summon up in your -dreams. To any other than you, my dear Houdin, I would say that these -celebrated predecessors must bring good luck; but your success depends -on the virtue of your magic staff." - -Mitchell, feeling desirous to add all desirable attraction to my -performances, had ordered a scene in the Louis XV. style, as well as a -curtain, on which was painted, in letters of gold, the title adopted for -my Paris theatre, "_Soirées Fantastiques de_ ROBERT-HOUDIN;" -consequently, I could not begin my arrangements till all these -preparations had been completed. - -In the meanwhile, having nothing better to do, I walked about daily in -the magnificent parks, and collected my strength, in preparation for the -fatigues I was about to undergo in my performances. - -At this word "fatigues," my reader will be doubtlessly surprised, for he -has every reason to suppose that my stay in London would be in some -degree a period of rest, as, instead of playing seven times a week, as -in Paris, I was only to give three performances in the same period. - -To explain this apparent contradiction, it will be enough for me to -state that the work and fatigue are less in the performance than its -preparation. As at St. James's Theatre I had to perform alternately with -the Comic Opera, I was obliged, lest I might impede these artists in -their studies, to give them all necessary time for their rehearsals, -which, as is well known, occupy the greater portion of the day. -Consequently, I had promised to clear the stage so soon as my -performance was over, and not occupy it again till the middle of the day -on which I performed. Add to this, that in my labor of preparing and -removing, the master's eye was not sufficient, but I had for various -reasons to set to work myself, and it may be easily understood that this -caused me enormous fatigue. - -It caused me at the outset a species of comical regret to find that my -performances would not owe their success entirely to my own merits. In -England it is almost impossible to gain the ear of the public unless -every possible form of notoriety be resorted to, and the change from my -peaceful retirement in Paris was very startling. Whenever I took my -walks abroad, my name in gigantic letters stared me in the face, while -enormous posters, on which my various tricks were represented, covered -the walls of London, and, according to the English fashion, were -promenaded about the streets, by the help of a vehicle like those we -employ in Paris for removing furniture. - -But, however great this publicity might be, it was quite modest when -compared to that opposed to us by a rival, who may be justly regarded as -the most ingenious and skillful puffer in England. - -On my arrival in England, a conjurer of the name of Anderson, who -assumed the title of _Great Wizard of the North_, had been performing -for a long period at the little Strand Theatre. - -This artist, fearing, doubtlessly, that public attention might be -divided, tried to crush the publicity of my performances; hence, he sent -out on London streets a cavalcade thus organized: - -Four enormous carriages, covered with posters and pictures representing -all sorts of witchcraft, opened the procession. Then followed -four-and-twenty merry men, each bearing a banner, on which was painted a -letter a yard in height. - -At each cross-road the four carriages stopped side by side and presented -a bill some twenty-five yards in length, while all the men, I should say -letters, on receiving the word of command, drew themselves up in a line, -like the vehicles. - -Seen in front, the letters formed this phrase: - - THE CELEBRATED ANDERSON!!! - - while, on the other side of the banners could be read: - - THE GREAT WIZARD OF THE NORTH. - -Unfortunately for the Wizard, his performances were attacked by a mortal -disease; too long a stay in London had ended by producing satiety. -Besides, his repertory was out of date, and could not contend against -the new tricks I was about to offer. What could he present to the public -in opposition to the second sight, the suspension, and the inexhaustible -bottle? Hence, he was obliged to close his theatre and start for the -provinces, where he managed, as usual, to make excellent receipts, owing -to his powerful means of notoriety. - -I have met many "puffers" in my life, but I may say I never saw one who -attained the elevation Anderson reached. The instance I have quoted will -give some idea of his manner, but I will add a few others, to supply a -perfect idea of the man. - -Whenever his performances are going to be given in a large town, though -they are announced with extreme publicity, Anderson contrives to bring -his wonders to the notice even of those who never read the newspapers or -posters. - -For this purpose, he sends to all the buttermen in the town moulds on -which his name, title, and the hour of his performance are engraved, -begging them to imprint his stamp on their butter-pats, in lieu of the -cow ordinarily represented. As every family in England eats butter at -breakfast, it follows that each receives, at no expense to the conjurer, -an invitation to pay a visit to the illustrious Wizard of the North. - -Again, too, Anderson sends out into the streets, before daybreak, a -dozen men, carrying those open frames, by means of which, and with a -brush and lamp-black, the walls of Paris have been so long covered with -puffs. These people print the announcement of the Wizard's performance -on the pavement, which is always kept remarkably clean in England. In -spite of himself, every tradesman on opening his shop, and every -inhabitant proceeding to business, cannot but read the name of Anderson, -and the announcement of his performance. It is true that a few hours -later these puffs are effaced by the footsteps of the passers-by, but -thousands of persons have read them, and the Wizard requires no more. - -His posters are equally original, and I was shown one of a gigantic size -put out on the occasion of his return to London after a lengthened -absence in the provinces. It was a caricature imitation of the famous -picture "Napoleon's Return from Elba." - -In the foreground Anderson was seen affecting the attitude of the great -man; above his head fluttered an enormous banner, bearing the words "The -Wonder of the World;" while, behind him, and somewhat lost in the shade, -the Emperor of Russia and several other monarchs stood in a respectful -posture. As in the original picture, the fanatic admirers of the Wizard -embraced his knees, while an immense crowd received him triumphantly. In -the distance could be seen the equestrian statue of the Iron Duke, who, -hat in hand, bowed before him, the Great Wizard; and, lastly, the very -dome of St. Paul's bent towards him most humbly. - -At the bottom was the inscription, - - "RETURN OF THE NAPOLEON OF NECROMANCY." - -Regarded seriously, this picture would be found a puff in very bad -taste; but, as a caricature, it is excessively comic. Besides, it had -the double result of making the London public laugh, and bringing a -great number of shillings into the skillful puffer's pockets. - -When Anderson is about to leave a town where he has exhausted all his -resources, and has nothing more to hope, he still contrives to make one -more enormous haul. - -He orders from the first jeweller in the town a silver vase, worth -twenty or twenty-five pounds; he hires, for one evening only, the -largest theatre or room in the town, and announces that in the Wizard's -parting performance the spectators will compete to make the best pun. - -The silver vase is to be the prize of the victor. - -A jury is chosen among the chief people of the town to decide with the -public on the merits of each pun. - -It is agreed that they will applaud if they think a pun good; they will -say nothing to a passable one, but groan at a bad one. - -The room is always crowded, for people come less to see the performance, -which they know by heart, than to display their wit publicly. Each makes -his jest, and receives a greeting more or less favorable; and, lastly, -the vase is decreed to the cleverest among them. - -Any other than Anderson would be satisfied with the enormous receipts -his performance produces; but the Great Wizard of the North has not -finished yet. Before the audience leaves the house he states that a -short-hand writer had been hired by him to take down all the puns, and -that they will be published as a Miscellany. - -As each spectator who has made a joke likes to see it in print, he -purchases a copy of the book for a shilling. An idea of the number of -these copies may be formed from the number of puns they contain. I have -one of these books in my possession, printed at Glasgow in 1850, in -which there are 1091 of these facetić. - -The charlatan style of Anderson's bills is most amusing--at least I -regard it as such; for it is not presumable that Anderson ever intended -sincerely to praise himself in such an outrageous way. If I am mistaken, -it would be more than vanity on his part, when I take into consideration -his conjuring talent. Hence I believe him to be very modest at heart. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - - The St. James's Theatre--Invasion of England by French - Performers--A Fęte patronised by the Queen--The Diplomatist and the - Sleight-of-Hand Man--Three Thousand Pounds taken at one Haul--I - perform at Manchester--The Spectators in the Pillory--What capital - Curaçoa!--A Torrent of Wine--A Catastrophe--Performance at - Buckingham Palace--A Wizard's Repast. - - -But it is time to return to St. James's: the machinists, painters, and -decorators have finished their work, for the 2nd of May has arrived, the -day fixed for my stage being handed over to me. - -In fact, every one was admirably punctual: the new scenery was in its -place at an early hour, and as, at Mitchell's request, the rehearsals -were suspended for that day, the theatre was entirely at my service; -hence I could devote myself quietly to the preparations for my -performance. However, all had been so well arranged beforehand, that I -was in perfect readiness when the audience began entering the house. - -It may be supposed I had taken every possible precaution to insure -success, for an experiment which must excite astonishment if it succeed, -in the event of failure is ruin to the operator. Hence I sincerely pity -those sorcerers whose supernatural power hangs on a thread. - -It is true that a skillful conjurer ought always to be able to escape -any difficulty that may occur to him; still, this sort of repairs very -rarely meets with success, for, after all, it is only a patching -together, in which the cracks are only too visible. - -I had a mode of escape always at hand in any emergency, but I confess I -was much vexed when compelled to have recourse to these secondary means, -which, by prolonging the experiment, render it far less striking. - -When a failure happens in tricks of skill an escape is impossible, for a -conjurer ought no more to fail in these than a good musician play a -false note. Whenever he makes a mistake in such a case, it results from -his want of adroitness, which only time can correct; but in our -experiments accidents at times happen which the most careful man cannot -foresee. In such an event, you can only trust to the expedients which -presence of mind suggests. - -Thus, one day, I happened to break the glass of a watch lent me for a -trick. My position was awkward, for it is a very clumsy termination to a -trick to return an object lent you in any way injured. - -I quietly walked up to the gentleman who had lent me the watch, and -offered it to him, while being very careful to keep the face downwards; -but, at the moment he was going to take it, I drew it back. - -"This is your watch?" I said, confidently. - -"Yes, sir, it is." - -"Well, I merely wished to prove the fact; will you, sir," I added, -sinking my voice, to a whisper, "lend it to me for another trick which I -intend to perform presently?" - -"Willingly," the obliging spectator replied. - -I then carried the watch on the stage, and, handing it secretly to my -servant, I bade him go at full speed to a watchmaker's, and have a new -glass put in. - -Half an hour later, I returned the watch to its owner, saying: - -"I have just noticed to my regret that the lateness of the hour will -preclude me from performing the trick I promised you; but as I hope to -have the pleasure of seeing you again at my performances, please to -remind me the first time you come, and I shall then be able to perform -the interesting trick." - -I was saved. - - * * * * * - -In the meanwhile, the public were entering the theatre, but so quietly -that, although my dressing-room was close to the stage, I heard scarcely -any noise in the house. I was frightened at this, for such a quiet entry -is in France a sure prognostic of bad receipts for the manager, and -sinister foreboding of a failure to the performer. - -When I was able to proceed on the stage, I ran to the curtain-hole, and -I saw with as much surprise as pleasure the house completely filled, and -presenting, in addition, the most charming company I had ever yet -performed before. - -I must say, too, that the St. James's Theatre is a splendid -establishment, for it is in some degree the gathering-place of the -flower of the English aristocracy, who visit it not merely to enjoy the -performances, but also to improve their pronunciation of French. - -One fact will give an idea of the elegance and fashion of my spectators; -no lady is allowed to keep on her bonnet, however elegant it may be; she -is obliged to leave it in the saloon. This is, indeed, a thorough -English fashion, for the ladies come to the theatre in evening costume, -with their hair beautifully arranged, and low-necked dresses, while the -gentlemen are attired in black, with white neck-handkerchiefs and -gloves. - -At St. James's, the pit only exists traditionally; it is driven under -the boxes, and its presence is scarcely noticed. All the body of the -house is filled with stalls, or rather elegant arm-chairs, to which -ladies are admitted. - -The price of the seats is in proportion to the comfort they offer; each -stall costs seven shillings, and you can enter the modest pit for three -shillings; but this is no dearer than at the Opera. - -While I was surveying this elegant assembly with delight, I felt a -gentle tap on my shoulder. It was Mitchell, who came to give me a -delicate hint about some invitations he had thought it advisable to send -out. - -"Well, Houdin," he said to me, "how do you like your examination? does -the audience please you?" - -"It is delightful, my dear Mitchell; I may add, it is the first time I -ever performed in a theatre to such a brilliant audience." - -"Brilliant is the very word, my friend, for you must know that, among -your admirers" (pardon me this word of praise, but I am quoting -Mitchell), "is the whole of the English Press, which possesses a -numerous staff. We shall also have as spectators some gentlemen whose -opinion exercises a very great influence in London drawing-rooms. And -lastly, a great number of places are occupied by artistic celebrities, -who will justly appreciate the Robert-Houdin whom, to employ the -champagne phrase, we have made 'sparkle' as he deserves." - -It may be imagined that, after this explanation, my performance seemed -to me a solemnity, and that I employed the utmost care and zeal in -executing my tricks. I am justified in stating that I obtained a -legitimate success. - -Shall I now speak of the kindness and encouragement I received from the -audience of St. James's Theatre? I will appeal to the celebrated -artistes who have performed on this stage before me: Rachel, Roger, -Samson, Regnier, Duplessis, Déjazet, Bouffé, Levassor, &c.; have they -ever found in Europe spectators comparable to those of St. James's? Here -there are no paid clappers; they would be superfluous, for the audience -take upon themselves to encourage the performers. The gentlemen are not -afraid of bursting their gloves, while the ladies make as much noise -with their tiny hands as their strength allows. - -But I must stop, for I should fear, were I to continue, drifting into -the style of the Great Wizard. - -My performances went on at St. James's, and amply consoled me for my -losses in Paris. Although I only performed three times a week, their -produce exceeded that of my best days at home. My readers might imagine -that such unequivocal success ought to have satisfied me, but, as I have -said before, I am naturally ambitious, and I longed for one decisive -triumph--I wished to have my performance honored by the presence of the -Queen. Under happier auspices I doubt not that the honor would have -fallen to my share, but at the moment there was a peculiar difficulty, -which I saw no mode of overcoming. I will describe it in as summary a -manner as I can. - -After the revolution, the French theatres, as I have already said, found -their receipts reduced to worthless free tickets; hence they sought in -neighboring countries, just as I had done myself, a public less engaged -with politics, and consequently more apt to yield to the attraction of -amusement. - -England was the only country that had made no change in its habits of -luxury and pleasure, and hence many managers turned their longing eyes -towards this El Dorado. - -The Palais Royal Theatre, which, by the way, was not the worst off, was -one of the first to draw a bill at sight upon the rich metropolis of -England. - -Dormeuil, its skillful manager, divided his company into two parts, one -remaining at Paris, while the other came to the St. James's Theatre in -the place of the Opéra Comique, which had ended its engagement with -Mitchell. Levassor, Grassot, Ravel, M'lle Scrivaneck, &c., received a -brilliant reception from our mutual audience. - -This success became known in Paris, and turned the head of M. H----, -manager of the Historic Theatre. - -After making arrangements with the proprietors of a London theatre -(Covent Garden, I think), the impresario also came across with a portion -of his company to perform his play of _Monte Christo_, which lasted two -evenings. - -The arrival of these performers, all of great merit generally, disturbed -the peace of the English managers, who, fearing with some reason the -entire loss of their audiences, resolved to oppose this dangerous -invasion. - -"The French and Italian theatres in London," they said in their attacks, -"can play on their boards whatever pieces they like; they are privileged -to do so, and we respect their right. But we will not permit all our -theatres to be thus invaded, or Shakspeare be dethroned by foreign -playwrights." - -The question of theatrical rivalry soon assumed the character of a -national one. The papers took up the cause of the theatres, while the -public adopted the opinion of the press writers, and formed an army to -fight against the new comers. - -M. H---- attempted, however, to perform Alexandre Dumas's master-piece; -but it was impossible to hear a word, so great were the noise and -confusion in the house during the whole time the performance lasted. -Although the manager persevered in his enterprise, he was at length -obliged to yield to this imposing protest, which threatened to -degenerate into a collision, and he decided on closing the theatre. - -Mitchell held out his hand to the unlucky manager, and offered him the -hospitality of his theatre, that he might at least play his double piece -once before he left London. For this purpose he granted him one night of -the Palais Royal performances, and promised to arrange with me for the -next night. - -I could refuse Mitchell nothing, and the drama was represented in its -entirety, after which the company returned to France. - -I granted this favor with the greatest pleasure, as it obliged many -amiable performers, and I will add that, were a similar occasion offered -me to oblige M. H---- again, I would gladly accept it, if only to remind -him about thanking me for the first service I did him. - -Fortunately for my hopes, an occasion was offered me for performing -before her Majesty, of which I gladly availed myself, as it enabled me, -at the same time to do some slight service in the cause of charity. The -occasion I will here describe, as it affords a pleasing trait of English -manners and customs. - -A benevolent fęte, the object of which was to open baths for the poor, -had been organized by the first ladies in the land, and it was to be -held at a delicious villa at Fulham, belonging to Sir Arthur Webster, -who had kindly placed it at the disposal of the lady patronesses. - -This graceful swarm of sisters of charity was composed of ten duchesses, -fifteen marchioness, and some thirty countesses, viscountesses and -baronesses, at the head of whom was the Queen, who intended to honor -the fęte by her presence. This was more than sufficient to dispose of -the tickets, however high the price might be. Still, the ladies -conscientiously desired to add some attraction, which would occupy the -afternoon agreeably. The first idea was to arrange a concert, and, of -course, the chief singers in the metropolis must be invited to join, as -the company was so select; hence the committee turned their eyes to Her -Majesty's Theatre. - -But there a difficulty arose: they must ask each artiste to display his -talent gratuitously, and as this was begging a favor, the embassy placed -the fair promoters in a delicate position which they hesitated to -accept. - -Fortunately for them, these ladies had taken care to enlist the services -of my manager, whose intelligent advice would be most useful in -arranging the fęte. - -Mitchell was requested to call on the artistes, and he soon drew up a -most remarkable list: it contained Madame Grisi, Madame Castellan, -Madame Alboni, Mario, Roger (then engaged at Her Majesty's Theatre), -Tamburini, and Lablache. - -After the concert a divertissement was to take place which must excite -the public curiosity. A large number of ladies, dressed in costumes -selected from all parts of the world, had promised to form fancy -quadrilles on the lawn, in which they would perform character dances, -and for this purpose elegant and spacious tents were erected. - -But this spectacle could only last an hour, and there were still two to -be filled up, in which the guests could only be offered the pleasure of -walking about. It was evident this was not enough, especially when we -remember the price of the tickets was two pounds. Hence the committee -naturally thought of my performance. - -Mitchell had expected this, so he took on himself, owing to our friendly -connexion, to obtain my consent. He did more, for wishing in his turn to -offer his alms to the poor, he offered to build, at his own expense, a -theatre in the ground, and transfer to it the scenery I had at the -theatre. This was, in some respects, removing St. James's Theatre to -Fulham. - -Mitchell told me of this lucky event, from which he expected the best -results, and I may say at once that his expectations were realized. As -soon as it was known that the Queen would deign to be present at one of -my performances, many members of the aristocracy, who had not yet -visited the St. James's Theatre, sent to order boxes. - -On the day fixed for the Fulham festival, I started after breakfast for -Sir Arthur Webster's residence. My manager, with the machinist of the -theatre, had been at work there from an early hour, so that, when I -arrived I found the theatre quite in readiness for me. Scenery, drops, -and curtain, everything, in short, was there, excepting the foot-lights, -for which the sun was an admirable substitute. - -The public were to be admitted at one, and though I was not to give my -performance till nearly four o'clock, all my preparations were made by -the time the doors opened. The lady patronesses were already at their -posts to receive the Queen and the royal family, and were assisted by -stewards selected from the highest members of the aristocracy; among -them being the Duke of Beaufort, the Marquis of Abercorn, the Marquis of -Douglas, &c. - -While waiting my turn to act, I thought I might as well take part in the -fęte as a simple spectator; hence I went first to the entrance gates. - -I had scarce reached them when I saw the Duke of Wellington get out of -his carriage, the popular hero before whom gentle and simple bowed with -respectful deference. - -A few moments later appeared the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, -accompanied by his Highness Prince Frederick William of Hesse, and in a -group immediately following these high personages, the Duchess of Kent, -the Duchess Bernhard of Saxe Weimar, and the Princesses Anne and Amelia -were pointed out to me. - -These illustrious visitors were received by the lady patronesses with -the honors due to their rank, while the band of the Royal Horse Guards -played national airs. - -Outside could be heard the noisy and animated crowd, pressing forward, -at the risk of their lives, to see the carriages with the powdered and -gorgeous footmen whose heads are taxed so highly by the government. - -The numerous subscribers flocked in: all wished to be punctual, for it -was known the Queen would grace the fęte by her presence, and an -Englishman, great or small, would not at any price miss the pleasure of -seeing once again the features of her most gracious Majesty. - -The place I had selected was most favorable for observing the new -arrivals and not missing a single person. Still, whatever attraction -this brilliant panorama might offer me, I was equally anxious to see the -interior of the fairy palace, and I was just turning away, after -directing a parting glance to the entrance gates. I was glad I did so, -for at this moment arrived, close after each other, Prince Louis -Napoleon, our present Emperor; Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar; Prince -Loewenstein, and several other great personages whose names have -escaped my memory. - -The gardens, the conservatories, and apartments, were already crowded by -all the rank and fashion of London, and it was a hard matter to move -about at one's ease. At each moment a formidable swarm of marchionesses -and ladies stopped the way, and forced me to yield the road to them, in -my fear of crushing the most dazzling dresses I had ever seen. This was -difficult enough, for whatever way I might turn in my politeness, I ran -the risk of finding myself in the same dilemma, so numerous and compact -was the assemblage at Fulham. - -At half-past two the Queen had not yet arrived, and there was a -hesitation about waiting any longer, when frenzied hurrahs, rending the -air for the length of a mile, announced her Majesty's speedy arrival. - -The church-bells immediately began ringing, the band struck up "God save -the Queen," while the youngest and fairest ladies formed a double avenue -along her Majesty's route. - -These preparations were scarce made ere the Queen left her carriage, and -moving along an immense avenue, covered with red cloth, and sheltered -overhead by a gay awning, she walked towards the room where her arrival -was only awaited to commence the concert. - -On reaching the room, the Queen took her place in the midst of a circle -formed by the lady patronesses, and the concert began. - -I should have gladly listened to the dulcet sounds, but, unfortunately, -the hall, in spite of its vast proportions, could not contain all the -spectators, and the crush was so great that it was not only crowded, but -the approaches were invaded to the point where the vibration of the -voices finally died away. - -Hence, I was obliged to content myself with hearing outside the repeated -applause bestowed on the talented singers. Roger, especially, obtained a -real triumph by his aria from Lucia di Lammermoor, and the exquisite -way in which he sings it is well known. The Queen herself commanded an -encore. - -The concert was scarcely over when, in accordance with the programme, -the Queen proceeded to see the quadrilles, in which magnificently -attired ladies were to take part. - -I should have gladly witnessed this graceful sight, but I thought it -advisable to cast a final glance on my stage. - -Hence, I proceeded towards the theatre, where a private entrance had -been prepared for me, and I was just going up the few steps leading to -it, when some one seized my arm. - -"Ah! Monsieur Robert-Houdin," a gentleman said to me, with a smile, as -he prepared to follow me up the stairs, "that is capital--we will go in -together." - -"Where, sir?" I asked, much surprised at this proposal. - -"Why, on your stage," the unknown said, with an air of authority; "and I -trust you will not refuse me that pleasure." - -"I am vexed to deny you, sir; but that is impossible," I said politely, -knowing that in these grounds I could only meet persons who must be -treated with respect. - -"Why so?" the gentleman continued, most pressingly. "I find, on the -contrary, nothing easier. If we cannot go in side by side, we can follow -each other." - -"Pardon me, sir, if I refuse your request; but no stranger is allowed on -my stage." - -"Very good," my assailant then said, pleasantly; "if that is the case, I -will tell you my name, so that I may be no longer a 'stranger' to you. I -am Baron Brunnow, the Russian ambassador, as great an admirer of your -mysteries as I am desirous to find them out." And he continued his -ascent, while striving to force the barrier. "What, Monsieur -Robert-Houdin," he added, "do you still refuse me this? I only ask one -or two explanations, nothing more." - -"I must persist in my refusal, Monsieur le Baron, for several reasons, -and, more especially, for this one----" - -"What?" - -"Your perspicuity and talent are so universally recognized, that I would -not deprive you of the pleasure of yourself detecting these secrets, -which are hardly worthy your powerful intellect." - -"Ah! ah!" the Baron replied, with a laugh, "how diplomatic we are. Do -you wish to follow in my track?" - -"I am unworthy to do so, Monsieur le Baron." - -"Very good, very good. In the meanwhile, I am repulsed with loss, and -forced to take my place among the spectators. I yield; but tell me, -Monsieur Robert-Houdin, have you ever been in Russia?" - -"No, sir, never." - -"Then give me your card." - -And the ambassador wrote his name below mine. - -"Here," he said, handing it me back, "if you ever feel an inclination to -visit our country, that card will be very useful to you; and, if I -happen to be at St. Petersburg at the time, come and see me, and I will -procure you the honor of performing before his Majesty the Emperor -Nicholas." - -I thanked Baron Brunnow, and he left me. - -During this conversation, the quadrilles were being danced, and, before -their termination, the crowd had occupied all the seats for my -performance, save those reserved for the royal family and the court. The -Queen herself soon arrived, and I immediately received orders to begin. - -Would that I had a more skillful pen with which to depict in its true -colors the picture which revealed itself to my dazzled gaze at this -moment! At any rate, I will attempt to describe it. - -Imagine a large lawn rising before me in an amphitheatrical shape, and -arranged like the pit of a theatre. It would have been impossible to say -whether the ground was covered with grass or gravel, so thronged was it -with ladies, who were alone allowed to sit down. - -In the first row and nearest my theatre, the Queen, having her royal -husband on her right, was surrounded by her young and graceful family. A -little in the rear the ladies in waiting and the lady patronesses formed -the royal escort. At a respectful distance behind, the wives and -daughters of the subscribers took their places, while the gentlemen -formed symmetrical groups round this vast space. - -The sight was truly magnificent; all the ladies, dazzling with youth and -beauty, covered with diamonds and flowers, and rivalling each other in -good taste and brilliancy, resembled a vast enameled prairie, on which -the richest flowers of spring were displayed, while the black coats of -the gentlemen who enframed this smiling picture, far from dulling it, -only heightened the effect. - -On either side of the lawn, old oak-trees lent their refreshing shade to -this improvised theatre. - -I felt a noble pride at that moment, when I thought I held, as it were -at my fingers' ends, the witching eyes of duchesses, at times so -haughty, but now so gracious, and which seemed at every moment to gain -fresh brilliancy at the sight of the surprises I offered them. - -In this unique performance the time passed so rapidly, that I was quite -astonished when I found myself performing my last trick. - -Before leaving her seat, the Queen, although she had several times -evinced her satisfaction, sent me her compliments through an -aide-de-camp, who also expressed her Majesty's desire to have a -performance at Buckingham Palace at a later date. - -I had made every arrangement to start for town immediately my -performance was over, lest I might be delayed by the carriages waiting -at the park gates. An idea of the number of my audience can be formed, -when I say it took me more than a quarter of an hour to pass through the -carriages drawn up in double file along the road. The receipts of the -festival will supply a better proof: they amounted to 2500_l._! - -The next day the royal arms appeared at the head of my bills, and below, -the following passage, as a species of baptismal certificate: - - "_Robert-Houdin, who has had the honor of performing before her - most gracious Majesty the Queen, Prince Albert, the Royal Family, - and the Nobility of the United Kingdom,_" &c. - -My fashion only become the greater at St. James's. - -We had now reached the middle of July, and no one but an Englishman can -understand the possibility of obtaining a theatrical success during the -dog-day heats. I must say, then, that among our brethren beyond the -Channel, where all our customs are inverted, the season for concerts is -from May to the end of August. In September the aristocracy retire to -their estates, where they remain the other six months of the year. - -I followed the example of my audience: I quitted London at the beginning -of September, not like them to take rest, but, on the contrary, to -commence a life even more agitated than the one I was leaving. I went -to the Manchester Theatre, where Knowles, the manager, had made an -engagement with me for fifteen performances. - -The theatre in this city is immense; like the vast _arenć_ of ancient -Rome, it can hold an entire people. To give an idea of its size, I need -only say that twelve hundred spectators scarcely filled the pit. - -When I took possession of the stage, I was startled at its huge -proportions; for I feared I should be lost upon it, and my voice be -unheard. - -The reasons for the erection of this immense building were explained to -me afterwards. - -Manchester, as an eminent manufacturing city, counts its workmen by -thousands. Well, these hardy artisans are all fond of the stage, and in -their hand-to-mouth existence they often give up one or two nights a -week to this style of amusement; hence a large space was required to -house them all. - -Judging by the size of the house, I saw that many of the tricks I -performed at St. James's were unsuited for the Manchester Theatre; -hence, I was obliged to draw up a programme containing merely tricks -that could be seen from a distance, and whose effect would strike the -masses. - -So soon as my performances were announced, the "hands" flocked in in -shoals, and the pit, their favorite place, was literally crammed; while -the rest of the house was nearly empty. This is, however, generally the -case at a first performance in England; for many people wait for the -newspaper critiques, which are sure to appear on the following day, ere -they make up their mind. - -The audience entered the house with a noise unexampled in any French -theatre, except at those gratuitous performances given in Paris on grand -occasions. Before the curtain was raised, I was obliged to wait, and -give my noisy public time to cool down, and order and silence being -gradually established, I began my performance. - -Instead of the fashionable world, the elegant toilettes, and those -spectators who seemed to spread an aristocratic perfume over the St. -James's Theatre, I now found myself in the presence of simple workmen, -modestly and uniformly attired, rough in their manner, and eager for -amusement. - -But this change, far from displeasing me, stimulated my energies and -dash, and I was soon at my ease with my new spectators, when I saw that -they took a lively interest in my experiments. Still, an accident at the -outset nearly aroused the popular dissatisfaction. - -The Manchester artisans, far from coming to my performances to improve -their French accent, were greatly surprised at hearing themselves -addressed in any language but their own. Protests were put in on every -side, and soon shouts were heard of "Speak English!" - -As for my complying with the request, it was simply impossible; for -though I had been six months in London, as I was always among my own -countrymen, or persons who talked French, I had no occasion to apply -myself to the English language. Still, I tried to satisfy a claim that -appeared to me legitimate, and make up for my deficiencies by boldness -and good-will. I began by pronouncing the few English words I knew; when -my vocabulary was at fault, and I was about to run short, I invented -expressions which, owing to their strange shape, greatly amused my -audience. Often, too, when in a difficulty, I boldly asked them to come -to my aid, and it was my turn to feel a great inclination to laugh. - -"How do you call it?" I said, with a serio-comic air, as I held up the -article whose name I wished to know; and straightway a hundred voices -responded to my appeal. Nothing could be more pleasant than a lesson -thus taken, when my teachers, contrary to the usual fashion, paid for -the privilege of giving it. - -Through my condescension I succeeded in making peace with my audience, -who warmly cemented it on several occasions by their hearty applause. -The last trick especially created a tremendous excitement--I mean the -_inexhaustible bottle_, produced with scenery and decorations never -before witnessed on any stage. - -The picture presented by this trick is indescribable, and a skillful -pencil could alone reproduce its numerous details. Here, however, is a -sketch as accurate as possible: - -I have already said that although the spectators were few and far -between in some parts of the house, the pit was crowded, and it -consequently contained more than twelve hundred persons. - -I own it was a really curious sight to see all these heads issuing -invariably from dark-colored waistcoats, heightened by that ruddiness of -face which can be only produced by the beef and porter of Great Britain. - -In order that I might communicate more freely with my numerous -spectators, the machinist had put up a plank running from the stage to -the end of the pit, and as I also wished to address persons at the -sides, two other "practicables," much shorter than the centre one, ran -across to the boxes. The latter did not occupy room like the first, for -they were just over a passage, while those who entered by it had to -stoop down to reach their seats; but what was that slight inconvenience -to the pleasure they promised themselves in seeing the "French -conjurer?" - -The public were still entering the pit after my performance had -commenced, and so many persons were allowed to come in that there was -soon no room for the laggards. - -Several of them had the courage to remain bent under the "practicables," -and, looking out right and left in turn, they could follow my tricks. -But one of these bold spectators, doubtlessly fatigued by the -inconvenient posture he was obliged to keep, ingeniously passed his head -through the narrow space between the "practicable" and the boxes. He -managed it very cleverly, and his action was precisely that of a button -going into its corresponding hole. - -This innovation was, it may be easily supposed, gaily and noisily -welcomed by the audience, and the unfortunate man had to endure the fate -reserved for all innovators--he was laughed at and "chaffed" -tremendously. But he did not trouble himself about that, and his -coolness disarmed his opponents. - -Encouraged by his example, a neighbor tried the button-hole manoeuvre, -then a second and a third, and thus, by the middle of the performance, -half a dozen heads without bodies were symmetrically arranged on either -side the pit, looking for all the world like skittle-pins waiting to be -knocked down. - -I had arrived at the bottle trick, which consists in producing from an -empty bottle every liquor that may be asked for, no matter the number of -drinkers. - -The reputation of this famous bottle was already established in -Manchester, for the London papers had fully described the experiment. -Hence, a general hurrah was heard when I appeared armed with my -marvellous bottle; for, in addition to the merit of the trick itself, -the workmen also counted on the pleasure of drinking a glass of brandy, -or any other liquor. - -Flattered by this reception, I proceeded to the centre of the pit, -followed by my servant, who carried an enormous tray of wine-glasses. -But I had scarce arrived there when a thousand voices began exclaiming, -"Brandy, whisky, gin, curaçoa, shrub, rum," &c. - -It was impossible to satisfy all at once; hence, I wished to proceed in -rotation, and, after filling a glass, I offered it to the man who I -thought had made the first claim; but the gentleman was utterly -disappointed. Twenty hands were stretched out to dispute the precious -liquor, and the glass was speedily upset. The spectators, suffering the -punishment of Tantalus, shouted for the liquid, which was not fated to -reach their lips. I filled a second glass--it shared the fate of the -previous one, and was fought for so obstinately that the glass was -broken. - -Further on, the same request was made; I complied, and none could profit -by it. - -Without troubling myself as to the result, I poured out the liquor -profusely, and left my audience to fight for its possession. - -Soon all the glasses had disappeared, and in vain I asked for them back -to continue my bounty; not a trace of them was to be found. My -experiment was, therefore, in danger of sudden termination, when a -clever spectator held out his hand in the shape of a cup. - -The process was as simple as it was ingenious; it was the egg of -Christopher Columbus. The astonishment his neighbors felt permitted the -inventor to profit by his discovery, which is unfortunately a rarity. - -This improvised cup was unanimously accepted, but the imitators saw -their piracy suffer the same fate, minus the breakage, as the glasses. - -Quite tired, I was about to withdraw, when a new improvement was -introduced by a spectator, as thirsty as he was obstinate; throwing back -his head and opening an enormous mouth, he made me signs to pour in -curaçoa. Finding the idea original, I immediately complied. - -"What capital curaçoa," the man said, as he licked his lips. - -This seductive exclamation was scarce heard ere every mouth was open and -heads thrown back; it was enough to make me fly in terror. Still, not to -leave so curious a scene incomplete, I took a watering tour, holding the -mouth of the bottle as straight as I could. At times, the bottle being -pushed by the neighbors, sent the liquor over a man's coat, but, save -this slight inconvenience, all went on famously, and I fancied I had -fulfilled the rude task of quenching the thirst of my audience. Still, I -heard a few more appeals; and a glass of whisky was earnestly implored -by one of the men who had thrust his head between the plank and the -boxes, and seemed in a perfect state of collapse. - -My son, who helped me on the stage, and was one of the first to hear -this request, understood all the longing the poor suppliant felt; hence -he ran on the stage for a glass, which I filled, and he carried to the -man. - -But a difficulty suddenly arose; the claimant and his comrades were shut -up in their pillory, side by side, and could not raise their arms. My -son, unthinkingly, offered the glass, and seeing no one take it, was -about to carry it back on the stage; but a groan made him turn round, -and, by the patient's air, he understood he was begging him to stoop -down and place the glass to his lips. - -This delicate operation was performed with considerable skill on both -sides, and, despite the laughter of the public, each of the pilloried -men asked the same service in turn. - -This little scene appeared to have calmed the ardor of the public; and I -thought it possible to terminate my trick in the usual way. When my -bottle appears exhausted, I end by filling an enormous glass with -liquor, but a scene then began which I had been far from expecting. - -Many writers have described the saturnalia produced by the frightful -distribution of food and wine at the Restoration. Well, these orgies -were respectable meals compared with the assault attempted to reach the -glass I held in my hand. - -A human avalanche suddenly rose before me, and from this living pyramid -emerged two hundred hands to dispute their prey, while a hundred mouths -were opened to swallow it. - -I thought it high time to beat a retreat, in the fear of being buried -beneath this shapeless mass. It was impossible; behind me a file of -thirsty drinkers barred my passage. - -The danger was pressing, for the pyramid was bending forward to reach -me, and might lose its balance at any moment; the cries of the unhappy -beings supporting its weight explained the dangerous position in which I -might soon find myself; hence, I rushed with my head down through the -mass, and reached the stage in time to notice the curious sight of a -falling mountain. - -I will not attempt to describe the cries, shouts, and applauses that -accompanied this fall, while the victims were loud in their abuse, and -found no way of getting up, save by stepping on their companions in -misfortune. The noise was atrocious. - -The curtain fell on this strange scene, but shouts and clapping were -immediately heard: "The conjurer!" Houdin must come out to be -complimented. - -I obeyed this order, and when I made my appearance, either because I had -been too liberal with my bottle, or because, as I would sooner think, my -spectators were satisfied with my performance, the shouts and applause -broke out in such a formidable manner that I was quite stupefied, while -feeling acutely the pleasure they produced me. For I must say that the -noise of the hands struck together, though so trying in itself, has -nothing to shock the ear of a performer; on the contrary, the more -deafening it becomes, the more harmonious it appears to the recipient. - -The following performances were far from being so tumultuous as the -first, and the reason is very simple. The merchants and traders, who -form the aristocracy of Manchester, having heard of my performances, -came with the families to witness them, and their presence contributed -to keep the workmen in order. The house assumed a different aspect, and -henceforth I could only praise the quietness of the pit. - -Fifteen consecutive performances had not exhausted the curiosity of the -inhabitants, and I could certainly have given fifteen more, at least, -when, to my great regret, I was obliged to make way for two -celebrities--Jenny Lind and Roger--whom Knowles had engaged to follow my -performance. - -Though I felt vexed at throwing such a chance away, on the other hand I -was glad to escape as soon as possible from that heavy and smoky -atmosphere, which makes the industrial capital of England resemble a -city of chimney-sweeps. I could not accustom my lungs to inhale, instead -of air, the flakes of soot constantly floating about. I fell into a -state of melancholy almost akin to spleen, which did not abandon me till -I reached the gay city of Liverpool, where I intended to remain several -weeks. - -I was at that time at the height of my fashion; my performance began -with applause and ended with famous receipts. I need only add, that, -after performing in turn at the theatres of Liverpool, Birmingham, -Worcester, Cheltenham, Bristol, and Exeter, I returned to London to give -fifteen performances ere I started for France. - -A few days after my return to St. James's Theatre, the Queen, bearing in -mind the desire she had expressed at Fulham, commanded a performance at -Buckingham Palace. - -This invitation being most agreeable, I willingly accepted it. - -At eight in the morning of the appointed day, I proceeded to the royal -residence, and the steward of the palace, to whom I was directed, led me -to the place selected for my performance. It was a long and magnificent -picture gallery, and a theatre had been put up, on which the scenery -represented a saloon in the Louis Quinze style, white and gold, much -resembling the one I had at St. James's Theatre. - -My guide then showed me an adjoining dining-room, belonging, he said, to -the ladies of honor, and he begged me to state at what hour I should -like to breakfast. - -I was too busy to think about eating, for I had my performance to -prepare; however, I ordered the meal for one o'clock at any risk, and -set to work directly. - -Aided by my secretary (a species of factotum) and my two boys, who -helped me as well as their strength permitted, I managed to overcome all -the difficulties produced by the provisional arrangement of the stage. -But I had not finished all my preparations till two o'clock, and I was -almost dying of inanition, for, less fortunate than my companions, I had -eaten nothing the whole day. Hence it was with real joy I led the route -to the dining-room. - -As the performance was not to take place till three, I had just an hour -to recruit my strength. - -I had scarce walked a dozen steps, when I heard some one calling me. It -was a palace official who wanted to speak to me. - -"There will be a ball, sir, in this gallery," he said, in excellent -French, "after your performance, and consequently preparations will have -to be made which may take more time than has been allowed for them. -Hence, the Queen requests you to begin your performance an hour sooner; -she is quite ready, and will be here directly." - -"I am very sorry I cannot obey her Majesty's commands," I replied; "my -preparations are not yet ended, and I must add, that----" - -"Monsieur Robert-Houdin," the officer replied, politely, but with all -the coolness of a Briton, "such are her Majesty's orders, and I can say -no more." And without awaiting any explanation, he bowed to me and -retired. - -"We shall still have time to take a hasty snack," I said to my -secretary, "so off to the dining-room as quickly as you please." - -I had not finished the sentence, when the Queen, Prince Albert and the -royal family entered the gallery, followed by a numerous suit. - -At this sight I had not the courage to go further; I returned, and armed -myself with resignation. Protected by the curtain that concealed me from -the spectators, I hastily made my few remaining preparations, and five -minutes later I received the order to begin. - -When the curtain rose, I was dazzled at the sight that met my gaze. - -Her Majesty, the Prince Consort, the Queen Dowager, the Duke of -Cambridge and the royal children occupied the first rank. Behind them -were a portion of the Orleans family; while in the rear sat the highest -functionaries, among whom I recognized ambassadors dressed in their -national costumes, and general officers covered with brilliant -decorations. All the ladies were in ball toilette, and richly adorned -with jewels. - -A wonderful change came over me when I began my performance: all my -languor had been suddenly dispelled, and I felt in excellent spirits. - -Still this change can be easily explained. It is well known that a -performer feels no suffering while on the stage; a species of exaltation -suspends all feelings foreign to his part, and hunger, thirst, cold, or -heat, even illness itself, is forced to retreat in the presence of this -excitement, though it takes its revenge afterwards. - -This slight digression was necessary to explain the spirits I felt in -when I appeared before my noble audience. - -Never, I believe, did I throw such dash and boldness into the -performance of my experiments; never, either, had I an audience which -appreciated them so kindly. - -The Queen deigned to encourage me several times by flattering remarks, -while Prince Albert, ever so kind to professionals, heartily clapped his -hands. - -I had prepared a trick, called the _Bouquet ŕ la Reine_. This is what -the _Court Journal_ says of it when describing my performance: - - * * * * * - -"The Queen evinced an extreme pleasure in these experiments; but the one -which seemed to strike her most was the _Bouquet ŕ la Reine_, a very -graceful surprise, and charmingly ŕpropos. Her Majesty having lent her -glove to M. Robert-Houdin, the latter immediately produced from it a -bouquet, which soon grew so large that it could be scarcely held in both -hands. Finally, this bouquet, after being placed in a vase, and bedewed -with magic water, was transformed into a garland, in which the flowers -formed the word VICTORIA. - -"The Queen was equally astonished at the surprising lucidity of M. -Robert-Houdin's son, in the experiment of the second-sight. The most -complicated objects had been prepared in order to embarrass and foil the -sagacity of the father and the marvellous faculty of the son. Both -emerged victoriously from this intellectual combat, and defeated every -scheme." - -After the performance, the same officer with whom I had already spoken -came to offer me the thanks of the Queen and Prince Albert. The Duchess -of Orleans had also been kind enough to add her compliments and those of -her family. - -So soon as the curtain had fallen, and I was no longer supported by the -presence of my audience, I felt ready to drop. I had taken a seat, and -could hardly rise to go and enjoy the meal which I stood in such need -of. - -Still, I was about to do so, when I was roused from my exhaustion by the -appearance of a large body of workmen, who had come to take down the -theatre in all speed and prepare the gallery for the ball. - -My readers can judge of my embarrassment and trouble when I found I must -pack up all my machinery at once, lest it might be broken. - -I tried to protest and defer the execution of the task, but it was all -in vain: orders had been given, and they must be obeyed. Hence, I was -obliged to summon up fresh energy to finish my packing, which took me an -hour and a half. - -Six o'clock struck when all was finished. I had taken no food for -exactly four-and-twenty hours. - -Leaning on my manager who had taken the precaution of ordering up the -dinner, I dragged myself as far as the dining-room. - -Twilight had commenced, and the room was not yet lighted, and it was -with some difficulty we could distinguish a table. I fell rather than -sat down upon a chair I found near me, and while my son was ringing for -lights, I commenced a second-sight performance of my own. I succeeded -famously; I laid my hand on a fork, and pricking at whatever might be -before me, found something attached to the instrument. I prudently -raised the object to my nose, and, satisfied with this inspection, I -took a triumphant bite. - -It was delicious; and I fancied I could recognize a _salmi_ of -partridge. - -I made a second exploring tour to assure myself of the truth, and, after -a few mouthfuls, I convinced myself I was not mistaken. My manager and -boys followed my example, and set to work manfully. - -It seems that the attendance must be slow in royal houses, for before -the lights arrived we had plenty of time to grow used to the darkness. - -However, this meal, through its originality, became a delightful -amusement, and I had seized a bottle to pour out some wine, when the -door of the room suddenly opened, and two servants came in bearing -candelabra. On seeing us thus seated at table and eating in the coolest -way, they nearly fell backwards in surprise. I am persuaded they took us -at the moment for real sorcerers, for we had great difficulty in -inducing them to remain in the room and wait on us. - -We then took our ease. The table was well served, the wines were -excellent, and we could rest from the fatigues and emotions of the day. -At the end of the dinner the palace steward paid us a visit, and on -hearing of my misfortunes, he expressed his deep regret. The Queen, he -assured me, would be the more vexed, if she heard of it, because she had -given the strictest orders that I should want for nothing in her palace. - -I replied, that I was amply repaid for a few moments of pain by the -satisfaction I felt at having been called to perform before his gracious -sovereign. And this was, indeed, the truth. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - - An Optimist Manager--Three Spectators in a Room--A Magical - Collation--The Colchester Public and the Nuts--I return to - France--I give up my Theatre--A Farewell Tour--I retire to St. - Gervais--An Academician's Predictions. - - -A short time after this performance my engagement with Mitchell -terminated. - -Instead of returning to France, as I should much have desired after so -lengthened an absence, I thought it better to continue my excursions in -the English provinces till the end of September, when I hoped to reopen -my theatre at Paris. - -Consequently, I drew up an itinerary, in which the first station would -be Cambridge, celebrated for its university; and set out. - -Possibly the reader may feel no inclination to follow me on this tour, -but he may be assured I will not drag him after me, especially as my -second passage through England presents hardly any details worth -mentioning here. I will content myself with recounting a few incidents, -and among them a small adventure that happened to me, as it may serve -for a lesson for all professionals, that it is dangerous both to their -self-esteem and interests to drain public curiosity too deep in the -various places whither the hope of good receipts attracts them. - -I intended to go straight from London to Cambridge, but, half way, I -took a fancy to stop and give a few performances at Hertford, a town -containing some ten thousand people. - -My two first performances were most successful, but on the third, seeing -that the number of spectators had greatly fallen off, I decided on -giving no more. - -My manager argued against this resolution, and offered me reasons which -certainly had some value. - -"I assure you, sir," he said, "that nothing is spoken of in the town but -your performance. Every one is asking if you are going to perform -to-morrow, and two young gentlemen have already begged me to keep them -places if you intend to remain for to-morrow." - -Génet, my manager, was certainly the best fellow in the world; but I -ought to have distrusted his counsels, knowing, as I did, his -disposition to look at the bright side of everything. He was the -incarnation of optimism, and the calculations he made about this -performance went far beyond those of the inkstand inventor. To hear him -talk, we should have to double the price of places, and increase our -staff to keep back the crowd that would rush to see me. - -While jesting Génet on his exaggerated ideas, I still allowed him to -send out the bills for the performance he so much desired. - -The next evening, at half-past seven, I went, according to my usual -custom, to order the box-office to be opened, and the public allowed -admission. The performance would commence at eight precisely. - -I found my manager quite alone--not a soul had arrived yet. Still, that -did not prevent him greeting me with a radiant air--though that was his -normal condition. - -"No one has yet come to the theatre," he said, rubbing his hands, as if -giving me first-rate intelligence; "but that is a good sign." - -"The deuce it is! Come, my dear Génet, I must have that proved." - -"It is easy enough to understand. You must have noticed, sir, that at -our former performances we only had the country gentry." - -"Nothing proves it was so; still, I will allow it. Now go on." - -"Well, it is very simple. The tradespeople have not come to see you yet, -and I expect them to-night. They are always so busy, that they usually -defer a pleasure till the last moment. Have patience, and you will soon -see the rush we shall have to contend against." - -And he looked towards the entrance door like a man perfectly convinced -that his predictions would be fulfilled. - -We had still half an hour--more than sufficient to fill the room--so I -waited. But this half-hour passed in vain expectation. Not a soul came -to the box-office. - -"It is now eight," I said, drawing out my watch, "and no spectators have -arrived. What do you say to that, Génet?" - -"Oh, sir! your watch is too fast--I am sure of it for----" - -My manager was about to support his allegation by some proof drawn from -his brain, when the town-hall clock struck. Génet, finding his reasons -exhausted, contented himself with silence, while casting a despairing -glance towards the door. - -At length, I saw his face grow purple with delight. - -"Ah! I said so," he exclaimed, pointing to two young men coming towards -us. "The public are beginning to arrive. They doubtlessly mistook the -hour. Come, every man to his post!" - -Génet's joy did not last long, for he soon recognized in these visitors -the two young gentlemen who had taken their places the previous day. - -"You have kept our seats?" they said to the optimist, as they hurried -in. - -"Yes, gentlemen, yes; you can go in," Génet replied, making an -imperceptible grimace. And he led them in complacently, while striving -to explain the emptiness of the room by saying it was only momentary. He -had hardly returned to the box-office, when a gentleman of a certain age -hurried up the steps, and rushed towards the pay place with a haste my -previous success probably justified. - -"Is there any room left?" he asked, in a panting voice. - -My poor Génet did not know how to reply to this question, which seemed a -jest; he, therefore, merely muttered one of those common-place phrases -usually employed to gain time. - -"Well, sir, to tell you the truth--I should say----" - -"I know--I know: there are no places left. I expected it. But be kind -enough to let me go in, and I will find some corner to stand in." - -"But, sir, allow me to tell you----" - -"No matter." - -"But if, on the contrary----" - -"All the better. There, give me a stall-ticket, and I will see if I can -find room in the passage." - -Being at the end of his arguments, Génet supplied the ticket. - -You can imagine the surprise of the eager visitor when, on entering the -house, he found that he formed in his own person exactly a third of the -audience. - -For my own part, I soon made up my mind. After compounding with my -conscience, by granting the usual quarter of an hour's grace to the -laggards, and seeing no one come, I informed my three spectators that, -being only anxious to be agreeable to them, I would perform. - -This unexpected news produced a triple hurrah in the house in the shape -of thanks. - -My orchestra consisted of eight amateurs of the town; and these -gentlemen, as a compliment to my French origin, always played as -overture the "Girondins" and the "Marseillaise," with the assistance of -the big drum, and never failed to terminate the performance with "God -save the Queen." - -The patriotic introduction over, I began my performance. - -My audience were collected on the first row of stalls, so that, in order -to address my explanations to them, I should have had to keep my head -constantly down, which would have eventually become troublesome. Hence I -determined to look round the house, and address the benches just as if -they were well covered. - -For their part, my audience made all possible row to prove their -satisfaction. They stamped, applauded, shouted, so as almost to make me -believe the house full. - -The whole performance was a mutual exchange of compliments, and the -spectators saw the last of my tricks arrive with considerable regret. -This, however, was not announced on my bills, for I reserved it as the -best of my surprises. - -"Gentlemen," I said to my audience, "as I require three persons to -assist me in performing this trick, will any gentlemen present have the -kindness to come on the stage?" - -At this comic invitation the public rose _en masse_, and obligingly -placed themselves at my disposal. - -After my three assistants had promised to stand at the front of the -stage and not look round, I gave each an empty glass, announcing that it -would be filled with excellent punch so soon as they expressed the wish, -and I added that to facilitate the performance, they must repeat after -me a few cabalistic words borrowed from the enchanter Merlin. - -This jest was only proposed in order to gain time, for while we were -performing it with bursts of laughter, a change was being carried out -behind my kind assistants. The table on which I did my tricks had been -removed, and another brought forward on which an excellent supper was -spread, and a bowl of punch crackled in the centre. - -Génet, clothed in black and a white cravat, and armed with a spoon, was -stimulating a spectral flame, and when my assistants expressed a wish to -see their glasses filled with punch, he said, in his most solemn voice, - -"Turn round, and your wishes will be accomplished." - -My musicians had been spectators of this little scene, so I begged them -to join us and try the virtues of my inexhaustible bowl. This invitation -was joyfully accepted, the table was surrounded, the glasses were filled -and emptied, and we passed two agreeable hours in performing this -experiment. - -Owing to the prodigality of my "inexhaustible bowl of punch," my guests -were all affected by a tender expansion. They almost embraced on -parting; however, they contented themselves with shaking hands and -vowing an undying friendship. - -The instruction to be drawn from this anecdote is that, in offering a -farewell to the public, you should not wait till there are none left to -receive it. - -On leaving Hertford, I went to Cambridge, thence to Bury St. Edmunds, -Ipswich and Colchester, always taking receipts proportionate to the -importance of the towns. I have only three souvenirs of those five -towns: the failure at Hertford, the enthusiastic reception from the -Cambridge students, and the nuts at Colchester. - -But, it will be asked, what connexion can there be between nuts and a -magical performance. A word will explain the fact to the reader, and all -the tribulations this fruit caused me. - -It is the custom at Colchester that when a body goes to the theatre he -fills his pockets with nuts. These are cracked and eaten during the -performance as a species of refreshment. Men and women both suffer from -this cracking mania, so that a rolling fire is kept up through the -house, often powerful enough to drown the voice. - -Nothing affected my nerves so much as this incessant cracking; my first -performance suffered from it, and despite my efforts to master myself, I -went through the whole performance in a state of irritation. I -consented, however, to perform a second time, but the manager could not -induce me to promise a third. Although he assured me that his actors had -grown quite accustomed to this strange music, and that even a minor -actor might often be seen on the stage calmly cracking a nut while -awaiting the reply, I could not stand it any longer, and left the town. - -Most assuredly, the theatres in the smaller English towns are not equal -to those in the cities. - -At Colchester my tour was to end, and I was about starting for France, -when Knowles, the Manchester director, remembering my success at his -theatre, proposed to me to take a trip with him through Ireland and -Scotland. We had then reached the month of June, 1849, when Paris was -more than ever agitated by political questions; and theatres only -existed in France as memorials of the past. I did not waste much time in -forming a decision; I started with my English manager. - -Our excursion lasted no less than four months, and I did not step on -French soil again till the end of October. - -Need I describe the delight with which I presented myself once more -before a Parisian audience, whose kind patronage I had not forgotten? -Those professional men who, like myself, have been long absent from -Paris, will understand it, for they know nothing is so sweet to the -heart as the applause given by a man's fellow-citizens. - -Unfortunately, when I recommenced my performances, I noticed with sorrow -the change which had taken place in my health: the performances which I -formerly went through with no fatigue, now caused me a painful state of -exhaustion. - -It was easy to find a reason for this disagreeable change; fatigue, the -incessant thought connected with my performances, and still more the -foggy atmosphere of England, had exhausted my strength. My life had been -in some degree used up during my emigration. I should require a -lengthened rest to restore it, and I could not think of it at this -period, the best part of the season. I could only take precautions for -the future, in case I should find myself suddenly compelled by my health -to stop; so I decided on educating a pupil to take my place in case of -need, and whose labor might assist me in the meanwhile. - -A young man of pleasing exterior, and whose talent I was acquainted -with, seemed to offer the conditions I required. My proposals suited -him, and he immediately joined me. The future sleight-of-hand professor -evinced great aptitude and zeal in learning my lessons. I employed him -in a short time to prepare my experiments, then he aided me in the -management of my theatre, and when the summer of 1850 arrived, instead -of closing my rooms as usual, I continued to send out my bills; the only -change was that Hamilton's name was substituted for mine. - -Considering his short period of study, my provisional substitute could -not be yet very expert; still, he pleased, and the public were -satisfied. During this period I enjoyed in the country a repose that had -been long desired. - -A man who has made a long journey never feels the fatigue so acutely as -when he proposes to continue his journey after a few moments of rest. -This was what I experienced when, my holiday being ended, I was obliged -to leave the country to begin again the feverish existence of a theatre. -I never felt such lassitude; never had I a greater desire to enjoy -perfect liberty, to renounce those fatigues of an appointed hour, which -may be justly called the collar of misery. - -At this word, I see many of my readers start. "Why," they will say, -"thus call a labor whose object is to astonish an audience, and the -result to gain honor and profit?" - -I find myself compelled to prove the justice of the expression. - -The reader will easily understand that the fatigue, preoccupation and -responsibility attached to a magical performance do not prevent the -conjurer being subjected to the ordinary sufferings of humanity. Now, -whatever may be the nature of his sufferings or his grief, he must, at -an appointed hour each night, hide them in his bosom, and assume the -mask of happiness and health. - -This is, in itself, a painful task, but, believe me, reader, it is not -all; he must--and this is applicable to all professionals--under penalty -of ruin, enliven, animate and excite the public, or, in other words, -give them pleasure for their money. - -Can this be always equally easy? In truth, the position artists hold -would be intolerable, did not they find in the sympathy and applause of -the public a gentle recompense which makes them forget the minor -miseries of life. - -I may say it with pride, to the last moment of my artist life I only met -with sympathy and kindness; but the more I strove to render myself ever -worthy of them, the more I felt my strength failing me, and the more, -too, increased my desire to live in retirement and freedom. - -At last, in January, 1852, judging Hamilton fit to succeed me, I decided -on giving up my establishment to him, and in order that my theatre, the -fruit of my labors, might remain in the family, two contracts were -signed; and on the same day my pupil became my brother-in-law and my -successor. - -Still, however desirous an actor may be of retiring into private life, -he very rarely renounces at once and for ever the applause which has -become an agreeable stimulant for him. Hence, no surprise will be felt -on learning that, after a few months' rest, I proposed to give a few -more performances, as a final parting from the public. - -As I had not yet visited Germany, I proceeded to the banks of the Rhine. -Desiring no unnecessary fatigue, I resolved to reserve to myself the -choice of the places where I would perform. I therefore stopped, in -preference, at those festal places called "Baths," and visited in turn -Baden, Wiesbaden, Homburg, Aix-la-Chapelle, and Spa. Nearly each of my -performances was honored by the presence of one or more of the princes -regnant of the Germanic Confederation. - -It was my intention to return to France after my performances at Spa, -but, at the request of M. Engel, manager of a theatre at Berlin, I -retraced my steps, and started for the capital of Prussia. - -I had made a six weeks' engagement with M. Engel; but my success, and -the excellent terms on which I stood with my manager, induced me to -prolong it for three months. I could not have taken a more brilliant -leave of the public: for, probably, I never saw greater crowds run after -my performances. Thus the reception I obtained from the Berliner will -ever remain one of my pleasantest reminiscences. - -From Berlin I proceeded straight to the neighborhood of Blois, to the -retreat I had selected. - -Whatever might be my satisfaction in enjoying the freedom I had so long -desired, it would soon have undergone the fate common to all our -pleasures, and have grown flat by the mere effect of enjoyment, had I -not reserved for these blessed hours of leisure studies in which I hoped -to find a perennial source of amusement. After gaining a fortune by -labors unjustly regarded as futile, I was about to devote myself to -serious researches, as I had been formerly advised by a member of the -Institute. - -The circumstances to which I allude date back to the Exposition of 1844, -when I submitted my automata and mechanical curiosities. - -The jury entrusted with the examination of mechanical instruments, and -designs had come to my productions, and I had repeated the little -performance I had given a few days previously in the presence of Louis -Philippe. - -After listening with interest to the details of the numerous -difficulties I had to overcome in making my automata, one of the members -of the jury said to me: - -"It is a great pity, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, that you did not apply the -talent you have evinced in fancy objects to serious labors." - -This criticism wounded me the more, because at that period I considered -nothing superior to my works, and in my fairest dreams of the future I -desired no greater glory than that of the skillful inventor of the -"automaton duck." - -"Sir," I replied, in a tone that betrayed my pique, "I know no works -more serious than those which give a man an honest livelihood. Still, I -am ready to change my views, if you give me the same advice after you -have heard me. - -"At the period when I devoted myself to chronometers, I hardly earned -enough to live upon; at present, I have four workmen to help me in -making my automata; and as the least skillful among them earns six -francs a day, you can easily form an idea what I earn myself. - -"Now, sir, I ask you, if I ought to return to my old trade?" - -My critic was silent, but another member of the jury coming up to me, -said, in a low voice, - -"Go on, Monsieur Robert-Houdin--go on; I am convinced that your -ingenious works, after leading you to success, will conduct you straight -to useful discoveries." - -"Monsieur le Baron Séguier," I replied, in the same key, "I thank you -for your encouraging prediction, and will do my best to prove its -correctness."[E] - -I have followed the advice of the illustrious savant, and find myself -all the better for it. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - - Travels in Algeria--Convocation of the Chieftains--Performances - before the Arabs--A Kabyle rendered powerless--Invulnerability--A - Moor disappears--Panic and Flight of the - Audience--Reconciliation--The Sect of Aďssaoua--Their pretended - Miracles. - - -I have, then, reached the object of all my hopes: I have bidden an -eternal farewell to professional life, and from my retirement I wave my -hand in parting salutation to my kind and obliging patrons. Henceforth I -shall know no care or anxiety; free and tranquil, I am about to devote -myself to my peaceful studies, and enjoy the pleasantest existence man -ever had on earth. - -I was busily forming my plans of happiness, when, one day, I received a -letter from Colonel de Neveu, head of the political office at Algiers. -This distinguished functionary begged me to proceed to our colony, and -give my performances before the principal chieftains of the Arab tribes. - -This invitation reached me in the full of my honeymoon, if I may employ -the expression. Scarce recovered from the fatigues of my journey, I was -imbibing deep draughts of happiness, and it would have been a heavy -sacrifice to dispel the charm so soon. Hence, I expressed to Colonel de -Neveu my regret at not being able to accept his invitation. - -The colonel noted down my excuses, and, the following year, reminded me -of them. It was in 1855; but I had presented at the Universal -Exhibition several new applications of electricity to mechanism, and -having learned that the jury considered me worthy a reward, I would not -quit Paris till I had received it. Such was, at least, the motive on -which I based a new refusal, accompanied by my regret. - -But the colonel kept these excuses still in mind, and in June, 1856, he -presented them to me like a bill to be met. This time I had exhausted my -excuses, and though it cost me much to quit my retreat and brave the -caprices of the Mediterranean in the worst month of the year, I decided -on going. - -It was settled that I should reach Algiers by the next 27th of -September, the day on which the great fętes annually offered by the -capital of Algeria to the Arabs would commence. - -I must say that I was much influenced in my determination by the -knowledge that my mission to Algeria had a quasi-political character. I, -a simple conjurer, was proud of being able to render my country a -service. - -It is known that the majority of revolts which have to be suppressed in -Algeria are excited by intriguers, who say they are inspired by the -Prophet, and are regarded by the Arabs as envoys of God on earth to -deliver them from the oppression of the _Roumi_ (Christians). - -These false prophets and holy Marabouts, who are no more sorcerers than -I am, and indeed even less so, still contrive to influence the -fanaticism of their co-religionists by tricks as primitive as are the -spectators before whom they are performed. - -The government was, therefore, anxious to destroy their pernicious -influence, and reckoned on me to do so. They hoped, with reason, by the -aid of my experiments, to prove to the Arabs that the tricks of their -Marabouts were mere child's play, and owing to their simplicity could -not be done by an envoy from Heaven, which also led us very naturally to -show them that we are their superiors in everything, and, as for -sorcerers, there are none like the French. - -Presently I will show the success obtained by these skillful tactics. - -Three months were to elapse between the day of my acceptance and that of -my departure, which I employed in arranging a complete arsenal of my -best tricks, and left St. Gervais on the 10th of September. - -I will give no account of my passage, further than to say no sooner was -I at sea than I wished I had arrived, and, after thirty-six hours' -navigation, I greeted the capital of our colony with indescribable -delight. - -I was expected; an officer came off in an elegant boat and took me to -the Hôtel d'Orient, where a handsome suite of rooms was retained for me. - -The government had behaved nobly, for I was lodged like a prince. From -the window of my sitting-room I could survey the roads of Algiers, and -the prospect was only bounded by the horizon. The sea is always lovely -when seen from a window; thus each morning I admired it, and pardoned -its past slight insults. - -From my hotel I also gazed on the magnificent Government-square, planted -with orange trees, such as cannot be seen in France. They were at this -season laden with flowers and perfectly ripe fruit. - -Mme. Robert-Houdin and myself delighted in sitting beneath their shade -at nightfall and eating an ice before the doorway of an Algerian -Tortoni, while inhaling the perfumed breeze borne to us from the sea. -Next to this pleasure, nothing interested us so much as observing the -immense variety of persons moving around us. - -The five quarters of the world had sent their representatives to -Algeria: there were French, Spainards, Maltese, Italians, Germans, -Swiss, Prussians, Belgians, Portuguese, Poles, Russians, English and -Americans, all forming a portion of the population of Algeria. Add to -these the different Arabic types, such as Moors, Kabyles, Koulougly, -Biskri, Mozabites, Negroes, Arab Jews, &c., and an idea may be formed of -the sight unrolled before our eyes. - -When I arrived at Algiers, M. de Neveu told me that as a portion of -Kabylia had revolted, the marshal-governor had started with an -expeditionary corps to suppress it. In consequence of this, the fętes to -which the Arab chiefs were to be invited were deferred for a month, and -my performances put off for the same period. - -"I have now to ask you," the colonel added, "if you will sign this new -engagement?" - -"Mon colonel!" I replied, in a jocular tone, "I consider myself in -military employ. As I depend on the governor, I will be faithful to my -post, whatever may happen." - -"Very good, M. Robert-Houdin," the colonel said with a laugh; "you -behave like a true French soldier, and the colony will owe you thanks -for it. At the same time, we will try to make your service in Algeria as -light as possible. We have given orders at your hotel that madame and -yourself may have no cause to regret the comfort you left to come here." -(I have forgotten to say that, in signing my engagement, I stipulated -that Mme. Houdin should accompany me.) "If, while awaiting your official -performances, you might like to employ your leisure evenings at the town -theatre, the governor places it at your service thrice a week, the -other days belonging to the operatic company." - -This proposition suited me admirably, and I saw three advantages in it: -the first, to get my hand in, for I had left the stage for two years; -the second, to try the effect of my experiments on the town Arabs; the -third, to pocket a very welcome sum of money. I accepted; but when I -offered my thanks to M. de Neveu, he said, - -"It is our place to thank you, for, by giving performances at Algiers -during the Kabylian expedition, you render us a great service." - -"How, colonel?" - -"By employing the minds of the Algerines, we prevent them speculating on -the eventualities of the campaign, which might be very injurious to the -government." - -"That being so, I will set to work at once." - -The colonel started the next day to join the marshal, having previously -handed me over to the civil authorities; that is to say, he had -introduced me to M. de Guiroye, mayor of the town, who displayed extreme -kindness in facilitating the arrangements for my performances. - -It might be reasonably supposed that, owing to the high patronage that -supported me, I need only follow a path bestrewn with flowers, to use -the language of the poets. But it was not so: I had to endure many -annoyances, which might have vexed me greatly, had I not possessed a -stock of philosophy beyond ordinary mortals. - -M. D----, privileged manager of the Bab-Azoun Theatre, had commenced the -season with an operatic company, and, fearing lest the success of a -stranger on his stage might injure his own prospects, he complained -about it to the authorities. - -The mayor could offer him no other consolation than saying the -government ordered it. M. D---- protested, and even threatened to throw -up the management, but the mayor adhered to his inflexible decision. - -The city of Algiers thus suddenly saw itself exposed to a total -managerial eclipse, when, through a spirit of conciliation, I offered to -perform only twice a week, and defer beginning till the operatic début -was over. - -This concession slightly calmed the impresario, though it did not gain -me his good graces. M. D---- ever maintained a coldness towards me, -which evidenced his dissatisfaction, but I held an independent position, -and this coolness did not render me wretched. - -I also managed to escape from the annoyances aroused by certain -subalterns of the stage, and, being determined that my voyage to Algiers -should be a real pleasure-trip, I laughed at these puny attacks. -Besides, my attention was directed to a matter far more interesting to -me. - -The journals had announced my performances, and this statement -immediately aroused a paper warfare in the Algerian press, the -strangeness of which contributed no little to give increased publicity -to my representations. - -"Robert-Houdin," one paper said, "cannot be at Algiers, for we see daily -announced in the Paris papers, '_Robert-Houdin every evening at eight -o'clock_.'" - -"And why," another journal asked, pleasantly, "should not Robert-Houdin -perform in Algiers and yet remain all the while in Paris? Do we not know -that this sorcerer possesses the gift of ubiquity, and that he often -gives performances at Paris, Rome, and Moscow on the same evening?" - -The discussion went on thus, for several days, some denying my presence, -others affirming it. - -The public of Algiers were willing to accept this fact as one of those -pleasantries generally denominated _canards_, but they also wished to be -sure of not being victims of a delusion if they came to the theatre. - -At length the matter was taken up seriously, and the editors explained -that Mr. Hamilton, on succeeding his brother-in-law, had kept up the old -title; so that _Robert-Houdin_ was a term equally applicable to the -performer and to the style of performance. - -This curious discussion, the annoyances occasioned by M. D----, and, as -I hope I may believe, the attraction of my performance, brought me an -enormous audience. All the tickets were bought beforehand, and the house -was stiflingly hot, for the centigrade thermometer denoted 35 deg., and -we were in the middle of September. - -Poor spectators, how I pitied them! To judge from my own sensations, -they must all have been mummified on the spot. I feared that the -enthusiasm, as is the general rule, would be in an inverse ratio to the -temperature; but I had no cause to complain of my reception, and I drew -from this success a happy omen for the future. - -In order not to deprive my "official representations," as M. de Neveu -termed them, of the interest the reader will expect from them, I will -give no details of those which preceded them, and were so many -trial-balloons. I may say the Arabs who came were very few; for these -men, with their indolent and sensual temper, consider the happiness of -lying on a mat and smoking far above a spectacle. - -Hence the governor, guided by the profound knowledge he had of their -character, never invited them to a fęte: he sent them a military -summons. This occurred for my representations. - -As M. de Neveu had announced to me, the expeditionary corps returned to -Algiers on the 20th of October, and the fętes, suspended by the -campaign, were fixed for the 27th. Messengers were sent off to all parts -of the colony, and on the appointed day the chiefs of the tribes, -accompanied by a numerous suite, found themselves in the presence of the -marshal-governor. - -These autumnal fętes, the most brilliant held in Algeria, and probably -unrivalled in any country of the world, present a picturesque and really -remarkable scene. - -I should like to be able to paint here the strange aspect the capital -assumed on the arrival of the _goums_ of the Tell and the South. The -native camp, an inextricable pell-mell of huts for men and horses, -offering a thousand contrasts, strange as they were fascinating; the -brilliant cortége of the governor-general, in the midst of which the -Arab chiefs, with their stern faces, attracted the eye by the luxury of -their costumes, the beauty of their horses, and the brilliancy of their -gold-broidered trappings; and the marvellous hippodrome, situated -between the sea, the smiling hill of Mustapha, and the plain of -Hussein-Dey, over which gloomy mountains cast a sombre shade. But I will -say nothing about all this. Nor will I describe those military exercises -called a Fantasia, in which twelve hundred Arabs, mounted on splendid -steeds, and uttering wild cries as if on the battle-field, displayed the -utmost vigor, skill, and intelligence men can possess. Nor will I speak -of the admirable exhibition of Arab stallions, each exciting the most -lively satisfaction as it passed; for all this has been already -described, and I am longing to reach my own performances, which, I may -say, formed not the least interesting part of this fęte. I will only -allude to one circumstance, which struck me peculiarly. - -I saw a horseman, mounted on a magnificent Arab steed, beat all the -winners in a final heat. This horseman was twelve years of age, and -could pass under his horse without stooping. - -The races lasted three days, and I was to give my performances at the -end of the second and third. - -Before beginning, I will say a word about the Algiers theatre. - -It is a very neat house, in the style of the Variétés at Paris, and -decorated with considerable taste. It is situated at the extremity of -the Rue Bab-Azoun, on the _place_ bearing that name, and the façade is -peculiarly elegant. - -On first seeing this immense edifice, it would be assumed that the -interior was enormous: but it is nothing of the sort. The architect has -sacrificed everything to the claims of public order and ventilation, -while the stairs, passages, and green-room occupy as much space as the -house itself. Perhaps the architect took into consideration the limited -number of theatre-going people in Algiers, and thought that a small -house would offer performers a better chance of success. - -On the 28th of October, the day appointed for my first performance -before the Arabs, I reached my post at an early hour, and could enjoy -the sight of their entrance into the theatre. - -Each _goum_, drawn up in companies, was introduced separately, and led -in perfect order to the places chosen for it in advance. Then came the -turn of the chiefs, who seated themselves with all the gravity becoming -their character. - -Their introduction lasted some time, for these sons of nature could not -understand that they were boxed up thus, side by side, to enjoy a -spectacle, and our comfortable seats, far from seeming so to them, -bothered them strangely. I saw them fidgeting about for some time, and -trying to tuck their legs under them, after the fashion of European -tailors. - -Marshal Randon, with his family and suite, occupied the two stage-boxes -to the right of the stage, while the prefect and other civilian -authorities sat exactly facing him. As for Colonel de Neveu, he was -everywhere, as the arranger of the festival. - -The caďds, agas, bash-agas, and other titled Arabs, held the places of -honor, for they occupied the orchestra-stalls and the dress-circle. - -In the midst of them were several privileged officers, and, lastly, the -interpreters were mingled among the spectators, to translate my remarks -to them. - -I was also told that several curious people, having been unable to -procure tickets, had assumed the Arab burnous, and, binding the -camel's-hair cord round their foreheads, had slipped in among their new -co-religionists. - -This strange medley of spectators was indeed a most curious sight. The -dress-circle, more especially, presented an appearence as grand as it -was imposing. Some sixty Arab chiefs, clothed in their red mantles (the -symbol of their submission to France), on which one or more decorations -glistened, gravely awaited my performance with majestic dignity. - -I have performed before many brilliant assemblies, but never before one -which struck me so much as this. However, the impression I felt on the -rise of the curtain, far from paralyzing me, on the contrary inspired me -with a lively sympathy for the spectators, whose faces seemed so well -prepared to accept the marvels promised them. As soon as I walked on the -stage, I felt quite at my ease, and enjoyed, in anticipation, the sight -I was going to amuse myself with. - -I felt, I confess, rather inclined to laugh at myself and my audience, -for I stepped forth, wand in hand, with all the gravity of a real -sorcerer. Still, I did not give way, for I was here not merely to amuse -a curious and kind public, I must produce a startling effect upon coarse -minds and prejudices, for I was enacting the part of a French Marabout. - -Compared with the simple tricks of their pretended sorcerers, my -experiments must appear perfect miracles to the Arabs. - -I commenced my performance in the most profound, I might almost say -religious, silence, and the attention of the spectators was so great -that they seemed petrified. Their fingers alone moving nervously, played -with the beads of their rosaries, while they were, doubtlessly, invoking -the protection of the Most High. - -This apathetic condition did not suit me, for I had not come to Algeria -to visit a waxwork exhibition. I wanted movement, animation, life in -fact, around me. - -I changed my batteries, and, instead of generalizing my remarks, I -addressed them more especially to some of the Arabs, whom I stimulated -by my words, and still more by my actions. The astonishment then gave -way to a more expressive feeling, which was soon evinced by noisy -outbursts. - -This was especially the case when I produced cannonballs from a hat, for -my spectators, laying aside their gravity, expressed their delighted -admiration by the strangest and most energetic gestures. - -Then came--greeted by the same success--the bouquet of flowers, produced -instantaneously from a hat; the _cornucopia_, supplying a multitude of -objects, which I distributed though unable to satisfy the repeated -demands made on all sides, and still more by those who had their hands -full already; the _five-franc pieces_, sent across the theatre into a -crystal box suspended above the spectators. - -One trick I should much have liked to perform was the _inexhaustible -bottle_, so appreciated by the Parisians and the Manchester "hands;" but -I could not employ it in this performance, for it is well known the -followers of Mohammed drink no fermented liquor--at least not publicly. -Hence, I substituted the following with considerable advantage. - -I took a silver cup, like those called "punch bowls" in the Parisians -cafés. I unscrewed the foot, and passing my wand through it showed that -the vessel contained nothing; then, having refitted the two parts, I -went to the centre of the pit, when, at my command, the bowl was -_magically_ filled with sweetmeats, which were found excellent. - -The sweetmeats exhausted, I turned the bowl over, and proposed to fill -it with excellent coffee; so, gravely passing my hand thrice over the -bowl, a dense vapor immediately issued from it, and announced the -presence of the precious liquid. The bowl was full of boiling coffee, -which I poured into cups, and offered to my astounded spectators. - -The first cups were only accepted, so to speak, under protest; for not -an Arab would consent to moisten his lips with a beverage which he -thought came straight from Shaitan's kitchen; but, insensibly seduced by -the perfume of their favorite liquor, and urged by the interpreters, -some of the boldest decided on tasting the magic liquor, and all soon -followed their example. - -The vessel, rapidly emptied, was repeatedly filled again with equal -rapidity; and it satisfied all demands, like my inexhaustible bottle, -and was borne back to the stage still full. - -But it was not enough to amuse my spectators; I must also, in order to -fulfil the object of my mission, startle and even terrify them by the -display of a supernatural power. - -My arrangements had all been made for this purpose, and I had reserved -for the end of my performances three tricks, which must complete my -reputation as a sorcerer. - -Many of my readers will remember having seen at my performances a small -but solidly-built box, which, being handed to the spectators, becomes -heavy or light at my order; a child might raise it with ease, and yet -the most powerful man could not move it from its place. - -I advanced with my box in my hand, to the centre of the "practicable," -communicating from the stage to the pit; then, addressing the Arabs, I -said to them: - -"From what you have witnessed, you will attribute a supernatural power -to me, and you are right. I will give you a new proof of my marvellous -authority, by showing that I can deprive the most powerful man of his -strength and restore it at my will. Any one who thinks himself strong -enough to try the experiment may draw near me." (I spoke slowly, in -order to give the interpreter time to translate my words.) - -An Arab of middle height, but well built and muscular, like many of the -Arabs are, came to my side with sufficient assurance. - -"Are you very strong?" I said to him, measuring him from head to foot. - -"Oh yes!" he replied carelessly. - -"Are you sure you will always remain so?" - -"Quite sure." - -"You are mistaken, for in an instant I will rob you of your strength, -and you shall become as a little child." - -The Arab smiled disdainfully as a sign of his incredulity. - -"Stay," I continued; "lift up this box." - -The Arab stooped, lifted up the box, and said to me, coldly, "Is that -all?" - -"Wait----!" I replied. - -Then, with all possible gravity, I made an imposing gesture, and -solemnly pronounced the words: - -"Behold! you are weaker than a woman; now, try to lift the box." - -The Hercules, quite cool as to my conjuration, seized the box once again -by the handle, and gave it a violent tug, but this time the box -resisted, and, spite of his most vigorous attacks, would not budge an -inch. - -The Arab vainly expended on this unlucky box a strength which would have -raised an enormous weight, until, at length, exhausted, panting, and red -with anger, he stopped, became thoughtful, and began to comprehend the -influences of magic. - -He was on the point of withdrawing; but that would be allowing his -weakness, and that he, hitherto respected for his vigor, had become as a -little child. This thought rendered him almost mad. - -Deriving fresh strength from the encouragements his friends offered him -by word and deed, he turned a glance round them, which seemed to say: -"You will see what a son of the desert can do." - -He bent once again over the box: his nervous hands twined round the -handle, and his legs, placed on either side like two bronze columns, -served as a support for the final effort. - -But, wonder of wonders! this Hercules, a moment since so strong and -proud, now bows his head; his arms, riveted to the box, undergo a -violent muscular contraction; his legs give way, and he falls on his -knees with a yell of agony! - -An electric shock, produced by an inductive apparatus, had been passed, -on a signal from me, from the further end of the stage into the handle -of the box. Hence the contortions of the poor Arab! - -It would have been cruelty to prolong this scene. - -I gave a second signal, and the electric current was immediately -intercepted. My athlete, disengaged from his terrible bondage, raised -his hands over his head. - -"Allah! Allah!" he exclaimed, full of terror; then wrapping himself up -quickly in the folds of his burnous, as if to hide his disgrace, he -rushed through the ranks of the spectators and gained the front -entrance. - -With the exception of my stage boxes and the privileged spectators who -appeared to take great pleasure in this experiment, my audience had -become grave and silent, and I heard the words "Shaitan!" "Djenoum!" -passing in a murmur round the circle of credulous men, who, while gazing -on me, seemed astonished that I possessed none of the physical qualities -attributed to the angel of darkness. - -I allowed my public a few moments to recover from the emotion produced -by my experiment and the flight of the herculean Arab. - -One of the means employed by the Marabouts to gain influence in the eyes -of the Arabs is by causing a belief in their invulnerability. - -One of them, for instance, ordered a gun to be loaded and fired at him -from a short distance, but in vain did the flint produce a shower of -sparks; the Marabout pronounced some cabalistic words, and the gun did -not explode. - -The mystery was simple enough; the gun did not go off because the -Marabout had skillfully stopped up the vent. - -Colonel de Neveu explained to me the importance of discrediting such a -miracle by opposing to it a sleight-of-hand trick far superior to it, -and I had the very article. - -I informed the Arabs that I possessed a talisman rendering me -invulnerable, and I defied the best marksman in Algeria to hit me. - -I had hardly uttered the words, when an Arab, who had attracted my -notice by the attention he had paid to my tricks, jumped over four rows -of seats, and disdaining the use of the "practicable," crossed the -orchestra, upsetting flutes, clarionets, and violins, escaladed the -stage, while burning himself at the foot-lights, and then said, in -excellent French, - -"I will kill you!" - -An immense burst of laughter greeted both the Arab's picturesque ascent -and his murderous intentions, while an interpreter who stood near me -told me I had to deal with a Marabout. - -"You wish to kill me!" I replied, imitating his accent and the -inflection of his voice. "Well, I reply, that though you are a sorcerer, -I am still a greater one, and you will not kill me." - -I held a cavalry pistol in my hand, which I presented to him. - -"Here, take this weapon, and assure yourself it has undergone no -preparation." - -The Arab breathed several times down the barrel, then through the -nipple, to assure himself there was a communication between them, and -after carefully examining the pistol, said: - -"The weapon is good, and I will kill you." - -"As you are determined, and for more certainty, put in a double charge -of powder, and a wad on the top." - -"It is done." - -"Now, here is a leaden ball; mark it with your knife, so as to be able -to recognize it, and put it in the pistol, with a second wad." - -"It is done." - -"Now that you are quite sure your pistol is loaded, and that it will -explode, tell me, do you feel no remorse, no scruple about killing me -thus, although I authorize you to do so?" - -"No, for I wish to kill you," the Arab repeated, coldly. - -Without replying, I put an apple on the point of a knife, and, standing -a few yards from the Marabout, ordered him to fire. - -"Aim straight at the heart," I said to him. - -My opponent aimed immediately, without the slightest hesitation. - -The pistol exploded, and the bullet lodged in the centre of the apple. - -I carried the talisman to the Marabout, who recognized the ball he had -marked. - -I could not say that this trick produced greater stupefaction than the -ones preceding it: at any rate, my spectators, palsied by surprise and -terror, looked round in silence, seeming to think, "Where the deuce have -we got to here!" - -A pleasant scene, however, soon unwrinkled many of their faces. The -Marabout, though stupefied by his defeat, had not lost his wits; so, -profiting by the moment when he returned me the pistol, he seized the -apple, thrust it into his waist-belt, and could not be induced to return -it, persuaded as he was that he possessed in it an incomparable -talisman. - -For the last trick in my performance I required the assistance of an -Arab. - -At the request of several interpreters, a young Moor, about twenty years -of age, tall, well built, and richly dressed, consented to come on the -stage. Bolder and more civilized, doubtlessly, than his comrades of the -plains, he walked firmly up to me. - -I drew him towards the table that was in the centre of the stage, and -pointed out to him and to the other spectators that it was slightly -built and perfectly isolated. After which, without further preface, I -told him to mount upon it, and covered him with an enormous cloth cone, -open at the top. - -Then, drawing the cone and its contents on to a plank, the ends of which -were held by my servant and myself, we walked to the foot-lights with -our heavy burden, and upset it. The Moor had disappeared--the cone was -perfectly empty! - -Immediately there began a spectacle which I shall never forget. - -The Arabs were so affected by this last trick, that, impelled by an -irresistible feeling of terror, they rose in all parts of the house, and -yielded to the influence of a general panic. To tell the truth, the -crowd of fugitives was densest at the door of the dress circle, and it -could be seen, from the agility and confusion of these high dignitaries, -that they were the first to wish to leave the house. - -Vainly did one of them, the Caďd of the Beni-Salah, more courageous than -his colleagues, try to restrain them by his words: - -"Stay! stay! we cannot thus lose one of our co-religionists. Surely we -must know what has become of him, or what has been done to him. Stay! -stay!" - -But the co-religionists only ran away the faster, and soon the -courageous caďd, led away by their example, followed them. - -They little knew what awaited them at the door of the theatre; but they -had scarce gone down the steps when they found themselves face to face -with the "resuscitated Moor." - -The first movement of terror overcome, they surrounded the man, felt and -cross-questioned him; but, annoyed by these repeated questions, he had -no better resource than to escape at full speed. - -The next evening the second performance took place, and produced nearly -the same effect as the previous one. - - * * * * * - -The blow was struck: henceforth the interpreters and all those who had -dealings with the Arabs received orders to make them understand that my -pretended miracles were only the result of skill, inspired and guided by -an art called _prestidigitation_, in no way connected with sorcery. - -The Arabs doubtlessly yielded to these arguments, for henceforth I was -on the most friendly terms with them. Each time a chief saw me, he never -failed to come up and press my hand. And, even more, these men whom I -had so terrified, when they became my friends, gave me a precious -testimony of their esteem--I may say, too, of their admiration, for that -is their own expression. - -Three days had elapsed since my last performance, when I received a -despatch from the governor, ordering me to be at the palace by twelve -o'clock, _military time_. - -Of course I kept the appointment, and the last stroke of twelve was -still striking by the clock of the neighboring mosque when I sent in my -name at the palace. A staff officer immediately came to me. - -"Come with me, M. Robert-Houdin," he said, with a half mysterious air. -"I am ordered to conduct you." - -I followed my conductor, and, as the door of a magnificent room was open -at the end of a gallery we crossed, I saw a strange sight. Some thirty -of the most important Arab chiefs were arranged in a circle, of which I -naturally formed the centre when I entered the room. - -"Salâm aleikoum!" they said, in a grave and almost solemn voice, as they -laid their hands on their hearts. - -I first returned this salutation by bowing in the French fashion, and -then by several hand-shakings, beginning with those chiefs whose -acquaintance I had already formed. - -At the head was the Bash-Aga Bou-Allem, the African Rothschild, in whose -tent I had drunk my coffee at the Arab camp during the races. - -Next came the Caďd Assa, with a wooden leg, who had also offered me -pipes and coffee in the same encampment. As this chief did not -understand a word of French, my friend Boukandoura was enabled, during a -visit we paid him, to tell me the history of the wooden leg in his -presence. - -"Assa," my friend said, "having had his leg shattered in an affair -against the French, owed his escape to the speed of his horse. Once in a -place of safety, he himself cut off his leg above the knee, and then, in -his wild energy, thrust the mutilated stump into a vessel full of -boiling pitch, in order to stop the hemorrhage." - -Wishing to return the salutations I had received, I went round the -group, offering my hand to each in turn. But my task was remarkably -abridged, for the ranks thinned at my approach, as many of the company -had not the courage to take the hand of a man they had seriously -regarded as a sorcerer or the demon in person. - -This incident, however, did not disturb the ceremony in any way. After a -laugh at the pusillanimity of the fugitives, each re-assumed that -gravity which is the normal condition of the Arab countenance. - -Then the most aged chief in the assembly advanced towards me, and -unrolled an enormous MS. It was an address, written in verse, a perfect -masterpiece of native caligraphy, and adorned with graceful arabesques -drawn by hand. - -The worthy Arab, who was at least seventy years of age, then read, in a -loud voice, the piece of Mussulman poetry, which was perfectly -unintelligible to me, as I knew only three words of Arabic. - -When the reading was ended, the orator drew from his belt the signet of -his tribe, and solemnly placed it at the bottom of the page. The -principal Arab chiefs and dignitaries followed his example, and when all -the seals had been affixed, my old friend took the paper, and after -assuring himself the imprints were quite dry, he rolled it up and -presented it to me, saying, in excellent French, and in a tone that -revealed his sincerity: - -"To a merchant, gold is given; to a warrior, arms are offered; to thee, -Robert-Houdin, we present a testimony of our admiration, which thou -canst hand down to thy children." And, translating a verse he had just -read in Arabic, he added, "Pardon us for presenting thee with such a -trifle, but is it fitting to offer mother-o'-pearl to the man who -possesses the real jewel?" - -I avow very frankly that never in my life did I experience such sweet -emotion--never had my success penetrated so fully to my heart; and, -moved more than I can express, I turned to wipe away a tear of sympathy. - -These details, as well as the following, certainly wound my modesty a -little, but I cannot make up my mind to pass them over in silence; -hence, I must beg the reader to accept them as a mere picture of -manners. - -I declare, too, that the thought never entered my mind of having -deserved such praise, and yet I cannot refrain from feeling as much -flattered as grateful for this homage, and regarding it as the most -precious souvenir of my professional career. - -This declaration made, I will furnish a translation of the address, in -the words used by the caligrapher himself: - - "Homage offered to Robert-Houdin, by the chiefs of the Arab tribes, - after his performances given at Algiers on the 28th and 29th of - October, 1856. - - "GLORY TO GOD, - - who teaches us what we know not, and enables us to express the - treasures of the mind by the flowers of eloquence and the signs of - writing. - - "Generous-handed destiny has sent down from above, in the midst of - lightning and thunder, like a powerful and fertilizing rain, the - marvel of the moment and the age, him who cultivates the surprising - arts and marvellous sciences--the _Sid_-Robert-Houdin. - - "Our century has seen no one comparable with him. The splendor of - his talent surpasses the most brilliant productions of past ages. - Our age is the more illustrious because it has possessed him. - - "He has known how to stir our hearts and astonish our minds, by - displaying to us the surprising facts of his marvellous science. - Our eyes were never before fascinated by such prodigies. What he - accomplishes cannot be described. We owe him our gratitude for all - the things by which he has delighted our eyes and our minds; hence, - our friendship for him has sunk into our hearts like a perfumed - shower, and our bosoms preciously conceal it. - - "We shall in vain attempt to raise our praises to the height of his - merit; we must lower our brows before him and pay him homage, so - long as the benevolent shower fertilizes the soil, so long as the - moon illuminates the night, so long as the clouds come to temper - the heat of the sun. - -"Written by the slave of God, -"ALI-BEN-EL-HADJI MOUSSA. - - "Pardon us for presenting thee with," &c. &c. - - Then follow the seals and signatures of the chiefs of the tribes. - -After the ceremony was over, and the Arabs had left us, the -marshal-governor, whom I had not seen since my performances, being -desirous to give me an idea of the effect they had produced on the minds -of the natives, quoted the following incident: - -A Kabyle chief, who had come to Algiers to make his submission, was -taken to my first performance. - -The next day, at an early hour, he went to the palace, and asked to -speak with the governor. - -"I have," he said to the marshal, "to ask your permission to return -immediately to my tribe." - -"You must be aware," the marshal replied, "that the forms are not yet -filled up, and the papers will not be in order for three days; you will, -therefore, remain for that period." - -"Allah is great," the Arab said, "and if it pleaseth Him I shall go away -before, you will not be able to stop me." - -"You will not go, I feel certain, if I forbid it. But tell me, why are -you in such a hurry to leave?" - -"After what I saw yesterday I don't wish to stay in Algiers; a -misfortune would happen to me." - -"Did you regard the miracles as real?" - -The Kabyle surveyed the marshal with an air of astonishment, and, -without replying directly to the question addressed him, said: - -"Instead of killing your soldiers in conquering the Kabyles, send your -French Marabout to the most rebel tribes, and before a fortnight he will -bring them all to you." - -The Kabyle did _not_ leave, for the interpreters managed to remove his -fears; still he was one of those who kept furthest aloof from me during -the ceremony I have described. - -Another Arab also said, on leaving one of my performances: - -"Our Marabouts must now do very great miracles to astonish us." - -These statements from the governor's own lips were very agreeable to me, -for up to that moment I had felt rather uneasy; and although I was -certain I had produced a startling impression by my performances, I was -enchanted at learning that the object of my mission had been carried out -according to the wishes of government. In addition, before I started for -France, the marshal was kind enough to assure me once again that my -performances in Algeria had produced the happiest effect in the minds of -the natives. - -Although my performances were ended, I was in no hurry to return to -France. I was curious, in my turn, to witness a conjuring performance of -the Marabouts, or other native jugglers. I had also promised several -Arab chiefs to visit them in their _douars_, and I wished to enjoy this -double pleasure. - -There are few Frenchmen who, after a short stay in Algeria, have not -heard of the Aďssaoua and their marvels. The stories I had been told of -the experiments performed by the followers of Sid-Aďssa had inspired me -with the liveliest desire to see them, and I was persuaded that all -their miracles were only more or less ingenious tricks, which I should -be able to detect. - -As M. le Colonel Neveu had promised me the opportunity of seeing them, -he kept his word. - -On a day chosen by the Mokaddem, the usual president of this sort of -meeting, we went, accompanied by several staff officers and their wives, -to an Arab house, and proceeded through a low archway into the inner -court, where the ceremony was to take place. Lights artistically fixed -on the walls, and carpets spread on the pavement, awaited the arrival of -the brothers, while a cushion was reserved for the Mokaddem. - -We all took our seats where we should not disturb the performance, and -our ladies went up to a gallery on the first floor, and thus represented -our dress-boxes. - -But I will let Colonel Neveu himself describe this scene, by copying -_verbatim_ from his interesting work "The Religious Orders among the -Mussulmans of Algeria:" - -"The Aďssaoua entered, formed a circle in the courtyard, and soon began -their chants. These were at first slow and solemn chants, and lasted a -long time; then came the praises of Sidi-Muhammad-Ben-Aďssa, founder of -the order; after which the Brethren and the Mokaddem, taking up cymbals -and tambourines, gradually increased the speed of the chanting. - -"After about two hours the songs had become wild cries, and the gestures -of the Brethren had followed the same impulse. Suddenly some of them -rose and formed a line, dancing, and pronouncing as gutturally as they -could, and with all the vigor of their energetic lungs, the sacred name -of Allah. This word, issuing from the mouths of the Aďssaoua, seemed -rather a savage growl than an invocation addressed to the Supreme Being. -Soon the noise increased, the most extravagant gestures began, while -turbans fell off and exposed their shorn heads, which look like those of -vultures; the long folds of their red sashes became unfastened, -embarrassing their movements and increasing their disorder. - -"Then the Aďssaoua moved about on their hands and knees, imitating the -movements of wild animals. They seemed to be acting under the influence -of some muscular force, and they forgot they were men. - -"When the excitement had reached its height, and the perspiration was -running down their bodies, the Aďssaoua began their juggling. They -called the Mokaddem their father, and asked him for food; he gave to -some pieces of glass, which they champed between their teeth; he placed -nails in the mouths of others, but, instead of swallowing them, they -carefully hid their heads in the folds of the Mokaddem's burnous, in -order not to let the audience see them remove them. Some devoured thorns -and thistles; others passed their tongues over a red-hot iron and took -them in their hands without burning themselves. One man struck his left -arm with his right hand: the flesh appeared to open, and the blood -poured forth abundantly; then he passed his hand over his arm, the wound -closed, and the blood disappeared. Another leaped on to the edge of a -sabre held by two men, and did not cut his feet, while others produced -from small leathern sacks scorpions and serpents, which they boldly -placed in their mouths." - -I had concealed myself behind a pillar, whence I could survey everything -without being noticed. I insisted on not being the dupe of these -mysterious tricks: hence I paid the closest attention. - -Both through the remarks I made on the scene of action, and the ulterior -researches I undertook, I am now in a position to give a satisfactory -explanation of the miracles of the Aďssaoua. But, not to interrupt my -narrative, I will refer the reader who is anxious for these details to -the end of this volume, and the special chapter I have christened A -CHAPTER OF MIRACLES. - -I believe myself the more competent to supply these explanations, as -some of the tricks belong to conjuring proper, and others are based on -phenomena drawn from the physical sciences. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - - Excursion in the Interior of Africa--The Abode of a Bash-Aga--A - comical Repast--A Soirée of Arab Dignitaries--A Marabout - mystified--Tent-life in Algeria--I return to France--A terrible - Storm--Conclusion. - - -Once possessed of the secret of the juggling performed by the Aďssaoua, -I was able to start for the interior of Africa. I therefore set out, -provided with letters from Colonel de Neveu, to several heads of the -Arab department, his subordinates, and I took with me Mme. -Robert-Houdin, who was quite delighted at the thought of making this -excursion. - -We were going to visit the Arab beneath his tent or in his house; eat -his "couscoussou," which we only knew by name; study for ourselves the -domestic manners and customs of Africa: this was certainly enough to -inflame our imagination. So much was this the case, that I hardly ever -thought that the month in which we should re-embark for France would be -the one in which the Mediterranean is so stormy. - -Among the Arabs who had invited me to visit them, Bou-Allem-Ben-Sherifa, -Bash-Aga of the D'jendel, had pressed me so strongly that I determined -on commencing my round of visits with him. - -Our journey from Algiers to Médéah was most prosaic, for a diligence -conveyed us there in two days. - -Apart from the interest inspired in us by the peculiar vegetation of -Algeria, as well as the famous peak of the Mouzaďa, which we passed at a -gallop, the incidents of the journey were the same as on any French high -road. The hotels were kept by Frenchmen, and you dined at the table -d'hôte on the same fare, at the same price, and with the same -attendance. This bagman's existence was not what we had anticipated on -leaving Algiers. Hence, we were delighted to get out at Médéah, as the -diligence did not follow the same road as ourselves beyond this point. - -Captain Ritter, head of the Arab office at Médéah, to whom I went, had -seen my performances at Algiers: hence, I had no occasion to hand him -the letter of recommendation addressed to him by M. de Neveu. He -received me with great affability, and Mme. Ritter joined her entreaties -to her husband's that we should visit the town. I indeed regretted being -obliged to leave such agreeable persons the next morning; but I was -obliged to hurry my tour over before the autumnal rains set in, which -render the roads impracticable, and often, indeed, very dangerous. - -The captain acceded to my wishes; he lent us two horses from his stable, -and gave us as a guide to Bou-Allem's a caďd who spoke French -excellently. - -This Arab had been caught when quite a youth in a hut which Abd-ul-Khadr -had been forced to abandon after one of his numerous defeats. The -government sent the lad to the Louis-le Grand College, where he got on -excellently in his studies. But, constantly pursued by the remembrance -of his African sky, and the national "couscoussou" our bachelor of arts -asked the favor of being sent back to Algeria. Owing to his education he -was made caďd of a small tribe, whose name I have forgotten, but which -lay on the route we were going to take. - -My guide--whom I will call Muhammad, because I have forgotten his name -also (for Arab names are difficult to remember by those who have not -lived some time in Algeria)--Muhammad, then, was accompanied by four -Arabs of his tribe: two of them were to carry our baggage, and the other -two wait upon us. All were mounted, and proceeded before us. - -We started at eight in the morning, as our first stage was not to be -long, for Muhammad assured me that, if it pleased God (a formula a true -believer never omits in speaking of the future), we should arrive at his -house in time for breakfast. In fact, about three hours after we had set -out, our little caravan reached Muhammad's modest _douar_, and we -dismounted in front of a villa, entirely composed of branches, of which -the roof was hardly of man's height. This was the caďd's reception-room. - -The door was opened, and our guide showed us the way by walking in -first. Only one piece of furniture ornamented the interior; it was a -small wooden stool, which my wife converted into a seat. Muhammad and I -seated ourselves on a carpet, which an Arab had spread at our feet, and -breakfast was soon served up. Muhammad, who, I fancy, wished to gain our -pardon for a grave crime he was about to commit, treated us sumptuously, -and almost in the French style. A rich soup, roast fowls, various -ragoűts, which I cannot describe, as my culinary studies have been very -limited, and pastry, which Félix himself would not have disowned, were -placed before us in turn. More than that, my wife and I had been handed -an iron knife, fork and spoon--an unheard of thing at an Arab's. - -The meal had been brought from an adjacent _gourbi_, where the caďd's -mother resided. This lady had lived in Algiers for a long time, where -she had acquired the skill of which she had just offered us a specimen. - -As for Muhammad, he had resumed the fashions of his ancestors, with the -Mussulman costume, and lived on dates and "couscoussou," save when he -had any guests, which was extremely rare. - -Our breakfast over, the host advised to set out again, if we wished to -reach Bou-Allem's before nightfall; and we followed his advice. - -From Médéah to Muhammad's _douar_ we had followed a tolerable road, but -on leaving his house we entered on a barren and desert country, where we -saw no other signs of a road than those left by ourselves. The sun -poured its most torrid beams upon our heads, and we found no shade along -our route to protect us from it. Frequently, too, our progress became -very laborious, for we came to ravines, into which we had to descend at -the risk of our horses' knees and our own necks. To restore our -patience, our guide told us we should soon reach more even ground, and -we continued our journey. - -About two hours after leaving our first halt, Muhammad quitted us at -full gallop, saying he would soon return, and disappeared behind a -mound. - -We never saw our caďd again. - -I learned, afterwards, that in his jealousy of Bou-Allem's wealth, he -preferred incurring a punishment sooner than pay a visit to his rival. - -This flight rendered my wife and myself very uncomfortable, and we -exchanged our ideas on the subject, with no fear of being understood by -our guides. We were alarmed by the bad example given by Muhammad. -Suppose the four Arabs were to imitate their chief, and also abandon us! -What would become of us in a country where, even if we were to meet -anybody, we could not make him understand our wishes? - -But we escaped with the fear. Our worthy guides remained faithful to us, -and were even very polite and attentive during the journey. Besides, as -Muhammad had told us, we soon reached a road leading us straight to the -abode of Bou-Allem. - -Compared with the caďd's house, the bash-aga's might be considered a -princely residence, less, however, through the architectural beauty of -the buildings than through their extent. As in all Arab houses, only -walls could be seen from without; all the windows looked on court-yards -or gardens. - -Bou-Allem and his son, warned of our arrival, came to meet us, and paid -us in Arabic compliments I did not understand, but which I supposed to -be the usual salâmalecks, that is to say: - -"Be ye welcome, oh ye invited of Deity!" - -Such, however, was my confidence, that, whatever might have been said to -me, I should have accepted it as a compliment. - -We dismounted, and sat down upon a stone bench, where coffee was soon -served up to us. In Algeria people drink coffee and smoke the whole day -long. It is true that this beverage is not made so strong as in France, -and the cups are very small. - -Bou-Allem, after lighting a pipe, handed it to me: it was an honor he -did me to let me smoke after him, and I could not decline it, though I -might have preferred it to be just the "other way about." - -As I have already stated, I only knew three or four words of Arabic, and -with such a poor vocabulary it was difficult to talk with my hosts. -Still, they evidenced great joy at my arrival, for every moment they -renewed their protestations, while laying their hands on their hearts. -I replied by similar signs, and hence had not to draw on my imagination -to keep up the conversation. - -Later, however, urged by an appetite whose prompt satisfaction I did not -calculate on, I ventured on a new pantomime. Laying my hand on the pit -of my stomach, and assuming a suffering air, I tried to make Bou-Allem -comprehend that we required more substantial food than civil -compliments. The intelligent Arab understood me, and gave orders for the -meal to be hastened on. - -In the meanwhile, and to keep us quiet, he offered, by gestures, to show -us his apartments. - -We ascended a small stone staircase, and, on arriving at the first -floor, our guide opened a door, which offered this peculiarity, that, to -pass through it, you were obliged to lower your head and lift your foot -simultaneously. In other words, this door was so low, that a man of -ordinary height could not pass through it without stooping, and, as the -floor was raised, you were obliged to step up on it. - -This chamber was the bash-aga's reception-room; the walls were covered -with red arabesques relieved with gold, and the ground strewn with -magnificent Turkey carpets. Four divans, covered with rich silk stuffs, -completed the entire furniture, with a small mahogany table, on which -were spread pipes, porcelain coffee cups, and other objects especially -used by Mussulmen. Among them, Bou-Allem took up a flask filled with -rose-water, and poured it on our hands. The perfume was delicate; -unfortunately, our host wished to do things grandly, and in order to -show the esteem he held us in, employed the rest of the bottle in -literally sprinkling us from head to foot. - -We visited two other large rooms, more simply decorated than the first, -and in one of them was an enormous divan. Bou-Allem made us comprehend -that was where he slept. - -These details would have been very interesting at any other moment, but -we were dying of hunger, and, according to the proverb, "a starving -belly has neither eyes nor ears." I was just going to recommence my -famous pantomime, when, in passing through a small room, in which the -only furniture was a carpet, our cicerone opened his mouth, pointed with -his finger that something was to be placed in it, and thus made us -understand we were in the dining-room. I laid my hand on my heart to -express all the pleasure I experienced. - -By Bou-Allem's invitation we sat down on the carpet, round a large -waiter put down in place of a table. - -Once seated, two Arabs came in to wait on us. - -In France, servants wait with their heads uncovered; in Algeria, they -keep on their head-covering; but, in return, as a mark of respect, they -leave their shoes at the door, and serve barefooted. Between our -servants and those of the Arabs the only difference is from head to -foot. - -We were the only guests seated with Bou-Allem, for the son had not the -honor of dining with his father, who always ate alone. - -A species of salad-bowl, filled with something like pumpkin soup, was -brought in, and I am very fond of that dish. - -"What a fortunate thing," I said to my wife, "Bou-Allem has guessed my -taste; how I will do honor to his cook." - -My host, doubtlessly, understood the meaning of my remark, for, after -offering us each a clumsy wooden spoon, he begged us to follow his -example, and plunged his weapon in up to the wrist. We imitated him. - -I soon took out an enormous spoonful, which I hastily lifted to my -mouth; but I had scarce tasted it ere I exclaimed with a horrible -grimace: - -"Pouah! what can that be? My mouth is on fire." - -My wife withdrew the spoonful she had raised to her lips, but either her -appetite or her curiosity induced her to taste it. She did so, but soon -joined me in coughing. It was a regular pepper-pot. - -While apparently vexed at this contretemps, our host swallowed enormous -spoonfuls of the soup, and each time he stretched out his arm with an -air of beatitude, intended to convey to us, "And yet how good it is." - -The soup-tureen was taken away almost empty. - -"Bueno! bueno!" Bou-Allem exclaimed, pointing to a dish just placed -before us. - -Bueno is Spanish, and the worthy bash-aga, knowing two or three words of -that language, was not vexed to display his learning to us. - -This famous dish was a species of ragoűt, bearing some affinity to -haricot mutton. When I lived at Belleville, this was the masterpiece of -Mme. Auguste, and I always gave it a very good reception. Hence, in -remembrance of my good old cook, I was about to fall on the ragoűt; but -I looked around in vain for a fork, a knife, or even the wooden spoon -handed us for the soup. - -Bou-Allem released me from the dilemma; he showed me, by himself -plunging his fingers into the dish, that a fork was a very useless -instrument. - -As hunger tormented us, we overcame our repugnance, and my wife, to -encourage me, delicately fished up a small piece of mutton. The sauce -was very highly spiced, but still, by eating very little meat and a -great deal of bread, we were enabled to render the poison innocuous. - -That I might be agreeable to my host, I unfortunately repeated the -Spanish words he had taught me. This compliment, which he believed -sincere, caused him extreme pleasure, and he drew out from the dish a -bone with meat hanging to it, and after tearing off some pieces with his -nails, offered them politely to my wife. - -I wondered how Madame Houdin would get rid of this singular present; but -she did so much more cleverly than I expected. Bou-Allem having turned -his head to give an order, the piece of meat was restored to the dish -with astounding craft, and we were much inclined to laugh when our host, -unsuspectingly, took this very piece of mutton for his own -gratification. - -We welcomed with great satisfaction a roast fowl served after the -ragoűt; I took on myself to carve it, or, in other words, to tear it -asunder with my fingers, and I did so most delicately. We found it so -much to our taste that not a particle was left. - -Then came other dishes, which we tasted with due care, among them being -the famous "couscoussou," which I found detestable, and the meal -terminated with sweetmeats. - -Our hands were in a deplorable condition, and an Arab brought us each a -basin and soap to wash them. - -Bou-Allem, after performing the operation, and washing his beard with -the greatest care, took a handful of soapsuds and rinsed his mouth. This -was the only liquor served at table. - -After dinner we proceeded to another room, and, on the road were joined -by a young Arab whom Bou-Allem had sent for. This man had been for a -long time servant at Algiers, and spoke French excellently; hence he -would serve as our interpreter. - -We entered a small room very elegantly decorated, in which were two -divans. - -"This," our host said, "is the room reserved for guests of distinction; -you can go to bed when you like, but if you are not tired, I would ask -your leave to present to you several chief men of my tribe, who, having -heard of you, wish to see you." - -"Let them come in," I said, after consulting Madame Houdin, "we will -receive them with pleasure." - -The interpreter went out, and soon brought in a dozen old men, among -whom were a Marabout and several talebs, whom the bash-aga appeared to -hold in great deference. - -They sat down in a circle on carpets and kept up a very lively -conversation about my performances at Algiers. This learned society -discussed the probability of the marvels related by the chief of the -tribe, who took great pleasure in depicting his impressions and those of -his co-religionists at the sight of the _miracles_ I had performed. - -Each lent an attentive ear to these stories, and regarded me with a -species of veneration; the Marabout alone displayed a degree of -scepticism, and asserted that the spectators had been duped by what he -called a vision. - -Jealous of my reputation as a French sorcerer, I thought I must perform -before the unbeliever a few tricks as a specimen of my late performance. -I had the pleasure of astounding my audience, but the Marabout continued -to offer me a systematic opposition, by which his neighbors were visibly -annoyed; the poor fellow did not suspect, though, what I had in store -for him. - -My antagonist wore in his sash a watch, the chain of which hung outside. - -I believe I have already mentioned a certain talent I possess of -filching a watch, a pin, a pocket-book, &c., with a skill by which -several of my friends have been victimized. - -I was fortunately born with an honest and upright heart, or this -peculiar talent might have led me too far. When I felt inclined for a -joke of this nature, I turned it to profit in a conjuring trick, or -waited till my friend took leave of me, and then recalled him: "Stay," I -would say, handing him the stolen article, "let this serve as a lesson -to put you on your guard against persons less honest than myself." - -But to return to our Marabout. I had stolen his watch as I passed near -him and slipped into its place a five-franc piece. - -To prevent his detecting it, and while waiting till I could profit by my -larceny, I improvised a trick. After juggling away Bou-Allem's rosary, I -made it pass into one of the numerous slippers left at the door by the -guests; this shoe was next found to be full of coins, and to end this -little scene comically, I made five-franc pieces come out of the noses -of the spectators. They took such pleasure in this trick that I fancied -I should never terminate it. "_Douros! douros!_" they shouted, as they -twitched their noses. I willingly acceded to their request, and the -_douros_ issued at command. - -The delight was so great that several Arabs rolled on the ground; this -coarsely expressed joy on the part of Mohammedans was worth frenzied -applause to me. - -I pretended to keep aloof from the Marabout, who, as I expected, -remained serious and impassive. - -When calm was restored, my rival began speaking hurriedly to his -neighbors, as if striving to dispel their illusion, and, not succeeding, -he addressed me through the interpreter: - -"You will not deceive me in that way," he said, with a crafty look. - -"Why so?" - -"Because I don't believe in your power." - -"Ah, indeed! Well, then, if you do not believe in my power, I will -compel you to believe in my skill." - -"Neither in one nor the other." - -I was at this moment the whole length of the room from the Marabout. - -"Stay," I said to him; "you see this five-franc piece." - -"Yes." - -"Close your hand firmly, for the piece will go into it in spite of -yourself." - -"I am ready," the Arab said, in an incredulous voice, as he held out his -tightly closed fist. - -I took the piece at the end of my fingers, so that the assembly might -all see it, then, feigning to throw it at the Marabout, it disappeared -at the word "Pass!" - -My man opened his hand, and, finding nothing in it, shrugged his -shoulders, as if to say, "You see, I told you so." - -I was well aware the piece was not there, but it was important to draw -the Marabout's attention momentarily from the sash, and for this purpose -I employed the feint. - -"That does not surprise me," I replied, "for I threw the piece with such -strength that it went right through your hand, and has fallen into your -sash. Being afraid I might break your watch by the blow, I called it to -me: here it is!" And I showed him the watch in my hand. - -The Marabout quickly put his hand in his waist-belt, to assure himself -of the truth, and was quite stupefied at finding the five-franc piece. - -The spectators were astounded. Some among them began telling their -beads with a vivacity evidencing a certain agitation of mind; but the -Marabout frowned without saying a word, and I saw he was spelling over -some evil design. - -"I now believe in your supernatural power," he said; "you are a real -sorcerer; hence, I hope you will not fear to repeat here a trick you -performed in your theatre;" and offering me two pistols he held -concealed beneath his burnous, he added, "Come, choose one of these -pistols; we will load it, and I will fire at you. You have nothing to -fear, as you can ward off all blows." - -I confess I was for a moment staggered; I sought a subterfuge and found -none. All eyes were fixed upon me, and a reply was anxiously awaited. - -The Marabout was triumphant. - -Bou-Allem, being aware that my tricks were only the result of skill, was -angry that his guest should be so pestered; hence he began reproaching -the Marabout. I stopped him, however, for an idea had occurred to me -which would save me from my dilemma, at least temporarily; then, -addressing my adversary: - -"You are aware," I said, with assurance, "that I require a talisman in -order to be invulnerable, and, unfortunately, I have left mine at -Algiers." - -The Marabout began laughing with an incredulous air. - -"Still," I continued, "I can, by remaining six hours at prayers, do -without the talisman, and defy your weapon. To-morrow morning, at eight -o'clock, I will allow you to fire at me in the presence of these Arabs, -who were witnesses of your challenge." - -Bou-Allem, astonished at such a promise, asked me once again if this -offer were serious, and if he should invite the company for the -appointed hour. On my affirmative, they agreed to meet before the stone -bench I have already alluded to. - -I did not spend my night at prayers, as may be supposed, but I employed -about two hours in ensuring my invulnerability; then, satisfied with the -result, I slept soundly, for I was terribly tired. - -By eight the next morning we had breakfasted, our horses were saddled, -and our escort was awaiting the signal for our departure, which would -take place after the famous experiment. - -None of the guests were absent, and, indeed, a great number of Arabs -came in to swell the crowd. - -The pistols were handed me; I called attention to the fact that the -vents were clear, and the Marabout put in a fair charge of powder and -drove the wad home. Among the bullets produced, I chose one which I -openly put in the pistol, and which was then also covered with paper. - -The Arab watched all these movements, for his honor was at stake. - -We went through the same process with the second pistol and the solemn -moment arrived. - -Solemn, indeed, it seemed to everybody--to the spectators who were -uncertain of the issue, to Madame Houdin, who had in vain besought me to -give up this trick, for she feared the result--and solemn also to me, -for as my new trick did not depend on any of the arrangements made at -Algiers, I feared an error, an act of treachery--I knew not what. - -Still I posted myself at fifteen paces from the sheik, without evincing -the slightest emotion. - -The Marabout immediately seized one of the pistols, and, on my giving -the signal, took a deliberate aim at me. The pistol went off, and the -ball appeared between my teeth. - -More angry than ever, my rival tried to seize the other pistol, but I -succeeded in reaching it before him. - -"You could not injure me," I said to him, "but you shall now see that my -aim is more dangerous than yours. Look at that wall." - -I pulled the trigger, and on the newly whitewashed wall appeared a large -patch of blood, exactly at the spot where I had aimed. - -The Marabout went up to it, dipped his finger in the blood, and, raising -it to his mouth, convinced himself of the reality. When he acquired this -certainty, his arms fell, and his head was bowed on his chest, as if he -were annihilated. - -It was evident that for the moment he doubted everything, even the -Prophet. - -The spectators raised their eyes to heaven, muttered prayers, and -regarded me with a species of terror. - -This scene was a triumphant termination to my performance. I therefore -retired, leaving the audience under the impression I had produced. We -took leave of Bou-Allem and his son, and set off at a gallop. - -The trick I have just described, though so curious, is easily prepared. -I will give a description of it, while explaining the trouble it took -me. - -As soon as I was alone in my room, I took out of my pistol-case--without -which I never travel--a bullet mould. - -I took a card, bent up the four edges, and thus made a sort of trough, -in which I placed a piece of wax taken from one of the candles. When it -was melted, I mixed with it a little lamp-black I had obtained by -putting the blade of a knife over the candle, and then ran this -composition in the bullet-mould. - -Had I allowed the liquid to get quite cold, the ball would have been -full and solid; but in about ten seconds I turned the mould over, and -the portions of the wax not yet set ran out, leaving a hollow ball in -the mould. This operation is the same as that used in making tapers, the -thickness of the outside depending on the time the liquid has been left -in the mould. - -I wanted a second ball, which I made rather more solid than the other; -and this I filled with blood, and covered the orifice with a lump of -wax. An Irishman had once taught me the way to draw blood from the -thumb, without feeling any pain, and I employed it on this occasion to -fill my bullet. - -Bullets thus prepared bear an extraordinary resemblance to lead, and are -easily mistaken for that metal when seen at a short distance off. - -With this explanation, the trick will be easily understood. After -showing the leaden bullet to the spectators, I changed it for my hollow -ball, and openly put the latter into the pistol. By pressing the wad -tightly down, the wax broke into small pieces, and could not touch me at -the distance I stood. - -At the moment the pistol was fired, I opened my mouth to display the -lead bullet I held between my teeth, while the other pistol contained -the bullet filled with blood, which bursting against the wall, left its -imprint, though the wax had flown to atoms. - -After a pleasant journey, we reached Milianah at four in the afternoon. -The head of the Arab office, Captain Bourseret, received us most kindly, -and begged us to regard his house as our own during the whole time of -our stay. - -M. Bourseret resided with his mother, and that excellent lady showed -Madame Robert-Houdin all those delicate attentions which only a friend -of long standing could have claimed. - -Our trip across the D'jendel had fatigued us, hence we passed the -greater portion of the next day in resting ourselves. - -At night, the captain gave a grand dinner, to which the general -commanding, the lieutenant-colonel, and some notabilities of the town -were invited. After the repast, I thought I could not better repay my -polite reception than by giving a small performance, in which I -displayed all my skill. As I had told M. Bourseret, during the day, of -my intention, he had invited a large evening party; and I must suppose -my experiments pleased, if I may judge by the greeting they received. -Besides, my public were so favorably disposed towards me, that they -often applauded on trust, as they could not all see very well. - -Milianah was the end of my journey. I could only remain three days, if I -wished to return to Algiers in time for the steamer that would convey us -to France. - -M. Bourseret arranged an excursion for the second day of my stay at his -house to visit the Beni-Menasseh, a nomadic tribe at that time encamped -a few leagues from Milianah. - -At six in the morning we took horse, accompanied by some of the -captain's friends, and went down the mountain on which the town is -built. - -We were escorted by a dozen Arabs attached to the office, all clothed in -red mantles, and armed with guns. - -Orders had certainly been given beforehand, for, on reaching the plain, -at the first _goum_ we passed through, ten Arabs mounted their horses -and formed our escort. A little further on another troop joined the -first, and our band, acting like a rolling snow-ball, ended by attaining -considerable proportions. It was composed of about two hundred Arabs. - -After two hours' march, we quitted the high road, and entered a plain -that extended an immense distance in front of us. - -Suddenly, the Arabs who accompanied us, probably in obedience to a -signal from the chief, started off at a gallop, and proceeded five or -six hundred yards ahead. There the troop divided, formed four deep, and -the men of the first file rushed upon us, uttering frenzied cries as -they held their guns to their shoulders and prepared to fire. - -Our little band happened to be in front at this moment. The Arabs rushed -upon us with the velocity of a steam-engine, and in a few seconds we -should have suffered a collision that must have crushed us all. - -A sound of firing was heard: all the horsemen had discharged their guns -with admirable precision over our heads. Their horses plunged, turned on -their hind legs, and started off at full speed to join the troop. - -The Arab might have been taken for a perfect Centaur, when we saw him, -while riding at this frantic speed, load his gun, and perform with it -all the tricks peculiar to the drum-major. - -The first file of horsemen had scarce retired when the second came -forward, and went through a similar performance, which was repeated at -least twenty times. Our captain had arranged for us the surprise of a -fantasia. - -At the noise of the firing some of our horses had started, but, the -first moment of surprise passed, they remained perfectly quiet. My -wife's horse was an animal of approved docility, hence it was far less -affected than its rider; still, every one did my wife the justice of -stating that, after the first shock was over, she remained as calm as -the boldest warrior among us. - -The fantasia terminated, the Arabs took their place in the escort -again, and within an hour we reached the tents of the Beni-Menasseh. - -The Aga Ben-Amara was awaiting us. On our arrival he advanced towards -us, and humbly kissed the captain's hand, while other men of his tribe, -in order to do honor to our visit, discharged their guns almost under -our horses' noses. But men and beasts were case-hardened, and there was -not the slightest movement in our ranks. - -Ben-Amara conducted us into his tent, where each sat down at his ease on -a large carpet. - -Our arrival caused a sensation in the tribe, for while we were smoking -and drinking coffee a large number of Arabs, impelled by curiosity, -ranged themselves in a circle round us, and in their immobility -resembled an avenue of bronze statues. - -We devoted about an hour to the pleasures of conversation, waiting for -the _diffa_ (meal), which we were impatiently desiring. We even began to -find the time very long, when we saw a procession approaching, with -banners at its head. - -These banners puzzled me, and seemed very strange, for they were folded -up. All at once the ranks of our peaceable spectators opened, and my -surprise was great on finding what I took for banners were only sheep -roasted whole and spitted on long poles. - -Two of these sheep-bearers marched in front. They were followed by some -twenty men, ranged in line, each of whom bore one of the dishes intended -to compose our _diffa_. - -These consisted of ragoűts and roasts of every description, the -inevitable "couscoussou," and, lastly, a dozen dishes of dessert, the -handiwork of Ben-Amara's wives. - -This perambulating dinner was a delicious sight, especially for people -whose appetites had been singularly sharpened by the fresh air and the -emotions produced by the fantasia. - -The head cook marched in front, and, like M. Malbroug's officer, carried -nothing; but, so soon as he joined us, he set to work actively. Seizing -one of the sheep, he unspitted it, and laid it before us on a lordly -dish. - -To my companions, nearly all Algerian veterans, this gigantic roast was -no novelty; as for my wife and myself, the sight of such food would have -been enough to pacify our hunger under other circumstances, but now we -hastened to join the circle round this gigantic dish, which was worthy -of Gargantua. - -We were obliged, as at Bou-Allem's, to pull the animal piece-meal with -our fingers; each tore up a strip at will--I must confess, at starting, -with some repugnance. Then, impelled by a ferocious appetite, we fell on -the sheep like wolves, and I know not whether it was owing to the sauce -we all had, but the guests unanimously declared they had never eaten -anything so good as this roast mutton. - -When we had selected the most delicate pieces, our cook proposed to -produce the other animal, but, on our refusal, he served up roast fowls, -to which we did our manly devoir. Then, turning up our noses at the -pepper-pot and "couscoussou," which smelled strongly of rancid butter, -we made up for the want of bread during the meal by nibbling excellent -little cakes. - -There was something really princely about the aga's reception, so, to -thank him, I proposed to give a small performance before my numerous -spectators, who, in their passionate admiration, could not leave the -ground. By their chief's orders they drew nearer and formed a circle -round me. The captain was kind enough to act as my interpreter, and -thanks to him, I was enabled to perform a dozen of my best tricks. The -effect produced was such that I could not possibly continue, for every -one fled at my approach. Ben-Amara assured us they took me for Shaitan -himself, but, had I worn the Mohammedan costume, they would have cast -themselves at my feet as an envoy from Heaven. - -On our return to Milianah, the captain, to crown this delicious day of -pleasure, gave us the spectacle of a chase, in which the Arabs, -galloping at full speed, caught hares and partridges without once -firing. - -The following day we took leave of M. Bourseret and his excellent -mother, and proceeded towards Algiers, but not by a cross-road, for we -had had enough of them in traversing the D'jendel. This sort of party of -pleasure, in reality a party of pain, may be agreeable for once, for it -serves to revive in our inconstant minds the remembrance of the comfort -we have voluntarily given up. Hence we took the diligence to Algiers, -and on this occasion fully appreciated all the advantage of this mode of -transport. - -The _Alexander_ steamer, which had brought us from France, was to start -within two days, and this was all the time I had to take leave and thank -all those who had shown me so much kindness. - -On quitting Algiers I had the satisfaction of being conducted on board -the vessel by two officers of high rank, whose kindness I can never -repay. M. Palin du Parc, Colonel of the Marine Staff, and Colonel de -Neveu did not leave me until the wheels had begun to turn, and those -gentlemen were the last whose hands I pressed on the African coast. - -Were I to describe all my travelling incidents, I should have a great -deal to narrate before I reached my hermitage at St. Gervais; but I -will adhere to my expressed intention of only alluding to events -connected with my professional life. - -A frightful storm at sea--a tornado at the summit of the Pyrenees--death -staring us in the face twenty times--are events as terrible as they are -interesting to relate. But these moving episodes, which affect all -alike, have been already described by far more skillful pens than mine, -hence my description would offer no novelty; I will content myself, -therefore, with giving a summary of this terrible return to France. - -A tempest, assailed us in the Gulf of Lyons, and our engines were -disabled. Our vessel, after being tossed about for nine days by the -winds, at length reached the coast of Spain, and we managed to make the -port of Barcelona, where the authorities would not allow us to land, as -we had no passports for Spain. We coasted this inhospitable country -during a frightful storm, and at length reached the little port of -Rosas, where we intended to ride out the tempest. - -Here I landed, and crossed the Pyrenees in an open carriage, a -hurricane, the result of the tempest at sea, threatening to hurl us into -an abyss at every moment. At last we safely reached France, and -Marseilles, where I was obliged to fulfil a promise made to the managers -of the Grand Theatre on my former passage through the town. - -I was, indeed, famously recompensed for the fatigues and dangers of my -journey; for the Marseillais displayed towards me such unexampled -kindness, that these last performances will ever remain on my mind as -those in which I received the greatest applause. I could not take my -leave of the public in a more solemn way, and I hastened my return to -St. Gervais. - - -CONCLUSION. - -I can, in ending this work, repeat what I said at the beginning of my -penultimate chapter: "I have reached the object of my every hope." But -this time, if it pleases God, as my guide Muhammad would say, no -temptation will again come to modify my plans of happiness. I hope still -for a long time (always if it pleases God) to enjoy that gentle and -peaceful existence which I had scarce tasted when ambition and curiosity -took me to Algiers. - -On returning home, I arranged round my study my performing instruments, -my faithful comrades, I may almost say, my dear friends; henceforth I -intended to devote myself to my darling study, the application of -electricity to mechanism. - -It must not be believed that, for that purpose, I disown the art to -which I owe so much pleasure. The thought is far from me; I am more than -ever proud of having cultivated it, as to it alone I owe the happiness -of devoting myself to my new studies. Besides, I diverge from it less -than my readers might be inclined to suppose, for I have, during a long -period, applied electricity to mechanism, and I must confess--if my -readers have not already guessed it--that electricity played an -important part in many of my experiments. In reality, my labors of -to-day only differ from the old ones in the form; but they are still -experiments. - -A lingering love for my old clockmaking trade has made me choose -chronometro-electrical works as the objects of my study. I have adopted -as my motto, "_to popularize electric clocks by making them as simple -and exact as possible_." And as art always supposes an ideal which the -artist seeks to realize, I already dream of the day when the electric -wires, issuing from a single regulator, will radiate through the whole -of France, and bear the precise time to the largest towns and the most -modest villages. - -In the meanwhile, devoted to the sacred cause of progress, I labor -incessantly in the hope that my humble discoveries will be of some -service in the solution of this important problem. - -My performance is ended (I must remind my readers that I offered them my -narrative under this title); but I live in hope to begin it again soon, -for I have still so many mysteries, great and small, to unveil. -Sleight-of-hand is an immense quarry on which public curiosity can work -for a long time; hence I do not take leave of my audience, or rather of -my readers, for in the second form of performance I have adopted, my -farewell will not be definitive, until I have exhausted all that may be -said about SLEIGHT-OF-HAND AND ITS PROFESSORS. These two words will -serve as the title of the supplemental part of my Memoirs.[F] - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -A COURSE OF MIRACLES. - - -It has been said of the augurs, that they could not look at each other -without a laugh; it would be the same with the Aďssaoua, if Mussulman -blood did not flow in their veins. At any rate, there is not one among -them who is deceived as to the pretended miracles performed by his -brethren, but all lend a hand to execute them successfully, like a -company of mountebanks, at the head of whom is the Mokaddem. - -Even supposing that their pretended miracles could not be explained, a -simple reflection would destroy their prestige. The Aďssaoua call -themselves invulnerable--then, let them ask one of the audience to place -the red-hot iron on their cheeks, or some other part of their persons; -they assert they are invulnerable--then, let them invite some Zouaves to -pass their sabres through them. After such a spectacle, the most -incredulous would bow before them. - -Were I incombustible and invulnerable, I should find a pleasure in -offering undoubted proofs. I would put myself on a spit before a -scorching fire, and while roasting, would amuse myself with eating a -salad of pounded glass, seasoned with oil of vitriol. Such a sight would -attract the whole world, and I should become a prophet. - -But the Aďssaoua have reason to be prudent in the performances of these -tricks, as I will prove. The principal miracles are as follows: - - 1. Running a dagger into the cheek. - - 2. Eating the leaves of the prickly pear. - - 3. Laying the stomach on the edge of a sabre. - - 4. Playing with serpents. - - 5. Striking the arm, causing the blood to flow, and stopping it - instantaneously. - - 6. Eating pounded glass. - - 7. Swallowing pebbles, bottle-heels, &c. - - 8. Walking on red-hot iron, or passing the tongue over a white-hot - plate of iron. - -Let us begin with the most simple trick, that of thrusting a dagger into -the cheek. - -The Arab who performed this trick turned his back on me; hence I could -get very near him and watch his movements. He placed against his cheek -the point of a dagger, which was round and blunt as that of a -paper-knife. The flesh, instead of being pierced, went in for about two -inches between the molars, which were kept apart, exactly as a cake of -india-rubber would do. - -This trick is best performed by thin and aged persons, because the flesh -of their cheeks is peculiarly elastic. Now, the Aďssaoua fulfilled these -conditions in every respect. - -The Arab who ate the prickly pear leaves gave us no opportunity of -inspecting them, and I am inclined to believe that the leaves had been -prepared so as to do him no injury, otherwise he would not have -neglected this important point, which would have doubled the merit of -the miracle. But even had he shown them to us, this man went through so -many unneccessary manoeuvres, that he could very easily have changed -them for harmless leaves. In that case, it would be a fifteenth-rate -trick of conjuring. - -In the following experiment, two Arabs held a sabre, one by the hilt, -the other by the point; a third then came forward, and after raising his -clothes so as to leave the abdomen quite bare, laid himself flat on the -edge of the blade, while a fourth mounted on his back, and seemed to -press the whole weight of his body on him. - -This trick may be easily explained. - -Nothing proves to the audience that the sabre is really sharpened, or -that the edge is more cutting than the back, although the Arab who holds -it by the point is careful to wrap it up in a handkerchief; in this -imitating the jugglers who pretend they have cut their finger with one -of the daggers they use in their tricks. - -Besides, in performing this trick, the _invulnerable_ turned his back on -the audience. He knew the advantage to be derived from this -circumstance; hence, at the moment when about to lay himself on the -sabre, he very adroitly pulled back over his stomach that portion of his -clothing he had raised. Lastly, when the fourth actor mounted on his -back, he rested his hands on the shoulders of the Arabs who held the -sabre. The latter apparently maintained his balance, but, in reality, -they supported the whole weight of his body. Hence, the only requirement -for this trick is to have the stomach more or less pressed in, and I -will explain presently that this can be effected without any injury or -danger. - -As for the Aďssaoua, who place their hands in a bag filled with -serpents, and play with those reptiles, I will rely on Colonel de -Neveu's judgment. This is what he says in his work already quoted: - -"We often pushed our incredulity and curiosity so far as to order the -Aďssaoua to come to our house with their menagerie. All the animals they -stated to us were vipers (_lifâ_), were only innocent lizards -(_hanech_), and when we offered to put our hand in the bag holding their -reptiles, they hastily retired, convinced that we were not duped by -their tricks." - -I will add that these serpents, even had they been of a dangerous -character, could have had their teeth pulled out, so as to be harmless. -In support of this assertion, I noticed that these reptiles left no -wound where they bit. - -I did not see the trick performed of striking the arm and making the -blood issue; but it seems to me that a small sponge filled with ruddle -and concealed in the striking hand, would be enough to accomplish the -prodigy. On wiping the arm, the wound is necessarily cured. - -When I was a boy, I often made wine come out of a knife or of my finger, -by pressing a small sponge full of the liquor which I concealed in my -hand. - -I have often seen men champ wine-glasses between their teeth, and not -hurt themselves; but not one of them swallowed the fragments. Hence, it -was difficult for me to explain this trick of the Aďssaoua, till, by the -assistance offered me by a physician, I found in the _Dictionnaire des -Sciences Médicales_ for 1810, No. 1143, a paper written by Dr. Lesauvage -on the harmlessness of powdered glass. - -This gentleman, after quoting various instances of people he had seen -eat glass, thus describes various experiments he made on animals: - -"After placing a great number of dogs, cats and rats on a dietary of -pounded glass, the fragments being two to three lines in length, not one -of the animals was ill, and on opening some of them no injury could be -detected all along the alimentary canal. Being convinced, too, of the -harmlessness of swallowing glass, I determined to take some myself in -the presence of my colleague, M. Cagel, of Professor Lallemand, and -several other persons. I repeated this experiment several times, and -experienced not the slightest feeling of pain." - -These authentic statements ought to have satisfied me; still, I wished -to witness this singular phenomenon with my own eyes. Hence, I gave one -of my house cats an enormous ball of meat seasoned with pounded glass. -The animal swallowed it with the greatest pleasure, and seemed even to -regret the end of this succulent meal. My family thought the cat booked -for death, and began deploring my barbarity, but the next day the animal -was perfectly well, and sniffed the spot where on the previous day it -had enjoyed the meal. - -Since that period, whenever I want to indulge a friend with this sight, -I regale my three cats, in turn, so as not to excite any jealousy among -them. - -It took me some time, I confess, before I could decide on performing Dr. -Lesauvage's experiment on myself, and, indeed, I saw no necessity for -it. Still, one day, in the presence of a friend, I performed this -bravado, if it be so; I also swallowed my bolus, though I was careful to -pound my glass much finer than what I gave to my cats. I know not -whether it was the effect of imagination, but I fancied I enjoyed my -dinner much more than usual: did I owe this to the pounded glass? At any -rate, it would be a strange way of arousing the appetite. - -When the trick of swallowing bottle-heels and pebbles was to be done, -the Aďssaoua really put them in his mouth, but I believe, I may say -certainly, that he removed them at the moment when he placed his head in -the folds of the Mokaddem's burnous. However, had he swallowed them, -there would have been nothing wonderful about this, when we compare it -with what was done some thirty years back in France by a mountebank -called "the sabre swallower." - -This man who performed in the streets, threw back his head so as to form -a straight line with his throat, and really thrust down his gullet a -sabre, of which only the hilt remained outside the mouth. - -He also swallowed an egg without cracking it, or even nails and pebbles, -which he caused to resound, by striking his stomach with his fist. - -These tricks were the result of a peculiar formation in the mountebank's -throat, but, if he had lived among the Aďssaoua, he would assuredly have -been the leading man of the company. - -Or what would the Arabs have said had they seen the conjurer who passed -a sword right through his body, and when thus spitted, also thrust a -knife into either nostril up to the handle? I witnessed this feat, and -others have probably done the same. - -This trick was, in reality, so terrifying, that the public would implore -the man to leave off; but without troubling himself about their cries, -he would reply, speaking frightfully through his nose, "that it did hib -no harb," and sing in this singular voice the "_Fleuve du Tage_," which -he accompanied on a guitar. - -I could not endure the sight of this trick, and would turn my head away -in horror when the troubadour drew out the sword, and begged us to -notice that it was stained with blood. - -Still, on reflection, I was certain the man could not really pierce his -stomach thus, and that there must be some trick concealed. - -My love of the marvellous made me desire to know it; hence, I applied to -the _invulnerable_, and on condition of a certain sum, and promises not -to use it, he sold me his secret. - -I may, in my turn, communicate it to the public without asking from them -the same promise. The trick is, however, rather ingenious. - -The performer was very thin--an indispensable quality for the success of -the trick. He pressed in his stomach very tightly with a waist-belt, and -produced the following result: the vertebral column being unable to -bend, served as a support, and the intestines gave way and fell in about -half the space they originally occupied. The mountebank then substituted -for the suppressed part a card-board stomach which restored him to his -original condition, and the whole being concealed beneath a -flesh-colored _tricot_, appeared to form part of his body. On either -side, above the hips, two ribbon rosettes hid the apertures by which the -sword-point would go in and out, these openings being connected by a -leathern scabbard which led the weapon securely from one end to the -other, while, in order to produce the blood, a sponge filled with a red -liquid was placed in the middle of the sheath. The knives in the -nostrils were a reality. The _invulnerable_ was very pug-nosed, which -allowed him to draw the cartilage of the nose up prior to the -introduction of the knives. - -I possessed the necessary physical qualifications for the sabre trick, -but none for that of the knives. I did not attempt the first, much less -the second. - -By the way, I may remark that, when a lad, I used to perform two -_miracles_, which might be useful to the Aďssaoua, if they were ever -told of them. I will explain them here. - -The corn-curer who taught me to juggle, also showed me a very curious -trick, consisting in thrusting a small nail into the right eye, which is -then made to pass into the left eye, thence into the mouth, and end by -returning into the right eye. - -It may be imagined how I burned with the fire of necromancy, since I had -the courage to practise this trick, which I found charming. A very -disagreeable circumstance, however, deprived me of my faith in the -effect produced by it. - -I sometimes spent the evening at a lady's house who had two daughters. I -thought I could not select a better place for my first performance and -asked leave to do the trick. Of course this permission was granted, and -a circle was formed round me. - -"Ladies," I said, with a certain degree of emphasis, "I am invulnerable. -To furnish you with a proof, I could easily stab myself with a dagger, a -knife, or any other sharp instrument; but I fear lest the sight of blood -might produce too agitating an effect on you. Hence, I will offer you -another proof of my supernatural powers." And I performed my famous -trick of "the nail in the eye." - -The effect of this scene was most unexpected, for the performance was -scarce over ere one of the young ladies was taken ill and fainted. The -evening's amusement was disturbed, as may be supposed, and fearing some -recriminations, I bolted without saying a word, declaring that I would -never be caught again at such tricks. - -This, however, is the explanation of the trick: - -A small lead or silver pin may be introduced, without the slightest -feeling of pain, in the corner of the eye, near the lacrymal duct, -between the lower eyelid and the pupil; and, strangely enough, this -piece of metal once introduced, you do not in the least notice its -presence. To bring it out again, you need only press it with the finger. - -If desirous to perform the trick I have alluded to, you proceed in the -following way: - -After secretly placing one of these small nails in the left eye, and -another in the mouth, you commence as follows: - -You openly thrust a nail into your right eye, then, pressing the skin -with the end of the finger, you pretend to pass it through the nose into -the left eye, whence you withdraw the one put in beforehand. This you -return again to the eye, and the nail appears to pass into the mouth, -whence you produce the one already hidden there, and thence into the -right eye, whence you withdraw the one originally inserted. - -When this is done, you go on one side and remove the nail still -remaining in the left eye. - -But, to return to the last trick of the Aďssaoua, which consists in -walking over hot iron, and passing the tongue over incandescent plates -of the same metal. - -The Aďssaoua who walks over hot iron does nothing extraordinary, if we -consider the conditions under which the trick is performed. - -He quickly glides his heel along the iron; but the lower-class Arabs, -who all walk with naked feet, have the lower part of the foot as hard as -a horse's hoof, hence, this horny part burns without occasioning the -slightest pain. - -And, besides, may not chance have taught the Aďssaoua certain -precautions known to more than one European juggler, before Dr. -Sementrici proved their use and explained them to the public? - -Let us quote some performances of our own mountebanks, and we shall -find that the followers of the Aďssa as miracle-mongers are a long way -behindhand in their pretended marvels. - -In February, 1677, an Englishman, of the name of Richardson, came to -Paris, and gave some very curious performances, which proved, according -to his statement, his incombustibility. - -He was seen to roast a piece of meat on his tongue, light a piece of -charcoal in his mouth by means of a pair of bellows, seize a bar of -red-hot iron in his hand, or hold it between his teeth. - -This Englishman's servant published his master's secret, which may be -found in the _Journal des Sciences_.[G] - -In 1809, a Spaniard, of the name of Leonetto, gave performances at -Paris. He also handled a bar of red-hot iron with impunity, passed it -through his hair, or stepped upon it; drank boiling oil, plunged his -fingers into melted lead, put some on his tongue, and ended his -performance by licking a piece of red-hot iron. - -This extraordinary man attracted the attention of Professor Sementrici, -who began carefully watching him. - -The professor remarked that the tongue of the _incombustible_ was -covered with a grey layer, and this discovery led him to try some -experiments on himself. He discovered that rubbing in a solution of -alum, evaporated to a spongy state, rendered the skin insensible to the -action of red-hot iron. He also rubbed himself with soap, and found that -even the hair did not burn when in that state. - -Satisfied with these investigations, the physician rubbed his tongue -with soap and a solution of alum, and the red-hot iron produced no -sensation on him. - -The tongue, when thus prepared, could also receive boiling oil, which -grew cold, and could then be swallowed. - -M. Sementrici also detected that the melted lead Leonetto employed was -only Arcet's metal, fusible at the temperature of boiling water. (For -further details consult the historic notice of M. Julia de Fontenelle, -in Roret's _Manuel des Sorciers_, page 181.) - -These explanations may appear sufficient to disprove the pretended -incombustibility of the Aďssaoua; still, I will add a personal fact, -whence the conclusion can be drawn that a man need not be inspired by -Allah or Aďssa to play with red-hot metals. - -Reading one day the _Comus_, a scientific review, I found a critique of -a work called _Study on Bodies in a Spheroidal Shape_, by M. Boutigny -(d'Evreux). The editor of the review, the Abbé Moigno, quotes several of -the most interesting passages, among them being the following: - -"We passed our fingers through jets of red-hot metal" (M. Boutigny is -speaking). "We plunged our hands into moulds and crucibles filled with -metal that had just run from a Wilkinson, and of which the radiation was -insupportable, even at a long distance. We carried on these experiments -for more than two hours, and Madame Coulet, who was present, allowed her -daughter, a child of from eight to ten years, to put her hand in a -crucible of red-hot metal, which caused not the slightest injury." - -Knowing the character of the learned abbé, as well as that of the -celebrated naturalist and author of the work, it was not possible to -doubt: still, I must say, this fact appeared to me so impossible, that -my mind refused to accept it, and I wished to see, that I might believe. - -I decided on calling on M. Boutigny, and expressed to him my wish to see -so interesting an experiment, while carefully avoiding any expression -of doubt on the subject. - -This gentleman received me kindly, and proposed to repeat the experiment -before me, when I might have an opportunity to wash my hands in molten -metal. - -The proposition was attractive, scientifically speaking; but, on the -other hand, I had some fears, which the reader will appreciate, I think. -In the event of a mistake I should reduce my hands to charcoal, and I -was bound to take the greater care of them as they had been such -precious instruments to me. Hence I hesitated with my reply. - -"Do you not place confidence in me?" M. Boutigny asked. - -"Oh, certainly, sir, I have plenty of confidence, but--" - -"But you are afraid--out with it!" the doctor interrupted me, with a -laugh. "Well, to ease your mind, I will try the temperature of the -liquid before you place your hands in it." - -"And what is about the temperature of molten metal?" - -"Close on one thousand six hundred degrees." - -"One thousand six hundred degrees?" I exclaimed. "Oh! the experiment -must be splendid: I consent." - -On the day appointed by M. Boutigny, we proceeded to Mr. Davidson's -foundry at La Villette, after he had granted us permission to make the -experiment. - -I was strangely affected on entering this vast establishment; the -deafening noise produced by the immense blasts, the flames escaping from -the furnaces, the sparkling jets transported by powerful machines and -running into gigantic moulds, the wiry, muscular workmen, blackened by -smoke and dust,--all this medley of men and things produced a strange -and rather solemn effect upon me. - -The manager came up to us and pointed out the furnace to which we were -to proceed for our experiment. - -While waiting for a jet of metal to run, we remained for a few moments -in silence near the furnace; then we commenced the following -conversation, which was certainly not of a nature to encourage me: - -"I would only repeat this experiment, which I am not fond of, for your -sake," M. Boutigny said; "I confess that, though I am morally sure of -the result, I always feel an emotion which I cannot dispel." - -"If that be the case," I replied, "suppose we go? I will believe your -word." - -"No, no; I am bound to show you this curious phenomenon. But, by the -way," the learned doctor added, "let me see your hands." - -He took them in his. - -"Hang it," he went on, "they are very dry for our experiment." - -"You think so?" - -"Certainly." - -"Then it is dangerous?" - -"It might be so." - -"In that case, we will go," I said, turning to the door. - -"That would be a pity," my companion replied, holding me back; "stay, -dip your hands in this bucket of water, dry them well, and they will be -sufficiently damp." - -I must mention that to insure the success of this marvellous experiment -no other condition is requisite than to have the hands slightly damp. I -regret I can offer no explanations as to the principle of the -phenomenon, for this would require many a long chapter; hence I will -refer my readers to M. Boutigny's work. It will be enough to state that -the metal, when in a state of fusion, is kept at a distance from the -skin by a repulsive force, which opposes an insurmountable barrier. - -I had scarce finished wiping my hands when the furnace was opened, and a -jet of molten metal, about the thickness of my arm, burst forth. Sparks -flew in every direction, as if it were a firework performance. - -"Wait a few minutes," M. Boutigny said, "till the metal is cleansed, for -it would be dangerous to try our experiment at this moment." - -Five minutes later the stream of liquid fire left off bubbling and -emitting scorić; it became, indeed, so limpid and brilliant, that it -scorched our eyes at a few yards off. - -All at once my companion walked up to the furnace, and calmly began -washing his hands in the metal as if it had been lukewarm water. - -I make no pretence to bravery; I confess at this moment my heart beat as -if it would burst, and yet, when M. Boutigny ended his strange -ablutions, I walked forward in my turn with a determination that proved -a certain strength of will. I imitated my professor's movements, I -literally dabbled in the burning liquid, and, in my joy, inspired by -this marvellous operation, I took a handful of the metal and threw it in -the air, and it fell back in a fire-shower on the ground. - -The impression I felt in touching this molten iron can only be compared -to what I should have experienced in handling liquid velvet, if I may -express myself so. - -I now ask what are the red-hot bars of the Aďssaoua, in comparison to -the enormous temperature to which my hands had been exposed? - -The old and new miracles of the incombustibles are, therefore, explained -by the experiments of a skillful naturalist, who, while making no -pretence to trickery, only appreciates such phenomena in their relation -to the immutable laws by virtue of which they are accomplished. - - - - -INDEX. - - -A. - -Academician's, predictions, 370. - -Accident at the Odéon, 315. - -Accomplice, a kind, 135. - -Acrobatic canaries, 39. - -Africa, life in, 373. - -Aďssaoua, miracles of the sect of, 396. - -Alarum, a novel, 37. - -Alarum-light, the, 195. - -Albertus Magnus and his brazen man, 157. - -Alboni, Madame, 337. - -Algeria, journey to, 372; - reception in, 373. - -Ali-Ben-el-Hadji Moussa, "the slave of God," 393. - -Ambassador, Houdin as, 372. - -Amputation extraordinary, 390. - -Anderson, "Professor," his flagrant puffery, 326. - -Angers, journey to, 58; - arrival at, 61; - Fair at, 61. - -Anthon, Mr., buys Automaton Chess-player, 171. - -Antonia, story of, 114; - at Constantinople, 125; - death of, 130. - -Antonio, the nurse, 56; - his confession, 73; - in Paris, 180; - his wife, 184. - -Arab address to Houdin, 391. - -Arab chiefs convoked, 378. - -Arcet's metal, 432. - -Artificial man, the, 157. - -Artist's home, the, 194. - -Asp, automaton, 161. - -Athlete, an Arabian, 383. - -Aubusson, accident at, 87. - -Audience, studying an, 142; - a sleepy, 243; - an indignant, 267. - -Auguste, the caterer, 203. - -Auriol, Houdin's automaton clown, 179. - -Author's overture, 13. - -Automata: Brazen fly, 156; - by Vaucanson, 159; - Houdin's--the pastry cook, 179; - Auriol and Debureau, _ibid_; - orange-tree, _ib._; - time-dial, _ib._ - -Automaton, Houdin's first, 36; - Harlequin flute-player, 158; - tambourine-player, 159; - artificial duck, 159; - discovery of its trick, 160; - chess-player, 162; - history of, 162. - -Autumnal fętes at Algiers, 378. - -Avalanche, the human, 351. - -Aviary, a wonderful, 39. - - -B. - -Bab-Azoun Theatre in Algiers, 375. - -Bacon, Roger, makes a brazen head, 156. - -Balls, juggling with the, 49. - -Baths of Germany, 368. - -Belgium, Houdin's visit to, 201. - -Belleville, retreat to, 198. - -Benefactor, a public, 29. - -Berlin, three months in, 369. - -Bernard, Colonel gives lessons to Houdin, 191. - -Berthoud on Clock-making, 43. - -Black-silk cap, story of, 301. - -Blois:--birth-place of Houdin, 17; - Houdin retires to, 369. - -Bores, how to get rid of, 264. - -Bosco, the conjurer, 184. - -Botany, lessons in, 37. - -Bottle-trick at Manchester, 349. - -Bou-Allem's house, 402. - -Bought and sold, 31. - -Bouquet ŕ la Reine, 355. - -Boutigny, with red hot metal, 432. - -Box, the mysterious, 383. - -Brazen automaton fly, 156. - -Brazen head, Bacon and Bungey's, 156. - -Brčguet, the Cardinal's, 110. - -Broken-English, Houdin's, 346. - -Broken watch, the, 109. - -Brother and sister, 116; - before the Sultan, 125. - -Brunnow, the Baron, 341. - -Brussels Theatre, engagement at, 276; - journey to, 279; - troubles _en route_, 281; - arrives at, 287; - success, 290; - but no money, 291; - cheated on all sides, 292. - -Buckingham Palace, Houdin at, 353; - short commons at, 357. - -Bungey, Thomas, makes a brazen head, 156. - -Bush-Aga, abode of a, 402. - -Bust-making, extraordinary, 301. - - -C. - -Cagliostro at Rome, 105. - -_Cagliostro_, the Houdin's comic journal, 254. - -Cagliostro's casket, 309; - his seal, 308. - -Cambridge, Houdin at, 359. - -Canard, a real, 160. - -Canaries, the cage of, 38. - -Candle-lighting, 227. - -Caravan, a conjurer's, 56. - -Card-rook, a, 211. - -Cards, a duel with, 85. - -Cardinal's watch, 106; - broken, 109; - melted down, 111; - restored whole, 112. - -Carlosbach, Dr., the conjurer, 27. - -Carpentier, Aristide le, the antiquarian, 271. - -Carriage smashed, 286. - -Castellan, Madame, 337. - -Castelli, Signor, eats a man alive, 69. - -Catherine II. plays with the automaton chess-player, 169; - attempts to cheat, 170; - wants to buy the figure, 171. - -Celestial Empire, the, 236. - -Challenge to Houdin, 268. - -_Charivari_, the, 252. - -Charlatan bills, Anderson's, 329. - -Charles V., iron fly presented to, 155. - -Chaussée d'Antin, scene in, 272. - -Cheat, punishment of a, 83. - -Cheating cards, diagrams of, 216. - -Chess-player, history of the automaton (see _Kempelen_), 162-172. - -Chester Theatre, England, 289. - -Chinese and their conjuring tricks, 225. - -Choosing a Profession, 26. - -Cleopatra's asp, 161. - -Clipping the coin, 51. - -Clock, the mysterious, 195. - -Clockmaking, treatise on, 43. - -Clowns, Houdin's automaton, 179. - -Coffee, the conjurer's, 382. - -Collation, a magical, 364. - -Colchester, audience and the nuts, 365. - -Componium, the, 172; - repaired by Houdin, 175. - -Comte, the magician, 141; - his tricks, 143; - his café, 144; - performs at the Tuilleries, 146; - his King of Hearts, 147; - hat-trick, 148; - his ventriloquism, 149; - visits Houdin, 150. - -Comus, the conjurer, 83. - -Conjuring bullets, 413. - -Conscientious audience, 298. - -Constantinople, conjuring at, 121. - -Convocation of Arab chiefs, 378. - -Cookery and clockwork, 194. - -Cossack, the automaton, 227. - -Course of miracles, a, 422. - -_Court Journal_, 355. - -Cousin Robert, 421. - -Covent Garden Theatre, 335. - -Critic, a severe, 204. - -Cronier, the mechanician, 161. - -Crystal Balls, the, 312. - -Curaçoa from the bottle, 350. - -Curious discussion, 377. - -Custom at Colchester, 365. - - -D. - -Dantan, junior, the caricaturist, 299; - makes a bust, 301. - -D'Avaray, Duc, 37. - -Dazzling picture, a, 343. - -De Paris, the Count, 231. - -Deception, a rival's, 99. - -Delay at Algiers, 375. - -Delirium, influence of, 53. - -Dial, Houdin's magic, 179. - -Diagrams of cheating cards, 216 and 218. - -Diamond cut diamond, 150. - -Diplomatist and conjurer, 341. - -Director of the Belgian Customs, 283; - tricks upon, 284. - -Doctor, a strange, 55. - -Domingo, the negro, 229. - -Dormeuil, theatrical manager, 336. - -Dorval, Madame, benefit of, 314. - -Doubtful applause, 75. - -Dreams, phantasmagoria of, 54. - -Debureau, Houdin's automaton clown, 179. - -Duhart, chief of the claquers, 318. - -Dumas' Monte Christo, 336. - - -E. - -Electric shock, 385. - -Electric touch, an, 264. - -Electric clocks, future of, 421. - -Electricity applied to mechanism by Houdin, 370. - -Emile-Houdin, 256; - performances by, 258. - -England invaded by French performers, 334. - -English theatrical costume, 332. - -Escamoteur, the, 153. - -Etherial suspension, 312. - -Exhibition of 1844, 231; - medal voted to Houdin, 233. - -Expedient, an, 331. - -Experiments, curious, 256. - -Eye and hand, practice of, 49. - - -F. - -Failure, an utter, 247. - -Fair-Unknown, a, 258. - -Family tickets, 143. - -Fancy Fair, Sir A. Webster's, 337. - -Fantasia by Arabs, 378. - -Fantastic portfolio, 312. - -Fantastic Soirées, Houdin's, 244. - -Farewell tour, Houdin's, 368. - -Father Roujol, 152. - -Faubourg St. Germain, 270. - -Festival of Nankin, 228. - -Filings, how to make, 42. - -Financial crisis, a, 197. - -First bill, Houdin's, 245. - -First fruits of labor, 135. - -First game played by Automaton chess-player, 163; - the Turk beats the Doctor, 164. - -First magician in France, 181. - -First performance at Paris by Houdin, 246. - -First public performance, Torrini's, 97. - -Five-franc pieces, the magical, 408. - -Flowers, the birth of, 145. - -Flute-player, automaton, 159. - -Forey, Eugčne, his drawing of Houdin's theatre, 252. - -Fortune, a reverse of, 192. - -Fortunatus's hat, 229. - -Four balls, juggling with, 49. - -Free admissions, 320. - -French towns, how lighted, 46. - -_Fricot_, a dish of, 199. - -Future experiments, Houdin's, 420. - - -G. - -Galerie de Valois, 237. - -Garde Française, 312. - -Génet, an optimist manager, 360. - -German-flute-player, automaton, 159. - -Germany, Houdin's tour through, 368. - -Giovanni Torrini, 127. - -Glove, Victoria's, 355. - -Gold-fish trick, 225. - -Grand Turk, the, 122. - -Gratuitous performance, 297. - -Great personages, 339. - -Great Wizard of the North, his frightful puffery, 326. - -Greek, a modern, 213. - -Grindstone, a nose on the, 43. - -Grisi, the Count Edmond de, 90. - -Grisi, Madame, 337. - -Gun-trick, a tragic, 129. - -Gymnastic machinery, 211. - -Gymnas, performance of, 319. - - -H. - -Hamilton, successor to Houdin, 367; - becomes his brother-in-law, 368. - -Happy moment, a, 203. - -Harem, the Sultan's, 124. - -Harlequin automata, 77; - Philippe's, 228. - -Hat, the spoiled, 134. - -Hearts, the King of, 147. - -Her Majesty's Theatre, 323. - -Hertford, Houdin at, 360. - -Hints for sharpers, 219. - -Hippodrome of Paris, 244. - -Hired applause, 319. - -Historic Theatre of Paris, 336. - -Home, return to, 136. - -Homicide by imprudence, 130. - -Houdin, Mademoiselle, 140; - the conjurer marries her, 141. - -Houdin, M., the mechanical artist, 141. - -Houdin-Robert, birth and parentage, 17; - adventures, _passion_. - -Human avalanche, 351. - - -I. - -Idler, a country, 26. - -_Illustration_, the, 252. - -Incantation, the, 263. - -Inexhaustible bottle, 312. - -Ingot, the magic, 112. - -Inkstand, to make a fortune by, 177. - -Inquisition at Rome, 104. - -Interior of Africa, Houdin in the, 398. - -Inventor, calculations of an, 177. - -Invulnerability, 385; - secret of, 428. - -Ireland, Houdin in, 366. - -Iron automaton fly, 155. - -Italian conjurer, 157. - -Italy, conjuring in, 90-119. - - -J. - -Jenny Lind, 323. - -Judicious puffing, 325. - -Jules de Rovčre, the conjurer, 153. - - -K. - -Kabyle rendered powerless, 384. - -Kabylia, revolt in, 374. - -Kitchen of Parafaragarmus, 229. - -Kempelen, M. de, Viennese mechanician, 162; - visits Dr. Osloff at Riga, 163; - invents the automaton chess-player, 163; - travels with it to Russia, 168; - baffles the Czarina, 171; - visits England, 171. - -Knowles, the manager, 345. - -Koppen exhibits the Componium, 172. - - -L. - -Lablache, the singer, 337. - -Ladies, pleasing the, 145. - -Lamp, the stolen, 46. - -Larivičre, the Abbé, head of Orleans College, 23. - -Lawyer's office, Houdin in, 35. - -Le Carpentier, Aristide, 271. - -Leclerc invents the Mélephone, 226. - -Lemnos, 309. - -Lenoir, the dancing master, 64. - -Leonetto with red hot iron, 431. - -Lesprit, the conjurer, 187. - -Life, most important event of, 45. - -Linnćus, study of, 38. - -Lottery, M. Philippe's, 223. - -Louis Napoleon at Fulham, 339. - -Louis Philippe at the Palace of Industry, 231; - and the automaton writer, 238; - at St. Cloud, 303. - -Louis XVIII. and Comte, 146. - - -M. - -Macalister, the magician, 225; - in Paris, 229. - -Mâcon, the fair of, 148. - -Maëlzel owns the automaton chess-player, and takes it to America, 172. - -Magic ingot, 112. - -Malice, a conjurer through, 101. - -Manchester, a city of chimneysweeps, 352. - -Manchester Theatre, Houdin at, 345. - -Manipulation, practice makes skill in, 49. - -Marabout, shot by one, 387. - -Marabout, mystification of one, 408. - -Marquis deceived, 117. - -Mario, the singer, 337. - -Marseilles, Torrini at, 126; Houdin at, 419. - -Mechanical snuff-box, 35. - -Mechanician's shop on wheels, 78. - -Mélephone, the, 226. - -Miette, the conjurer, 187. - -Minor miseries, 295. - -Miracles, a course of, 422. - -Mitchell, London manager, 322; - Jenny Lind's box, 323. - -Modest living, 199. - -Molten metal, washing the hands in, 433. - -Monte Christo, at Covent Garden, 335; - at St. James's Theatre, 336. - -Moor, disappearance of a, 388. - -Morrison's pills, 223. - -Mountebanks in Paris, 311. - -Mouse-power to raise water, 21. - -Muhammad, the Arab guide, breakfast with, 400; - he deserts, 401. - -Murderer's confession, 59. - -Music-master, the, 182. - -Musky compliments, 151. - -Mystification, 151. - -Mystification extraordinary, 117. - -Mystifier mystified, 150. - - -N. - -Nail in the eye, 429. - -Nankin, festival of the Court of, 228. - -Naples, the King of, 100. - -Napoleon of Necromancy, 328. - -Napoleon III. in England, 339. - -Necromancy in Rome, 105. - -Need, a friend in, 285. - -Neptune's basins, 229. - -Nevers, ventriloquism at, 148. - -Neveu, Colonel de, 371; - his work on Algiers, 396. - -New Joe Miller, a, 329. - -New studies, Houdin's, 253. - -Nightingale, mechanical, its song, 207. - -Nomadic life, 78. - -Noriet, watchmaker and sculptor, 50. - -Novel lottery, a, 223. - -Number sixty-nine, 268. - -Nuremburg dolls, 200. - -Nuts at Colchester, 365. - - -O. - -Odéon, performance at the, 314. - -Olivier, the conjurer, 126. - -Omelette accident, 133. - -Omen, an, 231. - -Open-air studies, 311. - -Optimist manager, 360. - -Orange-tree, Houdin's mysterious, 179. - -Origin of flowers, 312. - -Orleans, Houdin at College of, 20. - -Orleans, Duchess of, 281; - at St. Cloud, 309. - -Orleans family in London, 355. - -Osloff, Dr., saves Worousky's life, 162; - plays first game with automaton chess-player, 163. - - -P. - -Page, sawing asunder of one, 123. - -Palais Royal Theatre, 335. - -Panic, Houdin's, 249; - of an Arab audience, 389. - -Papin, Denis, inventor of steam engine, 17. - -Parafaragarmus, kitchen of, 229. - -Paris, Robert-Houdin goes to, 141; - return to, from Brussels, 292; - from England, 366; - retires from, 368. - -Park Theatre, Brussels, 287. - -Pastry-cook, Houdin's automaton, 179. - -Peacock, the magic, 228. - -Perambulating house, 61. - -Perrault's fairies, 157. - -Philippe Talon, the conjurer, 221; - visits London, _ib._; - at Aberdeen, 222; - his lottery, 223; - in Paris, 227. - -Philter, a lady wants a, 262. - -Piarot, Bosco's pigeon, 189. - -Pigeon-trick, Bosco's, 187; - his work, 191. - -Piller of the State, a, 223. - -Pillory, spectators on the, 350. - -Pinetti, Chevalier, 92; - treachery of, 94. - -Pirlemont Hotel, Brussels, 286. - -Pistol-trick in Africa, 412. - -Piquet, a blind man's game at, 64; - the game of, 81; - a duel at, 85. - -Pius VII. and the conjurer, 107. - -Pocket, _sauter la coupe_ in the, 50. - -Poison in the dish, 52. - -Police, the Prefect of, 238. - -Poor Piarot, 189. - -Pope, conjuring before the, 107. - -Porter, tyranny of, 288. - -Porter's power, machine of, 38. - -_Pot-au-feu_, 194. - -Powdered glass, an appetiser, 425. - -Prepared playing cards, 214. - -Press, the English, 333. - -Prestidigitateur, title first assumed by Jules de Rovčre, 154. - -Prodigal son, 136. - -Prophet, a fallible, 250. - -Protector, a powerful, 318. - -Punch's doings, 223. - -Punch bowl, the magic, 382. - - -R. - -Race for time, 265. - -Ragoűt, the poisoned, 52. - -Rat, the captured, 21. - -Rat-trap, a novel, 23. - -Randon, Marshal, 380. - -Recollections of the soirées, 254. - -Red-hot metal, feats with, 432. - -Reforms in conjuring, 235. - -Rehearsal, Houdin's first, 241. - -Repast, a wizard's, 357. - -Retirement from Paris, 368. - -Revenge, a conjurer's, 102. - -Revolution of 1848, 320. - -Reysolius, his artificial man, 157. - -Richardson's incombustibility, 431. - -Rings' trick, 225. - -Ritter, Captain, 399. - -Rival, a dangerous, 66. - -Robert, the elder, father of Robert-Houdin, his skill, 17; - death of, 208. - -Roger, M., an honest lawyer, 37. - -Roger, the singer, 337. - -Romainville, music studies in the wood of, 207. - -Rose-colored tickets, 143. - -Royal patronage, 344. - -Royalty, insult to, 101. - -Rrrrrrrrouit, the nightingale's, 207. - - -S. - -Sabre-swallower, the French, 427. - -Saint's head, a, 200. - -Sand-bag and stirrup trick, 33. - -_Sauter de coupe_, 84. - -Scheme of revenge, 103. - -School, Houdin at, 21. - -Sciences, Royal Academy of, 158. - -Scientific amusements, 44. - -Scotland, Houdin in, 366. - -Second-sight, invention of the, 255. - -Seductions of a theatrical agent, 273. - -Selim III., the Sultan, visits Torrini, 122. - -Sementrici's feats with hot metal, 431. - -Seven thousand francs made by filings, 208. - -Sharpers, hints for, 219. - -Skill, a duel of, 102. - -Skillful manager, a, 143. - -Sleight-of-hand, principle of, 48; - first practice in, 49. - -Soirées Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin in London, 324. - -Sorcerer, how a man becomes one, 46. - -Spectators in the pillory, 348. - -St. Cloud, Houdin at Palace of, 303. - -St. James's Theatre, London, 322; - Houdin at, 330; - Dormeuil at, 335. - -St. Thomas Aquinas breaks the brazen man, 157. - -Stirrup-trick, 33. - -Storm at sea, 419. - -Strange audience, 381. - -Strange banners, 417. - -Strasburg, tragedy at, 129. - -Sugar-baker, the conjuring, 221. - -Sultan, wives of the, 122. - - -T. - -Taken by storm, 295. - -Talisman, a, 387. - -Talon, Philippe, the magician, 221. - -Tambourine-player, an automaton, 159. - -Tambourine, the singer, 337. - -Tent-life in Algiers, 416. - -Theatre, Houdin's, in the Palais Royal, 237. - -Theatricals, 139. - -Theatrical agent, seductions of, 273. - -Theatrical bed, a, 324. - -Three people make an audience, 361. - -Time, a race for, 265. - -Tiou, the nightingale's, 207. - -Too small a theatre, 295. - -Tools, Houdin's early love of, 19. - -Torrini, the conjurer, 57; - relates his history, 90 _et seq._; - death of, 181. - -Tours, journey to, 53; - ventriloquism at, 148. - -Toys, conjurer's distribution of, 254. - -Trepčze tumbler, the, 312. - -Trick, a fatal, 129. - -Trick, Houdin's first, 47. - -Tricks of the Aďssaoua, 423. - -Tuilleries, Comte at the, 146. - -Turks, performances to the, 121. - -Twelve hundred francs spent on a trick, 113. - -Two sous-piece, a lucky, 281. - - -U. - -Universal Exhibition of 1855, medal from, 370. - - -V. - -Vatican, conjuring in the, 107. - -Vaucanson, Jacques de, automaton maker, 160; - some account of, 161; - asp of Cleopatra, 161. - -Vaudeville, Houdin at the, 165. - -Vermifuge balsam, 31. - -Ventriloquism by Comte, 148. - -Verdigris, a ragoűt of, 52. - -Virgilius, his brazen fly, 156. - -Visitors in Africa, 407. - -Victoria, Queen, 340; - patronizes Houdin, 344. - - -W. - -Watchmaking, first lessons in, 41. - -Watch, the Cardinal's, 106; - broken, 109; - melted down, 111; - found whole, in the Pope's pocket, 112. - -Webster, Sir Arthur, his fęte at Fulham, 336; - Houdin performs at, 343. - -Welcome rest, a, 367. - -Whiskey, Houdin's glass of, 350. - -White magic before the Pope, 108. - -William Tell and his son, 127. - -Win, the way to, 217. - -Wine, a torrent of, 351. - -Wizard's repast, 357. - -Wood-carver, the, 200. - -Wood-cutting, 201. - -Worousky, the rebel, his life saved by Dr. Osloff, 162; - a great chess-player, 163; - plays the automaton, 165; - at Toula, 166; - plays Catherine II., 169; - visits England, 171. - -Writing and drawing automaton, 196; - its completion, 204. - - -Z. - -Zilbermann, the gambler, 81. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[A] It will be remembered that in those days French towns were lighted -by a lamp suspended in the centre of the highway from a cord attached to -two poles.--(ED.) - -[B] After Vaucanson's death, his works were dispersed and lost, with -the exception of the duck, which, after remaining for a long time in a -garret at Berlin, saw light again in 1840, and was purchased by a M. -George Tiets, who spent four years in repairing it. - -[C] The automaton chess-player always used the left hand--a defect -falsely attributed to the carelessness of the constructor. - -[D] Since this period Bosco has changed his stage decorations: his -cloths have altered their colors, his candles are shorter, but the -death's-head, the ball, the costume, and the tricks, have ever remained -the same. - -[E] This slight incident did not prevent the jury granting me a silver -medal for my automata. Eleven years later, at the Universal Exhibition -of 1855, I received a medal of the first class for new applications of -electricity to mechanism. - -[F] It is possible that M. Robert-Houdin intends to take this revenge, -owing to the unfair way in which he was treated during his professional -career. In 1850, a man who had been seven years in his service, and -in whom he placed entire confidence, allowed himself to be seduced by -the brilliant offers an amateur made him, and sold the secret of some -of his Master's tricks at a high price. Justice was appealed to and -stopped this disgraceful traffic: the seller was awarded two years' -imprisonment, but the buyer could not be touched, and thus many of M. -Houdin's tricks passed into strange hands. - -[G] 1677, first edition, page 41, and second edition, 1680, pp. 24, 147, -252. - - * * * * * - -Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: - -Robert-Houdin, sa vie, ses oeuvres, son théätre=> Robert-Houdin, sa -vie, ses oeuvres, son théâtre {pg 5} - -prestidigitatuer=> prestidigitateur {pg 9 & 136} - -recal my reminiscences=> recall my reminiscences {pg 55} - -my suprise was increased=> my surprise was increased {pg 56} - -A day had elasped=> A day had elapsed {pg 57} - -supported by trestels=> supported by trestles {pg 61} - -same degree of skill=> some degree of skill {pg 66} - -so much petulence=> so much petulance {pg 80} - -a jury should decided=> a jury should decide {pg 84} - -had concealed for any unforseen=> had concealed for any unforeseen {pg -90} - -I was enenchanted=> I was enchanted {pg 93} - -One repesentation the less=> One representation the less {pg 94} - -celebrated Bréguet=> celebrated Brčguet {pg 106} - -for the occassion> for the occasion {pg 108} - -prove its superority=> prove its superiority {pg 109} - -my experiperiment=> my experiment {pg 111} - -A brass motar=> A brass mortar {pg 111} - -Do yo not recognize Antonio Torrini=> Do you not recognize Antonio -Torrini {pg 118} - -The only precaution neccessary=> The only precaution necessary {pg 129} - -her mornful handmaids=> her mournful handmaids {pg 131} - -contented himsely with=> contented himself with {pg 141} - -occassion=> occasion {pg 146 & 264} - -In fact, the the=> In fact, the {pg 147} - -there was the ball-headed gentlemen=> there was the ball-headed -gentleman {pg 147} - -such a talened sorcerer=> such a talented sorcerer {pg 147} - -In it will he found=> In it will be found {pg 158} - -convalesence=> convalescence {pg 163} - -the brilliancy of their dčbut=> the brilliancy of their début {pg 166} - -to enable to enable=> to enable {pg 167} - -this flatttering explanation=> this flattering explanation {pg 169} - -I have forgotton=> I have forgotten {pg 173} - -I was quite annihileted=> I was quite annihilated {pg 174} - -playing čcartč=> playing écarté {pg 219} - -on a table two sugar-loves=> on a table two sugar-loaves {pg 229} - -sextett=> sextet {pg 242} - -the next day we sucseeded=> the next day we suceeded {pg 256} - -I know not how your will interpret=> I know not how you will interpret -{pg 259} - -was to elaspe between=> was to elapse between {pg 265} - -had elasped since the curtain=> had elapsed since the curtain {pg 266} - -an affair of one hundred thousand france=> an affair of one hundred -thousand francs {pg 274} - -I had sarcely uttered the words=> I had scarcely uttered the words {pg -296} - -I should like too see=> I should like too see {pg 306} - -During this conversatian=> During this conversation {pg 342} - -the the other six months=> the other six months {pg 344} - -be scarely held in both hands=> be scarcely held in both hands {pg 356} - -the incarnation of opitimism=> the incarnation of optimism {pg 360} - -"Yes, gentlemen, yes; you can go in," Gčnet replied=> "Yes, gentlemen, -yes; you can go in," Génet replied {pg 362} - -Your are mistaken=> You are mistaken {pg 383} - -weaker than a women=> weaker than a woman {pg 384} - -than the once preceding it=> than the ones preceding it {pg 387} - -surrouuded the man=> surrounded the man {pg 389} - -with great affiability=> with great affability {pg 399} - -the ground strown with magnificent Turkey carpets=> the ground strewn -with magnificent Turkey carpets {pg 403} - -The came other dishes=> Then came other dishes {pg 406} - -leaving the audience under the impression had I produced=> leaving the -audience under the impression I had produced {pg 412} - -for its serves=> for it serves {pg 418} - -Auriol and Dubereau=> Auriol and Debureau {index} - -Dubureau, Houdin's automaton clown, 179.=> Debureau, Houdin's automaton -clown, 179. {index} - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, ambassador, -author and conjurer, by Jean Henri Robert-Houdin - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF ROBERT-HOUDIN *** - -***** This file should be named 42916-8.txt or 42916-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/9/1/42916/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/42916-8.zip b/42916-8.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 94f7b47..0000000 --- a/42916-8.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/42916-h.zip b/42916-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 03e3ef5..0000000 --- a/42916-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42916-0.txt b/old/42916-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d30b394..0000000 --- a/old/42916-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,15604 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, ambassador, -author and conjurer, by Jean Henri Robert-Houdin - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, ambassador, author and conjurer - -Author: Jean Henri Robert-Houdin - -Editor: Robert Shelton Mackenzie - -Release Date: June 11, 2013 [EBook #42916] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF ROBERT-HOUDIN *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - - -[Transcriber’s note: The etext attempts to replicate the printed book as -closely as possible. Many obvious errors in spelling and punctuation -have been corrected. Certain consistently used archaic spellings have -been retained (i.e. secresy, boquet, unforseen, caligraphy, caligrapher, -conjuror, etc.) A list of corrections made follows the etext. - -Footnotes have been moved to the end of the text body.] - - - - - MEMOIRS - - OF - - ROBERT-HOUDIN - - AMBASSADOR, AUTHOR, AND CONJURER. - - WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. - - EDITED BY - - DR. R. SHELTON MACKENZIE. - - PHILADELPHIA: - GEO. G. EVANS, PUBLISHER, - NO. 439 CHESTNUT STREET. - 1859. - - Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1859, by - - G. G. EVANS, - -In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of - Pennsylvania. - - STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY RINWALT & CO., - 34 SOUTH THIRD STREET. - - - - -EDITOR’S PREFACE. - - -A man may not only “take his own life,” by writing his autobiography, -without committing _felo de se_, but may carry himself into future time -by producing a book which the world will not willingly let die. This is -what M. Robert-Houdin, the greatest artist in what is called Conjuring, -has lately done in the remarkable book _Confidences d’un Prestigiteur_, -a faithful translation of which is here presented to the American -reading public. The work has had the greatest success in Europe, from -its lively style as well as the various information it contains, -historical and philosophical, on the practice and principles of -sleight-of-hand, and the other details, mental as well as mechanical, -which unite to make perfect the exhibition of White Magic, the antipodes -of what our forefathers knew, persecuted, and punished as the Black Art. - -Houdin has been considered of such importance and interest in France, -that in Didot’s _Nouvelle Biographie GĂ©nĂ©rale_, now in course of -publication at Paris, a whole page is given to him. From this memoir, -and from his own account in the pages which follow, we learn that he -was born at Blois, on the 6th December, 1805,--that his father, a -watchmaker in that city, gave him a good education at the College of -Orleans,--that his inclination for _escamotage_ (or juggling) was so -decided as to make him averse to pursue his father’s trade,--that he -early exhibited great taste for mechanical inventions, which he so -successfully cultivated that, at the Paris Exhibition of 1844, he was -awarded a medal for the ingenious construction of several -automata,--that, having studied the displays of the great masters on the -art of juggling, he opened a theatre of his own, in the Palais Royal in -Paris, to which his celebrated _soirĂ©es fantastiques_ attracted -crowds,--that, in 1848, when the Revolution had ruined all theatrical -speculations in Paris, he visited London, where his performances at St. -James’s Theatre were universally attractive and lucrative,--that he made -a tour through Great Britain with equal success, returning to Paris when -France had settled down quietly under the rule of a President,--that he -subsequently visited many other parts of Europe, every where received -with distinction and applause,--that at the Great Parisian Exhibition of -1855, he was awarded the gold medal for his scientific application of -electricity to clocks,--that, shortly after, he closed ten years of -active public life by relinquishing his theatre to Mr. Hamilton, his -brother-in-law, retiring with a well-earned competency to Blois,--and -that, in 1857, at the special request of the French Government, which -desired to lessen the influence of the Marabouts, whose conjuring -tricks, accepted as actual magic by the Arabs, gave them too much -influence, he went to Algeria, as a sort of Ambassador, to play off his -tricks against theirs, and, by greater marvels than they could shew, -destroy the _prestige_ which they had acquired. He so completely -succeeded that the Arabs lost all faith in the miracles of the -Marabouts, and thus was destroyed an influence very dangerous to the -French Government. - -In his retirement, to which he has returned, Houdin wrote his -_Confidences_, and is now devoting himself to scientific researches -connected with electricity. Before the appearance of his own work, M. -Hatin had published, in 1857, _Robert-Houdin, sa vie, ses Ĺ“uvres, son -théâtre_. - -The French and English critics have generally and warmly eulogized M. -Houdin’s _Confidences_, and I am persuaded that, on this side of the -Atlantic, it will be considered an instructive as well as an amusing -volume. - -One error which M. Houdin makes must not be passed over. His account of -M. de Kempelen’s celebrated automaton chess-player (afterwards -MaĂ«lzel’s) is entirely wrong. This remarkable piece of mechanism was -constructed in 1769, and not in 1796; it was the Empress Maria-Theresa -of Austria who played with it, and not Catherine II. of Russia; it was -in 1783 that it first visited Paris, where it played at the CafĂ© de la -RĂ©gence; it was not taken to London until 1784; and again in 1819; it -was brought to America in 1825, by M. MaĂ«lzel, and visited our principal -cities, its chief resting-place being Philadelphia; M. MaĂ«lzel’s death -was in 1838, on the voyage from Cuba to the United States, and not, as -M. Houdin says, on his return to France; and the automaton, so far from -being taken back to France, was sold by auction here, finally purchased -by the late Dr. J. K. Mitchell, of Philadelphia, reconstructed by him, -and finally deposited in the Chinese Museum, (formerly Peale’s,) where -it was consumed in the great fire which destroyed the National Theatre, -(now the site of the Continental Hotel, corner of Ninth and Chestnut -streets,) and extending to the Chinese Museum, burnt it down on July -5th, 1854. An interesting account of the Automaton Chess-Player, written -by Professor George Allen, of this city, will be found in “The Book of -the First American Chess Congress,” recently published in New York. - -M. Houdin is engaged now in writing a volume explaining the manner in -which sleight-of-hand and other conjuring tricks and deceptions are -performed. - -I have added an Index to this volume, which I trust will be accepted as -useful. - -R. SHELTON MACKENZIE. - -PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 26, 1859. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -CHAPTER I. - -.....PAGE - -My Birth and Parentage--My Home--The Lessons of Colonel -Bernard--Paternal Ambition--My first Mechanical Attempts--Had I -but a Rat!--A Prisoner’s Industry--The AbbĂ© Larivière--My Word of -Honor--Farewell to my darling Tools......17 - -CHAPTER II. - -A Country Idler--Dr. Carlosbach, Conjurer and Professor of -Mystification--The Sand-bag and the Stirrup Trick--I turn Lawyer’s -Clerk, and the Minutes appear to me very long--A small Automaton--A -respectful Protest--I mount a Step in the Office--A Machine of Porter’s -Power--The Acrobatic Canaries--Monsieur Roger’s Remonstrances--My Father -decides that I shall follow my bent......26 - -CHAPTER III. - -My Cousin Robert--The most important Event in my Life--How a Man becomes -a Sorcerer--My first Sleight-of-Hand Feat--An utter Failure--Practising -the Eye and the Hand--Curious Experiment in Prestidigitation--Monsieur -Noriet--An Action more ingenious than delicate--I am Poisoned--Influence -of Delirium......42 - -CHAPTER IV. - -I return to Life--A strange Doctor--Torrini and Antonio: a Conjurer and -a Fanatic for Music--A Murderer’s Confession--A perambulating House--The -Fair at Angers--A portable Theatre--I witness for the first Time a -Conjuring Performance--The blind Man’s Game at Piquet--A Dangerous -Rival--Signor Castelli eats a Man alive......55 - -CHAPTER V. - -Antonio’s Confessions--How to gain Public Applause--The Count de -----, Mountebank--I repair an Automaton--A Mechanician’s Shop on -Wheels--Nomadic Life--Happy Existence--Torrini’s Lessons--His Opinions -about Sleight-of-Hand--A Fashionable Greek, Victim of his own -Swindling--The Conjurer Comus--A Duel at Piquet--Torrini proclaimed -Conqueror--Revelations--New Catastrophe--Poor Torrini!.....73 - -CHAPTER VI. - -Torrini relates his Life--Treachery of Chevalier Pinetti--A Conjurer -through Malice--A Race between two Magicians--Death of Pinetti--Exhibits -before Pius VII.--The Cardinal’s Chronometer--Twelve Hundred -Francs spent on a Trick--Antonio and Antonia--The most bitter of -Mystifications--Constantinople......90 - -CHAPTER VII. - -Continuation of Torrini’s History--The Grand Turk orders a -Performance--A marvellous Trick--A Page cut in two--Pitying Protest -of the Harem--Agreeable Surprise--Return to France--Torrini’s Son -Killed--Madness--Decay--My first Performance--An annoying Accident--I -return Home......121 - -CHAPTER VIII. - -The Prodigal Son--Mademoiselle Houdin--I go to Paris--My -Marriage--Comte--Studies of the Public--A skillful Manager--Rose-colored -Tickets--A Musky Style--The King of Hearts--Ventriloquism--The -Mystifiers Mystified--Father Roujol--Jules de Rovère--Origin of the word -_prestidigitateur_......136 - -CHAPTER IX. - -Celebrated Automata--A Brazen Fly--The Artificial Man--Albertus Magnus -and St. Thomas d’Aquinas--Vaucanson--His Duck--His Flute-Player--Curious -Details--The Automaton Chess-Player--Interesting Episode--Catherine II. -and M. de Kempelen--I repair the Componium--Unexpected Success......155 - -CHAPTER X. - -An Inventor’s Calculations--One Hundred Thousand Francs a Year by -an Inkstand: Deception--My new Automata--The First Magician in -France: Decadence--I meet Antonio--Bosco--The Trick with the Cups--An -Execution--Resurrection of the Criminals--Mistake in a Head--The Canary -rewarded......176 - -CHAPTER XI. - -A Reverse of Fortune--Cookery and Clockwork--The Artist’s -Home--Invention of an Automaton--Voluntary Exile--A modest Villa--The -Inconveniences of a Speciality--Two August Visitors--The Throat of a -mechanical Nightingale--The Tiou and the Rrrrrrrrouit--Seven Thousand -Francs earned by making Filings......192 - -CHAPTER XII. - -The Inventive Genius of a Sugar-baker--Philippe the Magician--His Comic -Adventures--Description of his Performance--Exposition of 1844--The King -and Royal Family visit my Automata......221 - -CHAPTER XIII. - -My proposed Reforms--I build a Theatre in the Palais -Royal--Formalities--General Rehearsal--Singular Effect of my -Performance--The Largest and Smallest Theatre in Paris--Tribulation--My -first Performance--Panic--Discouragement--A Fallible -Prophet--Recovery--Success......234 - -CHAPTER XIV. - -New Studies--A Comic Journal--Invention of Second Sight--Curious -Experiments--An enthusiastic Spectator--Danger of being a Sorcerer--A -Philter or your Life--Way to get rid of Bores--An Electric Touch--I -perform at the Vaudeville--Struggles with the Incredulous--Interesting -Details......253 - -CHAPTER XV. - -Seductions of a Theatrical Agent--How to gain One Hundred Thousand -Francs--I start for Brussels--A lucky Two-Sou Piece--Miseries of -professional Travelling--The Park Theatre--Tyranny of a Porter--Full -House--Small Receipts--Deceptions--Return to Paris......273 - -CHAPTER XVI. - -Reopening of my Fantastic SoirĂ©es--Minor Miseries of Good -Luck--Inconvenience of a small Theatre--My Room taken by Storm--A -gratuitous Performance--A conscientious Audience--Pleasant Story about -a Black Silk Cap--I perform at the Château of St. Cloud--Cagliostro’s -Casket--Holidays......294 - -CHAPTER XVII. - -New Experiments--AĂ«rial Suspension, &c.--A Performance at the OdĂ©on--A -Friend in Need--1848--The Theatre deserted--I leave Paris for -London--Manager Mitchell--Publicity in England--The Great Wizard--A -Butter-mould used as a Puff--Singular Bills--A Prize for the best -Pun......312 - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -The St. James’s Theatre--Invasion of England by French Performers--A -FĂŞte patronised by the Queen--The Diplomatist and the Sleight-of-Hand -Man--Three Thousand Pounds taken at one Haul--I perform at -Manchester--The Spectators in the Pillory--What capital Curaçoa!--A -Torrent of Wine--A Catastrophe--Performance at Buckingham Palace--A -Wizard’s Repast......330 - -CHAPTER XIX. - -An Optimist Manager--Three Spectators in a Room--A Magical -Collation--The Colchester Public and the Nuts--I return to France--I -give up my Theatre--A Farewell Tour--I retire to St. Gervais--An -Academician’s Predictions......359 - -CHAPTER XX. - -Travels in Algeria--Convocation of the Chieftains--Performances before -the Arabs--A Kabyle rendered powerless--Invulnerability--A Moor -disappears--Panic and Flight of the Audience--Reconciliation--The Sect -of AĂŻssaoua--Their pretended Miracles......371 - -CHAPTER XXI. - -Excursion in the Interior of Africa--The Abode of a Bash-Aga--A comical -Repast--A SoirĂ©e of Arab Dignitaries--A Marabout mystified--Tent-life in -Algeria--I return to France--A terrible Storm--Conclusion......398 - -CHAPTER XXII. - -A COURSE OF MIRACLES......422 - -INDEX......437 - - - - -THE AUTHOR’S OVERTURE. - - -SAINT GERVAIS, NEAR BLOIS, -September, 1858. - -Eight o’clock has just struck: my wife and children are by my side. I -have spent one of those pleasant days which tranquillity, work, and -study can alone secure.--With no regret for the past, with no fear for -the future, I am--I am not afraid to say it--as happy as man can be. - -And yet, at each vibration of this mysterious hour, my pulse starts, my -temples throb, and I can scarce breathe, so much do I feel the want of -air and motion. I can reply to no questions, so thoroughly am I lost in -a strange and delirious reverie. - -Shall I confess to you, reader? And why not? for this electrical effect -is not of a nature to be easily understood by you. - -The reason for my emotion being extreme at this moment is, that, during -my professional career, eight o’clock was the moment when I must appear -before the public. Then, with my eye eagerly fixed on the hole in the -curtain, I surveyed with intense pleasure the crowd that flocked in to -see me. Then, as now, my heart beat, for I was proud and happy of such -success. - -At times, too, a doubt, a feeling of uneasiness, would be mingled with -my pleasure. “Heavens!” I would say to myself, in terror, “am I so sure -of myself as to deserve such anxiety to see me?” - -But, soon reassured by the past, I waited with greater calmness the -signal for the curtain to draw up. I then walked on the stage: I was -near the foot-lights, before my judges--but no, I err--before my kind -spectators, whose applause I was in hopes to gain. - -Do you now understand, reader, all the reminiscences this hour evokes in -me, and the solemn feeling that continually occurs to me when the clock -strikes? - -These emotions and souvenirs are not at all painful to me: on the -contrary, I summon them up with pleasure. At times I even mentally -transport myself to my stage, in order to prolong them. There, as -before, I ring the bell, the curtain rises, I see my audience again, -and, under the charm of this sweet illusion, I delight in telling them -the most interesting episodes of my professional life. I tell them how a -man learns his real vocation, how the struggle with difficulties of -every nature begins, how, in fact---- - -But why should I not convert this fiction into a reality? Could I not, -each evening when the clock strikes eight, continue my performances -under another form? My public shall be the reader, and my stage a book. - -This idea pleases me: I accept it with joy, and immediately give way to -the sweet illusion. Already I fancy myself in the presence of spectators -whose kindness encourages me. I imagine they are waiting for me--they -are listening eagerly. - -Without further hesitation I begin. - -ROBERT-HOUDIN. - - - - -MEMOIRS - -OF - -ROBERT-HOUDIN. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - My Birth and Parentage--My Home--The Lessons of Colonel - Bernard--Paternal Ambition--My first Mechanical Attempts--Had I but - a Rat!--A Prisoner’s Industry--The AbbĂ© Larivière--My Word of - Honor--Farewell to my darling Tools. - - -In conformity with the traditional custom which expects every man who -writes his memoirs--or not to use too strong language, his -confessions--to display his patent of gentility, I commence by stating -to my readers, with a certain degree of pride, that I was born at Blois, -the birthplace of Louis XII., surnamed the “Father of his People,” and -of Denis Papin, the illustrious inventor of the steam-engine. - -So much for my native town. As for my family, it would only appear -natural, regard being had to the art to which I devoted my life, that I -should display in my family tree the name of Robert _le Diable_, or of -some mediæval sorcerer; but, being the very slave of truth, I will -content myself with stating that my father was a watchmaker. - -Though he did not rise to the elevation of the Berthouds and the -Breguets, my father was reputed to be very skilful in his profession. In -fact, I am only displaying our hereditary modesty when I say that my -father’s talents were confined to a single art; for, in truth, nature -had adapted him for various branches of mechanics, and the activity of -his mind led him to try them all with equal ardor. An excellent -engraver, a jeweller of the greatest taste, he at the same time could -carve the arm or leg for some fractured statuette, restore the enamel on -any time-worn porcelain, or even repair musical snuff-boxes, which were -very fashionable in those days. The skill he evinced in these varied -arts at length procured him a most numerous body of customers; but, -unfortunately, he was wont to make any repairs not strictly connected -with his own business for the mere pleasure. - -In this house, which I may almost term artistic, and in the midst of -tools and implements in which I was destined to take so lively an -interest, I was born and educated. I possess an excellent memory, still, -though my reminiscences date back so far, I cannot remember the day of -my birth. I have learned since, however, that it was the 6th of -December, 1805. I am inclined to believe that I came into the world with -a file or a hammer in my hand, for, from my earliest youth, those -implements were my toys and delight: I learned how to use them as other -children learn to walk and talk. I need not say that my excellent mother -had frequently to wipe away the young mechanic’s tears, when the hammer, -badly directed, struck my fingers. As for my father, he laughed at these -slight accidents, and said, jokingly, that it was a capital way of -driving my profession into me, and that, as I was a wonderful lad, I -could not but become an extraordinary workman. I do not pretend that I -ever realized the paternal predictions, but it is certain that I have -ever felt an irresistible inclination for mechanism. - -How often, in my infantile dreams, did a benevolent fairy open before me -the door of a mysterious El Dorado, where tools of every description -were piled up. The delight which these dreams produced on me, were the -same as any other child feels when his fancy summons up before him a -fantastic country where the houses are made of chocolate, the stones of -sugar candy, and the men of gingerbread. It is difficult to understand -this fever for tools; the mechanic, the artist adores them, and would -ruin himself to obtain them. Tools, in fact, are to him what a MS. is to -the archæologist, a coin to the antiquary, or a pack of cards to a -gambler: in a word they are the implements by which a ruling passion is -fed. - -By the time I was eight years of age I had furnished proofs of my -ability, partly through the kindness of an excellent neighbor, and -partly through a dangerous illness, when my forced idleness gave me -leisure to exercise my natural dexterity. This neighbor, M. Bernard, was -a colonel on half-pay. Having been a prisoner for many years, he had -learned how to make an infinity of toys, which he taught me as an -amusement, and I profited so well by his lessons, that in a very short -time I could equal my master. I fancy I can still see and hear this old -soldier, when, passing his hand over his heavy grey moustache, he -exclaimed with energetic satisfaction, “Why, the young scamp can do -anything he likes.” This compliment flattered my childish vanity, and I -redoubled my efforts to deserve it. - -With my illness my pleasures ended; I was sent to school, and from that -time I had few opportunities for indulging in my favorite tasks. Still, -on my holidays, I used to return to my father’s workshop with delight, -and, yet, I must have been a great torment to that excellent parent. -Owing to my want of skill, I now and then broke some tool, and although -I might try to conceal it, the blame was generally laid on me, and, as a -punishment, I was forbidden to enter the workshop. But it was of no use -attempting to keep me from my hobby; the prohibition had to be -continually renewed. Hence it was thought advisable to attack the evil -at the root, and I must be sent away from home. - -Although my father liked his trade, experience had taught him that a -watchmaker rarely makes a fortune in a country town; in his paternal -ambition he, therefore, dreamed a more brilliant destiny for me, and he -formed the determination of giving me a liberal education, for which I -shall always feel grateful to him. He sent me to college at Orleans. I -was then eleven years of age. - -Let who will sing the praises of school life; for my own part I can -safely state, that, though I was not averse from study, the happiest day -I spent in our monastic seminary was that on which I left it for good. -However, once entered, I accepted my lot with resignation, and became in -a short time a perfect schoolboy. In my play hours my time was well -employed, for I spent the greater portion of it in making pieces of -mechanism. Thus I made snares, gins, and mouse-traps, their excellent -arrangement, and perhaps the dainty bait as well, producing me a great -number of prisoners. - -I had built for them a charming open cage, in which I had fixed up a -miniature gymnastic machinery. My prisoners, while taking their ease, -set in motion a variety of machines, which caused a most agreeable -surprise. One of my inventions more especially attracted the admiration -of my comrades; it was a method of raising water by means of a pump made -almost entirely of quills. A mouse, harnessed like a horse, was intended -to set this Lilliputian machine in motion by the muscular strength of -its legs; but, unfortunately, my docile animal, though perfectly -willing, could not overcome the resistance of the cog-wheels, and I was -forced, to my great regret, to lend it a hand. - -“Ah! if I only had a rat!” I said to myself, in my disappointment, “how -famously it would work!” A rat! But how to get one? That appeared to me -an insurmountable difficulty, but, after all, it was not so. One day, -having been caught in the act of breaking bounds by a monitor, I was -awarded twelve hours’ imprisonment. This punishment, which I suffered -for the first time, produced a violent effect on me: but in the midst of -the sorrowful reflections inspired by the solitude, an idea dissipated -my melancholy thoughts by offering a famous suggestion. - -I knew that at nightfall the rats used to come from an adjacent church -into the cell where I was confined, to regale on the bread-crumbs left -by prisoners. It was a capital opportunity to obtain one of the animals -I required; and as I would not let it slip, I straight-way set about -inventing a rat-trap. My only materials were a pitcher holding water, -and, consequently, my ideas were confined exclusively to this. I, -therefore, made the following arrangement. - -I began by emptying my pitcher; then, after putting in a piece of bread, -I laid it down so that the orifice was on a level with the ground. My -object was to attract the victim by this dainty into the trap. A brick -which I dug up would serve to close the opening, but as it was -impossible for me in the darkness to notice the exact moment for cutting -off the prisoner’s retreat, I laid near the bread a piece of paper which -would rustle as the rat passed over it. - -As soon as night set in, I crouched close to my pitcher, and, holding -the brick in my hand, I awaited with feverish anxiety the arrival of my -guests. The pleasure I anticipated from the capture must have been -excessive to overcome my timidity when I heard the first leaps of my -savage visitors. I confess that the antics they performed round my legs -occasioned me great nervousness, for I knew not how far the voracity of -these intrepid rodents might extend; still, I kept my ground, not making -the slightest movement, through fear of compromising the success of my -scheme, and was prepared to offer the assailants a vigorous resistance -in case of an attack. - -More than an hour passed in vain expectation, and I was beginning to -despair of the success of my trap, when I fancied I heard the slight -sound I hoped for as a signal. I laid the brick on the mouth of the -pitcher directly, and raised it up; the shrill cries inside convinced me -of my success, and I began a pæan of triumph, both to celebrate my -victory and to frighten away my prisoner’s comrades. The porter, when he -came to release me, helped me to master my rat by fastening a piece of -twine to one of his hind legs, and burdened with my precious booty, I -proceeded to the dormitory, where masters and pupils had been asleep for -a long time. I was glad enough to sleep too, but a difficulty presented -itself--how should I bestow my prisoner? - -At length a bright idea occurred to me, fully worthy of a schoolboy: it -was to thrust the rat headforemost into one of my shoes. After fastening -the twine to the leg of my bed, I pushed the shoe into one of my -stockings, and placed the whole in the leg of my trousers. This being -accomplished, I believed I could go to bed without the slightest cause -for apprehension. The next morning, at five exactly, the inspector took -a turn through the dormitory to arouse the sleepers. - -“Dress yourself directly,” he said, in that amiable voice peculiar to -gentlemen who have risen too soon. - -I proceeded to obey but I was fated to dire disgrace: the rat I had -packed away so carefully, not finding its quarters airy enough, had -thought proper to gnaw through my shoe, my stocking, and my trouser, and -was taking the air through this improvised window. Fortunately, it had -not cut through the retaining string, so the rest was a trifle. - -But the inspector did not regard matters in the same light as I did. The -capture of a rat and the injury to my clothes were considered further -aggravations of my previous offence, and he sent in a lengthy report to -the head-master. I was obliged to appear before the latter dressed in -the clothes that bore the proof of my offence, and, by an unlucky -coincidence, shoe, stocking and trouser were all injured on the same -leg. The AbbĂ© Larivière (our head-master) managed the college with truly -paternal care; ever just, and prone by nature to forgiveness, he was -adored by his pupils, and to be out of favor with him was regarded as -the severest punishment. - -“Well, Robert,” he said to me, looking kindly over the spectacles which -bridged the end of his nose, “I understand you have been guilty of grave -faults. Come, tell me the whole truth.” - -I possessed at that time a quality which, I trust, I have not lost -since, and that is extreme frankness. I gave the AbbĂ© a full account of -my misdeeds, and my sincerity gained me pardon. The head-master, after a -vain attempt to repress it, burst into a loud fit of laughter, on -hearing the catastrophe of my adventures. Still, he ended his gentle -lecture in the following words: - -“I will not scold you any more, Robert. I believe in your repentance: -twelve hours’ confinement are sufficient punishment, and I grant you -your release. I will do more: though you are very young, I will treat -you as a man--of honor, though--you understand me? You will pledge me -your word not only that you will not commit your old faults again, but, -as your passion for mechanics makes you often neglect your lessons, you -must promise to give up your tools, and devote yourself henceforth to -study.” - -“Oh yes, sir, I give you my word,” I exclaimed, moved to tears by such -unexpected indulgence; “and I can assure you, you will never repent -having put faith in my promise.” - -I made up my mind to keep my pledge, although I was fully aware of all -the difficulties, which were so many stumbling-blocks in that path of -virtue I wished to follow. Much trouble, I had too, at first, in -withstanding the jests and sarcasms of the idler of my comrades, who, in -order to hide their own bad conduct, strove to make all weak characters -their accomplices. Still, I broke with them all. Sharpest pang of all, -though, was the sacrifice I made in burning my vessels--that is, in -putting aside my cages and their contents; I even forgot my tools, and -thus, free from all external distraction, I devoted myself entirely to -my Greek and Latin studies. - -The praise I received from the AbbĂ© Larivière, who prided himself in -having noticed in me the stuff for an excellent scholar, rewarded me for -this sublime effort, and I may say I became, thenceforth, one of the -most studious and attentive lads in the college. At times, I certainly -regretted my tools and my darling machinery, but recollecting my promise -to the head-master, I held firm against all temptation. All I allowed -myself was to set down by stealth on paper a few ideas that occurred to -me, though I did not know whether I should ever have a chance to put -them in practice. - -At length the moment arrived for my leaving college; my studies were -completed--I was eighteen years of age. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - A Country Idler--Dr. Carlosbach, Conjurer and Professor of - Mystification--The Sand-bag and the Stirrup Trick--I turn Lawyer’s - Clerk, and the Minutes appear to me very long--A small Automaton--A - respectful Protest--I mount a Step in the Office--A Machine of - Porter’s Power--The Acrobatic Canaries--Monsieur Roger’s - Remonstrances--My Father decides that I shall follow my bent. - - -In the story I have just narrated, only simple events were -noticeable--hardly worthy, perhaps, of a man who has often passed for a -sorcerer--but grant me a few pages’ patience, reader, as an introduction -to my artistic life, and what you seek in my book will be displayed -before your eager gaze. You will know how a magician is produced, and -you will learn that the tree whence my magic staff was cut was only that -of persevering labor, often bedewed by the sweat of my brow: soon, too, -when you come to witness my labors and my anxious hours of expectation, -you will be able to appreciate the cost of a reputation in my mysterious -art. - -On leaving college, I at first enjoyed all the liberty I had been -deprived of for so many years. The power of going right or left, of -speaking or remaining silent, as I listed, of getting up sooner or -later, according to my fancy, was an earthly paradise for a collegian. I -enjoyed this ineffable pleasure to the fullest extent: thus, in the -morning--although habit made me wake at five--when the clock announced -that once so dreaded hour, I burst into a loud laugh, and offered -ferocious challenges to any number of invisible superintendents; then, -satisfied by this slight retrospective vengeance, I went to sleep again -till breakfast. After that meal I went out to indulge in a pleasant -lounge about the streets; and I preferred walking in the public -promenades, for thus I had better chances of finding something to -attract my attention. In a word, not an event happened which I did not -know, and I was the real amateur “penny-a-liner” of my native town. - -Many of these incidents afforded very slight interest; one day, however, -I witnessed a scene which produced a lasting effect upon me. One -after-dinner, while walking along the side of the Loire, engaged with -the thoughts suggested by the falling autumn leaves, I was aroused from -my reverie by the sound of a trumpet, evidently blown by a practised -performer. It may be easily supposed that I was not the last to obey -this startling summons, and a few other idlers also formed a circle -round the performer. - -He was a tall fellow with a quick eye, a sunburnt face, long and crispy -hair, and he stemmed his fist in his side, while he held his head -impudently high. His costume, though rather “loud,” was still cleanly, -and announced a man who probably had “some hay in his boots,” to use a -favorite phrase of gentlemen in the same profession. He wore a -maroon-colored frock-coat, trimmed with large silver frogs, while round -his neck was a black silk cravat, the two ends being passed through a -jewelled ring, which a millionaire would not have disdained--had it not -unfortunately been paste. He wore no waistcoat, but his shirt was -remarkably white, and on it glistened a heavy mosaic chain, with a -collection of appendages, whose metallic sound loudly announced his -every movement. - -I had ample time to make these observations, for as the audience -collected but slowly, the stranger continued his trumpet overture for a -quarter of an hour; at length, when an average crowd had assembled, the -trumpet made way for the human voice. The artist laid the instrument on -the ground, and walked round majestically to form a ring; then, -stopping, he passed his hand through his hair, and began his address. -Being little used to this charlatanism in the streets, I regarded the -man with confiding admiration and determined not to lose a word of his -address. - -“Gentlemen,” he commenced, in a firm and sonorous voice, “pray hear me. -I am _not_ what I seem to be; I may say more, I am what I do not seem to -be. Yes, gentlemen, yes--confess it--you take me for one of those scurvy -beggars who want to draw a few halfpence from your generosity. Well, you -may undeceive yourselves. Though you see me on this spot to-day, I tell -you that I have only come here for the relief of suffering humanity in -general, then for your welfare in particular, as well as for your -amusement.” - -Here the orator, whose accent plainly showed that he came from the banks -of the Garonne, passed his hand once more through his hair, raised his -head, sucked his lips, and, assuming an air of majestic dignity, -continued: - -“I will tell you presently who I am, and you will be able to estimate me -at my true value; in the mean while allow me to offer you a slight -specimen of my skill.” - -The artist, having then formed the circle afresh, placed before him a -small table, on which he arranged three tin goblets, so well polished -that they might have been taken for silver; after which he fastened -round his waist a red cotton velvet bag, into which he thrust his hands -for some minutes--doubtlessly to prepare the tricks he intended to -display--and the performance commenced. - -During a long series of tricks, the nutmegs, at first invisible, -appeared at the finger ends of the conjuror; then, they passed through -the cups, under the table, into a spectator’s pockets, and finally -emerged, to the general delight, from the nose of a young looker-on. The -latter took the matter quite seriously, and half killed himself with -sneezing, to see whether a few more spice balls might not be left in his -brain. The address with which these tricks were done, and the apparent -simplicity of the operator in the execution of these ingenious -artifices, produced the most perfect illusion--at least, as far as I was -concerned. - -It was the first time I had ever witnessed such a sight: I was -stupefied, astounded! The man who could perform such marvels at his will -seemed to me a superhuman being; hence I saw him put aside his cups with -considerable regret. The audience seemed equally charmed; the artist -perceived it, and took advantage of it, by making a sign that he had a -few more words to say. Then, resting his hand on the table, he -proceeded: - -“Ladies and gentlemen! I was very pleased to notice the kind attention -you devoted to my tricks, and I thank you for it” (here the conjuror -bowed to the ground); “and, as I am anxious to prove that you have not -to deal with an ungrateful person, I will attempt to repay in full the -satisfaction you have made me feel. Deign to listen to me for a moment. - -“I promised to tell you what I am; I will now satisfy you.” (Sudden -change of countenance, and evidence of great self-esteem.) “You behold -in me the celebrated Dr. Carlosbach: the composition of my name reveals -to you my Anglo-Francisco-Germanic origin. To praise myself would be -like painting the lily; I will, therefore, content myself with saying -that I possess an enormous talent, and that my astounding reputation can -only be equalled by my modesty. Elected, by acclamation, member of the -most illustrious learned societies through the whole world, I incline -before their judgment, which proclaims the superiority of my skill in -the grand art of curing the human race.” - -This address, as strange as it was emphatic, was delivered with -imperturbable assurance; still I fancied I noticed a twitching of the -lips, that revealed the grand doctor’s ill-restrained desire to laugh. -For all that, I listened attentively to his discourse. - -“But, gentlemen,” he added, “I have said sufficient of myself; it is -time to speak of my works. Learn then, that I am the inventor of the -Vermifuge Balsam, whose sovereign efficaciousness is indisputable. Yes, -gentlemen, the worm, that enemy of the human race--the worm, the -destroyer of everything existing--the worm, that obstinate preyer on the -living and the dead, is at length conquered by my science; a drop, an -atom of this precious liquor is sufficient to expel this fearful -parasite for ever. - -“And, gentlemen, such is the virtue of my marvellous balsam, that it not -only delivers man from this frightful calamity during life, but his body -has nothing to fear after death. Taking my balsam is a mode of embalming -one’s body prior to death; man is thus rendered immortal. Ah! gentlemen, -were you but acquainted with all the virtues of my sublime discovery, -you would rush upon me and tear it from me; but, as that would be -illegal, I check myself in time.” - -The orator, in fact, stopped, and dried his brow with one hand, while -with the other he motioned to the crowd that he had not yet ended his -discourse. A great number of the audience were already striving to -approach the learned doctor; Carlosbach, however, did not appear to -notice it, and, reassuming his dramatic posture, he continued as -follows: - -“But, you will ask me, what can be the price of such a treasure? can we -be rich enough to purchase it? The moment has now arrived, gentlemen, to -make you understand the full extent of my disinterestedness. This -balsam, in the discovery of which I have worn away my days--this balsam, -which sovereigns have purchased at the price of their crown--this -balsam, in short, which is beyond all price--well, I make you a present -of it!” - -At these unexpected words, the crowd, panting with emotion, lifted up -its eager arms, and implored the generosity of the doctor. But, what -shameful deception! Carlosbach--the celebrated Dr. Carlosbach--this -benefactor of humanity, suddenly altered his tone, and burst into an -Homeric shout of laughter. The arms fell down spontaneously; the -audience looked vacantly into each other’s faces. At length one laughed. -The contagion spread, and soon everybody was following the conjurer’s -example. He was the first to stop, and demanded silence: - -“Gentlemen!” he then said, in a perfectly respectful tone, “do not be -angry with me for the little trick I have played you; I wished thus to -put you on your guard against those charlatans who daily deceive you, -just as I have done myself. I am no doctor, but simply a conjurer, -professor of mystification, and author of a book, in which you will -find, in addition to the discourse I have just delivered, the -description of a great number of conjuring tricks. Would you like to -learn the art of amusing yourself in society? For sixpence you may -satisfy your curiosity.” - -The conjurer produced from a box an enormous packet of books; then, -going round the crowd, he soon disposed of his wares, thanks to the -interest his talent had excited. The exhibition was over, and I returned -home with my head full of a world of unknown sensations. - -It will be readily supposed that I purchased one of these precious -volumes. I hastened to examine it; but the false doctor continued his -system of mystification in it, and despite all my good will, I could not -understand one of the tricks he pretended to explain. However, I had the -famous speech I have just quoted, as some sort of consolation. - -I made up my mind to lay the book aside and think no more of it; but the -marvels it announced returned to my mind every moment. “O Carlosbach!” I -said in my modest ambition, “if I possessed your talent, how happy I -should feel!” and, filled with this idea, I decided on taking lessons of -the learned professor. Unfortunately, this determination was arrived at -too late. When I proceeded to his lodgings, I learned that the conjuror -had resorted to his own tricks, and had left his inn the previous -evening, forgetting to pay the princely score he had run up. The -innkeeper gave me the account of this last mystification on the part of -the professor. - -Carlosbach had arrived at his house with two trunks of unequal size and -very heavy; on the larger of them was painted “Conjuring Apparatus,” on -the other, “Clothing.” The conjuror, who stated that he had received -various invitations to perform at the adjacent châteaux, had set off the -evening before to fulfil one of these engagements. He had only taken -with him one of his trunks, that containing the apparatus; and it was -supposed he had left the other in his room as a security for the bill he -had run up. The next day the host, surprised at finding his lodger -still absent, thought it advisable to place his traps in some safe -place. He, therefore, went into his bedroom; but the two trunks had -disappeared, and in their place was an enormous bag filled with sand, on -which was written: - - THE MYSTIFYING BAG. - - THE STIRRUP TRICK. - -I continued for some time longer to enjoy the contemplative life I had -been pursuing; but at last satiety assailed me, and I was quite -surprised one day at finding myself wearied of this life of idleness. My -father, like a man who could read the human heart, had awaited this -moment to talk seriously with me; he, therefore, took me aside one -morning, and said, without further preface, in a kindly voice: - -“My good boy, you have now quitted college with a sound education, and I -have allowed you to enjoy fully the liberty for which you seemed to -aspire. But you must see this is not sufficient for a livelihood; you -must now enter on the world resolutely, and apply your parts to the -profession you wish to embrace. That profession it is now time to -choose; you have doubtlessly some inclination, some bias, and you must -let me know it; speak, then, and you will find me inclined to second -your views.” - -Although my father had frequently expressed his fears lest I should -follow his trade, I thought, after these remarks, he had changed his -mind, and I joyfully said: - -“Of course I have an inclination, and you cannot be ignorant of it, for -it is of very old standing. You know I never wished to be other than--“ - -My father guessed my thoughts, and would not allow me to finish. - -“I see,” he objected, “that you did not understand me, and I must -explain my meaning more clearly. My desire is for you to choose a -profession more lucrative than my own. Consider, it would be -unreasonable to bury the ten years’ schooling for which I made such -heavy sacrifices in my shop; remember, too, that, after thirty-five -years’ hard work, I have been hardly able to save sufficient provision -for my old age. Then, pray, change your resolution, and give up your -mania for making a â€parcel of filings.’” - -My father, in this, merely followed the idea of many parents, who can -only see the disagreeable side of their own trade. To this prejudice, I -must allow, he added the praiseworthy ambition of the head of a family -desirous that his son should rise a step higher on the social ladder -than himself. - -As I was utterly ignorant of all other professions or trades save that -of a mechanician, I was unable to appreciate them, or consequently -select one; hence I remained dumb. In vain did my father try to draw an -answer from me by explaining the advantages I should derive from being a -surgeon or chemist, a barrister or a solicitor. I could only repeat that -I placed implicit confidence in his wisdom and experience. This -self-denial and passive obedience appeared to touch him; I noticed it, -and wishing to make a final attack on his determination, I said to him: - -“Before making up my mind to any decided choice of profession, allow me -to offer one observation. Are you sure that it is your trade which is -impossible of extension, or is it owing to the smallness of the town in -which you have carried it on? Let me follow my own bent, I beseech you, -and when I have become a good workman by your instruction, I will go to -Paris and make a fortune there; I feel quite convinced I can do so.” - -Fearing lest he might give way, my father tried to cut the conversation -short by evading a reply to my objection. - -“As you leave it to me,” he said, “I advise you to become a solicitor; -with your natural parts, aided by application and good conduct, I am -certain you will make your way famously.” - -Two days later I was installed in one of the best offices at Blois, and, -owing to my caligraphy, I was employed as a copying clerk, and in -engrossing from morning till night, though rarely understanding what I -was writing. My readers can readily guess that this mechanical work -could not long satisfy the turn of my mind; pens, ink, and paper were -most unsuitable articles to carry out the inventive ideas which -continually occurred to me. Fortunately, at that period, steel pens were -unknown; hence I had a resource in making my pens, to which I devoted -the best part of my time. This simple fact will suffice to give an idea -of the deep spleen which weighed upon me like a coating of lead, and I -should have certainly fallen ill, had I not found more attractive -employment. - -Among the mechanical curiosities entrusted to my father for repair, I -had noticed a snuff-box, on the top of which a small piece of mechanism -attracted my entire attention. The top of the box represented a -landscape. On pressing a spring, a hare made its appearance, and went -towards a tuft of grass, which it began to crop; soon after a sportsman -emerged from a thicket accompanied by a pointer. The miniature Nimrod -stopped at the sight of the game, shouldered his gun and fired; a noise -indicative of the explosion of a fire-arm was heard, and the hare, -apparently wounded, disappeared in the thicket, pursued by the dog. - -This pretty piece of mechanism excited my desires in an eminent degree, -but I could not hope to possess it, as the owner, in addition to the -value he attached to it, had no reason to dispose of it, and, besides, -my pecuniary means were insufficient. As I could not make the article my -own, I determined, at least, to keep it in remembrance, and drew a -careful plan of it without my father’s knowledge. This only more -inflamed my desires, and I began to ask myself whether I could not make -an exact copy of it. - -Seeing no extreme difficulty in this, I rose at daybreak each morning, -and, going down to my father’s workshop, I worked till the hour when he -used to begin work. Then I rearranged the tools exactly as I had found -them, locked up my work carefully, and proceeded to my office. The joy I -experienced in finding my mechanism act was only equalled by the -pleasure I felt in presenting it to my father, as an indirect and -respectful protest against the determination he had formed as to my -choice of a trade. I had some difficulty in persuading him that I had -not been assisted by any one in my work, but when at last I removed his -doubts, he could not refrain from complimenting me. - -“It is a pity,” he said, thoughtfully, “that you cannot profit by your -turn for mechanism; but,” he added, suddenly, as if seeking to dispel an -idea that troubled him, “you had better take no pride in your skill, for -it may injure your prospects.” - -For more than a year I performed the duties of amateur--that is, unpaid -clerk--and I was then offered a situation by a country solicitor as -second clerk, with a small salary. I accepted this unexpected promotion -very readily; but, once installed in my new duties, I found that my -employer had deceived me as to their range. The situation I occupied was -that of office-boy, having to run on errands, for the first and only -clerk could more than attend to the business. I certainly earned some -money: it was the first I had gained by my own labor, and this -consideration gilded the pill, which was rather bitter to my pride. -Besides, M. Roger (such was my new master’s name) was certainly the best -fellow in the world. His manner, full of kindness and sympathy, had -attracted me the first time I saw him, and I may add that his behavior -towards me was most agreeable during the time I remained in his office. - -This gentleman, the personification of probity, possessed the confidence -of the Duc d’Avaray, whose estate he managed, and being full of zeal for -his noble client’s business, he devoted more attention to it than to his -office. At Avaray legal business was very scarce, and we had hardly -enough to fill up our time. For my own part, I had many leisure hours, -which my kind master enabled me to employ by placing his library at my -service. I had the good fortune to find in it Linnæus’s Treaty on -Botany, and I learned the rudiments of that science. - -The study of botany required time, and I could only devote to it the -hours prior to the office opening. Unfortunately, I had become a -tremendous sleeper--I hardly know how--and I could not manage to get up -before eight o’clock. I resolved to conquer this obstinate somnolency, -and I invented a waking apparatus, which, from its originality, deserves -honorable mention here. - -The room I occupied formed a portion of the Château d’Avaray, and was -situated over an archway, closed by a heavy gate. Having noticed that -the porter opened this gate, which led into the gardens, every morning, -the idea occurred to me of profiting by this circumstance to institute -an energetic alarum. This is how I managed it. When I went to bed, I -fastened to one of my legs the end of a cord, which, passing through my -half-opened window, was attached to the upper part of the iron gate. -When the porter pushed the gate open, he dragged me, when least -expecting it, to the middle of my bedroom. Thus violently roused from -sleep, I tried to hold on by the bed-clothes; but the more I resisted, -the more did the pitiless porter push on his side, and I at length woke -up to hear him always abusing the hinges, which he determined to oil -before the day was out. Then, I unloosed my leg, and, with my Linnæus in -my hand, I went to interrogate Nature on her admirable secrets, the -study of which caused me to spend many pleasant hours. - -As much to please my father as to scrupulously fulfil my duties in my -new office, I had promised to pay no more attention to mechanical -inventions--for I feared their irresistible attraction--and I had -religiously kept my word. There was, then, every reason to believe that -I should pass through all my grades creditably, and some day, in my -turn, become MaĂ®tre Robert, solicitor, in some country town. But -Providence, in her decrees, had traced out a very different route for -me, and my stern resolutions were routed by a temptation too powerful -for my courage. In our office there was, strangely enough, a magnificent -aviary filled with canaries, whose song and plumage were intended to -dispel the impatience of a client forced by some accident to wait. This -cage being considered a portion of the office furniture, I was bound, as -errand-boy, to keep it in a proper state of cleanliness, and provide the -food of the denizens. This was the branch of my duties I performed with -the greatest zeal: in fact, I bestowed so much care on the comfort and -amusement of the birds, that they soon absorbed nearly all my time. - -I began by setting up in this cage a number of mechanical tricks I had -invented at college under similar circumstances. I gradually added fresh -ones, and ended by making the cage a work of art and curiosity, -affording considerable attraction to our visitors. At one spot was a -perch, near which the sugar and the seed-glass displayed their -attractions; but no sooner had the innocent canary placed its foot on -the fatal perch, than a circular cage encompassed it, and it was kept a -prisoner until another bird, perching on an adjoining piece of wood, set -loose a spring, which delivered the captive. At another place were baths -and pumps; further on was a small trough, so arranged, that the nearer -the bird seemed to draw to it the further off it really was. Lastly, -each denizen of the cage was obliged to earn its food by drawing forward -with its beak small pasteboards carts. - -The pleasure I felt in carrying out these small schemes soon made me -forget I was in a lawyer’s office for any other purpose than to be at -the beck and call of canaries. The chief clerk drew my attention to it, -and added some just remonstrances; but I had always a protest ready, and -continued making daily improvements in the aviary. At length, matters -reached such a point, that the supreme authority, that is to say my -master in person, felt it his duty to interfere. - -“Robert,” he said to me, assuming an earnest tone, which he rarely -employed towards his clerks, “when you came into my office you were -aware it was to devote yourself exclusively to business, and not to -satisfy your own thirst for pleasure; warnings have been given you to -return your duty, and you have paid no attention to them; I am, -therefore, obliged to tell you that you must either decide on giving up -your mechanical fancies, or I must send you home to your father.” - -And the worthy Monsieur Roger stopped, as if to draw breath after the -reproaches he had given me, I am sure much against his will. After a -moment’s silence, he reassumed his paternal tone, and said to me: - -“And now, my friend, will you let me give you a piece of advice? I have -studied you, and feel convinced you will never be more than a very -ordinary clerk, and, consequently, a still more ordinary notary, while -you might become an excellent mechanician. It would be, then, wiser for -you to give up a profession in which you have such slight prospect of -success, and follow that for which you evince such remarkable aptitude.” - -The kindly tone M. Roger assumed induced me to open my heart to him. I -told him of my father’s determination to keep me from his own trade, and -described to him all the vexation I had felt from it. - -“Your father fancied he was acting for the best,” he replied to me, “by -putting you in a profession more lucrative than his own; he thought he -should only have a simple boyish fancy to overcome, but I am persuaded -it is an irresistible vocation, against which you should no longer -struggle. I will see your parents to-morrow, and I have no doubt I shall -induce them to change their opinion about your future prospects in -life.” - -Since I quitted my father’s house he had sold his business, and had -retired to a small property he had near Blois. My master went to see him -as he had promised me; a long conversation ensued, and after numerous -objections on both sides, the lawyer’s eloquence vanquished my father’s -scruples, and he at length yielded. - -“Well,” he said, “as he absolutely desires it, let him follow my trade. -And, as I cannot instruct him myself, my nephew, who is a pupil of mine, -will act towards my son as I did towards him.” - -This news overwhelmed me with joy: it seemed as if I were entering on a -new life, and the fortnight I had yet to spend at Avaray seemed to me -terribly long. At length I set out for Blois, and the day after my -arrival found me seated before a vice, file in hand, and receiving my -first lessons in watchmaking from my relative. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - My Cousin Robert--The most important Event in my Life--How a Man - becomes a Sorcerer--My first Sleight-of-Hand Feat--An utter - Failure--Practising the Eye and the Hand--Curious Experiment in - Prestidigitation--Monsieur Noriet--An Action more ingenious than - delicate--I am Poisoned--Influence of Delirium. - - -Before speaking of my labors in the watchmaker’s shop, I must introduce -my readers to my new master. And, in the first place, to set myself -right, I will say that my cousin Robert, as I used to call him, has been -since my first connexion with him, one of my best and dearest friends. -It would be difficult, in fact, to imagine a more happy character, a -heart more affectionate and devoted. - -With a rare intelligence, my cousin combined other equally valuable -qualities. He possessed a graceful address, which, without flattery, I -may say is peculiar to our family, and he was justly considered the -first watchmaker in Blois, a town which has long excelled in the -horologic art. - -My cousin began by teaching me how to “make filings,” as my father -called it, but I required no apprenticeship to learn the use of tools, -and hence the outset was not so painful as it is usually to novices. -From the beginning of my apprenticeship I was enabled to undertake small -jobs, which gained me my master’s praise. Yet I would not have it -supposed I was a model pupil, for I had still rife in me that spirit of -investigation which drew down upon me several reprimands from my cousin, -and I could not endure to confine my imagination to the ideas of another -person. I was continually inventing or improving. - -My whole life through, this passion--or, if you will, mania--has held -sway over me. I never could fix my thoughts on any task without trying -to introduce some improvement, or strike out a novel idea. But this -temperament--eventually so favorable--was at this period very -prejudicial to my progress. Before following my own inspirations and -yielding to my fancies, I ought to have learned the secrets of my art, -and, in fact, dispelled all ideas which were only adapted to make me -diverge from the true principles of clockmaking. - -Such was the sense of the paternal observations made now and then by my -cousin, and I was obliged to recognize their justice. Then I would go to -work again with redoubled zeal, though groaning inwardly at the bonds -that fettered my genius. In order to aid my progress and afford me -relaxation, my master recommended me to study some treatises on -mechanics in general, and on clockmaking in particular. As this suited -my taste exactly, I gladly assented, and I was devoting myself -passionately to this attractive study, when a circumstance, apparently -most simple, suddenly decided my future life, by revealing to me a -vocation whose mysterious resources must open a vast field for my -inventive and fanciful ideas. - -One evening I went into a bookseller’s shop to buy Berthoud’s “Treatise -on Clockmaking,” which I knew he had. The tradesman being engaged at the -moment on matters more important, took down two volumes from the shelves -and handed them to me without ceremony. On returning home, I sat down to -peruse my treatise conscientiously, but judge of my surprise when I -read on the back of one the volumes “SCIENTIFIC AMUSEMENTS.” Astonished -at finding such a title on a professional work, I opened it impatiently, -and, on running through the table of contents, my surprise was doubled -on reading these strange phrases: - -_The way of performing tricks with the cards--How to guess a person’s -thoughts--To cut off a pigeon’s head, to restore it to life, &c., &c._ - -The bookseller had made a mistake. In his haste, he had given me two -volumes of the Encyclopædia instead of Berthoud. Fascinated, however, by -the announcement of such marvels, I devoured the mysterious pages, and -the further my reading advanced, the more I saw laid bare before me the -secrets of an art for which I was unconsciously predestined. - -I fear I shall be accused of exaggeration, or at least not be understood -by many of my readers, when I say that this discovery caused me the -greatest joy I had ever experienced. At this moment a secret -presentiment warned me that success, perhaps glory, would one day accrue -to me in the apparent realization of the marvellous and impossible, and -fortunately these presentiments did not err. - -The resemblance between two books, and the hurry of a bookseller, were -the common-place causes of the most important event in my life. - -It may be urged that different circumstances might have suggested this -profession to me at a later date. It is probable; but then I should have -had no time for it. Would any workman, artisan, or tradesman give up a -certainty, however slight it may be, to yield to a passion which would -be surely regarded as a mania? Hence my irresistible penchant for the -mysterious could only be followed at this precise period of my life. - -How often since have I blessed this providential error, without which I -should have probably vegetated as a country watchmaker! My life would -have been spent in gentle monotony; I should have been spared many -sufferings, emotions, and shocks; but, on the other hand, what lively -sensations, what profound delight would have been sacrificed! - -I was eagerly devouring every line of the magic book which described the -astounding tricks; my head was a-glow, and I at times gave way to -thoughts which plunged me in ecstasy. Still the hours slipped away, and -while my mind was indulging in fanciful dreams, I did not notice that my -candle had burned down in the socket. How can I describe my -disappointment when it suddenly went out? It was the last candle I -possessed; hence I was forced to quit the sublime realms of magic all -for want of a halfpenny taper. At this instant I would have given my -whole fortune, were it only for a street lamp. - -I was not exactly in the dark: a dim ray entered my window from a -neighboring lamp: but, though I made every effort to read by it, I could -not decipher a single word, was obliged to retire to bed willy-nilly. - -In vain I tried to sleep: the febrile excitement produced by the book -prevented either sleep or rest. I went continually over the passages -which had most struck me, and the interest they inspired only the more -excited me. Finding it impossible to remain in bed, I repeatedly -returned to the window, and while casting envious glances on the lamp, I -had made up my mind to go down into the street and read by its light, -when another idea occurred to me. In my impatience to realize it I did -not wait to dress, but, confining my attire to what was strictly -necessary, if I may so call a pair of slippers and my drawers, I took my -hat in one hand, a pair of pincers in the other, and went down into the -street. - -Once there, I proceeded straight to the lamp; for I must confess, that -in my anxiety to profit at once by the sleight-of-hand tricks I had been -studying, I intended to conjure away the oil-lamp provided by the -authorities for the safety of the town. The part the hat and pincers -were to play in the operation were simple enough: the latter would -wrench open the little box containing the end of the cord by which the -lamp was raised, and the former would act as a dark lantern, and hide -the rays of light which might betray my theft.[A] - -All prospered famously; and I was about to retire in triumph, when a -miserable incident threatened to rob me of the profits of my trick. At -the moment of my success a baker’s man overthrew my plans by emerging -from the door of his shop. I concealed myself in a doorway, and, while -striving to hide the light, I waited perfectly motionless till the -unlucky baker retired. But judge of my grief and terror when I saw him -lean against the door and calmly smoke his pipe! - -My position was growing intolerable; the cold and the fear of detection -made my teeth chatter, and to increase my despair, I soon felt the -lining of my hat catch fire. There was no time for hesitation: I crushed -my failure of a lantern in my hands, and thus put out the fire; but it -was a dreadful sacrifice. My poor hat, the one I wore on Sundays, was -smoked, stained with oil, and shapeless. And while I was enduring all -these torments, my tyrant continued to smoke with an air of calmness -and comfort which drove me nearly mad. - -It was quite plain I could not stay here till day-light; but how to -escape from this critical situation? To ask the baker to keep my secret -would be running a risk; while, to return home straight would betray me, -for I must pass in front of him, and he would be sure to recognise me. -The only chance left was to go down a side street and make a dĂ©tour to -reach the house. This I decided on, even at the risk of any one meeting -me in my bathing attire. Without delay I took hat and lamp under my arm, -for I was forced to remove the proofs of my crime, and I started off -like an arrow. In my trouble, I fancied the baker was after me. I even -thought I heard his foot-fall behind me, and in my anxiety to escape I -doubled my speed; first I turned to the right, then to the left, and -went through such a number of streets, that it took me a quarter of an -hour to regain my room, in a state of perfect collapse, yet glad to have -escaped so cheaply. - -It is a painful confession for a man destined eventually to fill a -certain part in the annals of conjuring to make, that my trial-piece -turned out so lamentably. In fact, to use a theatrical phrase, it was an -utter _fiasco_. - -Still, I was not at all discouraged; the next day I regained all my -equanimity on finding my precious treatise on “White Magic” before me, -and I began studying the interesting secrets it contained with great -ardor. - -Within a week I knew them all by heart. - -From theory I resolved to proceed to practice; but, just as was the case -with Carlosbach’s book, I suddenly met with an obstacle. The author, I -will grant, was more conscientious than the Bordelais mystifier: he gave -a very plain explanation of his tricks; still, he committed the error of -supposing his readers possessed of the necessary skill to perform them. -Now, I was entirely deficient in this skill, and though most desirous of -acquiring it, I found nothing in the book to indicate the means. I was -in the position of a man who attempts to copy a picture without -possessing the slightest notion of drawing and painting. - -In the absence of a professor to instruct me, I was compelled to create -the principles of the science I wished to study. In the first place, I -recognised the fundamental principle of sleight-of-hand, that the organs -performing the principal part are the sight and touch. I saw that, in -order to attain any degree of perfection, the professor must develop -these organs to their fullest extent--for, in his exhibitions, he must -be able to see everything that takes place around him at half a glance, -and execute his deceptions with unfailing dexterity. - -I had been often struck by the ease with which pianists can read and -perform at sight the most difficult pieces. I saw that, by practice, it -would be possible to create a certainty of perception and facility of -touch, rendering it easy for the artist to attend to several things -simultaneously, while his hands were busy employed with some complicated -task. This faculty I wished to acquire and apply to sleight-of-hand; -still, as music could not afford me the necessary elements, I had -recourse to the juggler’s art, in which I hoped to meet with an -analogous result. - -It is well known that the trick with the balls wonderfully improves the -touch, but does it not improve the vision at the same time? In fact, -when a juggler throws into the air four balls crossing each other in -various directions, he requires an extraordinary power of sight to -follow the direction his hands have given to each of the balls. At this -period a corn-cutter resided at Blois, who possessed the double talent -of juggling and extracting corns with a skill worthy of the lightness -of his hands. Still, with both these qualities, he was not rich, and -being aware of that fact, I hoped to obtain lessons from him at a price -suited to my modest finances. In fact, for ten francs he agreed to -initiate me in the juggling art. - -I practised with so much zeal, and progressed so rapidly, that in less -than a month I had nothing more to learn; at least, I knew as much as my -master, with the exception of corn-cutting, the monopoly in which I left -him. I was able to juggle with four balls at once. But this did not -satisfy my ambition; so I placed a book before me, and, while the balls -were in the air, I accustomed myself to read without any hesitation. - -This will probably seem to my readers very extraordinary; but I shall -surprise them still more, when I say that I have just amused myself by -repeating this curious experiment. Though thirty years have elapsed -since the time of which I am writing, and though I scarcely once touched -the balls during that period, I can still manage to read with ease while -keeping three balls up. - -The practice of this trick gave my fingers a remarkable degree of -delicacy and certainty, while my eye was at the same time acquiring a -promptitude of perception that was quite marvellous. Presently I shall -have to speak of the service this rendered me in my experiment of second -sight. After having thus made my hands supple and docile, I went on -straight to sleight-of-hand, and I more especially devoted myself to the -manipulation of cards and palmistry. - -This operation requires a great deal of practice; for, while the hand is -held apparently open, balls, corks, lumps of sugar, coins, &c., must be -held unseen, the fingers remaining perfectly free and limber. - -Owing to the little time at my disposal, the difficulties connected -with these new experiments would have been insurmountable, had I not -found a mode of practising without neglecting my business. It was the -fashion in those days to wear coats with large pockets on the hips, -called _Ă la propriĂ©taire_, so whenever my hands were not otherwise -engaged they slipped naturally into my pockets, and set to work with -cards, coins, or one of the objects I have mentioned. It will be easily -understood how much time I gained by this. Thus, for instance, when out -on errands my hands could be at work on both sides; at dinner, I often -ate my soup with one hand while I was learning to _sauter la coupe_ with -the other--in short, the slightest moment of relaxation was devoted to -my favorite pursuit. As no one suspected that my paletĂ´t was in some -degree a study, this manner of keeping my hands in my pockets began to -be regarded as a bad habit I had acquired; but after a few jests on the -subject I was left in peace. - -Though my passion for sleight-of-hand was so intense, I had, however, -sufficient command over myself not to displease my master, who never -noticed that my thoughts were away from my work, and constantly praised -me for my regularity and application. - -At length my apprenticeship was over, and my cousin, one fine day, -stated I was a journeyman and able to earn wages. I heard this with -double pleasure, for I found in it not only greater liberty, but also a -chance of improving my finances. Nor was I long ere I profited by my -advancement; a situation was offered me by a watchmaker at Tours, and I -proceeded to that town at once. - -My new master was that M. Noriet, who afterwards gained some distinction -as a sculptor. His imagination, already fall of his future works, -disdained the ordinary labor of watch repairing, and he gladly left to -his workmen what he called, ironically, the “shoe-black” part of the -trade. It was for this purpose I joined him, and I received, in addition -to board and lodging, 35 fr. a month. Little enough, I grant; but it was -an enormous sum in my eyes, for, since leaving the lawyer’s, at Avaray, -my income had been reduced to a _minimum_. - -When I say I earned 35 fr., it is merely to mention a round sum; in -reality I never received it net. Madame Noriet, in her quality of an -excellent manager, was perfectly conversant with all matters relative to -discount and exchanges; and thus, she had found a way of lessening my -wages in a manner as ingenious as it was improper. She used to pay me in -crowns of six francs, and as at that time six-franc pieces were only -worth 5 fr. 80 c., the lady gained 24 sous every month, which I carried -to my “profit and loss” account. - -Although my time was fully occupied here, I managed to continue my -pocket practice; and I daily noticed with joy the progress I was making. -I had learned how to make any object I held in my hand disappear with -the greatest ease; and as for the practice of card tricks, they were -only child’s play to me, and I could produce some delightful illusions. - -I confess to feeling a degree of pride in my humble power of amusing my -friends, and I neglected no occasion of displaying it. On Sunday, for -instance, after the invariable game of loto, which was played in this -patriarchal family, I gave a small performance of sleight-of-hand, which -enlivened the melancholy victims of this most monotonous of all games. I -was honored with the name of an “agreeable droll,” and this compliment -delighted me. - -My regular habits, my perseverance, and perhaps a certain degree of -gaiety I possessed at the time, had gained me the friendship and -sympathy of both my master and mistress. At last I became an -indispensable member of the family, and shared in all their amusements. -Among these were frequent excursions in the country. On one of these, on -the 25th of July, 1828, (I shall never forget that memorable date, as it -was all but registered on my tombstone,) we went to a fair at an -adjacent village. Before leaving Tours, we had promised to be home to -dinner at five; but, finding ourselves much amused, we did not keep -military time, nor find our way home till eight. - -After enduring the scolding of the cook, whose dinner had got cold, we -sat down and ate like people whose appetite has been whetted by a long -walk in the open air, and eight or ten hours’ fasting. - -Whatever Jeannette might say, everything she sent up was found -excellent, except a certain ragoĂ»t, which everybody declared detestable, -and hardly touched. I, however, devoured my share of the dish, without -troubling myself the least in the world about its quality. In spite of -the jests aroused by my avidity, I asked for a second relay, and would -certainly have eaten the whole dish, had not my mistress, with due -regard for my health, prevented it. - -This precaution saved my life. In fact, dinner was hardly over and the -game of loto begun, when I felt most uncomfortable. I went to my room, -where atrocious pains seized upon me, and a doctor was sent for. After a -careful investigation, the doctor discovered that a powerful layer of -verdigris had formed in the stewpan in which the ragoĂ»t had been cooked -and said I was poisoned. - -The consequences of this poisoning were most terrible to me: for some -time my life was despaired of, but eventually the sufferings seemed to -be modified by the gentle care bestowed on me, and I was granted some -slight relief. Strangely enough, it was not till this second phase of my -illness, when the doctor declared me out of danger, that I was haunted -by a certainty of speedy death, to which was joined an immoderate desire -to end my days in the bosom of my family. This idea--a species of -monomania--incessantly assailed me, and I soon had no other thought than -that of escaping to Blois. As I could not hope to obtain the doctor’s -permission to set out, when his most urgent advice was to take care of -myself, I determined to take leave. - -At six o’clock one morning, taking advantage of a moment when I was left -to myself, I hastily dressed, went down stairs, and found a stage-coach -just starting for Blois. I entered the rotonde, in which I happened to -be the only passenger, and the coach, lightly laden as it was, soon set -off at full gallop. - -The journey was a horrible martyrdom to me. I was devoured by a burning -fever, and my head seemed to be burst asunder by every jolt of the -vehicle. In my frenzy I tried to escape my agony, and yet it was -continually increasing. Unable to endure longer, I opened the door of -the compartment, and leaped, at an imminent risk of my life, on to the -high road, where I fell in a state of insensibility. - -I cannot say what happened to me after my fainting fit; I can only -remember long days of vague and painful existence, that appeared of -eternal duration: I was in a raging fever; my dreams were frightful, and -I suffered from the most dreadful hallucinations. One of them was -incessantly recurring--it seemed as if my head opened like a snuff-box; -a doctor, with turned-up cuffs, and armed with an enormous pair of iron -pincers, drew from my brain roasted chesnuts, which immediately burst -like bombs, and scattered myriads of scintillations before my eyes. - -This phantasmagoria gradually faded away, and the illness at length -succumbed; but my reason was so shaken that it did not avail me. I was -reduced to a mechanical existence. If I noticed anything, it seemed -veiled in a thick mist, and I could not perform any process of -reasoning. It is true that all I did notice only served to increase the -confusion of my ideas. I felt as if being shaken in a carriage, and, -yet, I was in a capital bed, and the room was exquisitely clean. How -could I help fancying I was still dreaming? - -At length, a spark of intelligence was aroused in me, and the first -startling impression was produced by the sight of a man standing at my -bedside. His features were quite strange to me. Stooping over, he -affectionately urged me to swallow a draught. I obeyed; and he then -begged me to keep silent, and remain as calm as I possibly could. - -Unfortunately, my present state of weakness rendered it but too easy to -follow this prescription. Still, I tried to guess who this man could be, -and consulted my memory. It was quite useless: I could remember nothing -since the moment when, yielding to frenzy, I had thrown myself out of -the diligence. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - I return to Life--A strange Doctor--Torrini and Antonio: a Conjurer - and a Fanatic for Music--A Murderer’s Confession--A perambulating - House--The Fair at Angers--A portable Theatre--I witness for the - first Time a Conjuring Performance--The blind Man’s Game at - Piquet--A Dangerous Rival--Signor Castelli eats a Man alive. - - -I am by no means a fatalist; and yet I cannot refrain from remarking -here that many events in human life seem to encourage the views of -fatalists. - -Suppose, dear reader, that, on leaving Blois to proceed to Tours, -destiny had opened before me one of the fairest pages of my life, I -should certainly have been delighted at such a glorious future, but in -my heart I should have been inclined to doubt its realization. In fact, -I set out as a simple workman, with the intention of making a tour of -France. This journey would have occupied much time, as I intended to -remain a year or two in every city I visited, and France is large! Then, -when I considered myself skilful enough, I would return home and set up -as a watchmaker. - -But fate decided otherwise, and I must be drawn back to my real “groove” -when I tried to escape from it. The means employed were a poisoning, -which turned me mad, and hurled me lifeless on the high road. But I was -going to recall my reminiscences after my _fortunate_ catastrophe, and I -will take up the story from the point where I left off. - -What had happened since my fainting fit; where was I; why did this man -treat me so kindly? I longed for a solution of these problems, and I -should certainly have cross-questioned my host, had it not been for the -earnest advice he had just given me. As thought, however, was not -forbidden, I tried to form a satisfactory conclusion from surrounding -objects. - -The room I was in might be three yards long by two broad. The walls were -made of polished oak; on either side was a small window with muslin -curtains; while four walnut chairs, shelves serving as tables, and my -excellent bed, composed the furniture of this moving room, which bore a -close resemblance to the cabin of a steamboat. - -There must also be two other compartments, for, to my left, I saw my -doctor frequently disappear behind two red damask curtains, where I -heard him moving about, while to my right I heard, through a thin -partition, a voice encouraging the horses. This circumstance made me -conclude I was in a carriage, and that the latter voice belonged to the -driver. - -I already knew that hero’s name, as I had often heard the person I -presumed to be his master use it. It was Antonio: and he was, at any -rate, a splendid musician, for he was continually singing pieces from -Italian operas, which he broke off to swear harmlessly at his steeds. As -for the master, he was a man of about fifty, above the average height, -and his face, though sad and serious, displayed a degree of kindness -which prepossessed me. His long black hair fell on his shoulders in -natural curls, and he was dressed in a blouse and trousers of unbleached -cloth, with a yellow silk pocket-handkerchief as cravat. But nothing in -all this served to tell me what he was, and my surprise was increased by -finding him constantly at my side, and nursing me like the fondest of -mothers. - -A day had elapsed since his recommendation to keep silent; I had gained -a little strength, and fancied myself strong enough to talk; I was, -therefore, going to begin, when my host, guessing my intention, -prevented me. - -“I can imagine,” he said, “your impatience to know where you are and -whom with; nor, will I conceal from you that I am equally curious to -learn the circumstances that led to our meeting. Still, in regard for -your health, the responsibility of which I have assumed, I must ask you -to be patient for one night more; to-morrow, I believe, we shall be able -to talk as long as you like, without any risk.” - -As I had no serious objection to raise, and as I had been wont for some -time to obey all my strange doctor ordered, I yielded. The certainty of -soon holding the key to the enigma secured me a peaceful sleep, whose -good effects I noticed on waking. Thus, when the doctor came to feel my -pulse, he was surprised at the progress I had made in a few hours, and, -without awaiting my questions, he said, as if replying to the mute -inquiry my eyes made: - -“Yes, I will satisfy your just curiosity; I owe you an explanation, and -you shall not wait any longer. My name is Torrini, and I am a conjurer -by profession. You are in my house--that is, in the carriage I usually -employ as my domicile. You will be surprised, I dare say, to learn that -the bedroom you now occupy can be lengthened into a theatre, and in that -room behind the red curtains is the stage on which my apparatus is -arranged.” - -At the word “conjurer” I could not repress a start of satisfaction, -which my sorcerer probably did not notice, ignorant as he was that he -had before him one of the most fervent adepts of his profession. - -“As for yourself,” he went on, “I need not ask you any questions: your -name, trade, as well as the cause of your illness, are known to me, for -I consulted your _livret_, and some letters I found on you, in my desire -to benefit you. I must now tell you, though, all that has happened since -you lost consciousness. After giving some representations at Orleans, I -was proceeding to Angers, where the fair will shortly begin, when, at -some distance from Amboise, I found you lying insensible, with your face -to the ground. Fortunately for you, I was then taking my morning walk by -the horses’ side, and this circumstance saved you from being run over. -By Antonio’s help I carried you to my bed, and my knowledge of medicine -restored you to life. But, my poor fellow! the fever caused you to make -the most terrible outbreaks; you threatened me continually, and I had -the greatest difficulty in mastering you. At Tours I would have gladly -stopped to call in a doctor, for your situation was critical, and I had -not practiced for many years:--but my hours were counted: I must arrive -in time at Angers, where I wish to choose a good spot for my exhibition, -and I had a strange fancy I should save your life, which has proved -true.” - -Not knowing how to thank this excellent Torrini, I offered him my hand, -which he pressed firmly: but--must I confess it--I was checked in the -effusion of my gratitude by a thought which I deeply regretted later. - -“To what motive,” I asked myself, “can I attribute this sudden -affection?” This feeling, however sincere it might be, must have some -cause, and in my ingratitude I sought whether my benefactor did not -conceal some interested design behind his apparent generosity. Torrini, -as if he had guessed my thoughts, continued, in a kindly tone: - -“You expect a fuller explanation? Well, however painful it may be to me, -I will give it. It is this-- - -“You are surprised that a mountebank, a man belonging to a class not -generally erring on the side of sensibility, should have evinced such -compassion for your sufferings, but your surprise will cease, my boy, on -learning that this compassion is produced by the sweet illusion of -paternal love.” - -Here Torrini stopped an instant, tried to recover himself, and then -proceeded: - -“I had a son, a beloved son; he was my hope, my life, my happiness; but -a dread fatality robbed me of him: he died, and, terrible to say, he was -assassinated, and his murderer stands before you!” - -At this unexpected confession I could not repress a start of horror; the -cold drops beaded on my face. - -“Yes, yes, his murderer!” Torrini went on, his voice growing gradually -firmer, “and, yet, the law could not punish me; it left me life. In vain -I accused myself before my judges; they treated me as a maniac, and my -crime was regarded as accidental homicide. But what do I care, after -all, for their judgment? Whether through carelessness, or imprudence as -they say, my poor Giovanni is not the less lost to me, and I shall -reproach myself with his death my life long.” - -Torrini’s voice was drowned by his sobs. He remained for some time with -his hands before his eyes; then, making an effort, he continued, in a -calmer tone: - -“To spare you emotions that might prove dangerous in your present state, -I will abridge the narrative of the misfortunes to which this event was -only a terrible prelude. What I have said will suffice to explain the -natural cause of my sympathy towards you. When I first saw you, I was -struck by the likeness you bore in age and height to my unhappy boy. I -even fancied I could trace a certain resemblance in your face, and -yielding to this illusion, I decided on keeping you near me, and nursing -you as if you were my own child. You can now form an idea of the agony I -endured during the week when I was compelled to despair of your -restoration to life. But Providence, taking pity on us both, has saved -you. You are now quite convalescent, and in a few days, I trust, will be -perfectly recovered. Such, my boy, is the secret of the affection I -displayed towards you.” - -Deeply moved by the father’s misfortunes, and touched by the tender care -he had bestowed on me, I could only express my gratitude in half-broken -phrases, for I was almost stifled by emotion. Torrini, also feeling the -necessity of shortening this painful interview, went out, promising to -return soon. - -No sooner was I alone than a thousand thoughts crossed my mind. This -mysterious and tragical event, the thought of which seemed to overthrow -Torrini’s reason; this crime of which he accused himself so -persistently; this verdict whose justice he disputed, perplexed me in -the highest degree, and gave me a great desire to obtain more complete -details about this domestic drama. Then, I asked myself how a man -possessing so agreeable a countenance, who did not lack either judgment -or talent, and who joined to a solid education a readiness of -conversation and distinguished manners, could have thus sunk to the -lowest stage of his profession. - -While absorbed in these thoughts, the vehicle stopped: we had arrived at -Angers. Torrini left us, in order to obtain the mayor’s leave to -perform, and so soon as he had succeeded, he prepared to occupy the spot -allotted to him. As I have already stated, the room I occupied was to be -transformed into a theatre; hence I was carried to an adjacent inn, and -placed in a capital arm chair close to an open window. The weather was -glorious; the sun’s beneficent rays seemed to impart fresh life to me, -and I began to lose that egotistic indifference which a lengthened -illness usually produces. - -I could see Antonio and his master, with their sleeves tucked up, -working at the theatre. In a few hours our residence was completely -transformed; the moving house had become a charming room. The -arrangement of this singular vehicle is so stamped on my memory, that I -can still supply an exact description of it, and I will fill up the -details I have already given of it. - -The bed on which I had lain was drawn up through a trap in the ceiling -where it occupied a very small space. If clothes or linen were required, -an adjoining trap was opened, and by means of a ring, a chest of drawers -was produced, as if by magic. A similar process revealed a small -chimney, which, by a peculiar arrangement, expelled the smoke below the -hearth. Lastly, the larder, cooking-range, and other accessories of the -household, were ready to hand, and could be easily restored to their -respective places. This strange furniture occupied all the space between -the wheels, so that the room, though amply furnished, was not crowded. - -But I was most surprised to see the vehicle, which was scarcely six -yards long, suddenly grow twice that length. This was most ingeniously -contrived: the body was double and could be pulled out like a telescope. -This prolongation, supported by trestels, was quite as secure as the -rest of the edifice. The partition, dividing the rooms off, had been -removed, so that they now formed but a single apartment. The public -entered on this side, and a staircase led to the door, before which an -elegant marquee formed a vestibule, where the tickets were issued. -Lastly, a scaffolding was erected over the front, which represented a -stuccoed house. - -The sight of this machine excited my imagination, and I built castles in -the air which I was never to inhabit. I, too, would have a similar -vehicle, though rather smaller, as my exhibition would be different. - -Here I must make room for a parenthesis, to supply an explanation I -think necessary. I have spoken so much of sleight-of-hand, that it might -be supposed I had quite given up all thoughts about mechanism. On the -contrary I still passionately loved that science; but I had modified its -application, since the love of the marvellous had inflamed my -imagination. I proposed to call to my aid automata, which I would -eventually build; then, I would traverse the whole of Europe, perhaps -the world, gaining an ample amount of honor, pleasure and profit. - -While engaged with these pleasant dreams I regained my health and -strength, and hoped that Torrini would soon allow me to be present at -one of his performances. In fact, he soon offered me an agreeable -surprise, for, one evening, he led me to his theatre, and installed me -on the first row of seats, grandly denominated “the stalls.” Judging by -my own enthusiasm, I expected the theatre would be thronged so soon as -the doors opened, but to my great surprise and regret, the room was not -more than half full. - -The hour fixed for commencing at length arrived; the bell rang thrice, -the curtains were drawn back, and an exquisite little stage was visible. -The most striking thing was the entire absence of all that apparatus by -which many performers compensate for their lack of skill, while by a -graceful innovation, a few candles artistically arranged, were -substituted for that dazzling glare which, at the period of which I -write, was the indispensable ornament of all performances of “amusing -science.” - -Torrini appeared, walked towards the public with great ease of manner, -made a deep bow, then demanded the indulgence of the spectators, and -ended by paying a compliment to the ladies. This slight address, though -uttered in a cold and melancholy tone, received a few encouraging bravos -from the audience. - -The performance commenced in the most perfect silence; everybody seemed -inclined to devote all attention to it. I could hardly breathe, in my -desire not to lose a single word or gesture. - -I will not describe the several tricks I saw; they all possessed -extraordinary interest for me; but Torrini appeared to excel in card -tricks. He possessed two most precious qualities in the exercise of this -art: these were extreme skill and an incredible boldness of execution. -To these he added a most aristocratic way of touching the cards; his -white and carefully-tended hands seemed hardly to rest on them, and his -tricks were so artistically performed, that the audience involuntarily -bestowed a sympathising confidence upon him. Sure of the effect he would -produce, he performed the most difficult “passes,” with a coolness no -one could expect him to possess; and this produced the most successful -results. To close the performances, Torrini requested the audience to -choose some one to play a game of piquet with him, and a gentleman -immediately stepped on the stage. - -“Pardon me, sir,” said Torrini, “but it is indispensable, for the -success of the experiment, that I should know your name and profession.” - -“Nothing easier, sir. My name is Joseph Lenoir, at your service; and my -profession is that of a dancing-master.” - -Any other than Torrini would have made some jest on the name and -profession of this rival of Vestris; but he did nothing of the sort. He -had only asked this question to gain time, for he never indulged in any -mystification; so he merely added: - -“I thank you, sir, for your kindness; and now we know who we are, we can -place confidence in each other. You have come to play a game of piquet -with me; but do you understand the game thoroughly?” - -“I flatter myself I do, sir.” - -“Ah! ah!” Torrini said with a laugh. “Pray do not flatter yourself till -we have played our game. Still, not to lower your self-esteem, I will -allow you to be an excellent player; but that will not prevent you -losing the game, although the chances are all in your favor. Listen to -me carefully; the trick I am going to perform, and which is called the -â€blind man’s game of piquet,’ requires that I should be blinded, so have -the goodness to bandage my eyes carefully.” - -M. Lenoir, who, I may mention, wore spectacles, was very distrustful, -hence he took extraordinary precautions to accomplish his task. First, -he covered the patient’s eyes with tow, over which he fastened three -thick bandages; and, as if this fourfold covering were not enough to -blind his opponent, he fastened an enormous shawl round his head. I know -not how Torrini kept from suffocation beneath these heavy bandages; for -my part, the perspiration ran down my face at seeing him so muffled up. -Not knowing all the resources this skilful performer had at command, I -was rather fearful as to the result of the experiment, and my alarm -reached its climax when I heard him address his opponent as follows: - -“Monsieur Lenoir, have the kindness to sit down opposite me at this -table. I have still a small service to ask you before we begin our game. -You have quite deprived me of my sight, but that is not enough. You have -now to bind my hands, so that I may be quite incapable.” - -M. Lenoir raised his spectacles and looked at Torrini, as if stupefied; -but the latter, quietly placing his arms on the table, and crossing his -thumbs, said, “Now, sir, fasten them securely.” - -The dancing-master took the piece of whipcord and performed his task as -conscientiously as he had done the first part. - -“Am I now blinded, and deprived of the use of my hands?” Torrini asked -his vis-Ă -vis. - -“I am certain of it,” Joseph Lenoir replied. - -“Well, then, to begin our game. But tell me first in what suit you would -like to be repiqued?” - -“In clubs.” - -“Very good; now deal the cards by twos or threes, as you please. When -they are dealt out, I will leave you to select the hand you think will -enable you best to prevent a repique.” - -All the time these explanations and preparations lasted, the audience -remained motionless and silent, not knowing whether a mystification or a -real trick were intended. Now, on seeing the dancing-master shuffle the -cards, there could be no further doubt; hence all rose to command a view -of the stage, and a great number of spectators even surrounded the -table. I had also drawn near, and, to my great delight, secured a front -place. - -Profound silence in the room. - -“The cards are shuffled, please to cut!” the dancing-master said, in an -ironical tone, as if secure of victory. - -“Willingly,” Torrini replied. And though hampered in his movements, he -soon satisfied his opponent. - -The cards having been dealt, M. Lenoir decided on keeping those before -him. - -“Very good!” said Torrini. “You wished, I think, to be repiqued in -clubs?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Now follow my play. I throw out the sevens of spades, hearts, and -diamonds, and my two eights; the cards I take in give me a quint in -clubs, fourteen in queens, and fourteen in kings, with which I repique -you. Pray count and verify, sir.” - -Torrini spoke the truth. Hearty shouts of applause greeted his success, -while jokes were cut at the expense of the poor dancing-master, who -hurried from the stage in a state of pitiable confusion. - - * * * * * - -The performance over, I expressed to Torrini the pleasure his tricks -caused me, and paid him some sincere compliments on the skill he had -evinced during the whole evening, and especially in his last trick. - -“These compliments are the more flattering,” he replied, with a smile, -“as I know now they are paid me, if not by a fellow-artist, at least by -an amateur, who, I am certain, already possesses some degree of skill in -the profession.” - -I know not which of us, Torrini or myself, was the more charmed by the -compliments we exchanged; at any rate, I felt most sensibly the -favorable opinion he had formed of my talents. One thing, however, -perplexed me: I had never said a word to Torrini about my -sleight-of-hand fancies: how could he have found them out? - -He read my thoughts, and added: - -“You are surprised at my detecting your secret? and you would like to -know how I did so. I am happy to tell you. My room is small; hence it is -easy for me, when on the stage, to look at every face, and judge the -various impressions I produce on the spectators. I observed you -particularly, and while watching the direction of your eyes, I could -judge what was passing in your mind. Thus when I indulged in some -amusing paradox, to draw public attention away from the side where the -trick was to be performed, you alone escaped the snare, and kept your -eyes fixed on the right spot. As for my piquet trick, though I could not -observe you while I was performing it, I have reasons to be assured that -you did not know it.” - -“You have guessed perfectly right, my dear magician, and I cannot deny -that in my leisure hours I have amused myself with some of these tricks, -for which I always felt great inclination.” - -“Inclination! Allow me to say that is not the proper word in your case, -my dear lad; yours is a true passion. I base my opinion on the following -observations. This evening, from the moment of the curtain rising, your -searching eye, your agitated face and half-parted lips, denoted the -state of excitement you were in. You looked like a gourmet just sitting -down to a well-covered board, or a miser gloating over his treasure. Do -you think that with these signs I need be a sorcerer to discover the -sway conjuring exercises over your mind?” - -I was about to reply, when Torrini drew out his watch, and said to me, -“Come, young gentleman, it is growing late; it is high time for a -convalescent to seek his rest. We will continue our conversation at a -better time.” - -With these words my doctor led me to my room, and, after counting my -pulse, which appeared to satisfy him, retired. In spite of the pleasure -I felt in talking, I was not ill-pleased to find myself alone, for I had -a thousand souvenirs to evoke. I wished to summon up again the -experiments that had struck me most, but it was all in vain. One thought -mastered all the rest, and produced a strange sinking in my heart. I -tried, without success, to explain the motives why the public neglected -Torrini’s interesting performances. - -This motive Antonio explained to me afterwards, and it is too curious to -be passed by in silence. Besides, I have here an opportunity to -introduce my readers to a very remarkable specimen of the great family -of mountebanks. - -I have said that we reached Angers at fair time; and among the numerous -providers of amusement who solicited the presence and money of the -Angevins, was another conjurer, known as Castelli. - -He was no more an Italian than was Torrini. I shall presently give -Torrini’s real name, and the reasons that caused him to change it for -the one we know him by; as for the other conjurer, he was a Norman by -birth, and only assumed the name of Castelli in conformity with the -custom of most conjurers of the day, who thought an Italian name more -attractive. - -Castelli was far from possessing Torrini’s marvellous address, and his -performances offered no special interest as far as sleight-of-hand was -concerned; but he thought with Figaro that “skill was better than -learning,” and he proved it by his repeated successes. In truth, this -man was the incarnation of charlatanism, and he spared nothing to pique -public curiosity. Each day some new prodigy was announced on his -enormous posters. It was in reality only a deception, very often a -mystification for the audience; but his treasury was always filled to -repletion--hence, the trick was good. If the public felt wroth at being -duped, Castelli knew the art of escaping from the dilemma and drawing -the laughers on his side; he boldly made some jest in bad Italian, at -which the pit could not help laughing, and was thus disarmed. - -Besides, it must be remembered that, at this period, conjuring was not -so respectable as it is now; people went to an exhibition of that sort -to laugh at the conjurer’s victims, even if themselves exposed to his -attacks. My readers ought to have seen the mystifier _par excellence_, -the celebrated physico-ventriloquist of the age, Comte, to form an idea -of the cool way in which the public was then treated. This performer, -though so graceful and gallant towards ladies, was merciless to men. -According to his notions, the cavaliers (as they were then called) were -predestined to supply amusement for the fair sex---- But I must not -poach on the biography of the “natural philosopher to the king,” which -will hereafter find a place in my volume. - -The same day on which I had witnessed Torrini’s performance, Castelli’s -bills contained an astounding statement, well adapted, I grant, to tempt -public curiosity. The professor pledged himself to eat a man alive, and -if he did not succeed to the satisfaction of his audience, he would hand -over all the receipts to the mayor for distribution among the poor. This -seductive appeal had drawn the whole town; crowds collected round the -show, and persons who arrived too late were glad to pay double entrance -money. But the new trick played by the conjurer was quite worthy of all -that had preceded it. - -Castelli, after performing several tricks of second-rate interest, at -length arrived at the one which caused even the calmest spectator to -throb with impatience. - -“Gentlemen,” he then said, addressing the audience, “we will now proceed -to the last trick. I promised to eat a man alive for my supper, and I -will keep my word. Will the courageous spectator who wishes to serve as -a repast to me (Castelli pronounced this word with the expression of a -perfect cannibal) take the trouble to mount on the stage?” - -Two victims immediately presented themselves. By accident they offered a -perfect contrast, and Castelli, who understood the art of producing an -effect, skilfully profited by it. He placed them side by side, with -their faces turned to the audience, then after surveying one of them, a -tall, bilious-looking fellow, from head to foot, he said to him, with -affected politeness, - -“I do not wish to insult you, sir, but I am sorry to tell you that, as -regards my food, I am quite of M. le Curé’s opinion--you understand me?” - -The tall, thin man appeared for a moment as if trying to guess a riddle, -and ended by scratching his ear--a gesture which, among all nations, -civilized or barbarous, signifies, “I do not understand.” - -“I will explain, then,” Castelli continued. “You know that M. le CurĂ© -does not like bones; at least, so they say at forfeits, and I assure you -I share the Curé’s antipathy in this respect. You can retire, then; I -will not detain you.” And Castelli began bowing to his visitor, who -hastened back to his seat. - -“Now, then, for us two,” the conjurer said, turning to the one who -remained. He was a tall, chubby fellow, with rosy cheeks, who seemed -purposely made for the repast of an epicurean cannibal. - -“Well, my stout friend, so you consent to be eaten alive?” - -“Yes, sir, I am quite willing, and came here for that purpose.” - -“Ah! ah! that is capital!” (Here Castelli licked his lips like a -gourmet, whose mouth waters at the sight of a dainty dish.) “As I have a -powerful appetite, we will begin directly.” - -At this moment a gigantic cruet-stand was brought in. The stout youth -regarded it with surprise, as if trying to discover the use of this -strange utensil. - -“Don’t mind it, pray!” said Castelli. “I am very fond of hot dishes, so -allow me to pepper and salt you in my usual fashion.” - -And he began covering the unhappy man with a white powder, which, -adhering to his hair, face, and clothes, soon gave him an extraordinary -appearance. The stout youth, who at the beginning had tried to rival the -conjurer’s gaiety, did not laugh now, and seemed earnestly to desire the -end of the jest. - -“Now, then!” Castelli added, rolling his eyes about ferociously, “kneel -down, and hold your hands over your head. Very good, my friend: it -really looks as if you had never followed any other trade than being -eaten alive. Now, then, say your prayers, and I will begin. Are you -ready?” - -“Yes, sir,” the stout lad muttered, turning quite yellow with emotion, -“I am ready.” - -Castelli then took the end of the patient’s thumb in his mouth, and bit -it so hard that the latter, as if working by a spring, jumped up, -shouting energetically, - -“Confound it, sir, take care; you hurt me!” - -“What! I hurt you?” Castelli said, with perfect calmness. “What will you -say, then, when I reach your head? It was really absurd of you to cry -out like a baby at the first mouthful. Come, be reasonable: let me go -on. I am frightfully hungry, and long for my supper.” - -And Castelli, thrusting him by the shoulders, tried to make him take his -first position. But the young man resisted with all his strength, as he -cried, in a voice palsied with fear, “I won’t have it: I tell you I -won’t have it. You hurt me too much!” At length, by a supreme effort, he -escaped from his tormentor’s hands. During this time the audience, -foreseeing the result of this amusing scene, had been shouting with -laughter, and Castelli found some difficulty in gaining a hearing. - -“Gentlemen!” he said, assuming a tone of the deepest disappointment, -“you see me both surprised and vexed at the flight of that gentleman, -who had not the courage to allow himself to be eaten. Now, I expect some -one to take his place; for, far from shunning the performance of my -promise, I feel so comfortable, that I pledge myself, after eating the -first spectator who offers, to eat the second, and so on. Indeed, to -prove myself worthy your applause, I promise to eat the whole roomful.” - -This jest was greeted by another hearty laugh, but the farce was played -out. No one came forward to be eaten, and the crowd went home to digest -the trick played on them all. - -If such manĹ“uvres could succeed, few spectators were left for -Torrini. As he desired to maintain a certain dignity, he never announced -tricks he did not perform, and, even if trying to render the titles -attractive, he always adhered to the strictest truth. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - Antonio’s Confessions--How to gain Public Applause--The Count - de ----, Mountebank--I repair an Automaton--A Mechanician’s Shop on - Wheels--Nomadic Life--Happy Existence--Torrini’s Lessons--His - Opinions about Sleight-of-Hand--A Fashionable Greek, Victim of his - own Swindling--The Conjurer Comus--A Duel at Piquet--Torrini - proclaimed Conqueror--Revelations--New Catastrophe--Poor Torrini! - - -The day after the performances, Antonio came as usual to inquire after -my health. I have already said this young man possessed a charming -character: ever gay, ever singing, his fund of good humor was -inexhaustible, and frequently produced a degree of gaiety in our house, -which otherwise would have been very gloomy. On opening my door, he -stopped the operatic air he had been humming from the bottom of the -stairs. - -“Well, my little signor,” he said, in French, picturesquely intermingled -with Italian, “how is the health this morning?” - -“Famous, Antonio--famous, thank you!” - -“Oh yes! famous, Antonio, famous!” and the Italian sought to repeat the -intonation of my voice. “I believe you, my dear patient, but that will -not prevent you taking this draught the doctor, my master, has sent -you.” - -“I am willing; but, indeed, this medicine is becoming unnecessary, for I -now feel that I shall soon be restored to health, and then I shall only -have to thank you and your master for your attention to me, and pay him -the expenses caused by my illness.” - -“What are you talking about?” Antonio said. “Do you think of leaving us? -Oh, I hope not.” - -“You are right, Antonio; I am not thinking of it to-day, but I must -consider of it so soon as I am in a condition to leave. You must see, my -friend, that, in spite of all the pain our separation will cause me, I -must make up my mind to it before long, for I am anxious to return to -Blois and reassure my family, who must feel most uncomfortable about -me.” - -“Your family cannot be uncomfortable, as, in order to calm your father, -you wrote to him that your illness, having had no dangerous results, you -had proceeded to Angers to look for work.” - -“It is true, but----“ - -“But, but,” Antonio interrupted me, “you have no good reason to offer. I -repeat, you cannot quit us. Besides,” he added, lowering his voice, “if -I told you something, I am sure you would be of my opinion.” - -Antonio stopped, appeared to struggle for a moment against the desire he -felt to confide in me, then, making up his mind, said, resolutely, “Ah, -bah! as it is necessary, I cannot hesitate. You were talking just now -about paying my master. Do you know that he is, I fancy, in your debt?” - -“I do not understand you.” - -“Well, listen to me, my dear friend,” Antonio said, with a mysterious -air; “I will explain myself. You are not ignorant that our poor Torrini -is afflicted by a very grave malady that touches him here (and Antonio -laid his hand on his forehead); now, since you have been with us, and he -fancies he can trace some resemblance to his son, my master is -gradually losing his sorrow, and even indulges in gaiety now and then. -Yesterday, for instance, during his performance, you saw him make his -audience laugh twice or thrice, which has not occurred for a long time. - -“Ah, my dear sir,” Antonio continued, growing more and more -communicative, “if you had seen him before that fatal event, when he -performed in the first theatres of Italy. What enthusiasm! what spirit! -Who could have foretold at that period that Count de”--here Antonio -checked himself--“that the celebrated Torrini would ever be reduced to -play in a barn as the rival of the lowest mountebanks--he, the -inimitable sorcerer, the honored artist, everywhere known as the -handsome, the elegant Torrini! However, it was only just; for he -eclipsed the richest professors by his luxury and distinguished manners, -and never did a performer more fully deserve legitimate applause for his -talent and address. - -“However, I must confess,” Antonio added, carried away by his -confessions, “that this applause was sometimes my handiwork. Doubtlessly -the public appreciates talent with intelligence, but it often requires -to be guided in the outburst of its admiration. I took charge of this -duty, and without saying a word to my master, I prepared him several -ovations which extended and prolonged his success. How many times -boquets, thrown at the right moment, excited the applause of the entire -audience? how many times murmurs of approval, skilfully introduced, -aroused the enthusiasm of the theatre? What successes, my dear -fellow--what successes we had, though, in those days. I cannot give you -a better idea of them than by saying that, at times, my master could -hardly manage to spend all the money his representations produced.” - -“It is a pity, that your master,” I said to Antonio, “did not place -less trust in the future, and save a portion of that fortune which he -would gladly have to-day.” - -“We have often made that reflection,” he replied, “but it only increased -our regret. And how could we suppose then that Fortune would turn her -back on us so suddenly? Besides, my master thought luxury necessary to -acquire that prestige which he liked to possess, and considered justly -that his prodigality added to the popularity his talent had procured -him.” - -This confidential talk would probably have lasted longer, had not -Torrini called Antonio, who suddenly quitted me. - -One incident struck me in this conversation: it was when Antonio -recalled his master’s name. This remark only increased my desire to know -Torrini’s history. But I had no time to lose, as the last performance -was announced for the following day, and I was resolved to return home. - -I therefore armed myself with courage to overcome the repugnance which, -according to Antonio, his master felt about speaking of the past, and -after we had breakfasted together, I broke the ice, in the hope I should -lead him to tell me all I so much wanted to know. - -“You are going to AngoulĂŞme to-morrow,” I said to him, “and I regret I -cannot accompany you: we must separate, however much it may cost me, -after the service you have rendered me, and the care you have devoted to -me.” - -I then begged him to let my family know the expenses my illness had -entailed, and I ended by assuring him of my deep gratitude. I expected -to hear Torrini oppose my departure: but it was not so. - -“However much you may press me,” he replied, with the greatest calmness, -“I will take nothing from you. How can I ask payment for what has -caused me so much happiness? Never talk about that. You wish to leave -me,” he added, with that affectionate smile peculiar to him, “and I say -you will not leave me.” - -I was going to reply. - -“I say you will not leave me,” he repeated, quickly, “because you have -no reason to do so, and because, presently you will have a thousand to -remain some time longer with me. In the first place, you require great -care to recover your health and root out the remains of an illness which -might otherwise return. Besides, I will add, I was awaiting your -convalescence to ask a service from you which you cannot refuse; I want -you to repair an automaton I bought from a Dutch mechanician, of the -name of OprĂ©, and I am sure you will do it admirably.” - -To these excellent reasons Torrini, who doubtlessly feared some -hesitation on my part, joined the most attractive promises. - -“To lighten your labors,” he said, “we will have long talks about -conjuring. I will explain to you the game of piquet, that delighted you -so much, and after, when that subject is exhausted, I will tell you the -most important events of my life. You will learn from my story what a -man is capable of suffering short of death, and the lessons you may draw -from a life now almost ended may serve, perchance, to guide you in a -career which has hardly yet commenced. Lastly,” he said, offering me his -hand, “your presence, I trust, will help to dispel those gloomy thoughts -which have robbed me so long of my energy.” - -I could make no reply to these touching solicitations; hence I yielded -to Torrini’s wishes. The same day he gave me the automaton I was to -repair. It was a small harlequin, supposed to leap out of the box in -which it was confined, perform some evolutions, and return to prison at -the word of command; but it was in such a bad condition, that I had -almost to make a new one. For this purpose I arranged a small workshop -in the carriage, and, two days later, I began my first automatic labors, -while proceeding along the road to AngoulĂŞme. - -Never shall I forget the charm of that journey. My health was perfectly -restored, and with it my gaiety and the full exercise of my moral -faculties. Our enormous vehicle, drawn by two horses, could not proceed -very rapidly: hence we only covered nine or ten leagues a day, and even -then we had to start very early. Still, in spite of our slow locomotion, -never did time appear to me to pass so quickly or more agreeably. Was it -not the realization of all my dreams? What more could I desire? -Installed in a small, clean room, before a window through which the -smiling panorama of Poitou and the Angoumois was unrolled before me, I -found myself amidst my beloved tools, working at the construction of an -automaton, in which I saw the first-born of a numerous progeny: it was -impossible for me to imagine anything to surpass this. - -On starting, I attacked my work with such impetuosity, that Torrini, -still anxious for my health, insisted that I should take some rest after -every meal. The same day, on leaving the dinner-table, he handed me a -pack of cards, and told me to display my skill. - -Though frightened by such a clear-sighted spectator, by a judge whose -skill had so astonished me, I collected my courage, and began by one of -those effects to which I had given the name of “flourishes.” It was a -brilliant prelude, merely intended to dazzle the eyes while showing the -extreme agility of the fingers. Torrini regarded me with indifference, -and I fancied I saw a smile playing round his lips. I was, I confess, -rather disappointed, but he hastened to console me. - -“I really admire your address,” he said, “but I put little faith in -those flourishes, as you call them. I find them brilliant, but useless. -Besides, I am curious to know if you use them at the beginning or end of -your card tricks.” - -“It appears to me logical enough,” I replied, “to place them at the -beginning, as they are only intended to dazzle the spectators.” - -“Well, my boy,” he went on, “we differ on that point. I think that they -ought not to be placed either at the beginning or end of any card -tricks. For this reason: after such a brilliant exhibition, the -spectator will only see in your tricks the result of dexterity, while, -by affecting a good deal of simplicity, you will prevent your audience -trying to account for them. Thus you produce a supernatural effect, and -pass for a real sorcerer.” - -I quite agreed in this reasoning, the more so as at the beginning of my -experiments I had always considered nature and simplicity the bases of -the art of producing illusions, and I had laid down the maxim (only -applicable to conjuring) that “you must first gain the confidence of the -person you wish to cheat.” Hence, I had not been consistent with my -principles, and humbly confessed it. - -It is certainly a singular occupation for a man to whom frankness is -natural, to be continually engaged in concealing his thoughts, and -seeking the best way of making dupes. But may it not also be urged that -dissimulation and falsehood become qualities or defects according to the -purpose they are employed for? - -Does not the merchant, for instance, regard them as precious qualities -to heighten the value of his wares? - -Does the science of diplomacy consist in stating everything with -frankness and simplicity? - -Lastly, is not fashion, or the usages of decent society, an admirable -mixture of dissimulation and deceptions? - -As for the art I cultivated, what would it be without falsehood? - -Encouraged by Torrini, I regained my assurance. I continued practising -all my tricks, and showed him several new inventions of my own. My -master paid me some compliments, to which he added sensible advice. - -“I recommend you,” he said, “to moderate your vivacity. Instead of -displaying so much petulence in your movements, affect, on the contrary, -extreme calmness, and thus you will avoid those clumsy gesticulations by -which conjurers generally fancy they distract the attention of their -spectators, when they only succeed in wearying them.” - -My professor then, adding example to precept, took the cards from my -hands, and showed me in the same passes I had performed the finesses of -dissimulation allied to sleight-of-hand. I looked on with sincere -admiration: probably flattered by the impression he had produced on me, -Torrini said: - -“As we are now on the subject of card tricks, I will explain to you my -game of piquet; but, in the first place, you must see the box I employ -in its performance.” - -And he handed me a small box, which I turned over a score times without -detecting its use. - -“You will seek in vain,” he said to me; “a few words would put you on -the right track, but I prefer, although the remembrances it summons up -are very painful, to tell you how this box fell into my hands, and for -what purpose it was originally invented. - -“About twenty years ago I was living at Florence, where I practised as -a physician. I was not a conjurer in those days (he added, with a -profound sigh), and would to Heaven I had never become so! - -“Among the young men of my own age, I was particularly intimate with a -German of the name of Zilbermann. Like myself, he was a doctor, and -equally like myself without practice. We passed the greatest part of our -leisure hours together: in other words, we were almost inseparable. Our -tastes were much the same, save on one point, where we differed -essentially. Zilbermann was passionately fond of gambling, while I felt -no attraction for play. My antipathy for cards must indeed have been -excessive to prevent me yielding to the force of contagion, for my -friend won large sums, enabling him to live like a great gentleman, -while I, though most economical, could not help incurring debts. However -this may be, Zilbermann and I lived on terms of fraternal intimacy. His -purse was at my service, but I used it discreetly, as I knew not when I -should be able to return what I borrowed. His delicacy and generosity -towards me led me to believe he was frank and loyal with all the world, -but I was deceived. - -“One day, when I had only left him a few hours before, one of his -servants came hastily to summon me, stating that his master had been -dangerously wounded, and begged to see me at once. I ran off directly, -and found my unhappy friend lying on his couch with a face of deadly -pallor. Overcoming my grief, I proceeded to offer him succor. Zilbermann -stopped me, motioned me to sit down, dismissed his attendants, and, -after being assured we were alone, begged me to listen to him. His -voice, weakened by the pain he was suffering, scarcely reached my ear, -and I was forced to stoop down over him. - -“â€My dear Edmond,’ he said to me, â€a man accused me of cheating. I -challenged him--we fought with pistols--and his bullet is lodged in my -chest.’ - -“And when I urged Zilbermann to let me attend to him, he added: - -“â€It is useless, my friend. I feel I am wounded to death. I have hardly -time to make a confession, for which I claim all your indulgent -friendship. Learn, then,’ he added, offering me a hand damp with death, -â€I was not unjustly insulted. I am ashamed to confess that, for a long -time, I have lived at the expense of my dupes. Aided by a fatal skill, -and still more by an instrument I invented, I daily cheated at play.’ - -“â€How--you, Zilbermann?’ I said, withdrawing my hand sharply. - -“â€Yes, I!’ the dying man replied, seeming by a glance to supplicate my -mercy. - -“â€Edmond!’ he added, collecting all his remaining strength, â€in the name -of our old friendship do not abandon me! For the honor of my family, let -not this proof of my infamy be found here. I implore you to remove this -instrument.’ And he showed me a small box attached to his arm. - -“I unfastened it, and like yourself, my boy, looked at it, without -understanding its use. Revived by a thought of his culpable passion, -Zilbermann added, with the most lively admiration, - -“â€And yet see how ingenious it was. This box can be attached to the arm -without perceptibly increasing its size. Ready packed cards are put in -it beforehand; when you are going to cut, you put your hand quietly over -the cards on the table, so as to cover them completely; then you press -this spring by resting your arm gently on the table. The prepared cards -come out while a pair of pincers seize the other pack and draw it up -into the box. To-day, for the first time, the instrument failed me--the -pincers left a card on the table. My adversary----’ - -“Zilbermann could not complete the phrase; he had drawn his last gasp. - -“Zilbermann’s confessions and death had overpowered me, and I hastened -from his room. On returning home, I began to reflect on what had -happened, and, imagining that my known intimacy with the deceased would -forbid my stay at Florence, I determined on proceeding to Naples. I took -with me the unlucky box, though not foreseeing the use I should -eventually make of it; and for a long time I forgot its existence. -However, when I turned my attention to conjuring, I thought about my -piquet trick, and the fortunate use I made of the box gained me one of -my most remarkable triumphs as professor of sleight-of-hand.” - - * * * * * - -At this recollection, Torrini’s eyes sparkled with unusual brilliancy, -and prepared me for an interesting anecdote. He proceeded as follows: - -“A conjurer, named Comus, had invented a trick at piquet, which he -performed, I must allow, with extraordinary dexterity. The praise he -acquired in consequence rendered him very boastful; and thus he never -failed to announce on his bills that he alone could perform this -incomparable trick, thus challenging all the sleight-of-hand professors -known. I had some degree of reputation in those days, and Comus’s -assertion stung me. Knowing his way of doing the trick, and my own to be -far superior, I resolved to pick up the glove he threw to all his -rivals. - -“I therefore went to Geneva, where he happened to be, and offered him a -share performance, in which a jury should decide on our relative merits. -Comus gladly accepted, and on the day fixed an immense number of -spectators assembled. Being my senior, my opponent commenced. But, in -order that you, my dear Robert, may also act as jury, I will first -explain to you how he performed his trick. - -“Taking a new pack of cards, he undid the cover, had them shuffled, and -then taking them in his hand, he managed to get them, as if by accident, -either face to face or back to back. This disarrangement gave him time -to manipulate the cards, while appearing to be merely putting them in -order; thus, when he had finished, I could easily see that he had made -an almost imperceptible crease on certain cards, which must give him a -suit of eight cards, a king, and fourteen in aces. - -“This done, Comus handed the cards to his adversary, begging him to -shuffle them again; and, during this time, he had his eyes bandaged. -This was a useless precaution, let me observe _en passant_, for whatever -care may be taken to deprive a person of sight in this way, the -projection of the nose always leaves a vacuum sufficient to see clearly. - -“When the other player had finished, Comus again took up the cards as if -to shuffle them; but you can easily understand that he only arranged -them so that the cards he had marked must fall to him in the deal. The -_saute de coupe_, as you are aware, neutralises the effect of cutting; -hence Comus was certain of success. In fact, matters ended so on this -occasion, and hearty applause greeted my rival’s victory. - -“I have reason to believe that a great number of these bravos emanated -from his friends and accomplices, for when I came forward in my turn to -perform my trick, a murmur of dissatisfaction greeted my appearance on -the stage. The ill-will of the spectators was so manifest that it would -have intimidated me, had I not then been quite steeled against all -applause or dissatisfaction on the part of the public. - -“The audience were far from suspecting the surprise I had prepared for -them, for instead of asking any one to come from the house as my -playman, I requested Comus himself to play with me. At this request I -saw the people begin to look at each other; but what were the -exclamations when, after asking my rival to bandage my eyes and tie my -hands, I not only declined to touch the cards, but left him at liberty, -after stating in what suit he would be repiqued, to deal the cards by -twos or threes, and choose the hand he preferred! - -“I had a pack ready prepared in my box, and I was sure of my -instrument--need I say that I gained the game? - -“Owing to my secret arrangements, my mode of acting was so simple, that -it was impossible to find out how I did it, while Comus’s preliminary -manipulations led to the supposition that his dexterity gained the game. -I was declared victor unanimously. Shouts greeted this decision; and -even Comus’s own friends, deserting my rival, came to offer me a pretty -gold pin, surmounted by a cup, the symbol of my profession. This pin, as -one of the audience told me, had been ordered by poor Comus, who felt -certain of winning it back. - -“I may (Torrini added) fairly boast of this victory; for, though -Zilbermann left me the box, he had not taught me the game of piquet, -which I invented myself. Was not this trick, I ask you, far superior to -Comus’s, which, it is true, deceived the multitude, but the poorest -sleight-of-hand performer could easily detect?” - -Torrini was extremely proud of his inventive skill; but this, I believe, -was his sole defect, and he made up for it by his readiness to praise -other persons. His story ended, I complimented him most sincerely, not -only on his invention, but on the victory he had gained over Comus. - -Travelling in this way, and stopping at times to perform in towns where -we might hope to clear a profit, we passed through Limoges, and found -ourselves on the road leading from that town to Clermont. Torrini -proposed to give some performances in the chief town of the Puy-de-DĂ´me, -after which he intended returning straight to Italy, whose gentle -climate and quaint ovations he regretted. - -I had made up my mind to part from him there. We had been travelling -together about two months; this was about the time I had fixed for the -repair of the automaton, and my work was almost concluded. On the other -hand, I had a right to ask my dismissal, with no fear of being -considered ungrateful. Torrini’s health had become as good as we might -ever expect, and I had given up to him all the time I could reasonably -spare. - -Still I did not like to speak about our separation, for the professor, -delighted with my progress and skill, could not conceive I could have -any other wish but to travel with him, and eventually become his -successor. This position would certainly have suited me in many -respects, for, as I have said, my vocation was irrevocably fixed. But, -whether new instincts were kindled in me, or that the intimacy I lived -in with Torrini had opened my eyes to the unpleasantness of such a mode -of life, I aimed at something higher than being his successor. - -I had therefore made up my mind to leave him; but painful circumstances -deferred the moment of separation. - -We had just arrived at Aubusson, a town celebrated for its numerous -carpet factories. Torrini and his servant were on the box of the -carriage: I was at work. We were going down a hill, and Antonio was -pulling at the rope which dragged our wheels, when, suddenly, I heard -something break, and the carriage started off at full speed. The -slightest obstacles produced a tremendous shock, and every moment I -expected the carriage to go over. - -Trembling, and hardly able to breathe, I clung to my bench as a plank of -safety, and with my eyes closed, awaited the death that appeared -inevitable. For a moment we were on the point of escaping the -catastrophe. Our powerful horses, skillfully guided by Antonio, had kept -up bravely during this rapid descent, and we had passed the first houses -in Aubusson, when, as misfortune willed it, an enormous hay-cart emerged -from a side street, and barred our passage. The driver did not see the -danger till it was too late to avoid it. The accident was inevitable, -the collision frightful. - -I was momentarily stunned by the pain, but as soon as I recovered I -stepped out of the carriage to look after my comrades. I found Antonio -covered with harmless contusions, supporting Torrini, whose arm was -dislocated, and leg broken. Our two horses lay dead in the road; as for -the carriage, only the body remained intact: all the rest was knocked to -atoms. - -A doctor, hurriedly sent for, reached an adjoining inn to which we had -been directed, almost as soon as ourselves. And here I could not refrain -from admiring Torrini’s magnanimity, when he insisted on our being -looked to first; and, in spite of our entreaties, we could not alter -his determination. Antonio and myself were soon all right again, but -this was not the case with Torrini: he was obliged to undergo all the -operations and different phases of a broken leg. - -Although he treated the accident so coolly, it might produce terrible -consequences for him: the repair of the carriage, the physician, our -forced stay at an inn, would cost him very dear. Could he continue his -performances--replace his horses? This idea caused Antonio and myself -cruel anxiety: Torrini alone did not despair of the future. - -“No matter,” he said, with entire confidence in himself; “once I have -recovered, all will go on well. Why ought a courageous and healthy man -to fear aught? Help yourself, and Heaven will help you! our good La -Fontaine wrote. Well, we will all, then, help ourselves, and no doubt we -shall escape from this dilemma.” - -In order to give my company to this excellent man, and distract his -thoughts, I put up my bench by his bedside, and, while working, -continued the conversations which had been so unfortunately interrupted. - -The day at length arrived when I gave the last touch to the automaton, -and made it perform before Torrini, who appeared delighted with it. Had -our patient been less unfortunate, I should have now quitted him; but -could I leave the man who had saved my life in this way? Besides, -another thought had occurred to me. Although Torrini told us nothing of -his pecuniary position, Antonio and I fancied he was greatly -embarrassed. Was it not my duty to try and relieve him, were it in my -power? I imparted to Antonio a scheme he approved, though begging me to -defer it a little longer, till we found whether our suppositions were -correct. - -Still the days were very long by my patient’s side, for my mechanical -job was finished, and sleight-of-hand was a subject of conversation long -exhausted. One day, when Torrini and I were seeking some topic to talk -about, I remembered his promise to tell me his life history, and -reminded him of it. - -At this request Torrini sighed. “Ah!” he said, “if I could suppress many -sad incidents in my story, I should delight to read you a few pleasant -pages from an artist’s life. However, it may be,” he added, “I have -contracted a debt with you which I must pay. - -“Do not expect me to give you a journal of my life; that would be -tedious both to you and to myself. I will only quote some interesting -episodes, and describe to you some tricks you possibly have not heard -of. This will be the most amusing portion of my story,” Torrini added, -with a smile, “for whatever may be your present resolutions about -following my art, I need not be a Nostradamus to predict that you will -devote yourself to it some day, and gain immense success. What you are -about to hear, my friend, will show you that it is not every man who can -say, with the popular proverb, â€Spring, I will not drink thy water!’” - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - Torrini relates his Life--Treachery of Chevalier Pinetti--A - Conjurer through Malice--A Race between two Magicians--Death of - Pinetti--Exhibits before Pius VII.--The Cardinal’s - Chronometer--Twelve Hundred Francs spent on a Trick--Antonio and - Antonia--The most bitter of Mystifications--Constantinople. - - -My name is Edmond de Grisy, and that of Torrini belongs to Antonio, my -brother-in-law. That worthy young man, whom you wrongfully took for my -servant, has been good enough to follow me in my evil fortune, and help -me in my performances. You must have seen, though, by the way I treat -him, that while leaving to him the toil better suited for his age than -mine, I regard him as my equal, and consider him my best friend--at -least I should have called him so before knowing you--but now, one of my -best friends. - -My father, the Count de Grisy, resided on his property in Languedoc, the -sole resource left him of a once large fortune, which circumstances had -sadly diminished. Devoted to Louis XVI., and one of his most faithful -servants, on the day of danger he offered his body as a rampart for his -sovereign, and was killed at the storming of the Tuilleries on the 18th -of August. - -I was at that time in Paris, and, profiting by the disorders in the -capital, I was enabled to pass the barriers, and reach our small family -domain. There I dug up a hundred louis my father had concealed for any -unforseen accident; to this money I added some jewels left by my -mother, and with these modest resources proceeded to Florence. - -The value of my entire property was 5000 francs. On the interest of this -sum I could not live; hence I was obliged to seek some profession to -support me. I soon formed my decision: taking advantage of the excellent -education I had received, I devoted myself to the study of medicine. -Four years later I took my degree as doctor; I was then twenty-seven. - -I established myself at Florence, where I hoped to form a connexion. -Unfortunately for me, in this town, with its gentle climate and -reinvigorating sun, the number of physicians was greater than that of -the patients, and my new profession was a perfect sinecure. - -I have told you how Zilbermann’s death compelled me to quit the capital -of Tuscany, and I established myself at Naples. More fortunate than at -Florence, immediately on my arrival I was called in to a patient whose -illness had defied the skill of the first Italian physicians. He was a -young man, of very high family; his recovery gained me great renown, and -I soon took my place among the best Neapolitan physicians. This success, -and the fashion I gained by it, opened to me the doors of all the -salons, and my name, aided by the manners of a gentleman brought up at -the court of Louis XVI., rendered me indispensable at all soirĂ©es and -festivals. - -What a happy and calm existence I might still be enjoying had not -destiny, jealous of my happiness, destroyed my future prospects of -felicity by hurling me into the vivid and ardent emotions of an artistic -life! - -The carnival of 1796 had just commenced. At that time one man was the -popular idol of the Italians; nothing was spoken of but the marvels -achieved by Chevalier Pinetti. This celebrated conjurer came to Naples, -and the whole city attended his interesting performances. As I was madly -attached to this sort of spectacle, I spent every evening at the -theatre, trying to guess the chevalier’s tricks, and unfortunately for -myself, I discovered the key to many of them. - -But I did not stop here; I also wished to perform them before a few -friends: success stimulated me, and made me desirous of increasing my -repertoire. At length I could perform all Pinetti’s tricks. The -chevalier was eclipsed; nothing was spoken of but my skill and address; -and every one besought a performance from me. But I did not accede to -all these requests, for I was chary in displaying my talent, hoping thus -to increase its value. - -My privileged spectators were only the more enthusiastic, and asserted -that I equalled Pinetti, if I did not surpass him. - -The public is so happy, my dear lad (Torrini said, with a look of -melancholy regret), when it can oppose some rising talent to any artist -in renown. It seems as if this sovereign dispenser of fashion and favor -takes a malicious pleasure in reminding the man it adores that every -reputation is fragile, and that the idol of to-day may be shattered -to-morrow. - -My vanity forebade my thinking of this. I believed in the sincerity of -the praise bestowed on me; and I, the earnest student, the clever -doctor, was proud of my futile success. - -Pinetti, far from seeming jealous of my triumph, evinced a desire to -form my acquaintance, and even came to call upon me. He might have been -about forty-six years of age at this time, but his elegant toilet made -him appear much younger. There was something distinguished in his face, -though the features were common-place and irregular, and his manners -were excellent. Still, by an inexplicable want of judgment, he used, -when performing, to wear a brilliant general’s uniform, on which -numerous decorations glistened. - -This peculiarity, which bordered too much on the charlatan, ought to -have enlightened me as to the man’s moral value; but my passion for -conjuring rendered me blind. We met like old friends, and our intimacy -was almost instantaneous. Pinetti was most affable, talked about his -secrets unreservedly, and even offered to take me to the theatre and -show me his stage arrangements. I accepted the offer with the greatest -readiness, and we entered his richly ornamented carriage. - -From that moment the chevalier treated me with the utmost familiarity. -In any other this would have wounded my pride, or at least aroused my -suspicion, and I should have been on my guard. On the contrary, I was -enchanted with Pinetti, for, by his unbounded luxury, he had gained such -consideration, that the noblest young gentlemen in the city were proud -of his friendship. Why, then, should I be more haughty than they? In a -few days we had become almost inseparable friends, only parting at the -time of our mutual performances. - -One evening, after one of my private exhibitions, I proceeded to sup as -usual with Pinetti, my head still a-glow with the compliments I had -received. I found him alone. On seeing me enter, the chevalier ran up to -me, embraced me affectionately, and asked how my performance had gone -off. I did not hide my success from him. - -“Ah! my friend,” he said, “that does not surprise me; you are -incomparable: indeed, I should not be paying you a forced compliment if -I said you might challenge the most skillful among us.” - -And during the whole supper, despite my efforts to stop him, he would -only speak of my skill and address. Though I tried to decline his -compliments, the chevalier seemed so sincere, that I ended by accepting -them. In fact, I was so convinced of their truth, that I began to pay -myself some compliments; for how could I believe it was all a trick to -make a fool of me? When Pinetti saw I had arrived at this stage, and -that the champagne had turned my head, he said: - -“Do you know, my dear count, that you could offer the Neapolitans a -surprise to-morrow, worth its weight in gold for the poor?” - -“How?” I asked. - -“Suppose, my dear friend, you take my place in a performance I am going -to give on behalf of the poor. We will put your name in the bills -instead of mine, and it will be regarded as a noble and honorable -understanding between two artists. One representation the less will not -injure my reputation, while it will cover you with glory; I shall thus -have the double satisfaction of helping the unfortunate, and displaying -my best friend’s talent to advantage.” - -This proposal so startled me, that I rose from the table, as if fearing -to hear more. But Pinetti was gifted with such persuasive eloquence, and -he seemed to promise himself so much pleasure from my future triumph, -that at length I ended by yielding all he asked. - -“That is right,” Pinetti said to me; “dismiss such want of confidence in -yourself, which could be hardly pardoned in a schoolboy. Now, matters -settled so far, we have no time to lose. Let us draw up the bill: choose -among my tricks those you prefer, and, as for the preparations trust to -me: I will take care all is in order.” - -The greater number of Pinetti’s tricks were performed by the help of -accomplices, who brought to the theatre various objects of which the -conjurer had doubles. This singularly facilitated the pretended marvels, -and I had no doubt of success. - -We soon drew up the bill, at the top of which I wrote my name with great -emotion; then came a list of the tricks I proposed to do. Just as we -finished this, the usual guests entered the room, offering excuses more -or less specious to explain their delay. Still their tardy appearance -aroused no suspicion in my mind; for Pinetti’s was open all hours of the -night, and his door was only closed from daybreak till two P. M., the -time he devoted to sleep and dress. - -As soon as the new arrivers heard of my resolution, they noisily -congratulated me, and promised to support me by their hearty applause. -Not that I wanted it, they added, for my performance would create an -extraordinary enthusiasm. Pinetti gave one of his servants the bill, -telling him to order the printer to have it posted all over the city -before daybreak. - -An impulse made me stretch out my hand to take back the paper, but -Pinetti checked me with a laugh. - -“Come, my dear friend,” he said, “do not try to fly an assured triumph, -and to-morrow at this hour we shall all be toasting your success.” - -All the visitors joined in chorus, and they drank in anticipation of my -approaching triumph. A few glasses of champagne dispelled my hesitation -and scruples. - -I returned home very late, and went to bed without thinking of what had -occurred. At two the next afternoon I was still asleep, when I was -aroused by Pinetti’s voice. - -“Get up, Edmond!” he shouted through the door. “Up, man! we have no time -to lose: the great day has arrived. Open the door: I have a thousand -things to say to you.” - -I hastened to open. - -“Ah! my dear count,” he said, “allow me to congratulate you on your good -fortune. Your name is in every mouth: the whole theatre is taken; the -last tickets are being positively fought for; the king and the royal -family will do you the honor of being present; we have just been -informed of the fact.” - -At these words the whole affair flashed across my mind: a cold -perspiration stood on my forehead: the terror that assails every novice -rendered me dizzy. In my confusion I sat down on the foot of my bed. - -“Do not reckon on me, chevalier,” I said, with firmness. “Whatever may -happen, I will not perform.” - -“What! you will not perform?” my perfidious friend said, affecting the -most perfect tranquility; “but my good fellow, you cannot be thinking of -what you are saying. There is no possibility of drawing back: the bills -are put up, and it is your duty to keep the engagement you have made. -Besides, you should remember this performance is for the poor, who have -already begun to bless you, and you cannot abandon them, while a refusal -would be an insult to the king. Come, come,” he added, “summon up your -courage, my dear friend. Meet me at the theatre at four: we will have a -rehearsal, which I consider useless, but it may restore your pluck. Till -then, good-by!” - -So soon as I was left to myself, I remained for nearly an hour absorbed -in thought, trying in vain to elude the performance. An insurmountable -barrier ever prevented escape: the king, the poor, the entire -city--all, in short, rendered it an imperious duty to keep my rash -promise. At length I began to think there was no serious difficulty -about the performance, for a great number of the tricks, as I have -already said, being performed by the help of friends, these took the -chief labor on themselves. Encouraged by this idea, I gradually regained -my courage, and at four o’clock joined Pinetti at the theatre with a -degree of assurance that surprised even him. - -As the performance did not begin till eight, I had ample time to make my -preparations, and I employed it so well, that, when the moment arrived -to appear on the stage, my foolish fears were completely dissipated, and -I presented myself before the public with sufficient coolness for a -novice. - -The theatre was crowded. The king and his family, seated in a stage box, -appeared to regard me with sympathizing glances; for his majesty was -probably aware of my being a French Ă©migrĂ©. - -I boldly commenced my performance with a trick which must eminently -excite the imagination of the spectators. I had to borrow a ring, place -it in a pistol, and fire through a window opening from the stage into -the sea that bathed the theatre-walls. This done, I would open a box, -previously examined, closed, and sealed by the audience, and in it would -be found an enormous fish bearing the ring in its mouth. - -Full of confidence in the success of the trick, I proceeded towards the -pit to borrow a ring. Of twenty offered me I selected one belonging to -an accomplice of Pinetti’s, and begged him to place it with his own -hands in the barrel of the pistol I handed to him. Pinetti had told me -that his friend would use for this purpose a copper ring, which would -be sacrificed, and that I should return him a gold one in its place. - -The spectator obeyed me. I then opened the window and fired the pistol. -Like the soldier on the battle-field, the smell of powder excited me; I -felt full of fun and gaiety, and ventured on a few jests, which pleased -the audience. Taking advantage of the general hilarity, I seized my -magic wand and traced my cabalistic circles round the box. At length I -broke the seals and triumphantly produced the fish, which I carried to -the owner of the ring, that he might take it out of the fish’s mouth. - -If the accomplice play his part well, he must evince the greatest -stupefaction, and, indeed, the gentleman, on receiving the ring, began -looking around him, and his face grew very long. Proud of my success, I -went back on the stage and bowed in reply to the applause I received. -Ah, my dear Robert! this triumph lasted but a short time, and became to -me the prelude of a terrible mystification. - -I was proceeding to another trick, when I saw my spectator gesticulating -to his neighbors, and then turning to me as if wishing to address me. I -fancied he was going on with the farce to dispel any suspicion of -collusion; still I thought he went too far. What was my surprise, then, -when the man rose and said: - -“Excuse me, sir, but it seems as if your trick is not over, since you -have given me a copper ring set with paste instead of my diamond -solitaire.” - -As a mistake seemed to me impossible, I turned on my heel and commenced -my preparations for the next trick. - -“Sir,” my obstinate spectator again took the word, “will you have the -goodness to reply to my question? If the end of your trick be a jest, I -acknowledge it as such, and you can return me my ring presently. If it -be not so, I cannot accept the horrible substitute you have handed me.” - -Every one was silent: none knew the meaning of this protest, though many -fancied it was on ordinary mystification, which would end in still -greater glory for the performer. The claimant, the public, and myself -found ourselves in the same state of uncertainty; it was an enigma which -I alone could solve--and I did not know the word. - -Hoping, however, to escape from a position as critical as it was -ridiculous, I walked up to my pitiless creditor, and, on looking at the -ring I had given him, I was startled at finding it was really coarsely -gilt copper. “Could the spectator to whom I applied have been no -accomplice?” I thought. “Could Pinetti desire to betray me?” This -supposition appeared to me so hateful that I rejected it, preferring to -attribute the fatal mistake to chance. But what should I do or say? My -head was all on fire. - -In my despair, I was about to offer the public some explanation of this -untoward accident, when an inspiration temporarily relieved me from my -embarrassment. - -“Do you still believe, sir,” I said to the plaintiff, after assuming an -extreme degree of calmness, “that your ring has been changed into copper -while passing through my hands?” - -“Yes, sir; and, besides, the one you have returned me does not in the -slightest degree resemble mine in shape.” - -“Very good, sir,” I continued, boldly; “that is the real marvel of the -trick; that ring will insensibly assume its old form on your finger, and -by to-morrow morning you will see it is the one you lent me. That is -what we term in the language of the cabala the â€imperceptible -transformation.’” - -This reply gained me time. I intended to see the claimant when the -performance was over, pay him the price of the ring, whatever it might -be, and beg him to keep my secret. After this happy escape I took up a -pack of cards and continued my performance, and as the accomplices had -nothing to do in this trick, I felt sure of success. Approaching the -royal box, I begged his majesty to do me the honor of drawing a card. He -did so very affably; but to my horror, the king had no sooner looked at -the card he had drawn, than he threw it angrily on the stage, with marks -of most profound dissatisfaction. - -The blow dealt me this time was too direct for me to attempt parrying it -or turning it aside. But I was anxious to know the meaning of such a -humiliating affront, so I picked up the card. Imagine, my dear boy, the -full extent of my despair when I read a coarse insult to his majesty, -written in a hand I could not mistake. I attempted to stammer some -excuse, but by a gesture the king disdainfully commanded silence. - -Oh, I cannot describe to you all that then passed in my mind, for a -dizziness attacked my brain, and I felt as if I were going mad. - -I had, at length, obtained a proof of Pinetti’s perfidy. He had -determined on covering me with disgrace and ridicule, and I had fallen -into the infamous snare he had so treacherously laid for me. This idea -restored my wild energy: I was seized by a ferocious desire for revenge, -and I rushed to the side scene, where my enemy should be stationed. I -meant to seize him by the collar, drag him on the stage like a -malefactor, and force him to demand pardon. - -But the juggler was no longer there. I ran in every direction like a -maniac, but wherever I might turn, cries, hisses, and shouts pursued -me, and distracted my brain. At length, bowed down by the weight of such -intense emotions, I fainted. - -For a week I remained in a raging fever, incessantly yelling for revenge -on Pinetti. And I did not know all then. - -I learned afterwards that this unworthy man, this false friend, had -emerged from his hiding-place on my fainting. He had gone on the stage -at the request of some of his accomplices, and continued the -performance, to the great satisfaction of the entire audience. - -Thus, then, all this friendship--all these protestations of -devotion--were only a farce--a very juggling trick. Pinetti had never -felt the slightest affection for me; his flattery was only meant to draw -me into the trap he had laid for my vanity, and he wished to destroy by -a public humiliation a rival who annoyed him. - -He was perfectly successful in this respect, for from that day my most -intimate friends, fearing probably, that the ridicule I endured might be -reflected on them, suddenly turned their backs on me. This desertion -affected me deeply, but I had too much pride to beg the renewal of such -passing friendship, and I resolved on quitting Naples immediately. -Besides, I was planning a scheme of vengeance, for which solitude was -necessary. - -Pinetti, like the coward he was, had fled after the atrocious insult he -had offered me. To have challenged him would be doing him too much -honor, so I vowed to fight him with his own weapons, and humiliate the -shameful traitor in my turn. - -This was the plan I drew up: - -I determined to devote myself ardently to sleight-of-hand, and study -thoroughly an art of which I as yet knew only the first principles. -Then, when quite confident in myself--when I had added many new tricks -to Pinetti’s repertoire--I would pursue my enemy, enter every town -before him, and continually crush him by my superiority. - -Full of this idea, I sold everything I possessed, and took refuge in the -country, where, completely retired from the world, I prepared my plans -for vengeance. I cannot describe to you, my friend, what patience I -devoted and how I toiled during the six months my voluntary retreat -lasted; but I was more than compensated for it, as my success was -complete. I gained a degree of skill to which I had never dared to -pretend: Pinetti was no longer my master, and I became his rival. - -Not satisfied with these results, I intended also to eclipse him by the -richness of my stage. I, therefore, ordered apparatus of unknown -brilliancy in those days, spending in this every farthing I possessed. -With what delight did I regard these glittering instruments, each of -which seemed to me a weapon capable of inflicting mortal wounds on my -adversary’s vanity. How proudly my heart beat at the thought of the -contest I would commence with him! - -Henceforth, it would be a duel of skill between Pinetti and myself, but -a mortal duel; one of us must remain on the ground, and I had reason to -hope that I should be the victor in the struggle. - -Before commencing my tour I made some inquiries about my rival, and -learned that, after traversing Southern Italy, he had just left Lucca, -_en route_ for Bologna. I learned, too, that, on leaving that city, he -intended to visit Modena, Parma and Piacenza. - -Without loss of time I set out for Modena, in order to precede him -there, and thus prevent him performing. Enormous bills announced the -representations of “THE COUNT DE GRISY, THE FRENCH ARTIST,” and my -programme was most attractive, for it contained all Pinetti’s tricks. -The papers had puffed the latter so extravagantly for some time past, -that I felt sure my performance would be gladly witnessed. - -In fact, my room was taken by storm, as eagerly as on my disastrous -performance at Naples; but this time the result was very different. The -improvements I had introduced in my rival’s tricks, and the great skill -I displayed in performing them, gained me a unanimous verdict. - -From this time my success was insured, and the following performances -raised my name above that of all the most fashionable magicians of the -day. According to the plan I had laid down, I left Modena when I heard -of Pinetti’s approach, and went to Parma. My rival, full of faith in his -merits, and not believing in my success, took the theatre I had just -left. But he began to be bitterly undeceived; the whole city was -satiated with the style of amusement he announced; no one responded to -his appeal, and, for the first time, the success to which he was -accustomed slipped from his grasp. - -Chevalier Pinetti, who had so long held undivided sway, was not the man -to yield to a person he called a novice. He had guessed my plans, and, -far from awaiting the attack, he acted on the offensive, and came to -Parma, where he opened a room exactly opposite mine. But this town was -lost to him like the last: he had the misery of seeing my theatre -continually filled, while his was quite deserted. - -I must tell you, too, my friend, that all the money I netted only -covered my luxurious outlay. What did I care for gold and silver? I only -dreamed of revenge, and to satisfy that feeling I squandered my money. I -wished, above all, to pale that star which had formerly eclipsed me. I -displayed regal pomp in my performances; the theatre and its approaches -were literally covered with tapestry and flowers, while the house and -the stage, glistening with light, presented to the dazzled eyes of the -audience numerous escutcheons, bearing compliments to the ladies, who -were thus quite gained over to the side of the gallant Count de Grisy. - -In this way I crushed Pinetti, although he did all in his power to offer -me a vigorous resistance. But what could his tinsel and old-fashioned -ornaments avail against what I may fairly term my elegance and -distinguished manners? - -Piacenza, Cremona, Mantua, Vicenza, Padua, and Venice, were witnesses of -our desperate struggle, and, despite his rage and despair, the arrogant -Pinetti was obliged to endure my superiority, if he did not recognize -it. Abandoned by even his most zealous admirers, he determined to quit -the field, and proceeded towards Russia. Some slight success partly -consoled his late defeats, but, as if Fortune were determined on making -him repay the favors she had so long lavished on him, a tedious and -painful illness exhausted his strength as well as his slight savings. -Reduced to a state of abject misery, he died at the village of -Bartitchoff, in Volhynia, at the house of a nobleman, who sheltered him -from compassion. - -Pinetti once gone, my revenge was satiated, and, being master of the -battle-field, I might have abandoned a profession ill fitted for my -birth. But my medical connexion was broken up, and, on the other hand, I -yielded to a motive which you will appreciate some day; when a man has -once tasted the intoxication produced by the applause of the public, it -is very difficult to renounce it; with my will or against, I must -continue my profession as conjurer. - -I therefore determined on profiting by the reputation I had gained, and -proceeded to Rome, as a brilliant termination to my Italian -representations. Pinetti had never dared to enter that city, less -through distrust of himself, than through fear of the Inquisition, of -which he could only speak with terror. The chevalier was extremely -prudent whenever he was personally concerned: he feared being treated -like a sorcerer, and ending his days in an auto da fè. More than once he -had bid me take warning by the unhappy Cagliostro, who was condemned to -death, and only owed to the clemency of the Pope the commutation of the -penalty into perpetual imprisonment. - -Confiding in the intelligence of Pius VII., and, besides, having no -pretensions to the necromancy Pinetti affected, nor to the charlatanism -of Cagliostro, I proceeded to the capital of the Christian world, where -my performances created a great sensation. His Holiness himself, on -hearing of me, did me the signal honor of requesting a performance, at -which I was advised all the dignitaries of the Church would form my -audience. - -You can fancy, my lad, with what eagerness I acquiesced in his wish, and -what care I devoted to my preparations. After selecting all my best -tricks, I ransacked my brains to invent one worthy of my illustrious -spectators. But I had no need to search long, for chance, that most -ingenious of inventors, came to my aid. - -On the day prior to the performance I was in the shop of one of the -first watchmakers of Rome, when a servant came in to ask if his eminence -the Cardinal de ----â€s watch was repaired. - -“It will not be ready till this evening,” the watchmaker replied; “and I -will do myself the honor of carrying it to your master myself.” - -When the servant had retired, the tradesman said to me: - -“This is a handsome and capital watch. The cardinal to whom it belongs -values it at more than 10,000 fr.; for, as he ordered it himself of the -celebrated Brèguet, he fancies it must be unique of its kind. Strangely -enough, though, only two days ago, a young scamp belonging to this city -offered me a precisely similar watch, made by the same artist for 1000 -fr.” - -While the watchmaker was talking to me, I had already formed a plan. - -“Do you think,” I said to him, “that this person is still inclined to -dispose of his watch?” - -“Certainly,” the watchmaker replied. “This young prodigal, who has spent -all his fortune, is now reduced to sell his family jewels: hence the -1000 fr. will be welcome.” - -“Is he to be found?” - -“Nothing easier: in a gambling-house he never quits.” - -“Well, then, sir, I am anxious to purchase the watch, but it must be -to-day. Have the kindness, then, to buy it for me. After that, you will -engrave on it his eminence’s arms, so that the two watches may be -perfectly similar, and on your discretion the profit you make by the -transaction will depend.” - -The watchmaker knew me, and probably suspected the use I intended to -make of the watch; but he was assured of my discretion, as the honor of -my success would depend on it. Hence he said: - -“I only require a quarter of an hour to go to the gambling-house, and I -am confident your offer will be accepted.” - -The quarter of an hour had not elapsed ere my negotiator returned with -the chronometer in his hand. - -“Here it is!” he said, with an air of triumph. “My man received me like -an envoy from Providence, and gave me the watch without even counting -the money. To-night all will be ready.” - -In fact, that same evening the watchmaker brought me the two -chronometers, and handed me one. On comparing them, it was impossible to -detect the slightest difference. It cost me dear, but I was now certain -of performing a trick which must produce a decided effect. - -The next day I proceeded to the Pontiff’s palace, and at six o’clock, -upon a signal given by the Holy Father, I stepped on the stage. I had -never appeared before such an imposing assembly. Pius VII., seated in a -large arm-chair on a daĂŻs, occupied the foreground: near him were seated -the cardinals, and behind them were the different prelates and -dignitaries of the Church. - -The Pope’s face breathed benevolence, and it was fortunate for me, for -the sight of this smiling and gentle face dissipated an unpleasant idea -which had been strangely troubling me for some moments. - -“Suppose this performance,” I said to myself, “were merely a feigned -examination to make me confess my connexion with the infernal powers? -May not my words be taken down, and perhaps Cagliostro’s perpetual -imprisonment be reserved as the punishment for my innocent experiments?” - -My reason soon dismissed such an absurdity--it was not probable the Pope -would lend himself to such an unworthy snare. Although my fears were -completely removed by this simple reasoning, my opening address -displayed my feelings in some degree, for it seemed more like a -justification than the prelude to a performance. - -“Holy Father!” I said, bowing respectfully, “I am about to show you -some experiments to which the name of â€White Magic’ has been most -unjustly given. This title was invented by charlatans to impress the -multitude, but it only signifies a collection of clever deceptions -intended to amuse the imagination by ingenious artifices.” - -Satisfied by the favorable impression my address produced, I gaily -commenced my performance. I could not describe to you, my dear lad, all -the pleasure I felt on this evening; and the spectators seemed to take -such lively interest in all they saw, that I felt myself in unusual -spirits. The Pope himself was delighted. - -“But, Monsieur le Comte,” he continually said, with charming simplicity, -“how can you do that? I shall be quite ill with merely trying to guess -your secrets.” - -After the “blind man’s game of piquet,” which literally astounded the -audience, I performed the trick of the “burnt writing,” to which I owe -an autograph I set great store by. This is how the trick is done: - -A person writes a sentence or two: he is then requested to burn the -paper, which must be afterwards found intact in a sealed envelope. I -begged his Holiness to write a sentence: he consented, and wrote as -follows: - -“I have much pleasure in stating that M. le Comte de Grisy is an amiable -sorcerer.” - -The paper was burned, and nothing could depict the Pope’s astonishment -on finding it in the centre of a large number of sealed envelopes. I -received his permission to keep this autograph. - -To end my performance, and set the crown on my exploits, I now proceeded -to the trick I had invented for the occasion. - -Here I had several difficulties to contend with; the greatest was -certainly to induce Cardinal de ---- to lend me his watch, and that -without asking him directly for it, and, to succeed, I must have -recourse to a ruse. At my request several watches were offered me, but I -returned them with the excuse, more or less true, that, as they had no -peculiarity of shape, it would be difficult to prove the identity of the -one I chose. - -“If any gentleman among you,” I added, “has a watch of rather large size -(this was the peculiarity of the cardinal’s), and would kindly lend it -to me, I should prefer it as better suited for the experiment. I need -not say I will take the greatest care of it; I only wish to prove its -superiority, if it really possess it, or, on the other hand, to -marvellously improve it.” - -All eyes were naturally turned on the cardinal, who, it was known, set -great value on the exaggerated size of his chronometer. He asserted, -with some show of reason perhaps, that the works acted more freely in a -large case. However, he hesitated to lend me his beloved watch, till -Pius VII. said to him: - -“Cardinal, I fancy your watch will suit exactly; oblige me by handing it -to M. de Grisy.” - -His eminence assented, though not without numberless precautions; and -when I had the chronometer in my hands, I drew the attention of the Pope -and the cardinals to it, while pretending to admire the works and -handsome chasing. - -“Is your watch a repeater?” I then said to the cardinal. - -“No, sir, it is a chronometer, and watches of that degree of accuracy -are not usually encumbered with unnecessary machinery.” - -“Indeed! a chronometer; then it must be English?” I said, with apparent -simplicity. - -“What, sir?” the cardinal replied, as if stung by my remark, “do you -think chronometers are only made in England? On the contrary, the best -specimens have always been made in France. What English maker can be -compared with Pierre Leroy, Ferdinand Berthoud, or Brèguet above all, -who made that chronometer for me?” - -The Pope began to smile at the cardinal’s energy. - -“Well, then, we will select this chronometer,” I said, putting a stop to -the conversation I had purposely started. “I have, then, gentlemen, to -prove to you its solidity and excellent qualities. Now for the first -trial.” - -And I let the watch fall to the ground. A cry of terror rose on all -sides, while the cardinal, pale and trembling, bounded from his seat, -saying, with ill-suppressed wrath, - -“You are playing a very sorry jest, sir.” - -“But, monseigneur,” I said, with the greatest calmness, “you have no -occasion to be frightened; I merely wish to prove to these gentlemen the -perfection of your watch. I beg you not to be alarmed; it will escape -scathless from all the trials I subject it to.” - -With these words I stamped on the case, which broke, flattened, and soon -presented but a shapeless mass. At first, I really fancied the cardinal -was going into a fit; he could scarcely restrain his passion; but the -Pope then turned to him: - -“Come, cardinal, have you no confidence in our sorcerer? For my part, I -laugh like a child at it, being convinced there has been some clever -substitution.” - -“Will your Holiness permit me to remark,” I said, respectfully, “that -there has been no substitution? I appeal to his eminence, who will -recognise his own watch.” - -And I offered the cardinal the shapeless relics of his watch. He -examined them anxiously, and finding his arms engraved inside the case, -said, with a deep sigh, “Yes, that is certainly my watch. But,” he -added, dryly, “I know not how you will escape, sir: at any rate, you -should have played this unjustifiable trick on some object that might be -replaced, for _my_ chronometer is unique!” - -“Well, your excellency, I am enchanted at that circumstance, for it must -enhance the credit of my experiment. Now, with your permission I will -proceed.” - -“Good gracious me, sir, you did not consult me before destroying the -watch. Do what you please, it is no concern of mine.” - -The identity of the cardinal’s watch thus proved, I wished to pass into -the Pope’s pocket the one I had bought the previous evening. But I could -not dream of this so long as his Holiness remained seated. Hence, I -sought some pretext to make him rise, and soon found one. - -A brass mortar, with an enormous pestle, was now brought in. I placed it -on the table, threw in the fragments of the chronometer, and began -pounding furiously. Suddenly, a slight detonation was heard, and a vivid -light came from the vessel, which cast a ruddy hue over the spectators, -and produced a magical appearance. All this while, bending over the -mortar, I pretended to see something that filled me with the liveliest -astonishment. - -Through respect for the Pope, no one ventured to rise, but the Pontiff, -yielding to his curiosity, approached the table, followed by a portion -of the audience. They might look and look: nothing was to be seen but -flame. - -“I know not whether I must attribute it to the dazed state of my brain,” -said his Holiness, passing his hand over his eyes, “but I can -distinguish nothing.” - -I, too, had much the same idea, but, far, from confessing it, I begged -the Pope to come round the table and chose a more favorable spot. -During this time I slipped my reserve watch into the Pope’s pocket. The -experiment was certain, and the cardinal’s watch had, by this time, been -reduced to a small ingot, which I held up to the spectators. - -“Now,” I said, “I will restore this ingot to its original shape, and the -transformation shall be performed during its passage to the pocket of a -person who cannot be suspected of complicity.” - -“Aha!” the Pope said, in a jocular tone, “that is becoming a little too -strong. But what would you do, my good sorcerer, if I asked you to -choose my pocket?” - -“Your Holiness need only order for me to obey.” - -“Well, Monsieur le Comte, let be so.” - -“Your Holiness shall be immediately satisfied.” - -I then took the ingot in my fingers, showed it to the company, and it -disappeared on my uttering the word “Pass.” - -The Pope, with manifestations of utter incredulity, thrust his hand into -his pocket. I soon saw him blush with confusion, and draw out the watch, -which he handed to the cardinal as if afraid of burning his fingers. - -At first it was supposed to be a mystification, as no one could believe -in such an immediate repair; but when my audience were assured that I -had fulfilled my promise, I received the applause so successful a trick -deserved. - -The next day the Pope sent me a rich diamond snuff-box, while thanking -me for all the pleasure I had occasioned him. - -This performance created a great sensation at Rome, and every one -flocked to see my marvels. Perhaps they hoped to witness the famous -trick of the “Broken Watch,” which I had performed at the Vatican. But -though I was then very extravagant, I was not so mad as to spend 1200 -francs a night in the performance of a trick which could never again be -done under such favorable auspices. - -An operatic company was attached to the theatre while I performed, but -their performances were suspended during my stay in Rome. The manager -employed this leisure time to rehearse a fresh piece to be performed on -my departure, and this gave me a daily opportunity to mix with the -actors. I had formed a peculiar friendship with one of the youngest of -them, a charming lad of eighteen, with a tenor voice, whose elegant and -regular features formed a singular contrast to his employment. His -feminine face, with his small waist and timid demeanor, quite injured -the effect when he played the part of a lover; he looked like a -boarding-school miss in man’s clothes. Yet, I discovered afterwards that -this effeminate person contained a bold and manly heart, for Antonio -(such was the tenor’s name) had been engaged in several affairs of -honor, in which he had done his manly devoir. - - At this part of Torrini’s story I interrupted him, for the name of - Antonio struck me. - -“What!” I said, “can it be that----?” - -“Certainly; the same person! Your astonishment is justifiable, but it -will cease when I tell you that more than twenty years have elapsed -since the time I speak of. At that period, Antonio did not wear a heavy -black beard, and his face had not yet been embrowned by the open air and -the fatigues of our laborious and nomadic life.” - -Antonio’s mother was also engaged at the theatre; she performed in the -ballets, and her name was Lauretta Torrini. Though close upon forty, she -had retained all her pristine charms. She must have been very beautiful -in her time, but the greatest scandal-mongers could not reproach her -with the least levity. She was the widow of a government clerk, and had -brought up her family by her own labor. - -Antonio was not her only child; she had borne a daughter with him. These -twins, as frequently happens, had such a striking resemblance, that only -their dress distinguished them; and they had been christened Antonio and -Antonia. The lad received a musical education at the theatre, but -Antonia was always sedulously kept from the stage. After a careful -education, her mother had placed her in a milliner’s shop, till she -could set up for herself. - -I have dwelled so long on this family because, as you can guess, it soon -became my own. My friendship for Antonio was not quite disinterested, -for I owed to it an introduction to his sister. Antonia was lovely and -virtuous: I asked her hand, and was accepted. Our marriage was to take -place as soon as my engagement had terminated, and it was arranged that -Lauretta and Antonio should share our fortunes. - -I have already said that Antonio appeared effeminate; but although large -black eyes, fringed with long eyelashes, and exquisitely pencilled -eyebrows, a Grecian nose, and fresh and ruddy lips, were almost wasted -on Antonio, still these advantages admirably suited my betrothed. Such a -treasure could not long remain concealed: Antonia was noticed, and all -the rich young nobles fluttered round her. But she loved me, and had no -difficulty in resisting the numerous and brilliant offers made her. - -While waiting the wished-for day, Antonia and I formed plans for our -future happiness. She would enjoy a travelling life, and as she longed -for a sea-voyage, I promised to take her to Constantinople. I wished to -perform before Selim III., who was considered an enlightened prince, -and hospitably treated the artists he assembled at his court. All, -then, seemed to smile on my plans, when one morning, while dreaming of -these pleasant prospects, Antonio suddenly entered my room. - -“My dear Edmond,” he said, “I defy you to guess where I have been, and -what has happened to me since last evening. I must tell you, then, as -prelude to my story, that, dragged, in spite of myself, into a drama, -which threatened to become very sanguinary, I turned it into a farce, -the details of which are worth hearing. You shall judge. - -“I was at the theatre yesterday, when a carpenter, a worthy man in many -respects, but who spends three parts of his time in public-houses, came -up and begged to tell me a secret. - -“Monsieur Antonio,” he said, “if you wish to prevent a great evil, you -have no time to lose. I have just been drinking with some of my -comrades, and a man, whose acquaintance we had formed over the bottle, -told us we could gain a large sum easily. The proposal was so agreeable -that we accepted it unanimously, on condition of knowing what was wanted -of us. We were told, and this is what we promised to do: - -“This evening, when your sister leaves her shop, we are to surround her, -as if quarrelling, and drown her cries by our shouts. The Marquis -d’A----â€s people will manage the rest. Now do you understand?” - -I only understood too well, and, scarcely thanking the carpenter, I -rushed off at full speed. Fortunately my brains did not fail me. I was -in front of a gunsmith’s: I went in, bought a pair of pistols, and then -hastened home. - -“Mother,” I said, as I went in, “I have made a bet that I should be -taken for Antonia by putting on her clothes. Dress me, then, quickly, -and tell my sister I beg her to leave the shop half an hour later than -usual.” - -My mother did as I asked, and when I was dressed I so perfectly -resembled Antonia that she kissed me, and burst into a hearty laugh at -my pleasant idea. - -Nine o’clock had just struck: it was the hour appointed for the -abduction. I hastened away, doing my best to imitate my sister’s walk -and manner. My heart beat violently when I saw this band of robbers and -servants approach me, and I instinctively put my hands on my firearms; -but I soon resumed the timid demeanor of a young girl and walked -onwards. - -The affair was executed just as I had been told; I was carried off with -all proper respect, in spite of my feigned resistance, and placed in a -carriage with the blinds down. - -The horses started off at a gallop. - -There was a man by my side whom I recognized in the gloom; it was -certainly the Marquis d’A----. I had to endure his warm excuses, and -then his passionate assurances, which sent the blood to my cheeks, and I -was several times on the point of betraying myself, but my vengeance was -so exquisite and near that I suppressed my anger. My purpose was, so -soon as I found myself alone with him, to challenge him to mortal -combat. - -Half an hour had scarce elapsed when we reached the end of our journey. -The Marquis begged me to descend, and politely offered me his hand to -lead me into a small isolated villa. We entered a brilliantly lighted -room, where some young gentlemen and ladies were awaiting us. My -abductor, radiant with victory, introduced me to his friends and their -companions, and received their felicitations. - -I lowered my eyes for fear my passion might be noticed, for I knew that -this humiliating triumph had been reserved for my sister, who would -certainly have died of shame. Five minutes later a servant opened the -folding-doors, and announced that supper was served. - -“To table, friends,” the marquis exclaimed--“to table, and let each take -the place he likes best!” And he offered me his arm. - -We seated ourselves round a sumptuous repast, the marquis waiting on me, -for he had dismissed all the attendants. For some time I refused to -touch anything; but, you know, my dear Edmond, nature has claims which -cannot be neglected. I was fearfully hungry, and my appetite was -sharpened by the scent of the dainty dishes. In spite of my anger, I was -forced to give up my plans of abstention, and yielded to temptation. - -I could not eat without drinking, and there was no water on the table. -The other ladies had no objection to wine, so I followed their example. -Still I was very moderate, and, to play my part properly, I affected -great reserve and extreme timidity. - -The marquis was delighted to see me behaving thus. He addressed some -compliments to me, but noticing they were disagreeable, he did not press -me, feeling assured that he could take his revenge at a more suitable -season. - -We had reached the dessert; the whole of the company were in a charming -humor. May I confess to you, my dear Edmond, that the sight of these -merry comrades and coquettish dames produced the same effect on my -senses as the dishes had done on my appetite, and insensibly dispelled -my gloomy ideas? I had no strength left to continue the dramatic -character I had undertaken, and I sought a more satisfactory conclusion. -I soon made up my mind. - -Three toasts had been drunk in succession: “Wine!” “Play!” “Love!” The -ladies had joined in emptying their glasses, while I remained calm and -silent. The marquis begged me in vain to join in the general gaiety. -Suddenly I rose, glass in hand, and assuming the free-and-easy manner of -a soldier-- - -“Per Bacco!” I shouted, in a baritone voice, giving the marquis a hearty -slap on the shoulder. “Drink, my friends, to the lovely eyes of these -ladies!” Then I drained my glass at a draught, and trolled out a lively -ditty. - -I cannot describe the marquis’s feelings; all I know is, he turned to -stone under my hand. His friends regarded me in stupor, taking me, -doubtlessly, for a maniac, while the women laughed convulsively at my -strange outbreak. - -“Well, gentlemen,” I continued, “why are you surprised? Do you not -recognize Antonio Torrini, the tenor, all alive and well, and prepared -to accept anybody’s challenge with the pistol or the glass, he doesn’t -care which.” At the same time I laid my pistols on the table. - -At these words, the marquis at length awoke from the torpor into which -the evanishment of his sweet dreams had plunged him, and he raised his -hand to strike me in the face. But his eyes no sooner met mine, than, -yielding to the influence of an illusion which he abandoned with such -pain, he fell back on his chair. - -“No!” he said, “I cannot strike a woman.” - -“Oh, as for that, M. le Marquis,” I said, as I left the table, “I only -ask ten minutes to appear before you in my proper attire.” I then went -into an adjoining room, where I doffed gown, petticoats and finery: I -had kept all my own clothes under my feminine masquerade with the -exception of my coat. That article of clothing not being indispensable -to receive a blow, and as I was in fighting costume, I returned to the -dining-room. - -During my absence the scene had changed. I seemed to have “missed my -cue,” as they say in the theatre, when an actor does not arrive in time -to reply. All the guests regarded me with smiles, and one coming up, -said: - -“Monsieur Antonio, my friend’s seconds and yours, appointed _ex officio_ -during your absence, are agreed that you have taken ample satisfaction, -and have no occasion to fight. Do you approve of our decision?” - -I offered my hand to the marquis, who took it with very ill grace, for -he evidently could not stomach the bitter trick I had played him. This -dĂ©noĂ»ment satisfied my vengeance, and I withdrew. But, before leaving, -each of us pledged our honor to discretion, in which the ladies joined. - - * * * * * - -After thanking Antonio for his devotion to me, and complimenting him on -his quickness, I added: - -“These gentlemen acted very gallantly in confiding a secret to the -ladies; but I, who flatter myself I can read the human heart, say with -François I., - - Souvent femme varie, - Bien fol est qui s’y fie. - -For this reason the marriage shall take place the day after to-morrow, -and in three days we will start for Constantinople.” - -Antonio loved his sister as much as myself, and he was right, (Torrini -added,) for she was the most perfect woman earth ever saw. She was an -angel! - -The Count de Grisy was so excited by these reminiscences, that he raised -his arms to heaven, where he seemed to seek the woman he had so deeply -loved. But he fell back on his pillow again, exhausted by the agony the -disarrangement of his bandages produced. He was forced to break off his -narrative till the next day. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - Continuation of Torrini’s History--The Grand Turk orders a - Performance--A marvellous Trick--A Page cut in two--Pitying Protest - of the Harem--Agreeable Surprise--Return to France--Torrini’s Son - Killed--Madness--Decay--My first Performance--An annoying - Accident--I return Home. - - -The next day, Torrini continued his narration, without awaiting any -request from me: - -On arriving at Constantinople, we enjoyed for some time a delicious -rest, whose charm was heightened by all the intoxication of the -honeymoon. At the end of the month, however, I thought our mutual -happiness ought not to prevent me trying to realize the plan I had -formed of performing in the presence of Selim III.; but, before asking -this favor, I thought of giving some performances in the town. However -great my reputation might be in Italy, it was hardly probable that my -name had crossed the Mediterranean: hence I had a new reputation to -achieve. - -I had a theatre erected, in which my success continued: crowds came to -see me, and the highest personages were my constant visitors. I may be -permitted to boast of this success, my lad, for the Turks, naturally -indolent and phlegmatic, when utterly astounded by the sight I offered -them, reminded me, by their enthusiasm, of my excitable Italian -spectators. - -The grand vizier himself came to one of my performances. He spoke about -it to his sovereign, and excited his curiosity to such a degree, that I -received an invitation, or rather a command, to court. I proceeded, in -all haste, to the palace, where the apartment was shown me in which the -performance would take place. A body of workmen was placed at my orders, -and I was allowed all latitude for my theatrical arrangements. Only one -stipulation was made: the stage must be exactly in front of a gilded -lattice, behind which, I was told, the Sultan’s wives would be seated. - -Within two days, my theatre was erected and completely decorated. It -represented a garden, filled with natural flowers, whose lively colors -and fragrant scent delighted both sight and smell. At the rear, and in -the midst of dense foliage, a fountain fell back, in thousands of drops, -into a crystal basin, sparkling like diamonds in the brilliant light, -while, at the same time, the falling water deliciously cooled the air. -Lastly, to my right and left, hedges of flowers served as side scenes -and laboratory, while the buffet, loaded with my brilliant apparatus, -was erected in the centre of this Garden of Armida. - -When all was ready, the Sultan and his numerous suite took the places -assigned to them, according to their court precedence. The Sultan -reclined on a sofa, with the grand vizier by his side, while an -interpreter, keeping respectfully in the rear, translated my remarks to -him. When the curtain rose, a shower of rose-leaves fell on the stage, -and formed an odoriferous and deliciously soft carpet. I then appeared, -dressed in a rich Louis XV. costume. - -I will spare you the account of my tricks, with the exception of one, -which, like the “broken watch,” was the inspiration of the moment. I -must add, that my spectators had been already considerably startled -when I performed it. - -Addressing Selim in the grave and solemn tone proper to a magician, I -said: - -“Noble Sultan, I am about to proceed from simple tricks of skill to the -sublime science of magic: but, in order that my incantations may -succeed, I must address myself directly to your august highness. Will -you be pleased to lend me this ornament which I require?” - -And I pointed to a splendid necklace of pearls which adorned his neck. -The Sultan handed it to me, and I placed it in the hands of Antonio, who -was helping me, in a page’s costume. - -“It is well known,” I continued, “that magicians possess unlimited -powers, for they hold in subjection familiar spirits, who blindly obey -their masters’ orders. Let these spirits, then, prepare to obey me, for -I am about to summon them.” - -Here I majestically traced a circle round me with my wand, and -pronounced, in a low voice, certain magic spells. Then I turned to my -page, to take the collar from him, but it had disappeared. In vain I -asked Antonio for it: his only reply was a hoarse and sarcastic laugh, -as if he were possessed by one of the spirits I had summoned. - -“Mighty prince,” I then said to the Sultan, “believe me when I say that, -far from sharing in this audacious theft, I am forced to confess myself -the victim of a plot I did not at all foresee. But your highness may be -reassured: we possess means of forcing our subordinates to return to -their duty. These means are as powerful as they are terrible, and I will -offer you an example.” - -At my summons two slaves brought in a long and narrow chest, and a -trestle for saving wood. Antonio seemed to be terribly alarmed, but I -coldly ordered the slaves to seize him, place him in the chest, the -cover of which was immediately nailed down, and lay it across the -trestle. Then, taking up a saw, I prepared to cut the chest asunder, -when piercing cries were heard from behind the gilt lattice--the -Sultan’s wives were protesting against my barbarity. I stopped a moment -to give them time to recover; but so soon as I set to work again, new -protestations, in which I distinguished threats, compelled me to suspend -my operations. - -Not knowing if I might be allowed to address the gilt lattice, I -determined to reassure these sympathizing ladies indirectly. - -“Gentlemen,” I said to my numerous audience, “have no fears, I beg, for -the culprit; instead of feeling any pain, I assure you he will -experience the most delightful sensations.” - -It was evident that my statement was believed, for silence was restored, -and I could continue my experiment. The chest was at length divided into -two parts; I raised them so that each represented a pedestal; I then -placed them side by side, and covered them with an enormous wicker cone, -over which I threw a large black cloth, on which cabalistic signs were -embroidered in silver. This duly performed, I recommenced my little -farce of magic circles and bombastic words; when suddenly the deep -silence was interrupted by two voices performing an exquisite duet -beneath the black cloth. - -During this time Bengal lights were kindled all around as if by -enchantment. At length the fires and the voices having gradually died -away, a noise was heard, the cone and the cloth were upset, and---- All -the spectators uttered a cry of surprise and admiration: for two pages, -exactly alike, appeared on the pedestals, holding a silver salver, on -which lay the collar of pearls. My two Antonios walked up to the Sultan, -and respectfully offered him his rich ornament. - -The whole audience had risen as if to give more effect to the applause -bestowed on me; the Sultan himself thanked me in his own language, which -I did not understand, but I fancied I read in his face an expression of -deep satisfaction. The next day an officer of the palace came to -compliment me on behalf of his master, and offered me the collar which -had been so cleverly juggled away the previous evening. - -The trick of the _two pages_, as I called it, was one of the best I ever -performed, and yet it was probably one of the most simple. Of course you -understand, my dear boy, that Antonio disposed of the collar while I -distracted public attention by my incantations. You also understand -that, while he was being nailed up in the chest, he escaped through an -opening corresponding with a trap in the stage; hence I had only to cut -through planks. Lastly, by the aid of the cone and the cloth, Antonio -and his sister, dressed precisely alike, came up through the trap and -took their places on the pedestals. The _mise en scène_, and the -coolness of the performers, did the rest. - -This trick created great excitement in the city; the story, passing from -mouth to mouth; soon attained the proportions of a miracle, and -contributed much to the success of my remaining performances. - -I might have realized a large fortune by making a tour through the -Turkish provinces, but I was mortally tired of the peaceful life I was -leading, and I felt the need of changing my ground and seeking fresh -excitement. Besides, I began to feel a degree of nostalgia, and as my -wife begged me to return to Italy, or some other Christian country, as -she did not wish our first-born to come into the world among Pagans, we -set out for France. - -It was my intention to proceed to Paris, but, on arriving at Marseilles, -I read in the papers the advertisements of a conjurer of the name of -Olivier. His programme contained the whole of Pinetti’s tricks, which -was almost my own. Which of the two was the plagiarist? I have reason to -believe it was Olivier. At any rate, having no desire to engage in a new -passage of arms, I evacuated the town. - -It is impossible for me, my friend, to describe to you my itinerary -during sixteen years; suffice it to say, I traversed the whole of -Europe, stopping, of preference, in the chief towns. For a long time my -reputation remained at its zenith, but suddenly, like Pinetti, I was -destined to experience the inconstancy of Fortune. - -One fine day I found my star beginning to pale; the public did not flock -so eagerly to my performances. I no longer heard the bravos that used to -greet my appearance on the stage, and the spectators appeared to me -indifferent. How was this? What could be the cause of this capricious -change? My repertoire was still the same: it was my Italian one, of -which I was so proud, and for which I had made such sacrifices; I had -introduced no change; the tricks I submitted to the public were the same -which had been so warmly accepted. I felt, too, that I had lost none of -my vigor, skill, or spirit. - -Precisely because I had made no change, the public had begun to grow -indifferent; as an author has observed, very justly, “the artist who -does not rise, descends;” and this was peculiarly applicable to my -position: while civilization had been progressing, I remained -stationary--hence, I was going down. - -When this truth struck me, I made a complete reform in my programme. The -card tricks no longer possessing the charm of novelty, as the meanest -jugglers could do them, were nearly all suppressed, and I substituted -other experiments. - -The public like, and run after, touching scenes; I invented one, which, -in this respect, would certainly satisfy them, and draw them back to me. -But why did Heaven allow me to succeed? why did my brain conceive this -fatal idea? (Torrini exclaimed, raising his hands to heaven, and his -eyes filling with tears.) Had it not been so, I should still have my -son, and should not have lost my Antonia! - - * * * * * - -It was some time before Torrini could continue his narrative, for these -terrible reminiscences caused him mental torture. At length, after -holding his hand over his eyes for some time, as if trying to -concentrate himself in his grief, he continued: - -About two years ago I was at Strasburg; I was performing at the theatre, -and every one was anxious to see my touching scene, which I had named -“The Son of William Tell.” My son Giovanni played the part of Walter, -the son of the Swiss hero, but, instead of placing the apple on his -head, he held it between his teeth. On a given signal, a spectator armed -with a pistol, fired at Giovanni, and the ball lodged in the heart of -the fruit. - -Owing to the success of this trick, my money-box was soon filled again. -This restored my confidence in the future, and, far from profiting by -the lessons of adversity, I reassumed my luxurious habits, as I fancied -I had again pinioned Fortune, and she could not slip from me. - -This illusion was fearfully dispelled. - -“The Son of William Tell,” of which I had made a separate act, usually -terminated the performance. We were about to execute it for the -thirtieth time, and I had ordered the curtain to be dropped in order to -have the stage arranged as the public square of Altorf, but all at once -my son, who had just put on the traditional Helvetic costume, came to -me, complaining of a sudden indisposition, and begging me to hurry on -the performance. I had just seized the bell-rope to warn the carpenters -to raise the curtain, when my son fell down in a fainting fit. - -Without caring for the impatience of the public, we paid all attention -to my poor Giovanni, and I bore him to a window. The fresh air soon -restored him--still, there was a mortal pallor on his face, which would -prevent his appearance in public. I was myself assailed by a strange -presentiment, which urged me to stop the performance, and I resolved to -announce it to the public. - -The curtain was drawn up, and, with features contracted by anxiety, I -walked to the footlights, Giovanni even paler than myself, and scarce -able to stand, being at my side. I briefly explained the accident that -had happened, rendering it impossible to perform the final experiment, -and offered to return the entrance money to any who might feel -dissatisfied. But at these words, which might excite great confusion and -grave abuses, my courageous son, making a supreme effort, stated that he -felt better, and able to perform his share in the trick, which, after -all, was passive, and not at all fatiguing. - -The public received this intimation with lively applause, and I, the -insensate and barbarous father, taking no heed of the warning that -heaven had sent me, had the cruelty, the madness, to accept this -generous act of devotion. Only one word was needed to prevent ruin, -dishonor, and death, yet that word died away on my lips! Listening -solely to the noisy applause of the audience, I allowed the performance -to commence. - -I have already stated the nature of the trick that attracted the whole -town; it consisted in substituting one ball for another. A chemist had -taught me how to make a metallic composition bearing an extraordinary -resemblance to lead. I had made balls of it which, when placed by the -side of the real ones, could not be detected. The only precaution -necessary was not to press them too hard, as they were of a very friable -nature; but for the same reason, when inserted in the pistol, they fell -into an impalpable powder, and did not go further than the wad. - -Till now I had never dreamed of any danger in the performance of this -trick, and, indeed, I had taken all possible precautions. The false -bullets were contained in a small box, of which alone I had the key, and -I only opened it at the moment of action. That evening I had been -peculiarly careful; then how can I explain the frightful error? I can -only accuse fatality. So much is certain--a leaden bullet had been mixed -with the others in the box, and was inserted in the pistol. - -Conceive all the horror of such an action! Imagine a father, with a -smile on his lips, giving the signal which will deprive his son of -life--it is frightful, is it not? - -The pistol was fired, and the spectator, with cruel adroitness, had -aimed so truly that the bullet crashed through my son’s forehead. He -fell forward with his face to the ground, rolled over once or twice, -and---- - -For a moment I remained motionless, still smiling at the audience, and -incapable of believing in such a misfortune. In a second a thousand -thoughts crossed my brain. Could it be an illusion, a surprise I had -prepared, and which I had momentarily forgotten? or was it the return of -my son’s attack? - -Paralysed by doubt and horror, my feet clung to the stage; but the blood -welling profusely from the wound violently recalled me to the terrible -reality. At last I understood all, and, mad with agony, I cast myself on -my son’s lifeless corpse. - -I know not what took place afterwards, or what became of me. When I -recovered the use of my senses, I found myself in prison, with two men -before me, a physician and a magistrate. The latter, sympathising with -me, was kind enough to perform his painful mission with all possible -regard for my feelings; but I could scarce understand the questions he -addressed to me; I knew not what to reply, and I contented myself with -shedding tears. - -I was fully committed, and brought up at the next assises. I assure you -I took my place in the dock with indescribable delight, hoping I should -only leave it to receive the just punishment of the crime I had -committed. I was resigned to die; I even wished it, and I determined to -do all in my power to get rid of a life which was odious to me. Hence, I -offered no defence; but the court requested a barrister to undertake my -cause, and he defended me with great skill. I was found guilty of -“Homicide through imprudence,” and sentenced to six months’ -imprisonment, which I passed in an infirmary. Here I saw Antonio again -for the first time, who brought me terrible news: my dear Antonia, -unable to endure such complicated misery, had died of a broken heart. - -This new blow affected me so much that I was nearly dead. I spent the -greater period of my imprisonment in a state of weakness akin to death; -but at length my vigorous constitution overcame all these shocks, and I -regained my health. I had quite recovered when the doors of my prison -were opened. - -Grief and remorse accompanied me wherever I went, and cast me in a state -of apathy from which nothing could arouse me. For three months I behaved -like a madman, running about the country, and only eating just enough to -keep me from perishing of hunger. I went forth at daybreak, and did not -return till night. I could not possibly have said what I did during -these lengthened excursions, but I probably walked about with no other -object than to change place. - -Such an existence could not last long; poverty, and her mournful -handmaids, soon preyed upon me. My wife’s illness, my imprisonment, and -our expenses during these three months of listlessness, had swallowed -up, not only my money, but also all my apparatus. Antonio explained our -situation to me, and begged me to recommence my performances. - -I could not leave this good brother, this excellent friend, in such a -critical position; I therefore acceded to his entreaties, on condition -that I should change my name to Torrini, and never perform in any -theatre. Antonio offered to arrange everything to my wish. By selling -the valuable presents I had received on various occasions, and which he -had managed to secrete from the officers, he paid my debts, and had the -carriage built in which we suffered this painful accident. - -From Strasburg we proceeded to Basle. My first performances were stamped -with the deepest sorrow, but I gradually substituted skill and care for -my gaiety and good spirits, and the public accepted the change. After -visiting the principal towns in Switzerland, we returned to France, and -it was thus I found you my dear boy, on the road between Tours and -Blois. - - * * * * * - -I saw by Torrini’s last sentences, and the manner in which he tried to -shorten his narrative, that he not only required rest, but also to -recover from the painful emotions these melancholy reminiscences had -evoked. A few words, too, Torrini had dropped confirmed my notion that -he was in a pecuniary dilemma; hence, I left him under the pretence of -letting him sleep, and begged Antonio to take a walk with me. I wanted -to remind him it was time to carry out the plan we had formed, which -consisted in giving a few performances at Aubussen, without dropping a -word of it to our dear master. Antonio was of my opinion; but when it -came to deciding which of us should perform, he positively asserted he -knew no more of the conjuring art than he had been obliged to learn--he -could slip a card, a handkerchief, or a coin into a person’s pocket, if -required, but nothing more. I learned later that Antonio, though not -very skillful, knew more than he pretended. - -We decided that I should represent the sorcerer; and I must have been -animated with a great desire to help Torrini, and pay him in part the -debt of gratitude I owed, ere I consented to mount a stage so suddenly. -For, although I had shown my friends some of my tricks, the performance -had always been gratuitous; now I had to do with spectators who paid for -their seats, and this caused me considerable apprehension. - -Still, my resolution once formed, I proceeded with Antonio to the -mayor’s, in order to obtain permission to perform. This magistrate was -an excellent man; aware of the accident that had happened to us, and -that he had it in his power to do a good deed, he offered us the -gratuitous use of a concert-room. More than this, to give us a chance of -forming some acquaintances who might be of use to us, he begged us to -come to his house the next Sunday evening. We accepted this offer -gratefully, and had reason to congratulate ourselves on it. The mayor’s -guests, pleased with certain tricks I showed them, faithfully kept their -promise of attending my first performance, and not one was missing. - -My heart panted audibly when the curtain rose, and I was obliged to -whisper to myself that the spectators, aware of the object of my -performance, would be inclined to look over much. Some cheering applause -restored my confidence, and I got through my first tricks very decently. -This success heightened my assurance, and at length I acquired a degree -of coolness I did not think myself capable of. - -It is true, I was perfectly _au fait_ in my tricks, through having seen -Torrini perform them so often. The principal ones were, the Trowel, the -Pyramids of Egypt, the Bird Dead and Alive, and the Omelette in the Hat. -I concluded with the Blind Man’s Game of Piquet, which I had carefully -studied; I was fortunate enough to succeed, and was warmly applauded. - -An accident that happened during the performance singularly lessened the -joy I felt in my triumph. I had borrowed a hat to make an omelette in. -Those who have seen this trick are aware that it is chiefly intended to -produce a laugh, and that the object borrowed runs no risk. I had got -through the first part excellently, consisting in breaking the eggs, -beating them, throwing in the salt and pepper, and pouring it all into -the hat. After this, I had to feign the frying of the omelette; I -placed a candle on the ground, then, holding the hat sufficiently high -above it to escape the flame, I began turning it gently round, while -making some of the stereotyped jokes adapted to the trick. The public -laughed so heartily and loudly that I could scarce hear myself speak, -but I could not suspect the cause of their hilarity. Unfortunately, I -detected it only too soon. A strong scent of burning made me turn my -eyes on the candle: it had gone out. I then looked at the hat: the crown -was quite burned and stained. I had kept on turning the hat round -unsuspectingly, until I at length put it on the top of the candle and -covered it with grease. - -Quite dazed by this sight, I stopped, not knowing how to escape. -Fortunately for me, my alarm, though so truthful, was regarded as a -well-played farce: it was supposed this was only a heightened effect, -and this confidence in my skill was an additional torture, for my -supernatural power could not repair a hat. My only chance was to gain -time; so I continued the trick, with a tolerably easy air, and produced -to the public a splendidly cooked omelette, which I had enough courage -left to season with a few jokes. - -Still, that quarter of an hour of which Rabelais speaks had arrived. I -must restore the hat, and publicly confess myself a clumsy blockhead. I -had resigned myself to this, and was going to do so, with all the -dignity I could muster, when I heard Antonio call me from the side. His -voice restored my courage, for I felt assured he had prepared some way -for escape. I went up to him, and found him standing with a hat in his -hand. - -“Look here,” he said, exchanging it for the one I held, “it’s yours; but -no matter, keep a good face: rub it as if you were removing the stains, -and, on handing it to the owner, ask him, gently, to read what is at the -bottom.” - -I did as he told me; and the owner of the burnt hat, after receiving -mine, was going to betray me, when I pointed to the note fastened in the -crown. It ran as follows: - -“An act of carelessness caused me to commit a fault, which I will -repair. To-morrow I will do myself the honor of asking your hatter’s -address: in the meanwhile, be kind enough to act as my accomplice.” - -My request was granted, for my secret was honestly kept, and my -professional honor saved. The success of this performance induced me to -give several others: the receipts were excellent, and we realized a very -fair sum. Immense was our joy when we carried our treasure triumphantly -to Torrini. That worthy man, after listening to all the details of our -plot, was half inclined to scold us for our secrecy, but he could not -find heart to do so. He thanked us most heartily, and we began to set -matters straight again, as our master was now convalescent, and could -attend to his own business. Torrini paid all his creditors in full, -purchased two horses, and, having nothing further to do at Aubusson, he -determined on starting. - -The moment of our separation had arrived, and my old friend had been -arming himself for it during several days. The parting was painful to us -all; a father quitting his son, without hope of ever seeing him again, -could not have displayed more violent grief than did Torrini when -pressing me in his arms for the last time. I, too, felt inconsolable at -the loss of two friends with whom I would so gladly have passed my -life. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - The Prodigal Son--Mademoiselle Houdin--I go to Paris--My - Marriage--Comte--Studies of the Public--A skillful - Manager--Rose-colored Tickets--A Musky Style--The King of - Hearts--Ventriloquism--The Mystifiers Mystified--Father - Roujol--Jules de Rovère--Origin of the word _prestidigitateur_. - - -How my heart beat when I returned to my native town! I felt as if I had -been absent an age, and yet it was only six months. The tears stood in -my eyes as I embraced father and mother: I was stifled with emotion. I -have since made long journeys in foreign countries; I have always -returned to my family safely, but never, I can declare, have I been so -profoundly affected as on this occasion. Perhaps it is the same with -this impression as with so many others, habit at last renders it flat. - -I found my father very quiet on my account, for I had employed a trick -to ease his mind. A watchmaker of my acquaintance had sent him my -letters, as if from Angers, and he had also forwarded me the replies. -Still, I must furnish some reason for my return, and I hesitated about -describing my stay with Torrini. At length, however, urged by that -desire, common to all travellers, of narrating their travelling -impressions, I gave an account of my adventures, even to their minutest -details. - -My mother, frightened, and thinking I was still brain-struck, did not -await the end of my narrative to send for a physician, who reassured -her by stating, what my face indeed confirmed, that I was in a state of -perfect health. - -It may be thought, perhaps, that I have dwelt too long on the events -that followed my poisoning; but I was compelled to do so, for the -experience I acquired from Torrini, his history, and our conversations, -had a considerable influence on my future life. Before that period my -inclination for conjuring was very vague: from that time it gained a -complete mastery over me. - -Still, I was bound to wrestle against this feeling with all my energy, -for it was not presumable that my father, who had unwillingly yielded to -my passion for watchmaking, would be so weak as to let me try a novel -and most singular profession. I could, certainly, take advantage of my -being of age, and my own master; but, besides my unwillingness to grieve -my father, I reflected, too, that as my fortune was very small, I ought -not to risk it without his consent. These reasons induced me to defer, -if not renounce, my plans. - -Besides, my success at Aubusson had not altered my decided opinion about -conjuring, that a man who wishes to be thought capable of performing -incomprehensible things should have attained an age which leaves it to -be supposed that his superiority is the result of lengthened study. The -public may permit a man of forty to deceive them, but they will not bear -it from a young man. - -After a few days devoted to killing the fatted calf, I entered the shop -of a Blois watchmaker, who set me to work cleaning and brushing. As I -have already said, this mechanical and wearisome task reduces the -journeyman watchmaker to the level of an automaton. Each day was spent -in the same monotonous round, here a spring to repair, there a pin to -replace (for cylinder watches were rare at that period,) a chain to -refasten; lastly, after a cursory examination of the works, a turn of -the brush to make all bright again. I am far from wishing to run down -the trade of a repairing watchmaker, and I can always honor the skill -employed in repairing a watch by doing as little as possible. - -Sometimes, it may be remarked, a watch comes back from the mender’s in -as bad a state as when it went. It is true, but with whom is the fault? -In my belief, with the public. In the country, more especially, it is -impossible to perform repairs conscientiously, for the public bargain -about their watch or clock as they would do in buying vegetables. The -consequence is, the watchmaker is forced to compound with his -conscience, and the customer loses his money. - -One thing is certain: I did not like the trade, and I was growing -atrociously idle. But if I were cold and indolent as regarded watch -repairing, I felt a devouring need for activity in some other -department. To satisfy this, I gave myself up entirely to an amusement -which delighted me--I became an amateur actor. - -No one, I fancy, can blame me for this; for, among those who read my -confessions, I am sure there is hardly one who has not performed in some -shape. From the boy who recites a speech at the school distribution of -prizes, up to the old gentleman who often accepts the part of “heavy -father” at one of those agreeable parties arranged on long winter -evenings, not one but enjoys the sweet satisfaction of being applauded. -I, too, had this weakness; and, urged on by my travelling recollections, -I wished to appear once more before the public, who had already treated -me so kindly. - -Some young friends joined me in forming a light comedy company, and I -had the pleasure of performing all Perlet’s parts in the most -fashionable pieces of the day. Our performance was gratis: hence, I need -not say we had crowded audiences. Of course, too, we were all wonderful -actors--at least, people told us so--and our gratified self-love found -no cause for refusing their praise. - -Unfortunately for our brilliant success, rivalry and wounded feelings, -as so frequently happens, produced discord among us, and at last only -the hair-dresser and candle-snuffer were left of our goodly company. -These two faithful followers, finding themselves thus abandoned, held a -council, and, after mature deliberation, decided that they would accept -each other’s resignation, as they could not perform alone. In order to -explain the heroic persistency of these two artistes, I may as well -state they were the only persons paid for their services. - -My father regretted to see me leave work for pleasure, and, in order to -bring me back to healthy ideas, he formed a plan which must have the -double advantage of improving my conduct, and tying me down to his side: -in short, he meant to establish me in business, and make me marry. - -I do not know--or, rather, I will not say--why I declined the latter -proposal, under the pretext that I felt no inclination for marriage. As -for my beginning business, I easily made my father understand that I was -too young even to dream of it. But I had hardly intimated my refusal, -when a very simple circumstance entirely changed my views, and made me -forget all my oaths of fidelity to a certain party. - -The success my acting had met with procured me admission to certain -salons, where I often spent an agreeable evening; for acting went on -here, too, in the shape of charades. - -One evening, we were requested, as usual, to enliven the visitors by one -of our proverbs. I do not remember the word proposed; I only know I was -chosen to fill the part of a bachelor gourmet. I sat down to table, and -while indulging in a meal like those usually served up at a theatre, I -improvised a warm defence of celibacy. This apology was all the more -easy to me, as I needed only to repeat the fine arguments I had employed -to my father about his double proposition. Now, it happened that, among -the persons listening to this description of the blessings of celibacy, -was a young lady of seventeen, who inclined a serious ear to my -arguments against marriage. It was the first time I had met her; so I -could not ascribe any other reason for her fixed attention than her -desire to detect the word. - -A man is always delighted to find an attentive listener, more especially -when it is a pretty young girl: hence, I thought it my bounden duty to -make some polite remarks to her during the course of the evening. A -conversation ensued, and became so interesting, that we had a great deal -still to say to each other when the hour came for separation, and I -believe the regret at parting was not felt by myself alone. - -This simple event was, however, the cause of my marriage with -Mademoiselle Houdin, and this marriage took me to Paris. The reader will -now understand why my name is Robert-Houdin; but I have also to add that -this double name, which I at first assumed to distinguish me from my -numerous homonymes, eventually became my patronymic, by a decision of -the council of state. I may be pardoned for remarking that this favor, -always so difficult to obtain, was granted me in consideration of the -popularity my long and laborious toil had gained me while using that -name. - -My father in-law, M. Houdin, a celebrated watchmaker, was a native of -Blois, and had gone to Paris, as a better field for his talents. He was -now engaged in the wholesale clock trade, while making, with his own -hands, astronomical clocks, chronometers, and regulators. It was agreed -that we should live together, and that I should help him in his -business. - -M. Houdin was quite as fond as myself of everything appertaining to -mechanism, and was thoroughly versed in the subject. Hence, we had long -and interesting conversations on the topic, and at the end of one of -these I confided to him my scheme of setting up a room for the display -of mechanical toys and sleight-of-hand tricks. M. Houdin understood me, -adopted my plans, and urged me to carry on my studies in the path I had -chosen. Proud of the approbation of a man with whose extreme prudence I -was acquainted, I gave myself up seriously, during my leisure hours, to -my favorite exercises, and began by contriving some instruments for my -future cabinet. - -My first care, on arriving at Paris, was to attend a performance of -Comte’s, who had long lorded it in his theatre at the Gallery Choiseul. -This celebrated professor was now resting on his laurels, and only -performed once a week. The other evenings were devoted to the -performances of his young actors, who were perfect prodigies. - -Many of my readers will remember his bills, with their singular -announcement of the principal parts performed by M. ARTHUR, aged 5; -MADEMOISELLE ADELINA, aged 4½; MADEMOISELLE VICTORINE, aged 7; little -VICTOR, aged 6. These baby actors attracted the whole of Paris. - -Comte might have left the stage entirely, and contented himself with -being manager and dry-nurse to these children of Thalia, for he -possessed a very comfortable fortune; but he made it a point to appear -at least once a week, from a double motive: his performances, owing to -their rarity, always exercised a beneficial effect on the receipts; and, -on the other hand, by continuing to act he prevented other professors of -conjuring setting up in opposition to him. - -Comte’s tricks were all drawn from the same repertory I knew by heart; -hence they had no great interest for me; still I derived some profit -from attending his performances, for I was enabled to study the -audience. - -I listened attentively to all said around me, and often heard very -judicious remarks. These being generally made by persons not apparently -gifted with great penetration, led me to the conclusion that the -conjurer ought to distrust plain mother wit, and I worked out the -problem to my own satisfaction: “that it is easier to dupe a clever man -than an ignorant one.” - -This seems to be a paradox; but I will explain it. - -The ordinary man only sees in conjuring tricks a challenge offered to -his intelligence, and hence representations of sleight-of-hand become to -him a combat in which he determines on conquering. Ever on his guard -against the honeyed words by means of which the illusion is produced, he -hears nothing, and shuts himself up in this inflexible reasoning: - -“The conjurer,” he says, “holds in his hand an object, which he pretends -he makes disappear. Well, whatever he may say to distract my attention, -my eyes shall not leave his hand, and the trick cannot be done without -my finding out how he manages it.” - -It follows that the conjurer, whose artifices are principally directed -to the mind, must double his address to delude this obstinate -resistance. - -The clever man, on the contrary, when he visits a conjuring performance, -only goes to enjoy the illusions, and, far from offering the performer -the slightest obstacle, he is the first to aid him. The more he is -deceived the more he is pleased, for that is what he paid for. He knows, -too, that these amusing deceptions cannot injure his reputation as an -intelligent man, and hence he yields to the professor’s arguments, -follows them through all their developments, and allows himself to be -easily put off the right scent. - -Is not my problem proved? - -Comte was also an object of interesting study to me, both as manager and -as artist. As manager, Comte could have challenged the most skillful to -a comparison, and he was a famous hand at bringing grist to his mill. -The little schemes a manager employs to attract the public and increase -his receipts are tolerably well known; but Comte, for a long time, did -not require to have recourse to them, as his room was always crowded. At -length the day arrived when the benches allowed some elbow room; then he -invented his “family tickets,” his “medals,” his “reserved boxes for the -prize-holders at schools and colleges,” &c., &c. - -The family tickets gave admission to four persons at half price. Though -all Paris was inundated with them, every one into whose hands one of -these tickets came believed himself specially favored by Comte, and none -failed to respond to his appeal. What the manager lost in quality he -amply regained in quantity. - -But Comte did not stop here; he also wished that his _rose-colored -tickets_ (the name he gave his family tickets) should bring him a small -pecuniary profit, as compensation for reduced prices. He therefore -offered each person who presented one of these tickets a copper medal, -on which his name was engraved, and asked in exchange the sum of one -penny. Suppose the ticket-holder declined, he was not admitted, and when -matters came to that pass, people always paid. - -It may be said that a penny was a trifle; but with this trifle Comte -paid for his lights; at least he said so, and he may be believed. - -During the holidays the pink tickets disappeared, and made room for -those reserved for the school prize boys, which were far more productive -than the others, for what parents could deny their sons the acceptance -of M. Comte’s invitation, when they could promise themselves the extreme -pleasure of seeing their beloved boys in a box exclusively occupied by -_crowned heads_? The parents, consequently, accompanied their children, -and for a gratis ticket the manager netted six or seven fold the value -of his graceful liberality. - -I could mention many other ways Comte augmented his receipts by, but I -will only allude to one more. - -If you arrived a little late, and the length of the _queue_ made you -fear the places would be all taken, you had only to enter a small cafĂ© -adjoining the theatre, and opening into the Rue Ventadour. You paid a -trifle more for your cup of coffee or your glass of liqueur, but you -were quite sure that before the public were admitted the waiter would -open a secret door, allowing you to reach the paying-place in comfort -and choose your seat. In fact, Comte’s cafĂ© was a true box-office, -except that the spectator received something in return for the sum -usually charged for reserving seats. - -As artist, Comte possessed the double talent of ventriloquism and -sleight-of-hand. His tricks were performed skillfully and with a good -share of dash, while his performances generally pleased, for the ladies -were treated most gallantly. My readers may judge for themselves from -the following trick, which I believe was his own invention, and which -always pleased me when I saw it. - -This experiment was called “The Birth of the Flowers,” and it began with -a short address in the shape of agreeable pleasantry. - -“Ladies,” the professor said, “I propose on the present occasion to make -twelve of you disappear from the pit, twenty from the first circle, and -seventy-two from the second.” - -After the burst of laughter this pleasantry always produced, Comte -added: “Reassure yourselves, gentlemen; in order not to deprive you of -the most graceful ornament of this room, I will not perform this -experiment till the end of the evening.” This compliment, spoken very -modestly, was always excellently received. - -Comte proceeded to perform the trick in this way: - -After sowing seeds in some earth contained in a small cup, he spread -over this earth some burning liquid and covered it with a bell, which, -as he said, was intended to concentrate the heat and stimulate -vegetation. In fact, a few seconds later, a boquet of varied flowers -appeared in the cup. Comte distributed them among the ladies who graced -the boxes, and during this distribution contrived to “plant” the -following graceful remarks: “Madam, I keep a pansy (_pensĂ©e_) for -you.--It will be my care, gentlemen, that you find no cares (_soucis_) -here.--Mademoiselle, here is a rose which you have forced to blush with -jealousy.” - -Before long the little bouquet was exhausted, but suddenly the -conjurer’s hands were liberally filled with flowers. Then with an air -of triumph, he exclaimed, displaying the flowers which had come as if by -enchantment: - -“I promised to metamorphose all these ladies: could I choose a form more -graceful and pleasing? In metamorphosing you all into roses, I am only -offering a copy for the original. Tell me, gentlemen, have I not -succeeded?” - -These gallant words were always greeted by a salvo of applause. - -On another occasion, Comte, while offering a rose and a pansy to a lady, -said: “I find you here, madam, exactly depicted. The rose represents -your freshness and beauty; the pansy your wit and talent.” - -He also said, in allusion to the ace of hearts, which he had “passed” on -one of the most beautiful women in the room: “Will you be kind enough, -madam, to lay your hand on your heart? You have only one heart I -presume? Pardon my indiscreet question, but it was necessary; for, -though you have only one heart, you might possess them all.” - -Comte was equally gallant towards sovereigns. - -At the end of a performance he gave at the Tuilleries, before Louis -XVIII., he invited his majesty to select a card from the pack. It may be -that chance led the king to draw his majesty of hearts; it may be, -though, that the conjurer’s address produced this result. During this -time, a servant placed on an isolated table a vase filled with flowers. - -Comte next took a pistol loaded with powder, in which he inserted the -king of hearts as a wad; then, turning to his august spectator, he -begged him to fix his eye on the vase, as the card would appear just -over it. The pistol was fired, and the bust of Louis XVIII. appeared -among the flowers. - -The King, not knowing how to explain this unexpected result, asked -Comte the meaning of this strange apparition, adding, in a slightly -sarcastic tone, - -“I fancy, sir, that your trick has not ended as you stated.” - -“I beg your majesty’s pardon,” Comte replied, assuming the manner of a -courtier; “I have quite kept my promise. I pledged myself that the king -of hearts should appear on that vase, and I appeal to all Frenchmen -whether that bust does not represent the King of all hearts?” - -It may be easily supposed that this trick was heartily applauded by the -audience. In fact, the _Royal Journal_ of the 20th December, 1814, thus -describes the end of the performance: - -“The whole audience exclaimed, in reply M. Comte, â€We recognise him--it -is he--the king of all hearts! the beloved of the French--of the whole -universe--Louis XVIII., the august grandson of Henri Quatre!’ - -“The King, much affected by these warm acclamations, complimented M. -Comte on his skill. - -“â€It would be a pity,’ he said to him, â€to order such a talented -sorcerer to be burnt alive. You have caused us too much pleasure for us -to cause you pain. Live many years for yourself, in the first place, and -then for us.’” - -But though Comte was so amiable to the ladies, he was pitiless to -gentlemen. It would be a long story were I to describe all the spiteful -allusions and mystifications to which his masculine spectators were -exposed. For instance, there was his ace of heart’s trick, which he -ended by producing aces from every part of his victim’s body, who knew -not what saint to implore in order to stop this avalanche of cards. -Then, again, there was the ball-headed gentleman who had politely lent -his hat, and received a volley of compliments of the following nature: - -“This article must belong to you,” said Comte, drawing a wig from the -hat. “Aha, sir! it appears you are a family man. Here are socks--then a -bib--a chemise--a charming little frock,” and as the public laughed -heartily, “on my faith, a goody-two-shoes!” he added producing a pair of -shoes. “Nothing is wanting for the dress--not even the stays and their -laces. I suppose, sir, you thought you could stay my tongue when you -placed that article in your hat.” - -Ventriloquism added a great charm to Comte’s performances, as it gave -rise to numerous little scenes that produced a striking effect. This -faculty too often suggested to him curious mystifications, the best of -them (if such a thing can ever be good) being reserved for his travels, -when they served as a puff of his performances, and helped to attract -crowds. - -At Tours, for instance, he induced the people to break in four doors, in -order to rescue an unhappy man supposed to be dying of hunger. At Nevers -he renewed the miracle of Balaam’s ass, by causing a donkey that was -weary of its master’s weight, to lift up its voice in complaint. One -night, too, he caused a profound consternation in a diligence, for a -dozen brigands were heard at the doors shouting, “Money, or your life!” -The terrified passengers hastened to hand their purses and watches to -Comte, who offered to treat with the robbers, and they retired -apparently satisfied with their spoil. The passengers were glad to have -escaped so cheaply, and the next morning, to their still greater -satisfaction, the ventriloquist returned them the tribute they had paid -to their fears, and explained to them the talent by which they had been -duped. - -Another time, at Mâcon fair, he saw a country-woman driving a pig -before her, which could hardly move, so laden was it with fat. - -“What’s the price of your pig, my good woman?” - -“A hundred francs, my good looking gentleman, at your service, if you -wish to buy.” - -“Of course I wish to buy; but it is a great deal too much: I can offer -you ten crowns.” - -“I want one hundred francs, no more and no less: take it or leave it.” - -“Stay,” Comte said, approaching the animal; “I am sure your pig is more -reasonable than you. Tell me on your conscience, my fine fellow, are you -worth one hundred francs?” - -“You are a long way out,” the pig replied, in a hoarse and hollow voice; -“I’m not worth one hundred pence. I am meazled, and my mistress is -trying to take you in.” - -The crowd that had assembled round the woman and pig fell back in -terror, fancying them both bewitched, while Comte returned to his hotel, -where the story was told him with sundry additions, and he learned that -some courageous persons had gone up to the woman, begged her to be -exorcised, and thus drive the unclean spirit out of the pig. - -Still, Comte did not always escape so easily; and he almost paid dearly -for a trick he played on some peasants at Fribourg, in Switzerland. -These fanatics took him for a real sorcerer, and attacked with sticks; -and they were even going to throw him into a lime-kiln, had not Comte -escaped by causing a terrible voice to issue from the kiln, which routed -them. - -I will end my account of these amusing adventures with a little -anecdote, in which Comte and myself were in turn mystifier and -mystified. - -The celebrated ventriloquist paid me a visit at the Palais Royal, and I -accompanied him to the foot of the stairs on his departure. Comte walked -down before me, still talking, so that the pockets of his coat were at -my mercy. The opportunity was too good to neglect the chance of playing -a trick on my talented _confrère_, so I filched his handkerchief and a -handsome gold snuff-box: and I took care to turn the pocket inside out, -as a proof that my performance had been properly executed. - -I was laughing at the comic result my trick must have when I returned -Comte his property; but it was “diamond cut diamond:” for, while I was -thus violating the laws of hospitality, Comte was scheming against me. I -had scarce concealed the handkerchief and box, when I heard a strange -voice on the first floor landing. - -“Monsieur Robert-Houdin, will you be kind enough to step up to the -box-office: I wish to speak to you.” - -My readers will guess that the ventriloquist had played me a trick; -indeed, on reaching the office, I only found the clerk, who could not -understand what I was talking about. I perceived, too late that I was -victimised, and I heard Comte celebrating his victory by shouts of -laughter. For a moment, I confess I felt vexed at having been taken in, -but I soon regained my equanimity on thinking I might have the best of -it yet. So I went down stairs very calmly. - -“What did that person want?” Comte asked, with ill-repressed delight. - -“Can’t you guess?” - -“I?--no.” - -“It was a penitent thief, who begged me to return you the articles he -had filched from you. Here they are, my master!” - -“I prefer it to end so!” Comte said, returning his pocket to its place. -“We are now quits, and I hope we shall always be good friends.” - -From all the preceding remarks it may be concluded that the fundamental -principles of Comte’s performances were mystifying gentlemen (sovereigns -excepted), complimenting ladies, and jesting with everybody. Comte was -right in employing these means, as he generally gained his object; for -he delighted and raised a laugh. At this period French manners justified -such behavior, and the professor, by flattering the taste and instincts -of the public, was sure to please. - -There has been a great change since, and puns are no longer held in such -esteem; banished from good society, they have sought refuge in studios, -when the pupils too often make an immoderate use of them, and though -they may be permitted now and then among intimate friends, they are not -proper in a performance of sleight-of-hand. The reason is very simple: -not only do puns raise a belief that the artist fancies himself a wit, -which may be injurious to him, but, if he succeed in raising a laugh, it -weakens the interest felt in his experiments. - -It is a recognised fact that, in those performances where imagination -plays the chief part, “astonishment is a hundred-fold better than a -silly laugh;” for, though the mind may remember what has delighted it, -laughter leaves no trace on the memory. - -Symbolical or complimentary language is also completely out of fashion, -at least the age does not err in excess of gallantry, and “musky” -compliments would be badly received in public. I have always thought, -too, that ladies visit a performance like mine in order to refresh their -minds, and not to be put in evidence themselves. They possibly prefer to -remain simple lookers-on rather than expose themselves to florid -compliments. - -As for mystification, a more powerful pen than mine must undertake its -apology. - -In saying this, I have no wish to cast censure on Comte. I am writing at -this moment in accordance with the spirit of my age; Comte acted in -accordance with his; we both succeeded, though differing in our -treatment, and this only proves that “all styles are good except that -which is wearisome.” - -These performances of Comte’s, however, inflamed my imagination; I only -dreamed of theatres, conjuring, mechanism, automata, &c.; I was -impatient to take my place among the adepts of magic, and make myself a -name in the marvellous art. The time I required in forming a -determination seemed to me so much stolen from my future success. My -success! I did not know what trials I should undergo ere I merited it. I -had no suspicion of the toil, the care, and trouble which I should have -to pay for it. - -Still, I resolved on continuing my studies of automata and instruments -suited to produce magical illusions. Though I had seen many of them -while with Torrini, I had many more to learn, for the stock of conjuring -tricks in those days was enormous. Fortunately I found an opportunity of -materially abridging my studies. - -I had noticed, while passing along the Rue Richelieu, a modest little -shop, in front of which conjuring apparatus was exposed for sale. This -was a piece of good luck, so I bought some of the things, and while -paying repeated visits to the master of the shop, under pretext of -asking information, I got into his good graces, and he grew to look on -me as a friend. - -Father Roujol (such was his name) was perfectly acquainted with his -trade, and he held the confidence of every conjurer of note; hence, he -could give me much valuable information, so I became more polite than -ever, and the worthy man soon initiated me into all his mysteries. But -my repeated visits to the shop had another object as well, for I wished -to meet some of the masters of the art who could increase my knowledge. - -Unfortunately, my old friend’s shop was not so visited as before. The -revolution of 1830 had turned persons’ ideas to more serious matters -than “physical amusements,” and the greater number of conjurers had -wandered into strange countries. Old Roujol’s good times had, therefore, -passed away, which rendered him very gloomy. - -“Things are not as they used to be,” he would say, “and it might really -be fancied the jugglers had juggled themselves away, for I don’t see a -single one. Will the time ever return,” he added, “when the Duc de -M---- did not disdain to visit my humble shop, and remain here for hours -talking to me and my numerous visitors. Ah, that was a time! when all -the first conjurers and amateurs formed a brilliant club here; for each -of these masters, desirous of proving his superiority over the others, -showed his best tricks and his utmost skill.” - -I felt the old gentleman’s regret equally with himself, for I should -have revelled in such society, as I would have walked any time twenty -leagues for the sake of talking with a professor. Still, I had the luck -to form here the acquaintance of Jules de Rovère, the first to employ a -title now generally given to fashionable conjurers. Being of noble -birth, he desired a title in accordance with it; but, as he had rejected -with disdain the vulgar name of _escamoteur_, and as, too, that of -_physicien_ was frequently used by his rivals, he was compelled to -create a title for himself. - -One day the pompous title of “PRESTIDIGITATEUR” was visible on an -enormous poster, which also condescended to supply the derivation of -this breath-stopping word, _presto digiti_ (activity of the fingers). -Then came the details of the performance, intermingled with Latin -quotations, which must attract the attention of the public by evidencing -the learning of the conjurer--I beg pardon, prestidigitator. - -This word, as well as _prestidigitation_, due to the same author, were -soon seized upon by Jules de Rovère’s rivals, who liked a good mouthful -too. The Academy itself followed this example by sanctioning the -formation of the word, and thus handing it down to posterity. I am bound -to add, though, that this word, originally so pompous, is no longer a -distinction, for, as the most humble jugglers were at liberty to -appreciate it, it follows that conjuring and prestidigitation have -become synonymous. The conjurer who requires a title should seek it in -his own merit, and recognise the sound truth that “it is better for a -man to honor his profession than to be honored by it.” For my own part, -I never made any distinction between the two names, and I shall employ -them indiscriminately, until some new Jules de Rovère arrive to enrich -the Dictionary of the French Academy. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - Celebrated Automata--A Brazen Fly--The Artificial Man--Albertus - Magnus and St. Thomas d’Aquinas--Vaucanson--His Duck--His - Flute-Player--Curious Details--The Automaton - Chess-Player--Interesting Episode--Catherine II. and M. de - Kempelen--I repair the Componium--Unexpected Success. - - -Owing to my persevering researches I had nothing left to learn in -conjuring; but, in order to carry out my scheme, I had to study the -principles of a science on which I greatly depended for the success of -my future performances. I allude to the science, or rather art, of -making automata. - -While occupied with this idea I made active investigations; I applied to -the public libraries and their keepers, whom my tenacious importunity -drove into despair. But all the information I collected only brought me -descriptions of mechanical toys, far less ingenious than certain -playthings of the present day, or absurd statements of chefs-d’œuvre -published in the dark ages. My readers may judge from the following: - -I found, in a work bearing the title “Apologie pour les Grands Homines -AccusĂ©s de Magie,” that “Jean de Montroyal presented to the Emperor -Charles V. an iron fly, which made a solemn circuit round its inventor’s -head, and then reposed from its fatigue on his arm.” Such a fly is -rather extraordinary, yet I have something better to tell my -readers--still about a fly. - -Gervais, Chancellor to the Emperor Otho III., in his book entitled “Otia -Imperatoris,” informs us that “the sage Virgilius, Bishop of Naples, -made a brass fly, which he placed on one of the city gates, and that -this mechanical fly, trained like a shepherd’s dog, prevented any other -fly entering Naples; so much so, that during eight years the meat -exposed for sale in the market was never once tainted.” - -How much should we regret that this marvellous automaton has not -survived to our day? How the butchers, and still more their customers, -would thank the learned bishop! Pass we to another marvel: - -Francis Picus relates that “Roger Bacon, aided by Thomas Bungey, his -brother in religion, after having rendered their bodies equal and -tempered by chemistry, employed the Speculum Amuchesi to construct a -brazen head which should tell them if there were any mode of enclosing -the whole of England by a high wall. They forged at it for seven years -without relaxation, but misfortune willed it that when the head spoke -the two monks did not hear it, as they were engaged on something else.” - -I have asked myself a hundred times how the two intrepid blacksmiths -knew the head had spoken, when they were not present to hear it. I never -discovered any other solution than this: it was, doubtlessly, _because -their bodies were equalized and tempered by chemistry_. - -But here is a far more astounding marvel. - -Tostat, in his “Commentaires sur l’Enode,” states that “Albertus Magnus, -Provincial of the Dominicans, at Cologne, constructed a brass man, which -he worked at continually for thirty years. This work was performed -_under various constellations_ and _according to the laws of -perspective_.” - -When the sun was in the sign of the Zodiac the eyes of this automaton -melted metals, on which the characters of the same sign were traced. -This intelligent machine was equally gifted with motion and speech, and -it revealed to Albertus Magnus some of his most important secrets. -Unfortunately, St. Thomas Aquinas, Albertus’s pupil, taking this statue -for the handiwork of the devil, smashed it with a big stick. - -As a finale to these fables, which are well fitted to figure among the -marvels performed by Perrault’s fairies, I will quote from page 252 of -the “Journal des Savants” for 1677: “The artificial man of Reysolius, a -statue so resembling the human form, that, with the exception of the -operations of the soul, everything that takes place in the body may be -witnessed.” - -What a pity the mechanician stopped so soon! for it would have cost him -so little, while making so exquisite a resemblance to the fairest work -of the Creator, to add to his automaton a soul moving by clockwork! - -This quotation does much honor to the savants who accepted the -responsibility of such a statement, and is a further proof how history -is written. - -It may be easily supposed these works furnished me no guide to the art I -so much wished to study; and although I continued my inquiries, I only -attained the unsatisfactory result that nothing serious had been written -on the subject of automata. - -“What!” I said to myself, “can it be possible that the marvellous -science which raised Vaucanson’s name so high--the science whose -ingenious combinations can animate inert matter, and impart to it a -species of existence--is the only one without its archives?” - -When about to give up the subject in despair, I stumbled on a memoir of -the inventor of the “Automaton Duck.” This memoir, bearing date 1738, is -addressed by the author to the members of the Academy of Sciences. In it -will be found a learned description of his flute-player, as well as a -report of the Academy, which I here transcribe. - - _Extract from the Registers of the Royal Academy of Sciences for - April 30, 1738_: - - “The Academy, after hearing M. de Vaucanson’s memoir read, - containing a description of a wooden statue, copied from Coysvoix’s - marble fawn, which plays twelve different airs on a German flute - with a precision deserving of public attention, was of opinion that - this machine was extremely ingenious; that the inventor had - employed novel and simple means both to give the fingers the - necessary motion and to modify the wind entering the flute, by - augmenting or diminishing its velocity, according to the various - tones; by varying the arrangement of the lips, and setting a valve - in motion to perform the functions of the tongue; lastly, by - artificially imitating all that a man is obliged to do; and that, - in addition, M. de Vaucanson’s memoir possessed all the clearness - and perception such matter is capable of, proving the intelligence - of the author, and his great knowledge of the different branches of - mechanism. In confirmation of which I have signed the present - certificate. - -FONTENELLE, -“Perpetual Secretary, Royal Academy of Sciences. - - “Paris, May 3, 1738.” - -After this report comes a letter of Vaucanson’s, addressed to the AbbĂ© -D. F., in which he informs him of his intention of presenting to the -public on Easter Monday-- - -1. A player of the German flute. - -2. A player of the tambourine. - -3. An artificial duck. - -“In this duck,” the celebrated automatist writes, “will be noticed the -mechanism of the viscera, intended to perform the functions of eating, -drinking and digesting. The action of all the parts is exactly imitated. -The bird puts out its head to take up the seed, swallows it, digests it, -and evacuates it by the ordinary channels. - -“All thoughtful persons will understand the difficulty of making my -automaton perform so many different movements, as when it stands on its -legs and moves its head to the right and left. They will also see that -this animal drinks, dabbles with its bill, quacks like the living duck, -and, in short, is precisely similar in every respect.” - -I was the more surprised at the contents of the memoir, as it was the -first trustworthy information I had gained about automata. The -description of the flute player gave me a high opinion of the inventor’s -talent; but I much regretted finding so short an account of the -mechanical combinations of the duck. - -For a time, I contented myself with admiring and believing in the great -master’s work, but, in 1844, Vaucanson’s duck was exhibited in a room at -the Palais Royal.[B] Of course I was one of the first to visit it, and -was much struck by its skillful and learned formation. Some time after, -one of the wings having been injured, the duck was sent to me to repair, -and I was initiated into the famous mystery of digestion. To my great -surprise, I found that the illustrious master had not disdained to have -recourse to a trick which a conjurer would have been proud of. The -digestion, so pompously announced in the memoir, was only a -mystification--a real _canard_, in fact. Decidedly, Vaucanson was not -only my master in mechanism, but I must bow before his genius for -juggling. - -The trick was as simple as it was interesting. A vase, containing seed -steeped in water, was placed before the bird. The motion of the bill in -dabbling crushed the food, and facilitated its introduction into a pipe -placed beneath the lower bill. The water and seed thus swallowed fell -into a box placed under the bird’s stomach, which was emptied every -three or four days. The other part of the operation was thus effected: -Bread-crumb, colored green, was expelled by a forcing pump, and -carefully caught on a silver salver as the result of artificial -digestion. This was handed round to be admired, while the ingenious -trickster laughed in his sleeve at the credulity of the public. But, -before leaving this subject, I must give a short biographical notice of -this illustrious man. - -Jacques de Vaucanson was born at GrenĂ´ble on the 24th February, 1709, of -a noble family, and his taste for mechanism was developed at an early -age. In 1730, the flute-player at the Tuilleries suggested to him the -idea of constructing on this model an automaton which should really play -the flute, and he spent four years in perfecting it. The story runs that -Vaucanson’s valet was the only person acquainted with his secret, and at -the first notes produced by the flute-player, the faithful servant fell -at his master’s feet, as if he were more than mortal, and they embraced -with tears of joy. - -The duck and tambourine-player soon followed, and were chiefly intended -to speculate on public curiosity. Though noble by birth, Vaucanson -exhibited his automata at the fair of Saint Germain and at Paris, where -his receipts were enormous. He is also said to have invented a loom on -which a donkey worked cloth; this he made in revenge upon the -silk-weavers of Lyons, who had stoned him because he attempted to -simplify the ordinary loom. We also owe to Vaucanson a chain that still -bears his name, and a machine to make meshes of equal size. - -It is also said he invented for the performance of Marmontel’s -_Cleopatra_, an asp which fastened itself with a hiss on the bosom of -the actress who played the principal character. On the first performance -of the tragedy, a jester, more struck by the hissing of the automaton -than by the beauty of the tragedy, exclaimed, “I am of the asp’s -opinion!” - -This illustrious mechanician retained all his activity to the last -moment of his life. While dangerously ill, he devoted himself to his -machine for making his endless chain. - -“Do not lose a minute,” he said to his workmen; “I fear I may not live -long enough to explain my idea thoroughly.” - -Eight days later, on the 21st of November, 1782, he died, at the age of -seventy-three; but, before leaving this world, he had the consolation of -seeing his machine at work. - -One piece of good luck never arrives without another; thus, in 1844, I -also saw at the house of a mechanician of the name of Cronier, at -Belleville, the famous _chess-player_, who defeated the whole chess -world. I never saw it at work, but since then I have received some -information about the automaton of a certain degree of interest, and I -trust my readers will feel the same surprise as I did when I heard it. - -My story commences in Russia: the first division of Poland in 1792 had -produced a certain fermentation, the effects of which were felt some -years later. In 1796, a revolt broke out in a half-Russian, half-Polish -regiment stationed at Riga, at the head of the rebels being an officer -of the name of Worousky, a man of great talent and energy. He was of -short stature, but well built; and he exercised such influence, that the -troops sent to suppress the revolt were beaten back with considerable -loss. However, reinforcements came from St. Petersburg, and the -insurgents were defeated in a pitched battle. A great number perished, -and the rest took to flight across the marshes, where the soldiers -pursued them, with orders to grant no quarter. - -In this rout Worousky had both thighs shattered by a cannon-ball, and -fell on the battle-field; however, he escaped from the general massacre -by throwing himself into a ditch behind a hedge. At nightfall, Worousky -dragged himself along with great difficulty to the adjacent house of a -physician of the name of Osloff, whose benevolence was well known, and -the doctor, moved by his sufferings, attended upon, and promised to -conceal him. His wound was serious, but the doctor felt confident of -curing him, until gangrene set in, and his life could only be saved at -the cost of half his body. The amputation was successful, and Worousky -saved. - -During this time, M. de Kempelen, a celebrated Viennese mechanician, -came to Russia to pay a visit to M. Osloff, with whom he had been long -acquainted. He was travelling about to learn foreign languages, the -study of which he afterwards displayed in his splendid work on the -“Mechanism of Words,” published at Vienna in 1791. M. de Kempelen -stopped a short time in every country the language of which he desired -to learn, and his aptitude was so great that he acquired it very -speedily. - -This visit was the more agreeable to the doctor, as for some time he had -been alarmed as to the consequences of the noble action he had -performed; he feared being compromised if it were found out, and his -embarrassment was extreme, for, living alone with an old housekeeper, he -had no one to consult or help him. Hence, he told M. de Kempelen his -secret, and begged his aid. Though at first startled by sharing such a -secret--for he knew that a reward was offered for the insurgent chief, -and that the act of humanity he was about to help in might send him to -Siberia--still, M. de Kempelen, on seeing Worousky’s mutilated body, -felt moved with compassion, and began contriving some plan to secure his -escape. - -Dr. Osloff was a passionate lover of chess, and had played numerous -games with his patient during his tardy convalescence; but Worousky was -so strong at the game that the doctor was always defeated. Then Kempelen -joined the doctor in trying to defeat the skillful player, but it was of -no use; Worousky was always the conqueror. His superiority gave M. de -Kempelen the idea of the famous Automaton Chess-player. In an instant -his plan was formed, and he sat to work immediately. The most remarkable -circumstance is, that this wonderful chef-d’œuvre, which astonished -the whole world, was invented and finished with three months. - -M. de Kempelen was anxious his host should make the first essay of his -automaton; so, he invited him to play a game on the 10th of October, -1796. The automaton represented a Turk of the natural size, wearing the -national costume, and seated behind a box of the shape of a chest of -drawers. In the middle of the top of the box was a chess-board. - -Prior to commencing the game, the artist opened several doors in the -chest, and M. Osloff could see inside a large number of wheels, pulleys, -cylinders, springs, &c., occupying the larger part. At the same time, he -opened a long drawer, from which he produced the chessmen and a cushion, -on which the Turk was to rest his arm. This examination ended, the robe -of the automaton was raised, and the interior of the body could also be -inspected. - -The doors being then closed, M. de Kempelen wound up one of the wheels -with a key he inserted in a hole in the chest; after which the Turk, -with a gentle nod of salutation, placed his hand on one of the pieces, -raised it, deposited it on another square, and laid his arm on the -cushion before him. The inventor had stated that, as the automaton could -not speak, it would signify check to the king by three nods, and to the -queen by two. - -The doctor moved in his turn, and waited patiently till his adversary, -whose movements had all the dignity of the Sultan he represented, had -moved. The game, though slow at first, soon grew animated, and the -doctor found he had to deal with a tremendous opponent; for, in spite of -all his efforts to defeat the figure, his game was growing quite -desperate. It is true, though, that for some minutes past, the doctor’s -attention had appeared to be distracted, and one idea seemed to occupy -him. But while hesitating whether he should impart his thoughts to his -friend, the figure gave three nods. The game was over. - -“By Jove!” the loser said, with a tinge of vexation, which the sight of -the inventor’s smiling face soon dispelled, “if I were not certain -Worousky is at this moment in bed, I should believe I had been playing -with him. His head alone is capable of inventing such a checkmate. And -besides,” said the doctor, looking fixedly at M. de Kempelen, “can you -tell me why your automaton plays with the left hand, just like -Worousky?”[C] - -The mechanician began laughing, and not wishing to prolong this -mystification, the prelude to so many others, he confessed to his friend -that he had really been playing with Worousky. - -“But where the deuce have you put him, then?” the doctor said, looking -round to try and discover his opponent. - -The inventor laughed heartily. - -“Well! do you not recognize me?” the Turk exclaimed, holding out his -left hand to the doctor in reconciliation, while Kempelen raised the -robe, and displayed the poor cripple stowed away in the body of the -automaton. - -M. Osloff could no longer keep his countenance, and he joined the others -in their laughter. But he was the first to stop, for he wanted an -explanation. - -“But how do you manage to render Worousky invisible?” - -M. de Kempelen then explained how he concealed the living automaton -before it entered the Turk’s body. - -“See here!” he said, opening the chest, “these wheels, pulleys and -cranks occupying a portion of the chest, are only a deception. The -frames that support them are hung on hinges, and can be turned back to -leave space for the player while you were examining the body of the -automaton.” - -“When this inspection was ended, and as soon as the robe was allowed to -fall, Worousky entered the Turk’s body we have just examined, and, while -I was showing you the box and the machinery, he was taking his time to -pass his arms and hands into those of the figure. You can understand -that, owing to the size of the neck, which is hidden by the broad and -enormous collar, he can easily pass his head into this mask, and see the -chess-board. I must add, that when I pretend to wind up the machine, it -is only to drown the sound of Worousky’s movements.” - -“Very good, then,” the doctor replied, to show he perfectly understood -the plan; “while I was examining the chest, my confounded Worousky was -in the Turk’s body, and when the robe was lifted, he had passed into the -chest. I frankly allow,” M. Osloff added, “that I was done by this -ingenious arrangement; but I console myself with the idea that cleverer -persons than I will be deceived.” - -The three friends were the more delighted by the result of this private -rehearsal, as this instrument furnished an excellent means of escape for -the poor prisoner, and at the same time assured him a livelihood. The -same evening the road by which the frontier should be reached was agreed -on, as well as the precautions to be taken during the journey. It was -also arranged that, in order to arouse no suspicions, performances -should be given in all the towns they passed through, beginning with -Toula, Kalouga, Smolensk, &c. - -A month later, Worousky, now entirely recovered, gave a first specimen -of his marvellous skill to a numerous audience at Toula. I possess a -copy of the original bill, which was given me by M. Hessler, nephew of -Dr. Osloff, who also supplied me with all these details. Worousky won -every game he played at Toula, and the papers were full of praises of -the automaton. Assured of success by the brilliancy of their dĂ©but, M. -de Kempelen and his companion proceeded towards the frontier. - -It was necessary that Worousky should be concealed from sight somewhere -even when travelling; hence he was literally packed up. The enormous -chest in which the automaton was conveyed only travelled very slowly, -apparently through fear of breaking the machinery, but in reality to -protect the skillful chess-player who was shut up in it, while air-holes -were made in the side of this singular post-chaise to enable Worousky to -breathe. - -The poor cripple endured all this inconvenience calmly, in the hope of -soon being out of reach of the Muscovite police, and arriving safe and -sound at the end of this painful journey. The fatigue, it must be -granted, was considerably alleviated by the enormous receipts they -netted by the exhibition. - -Our travellers had arrived at Vitebsk, on the road to the Prussian -frontier, when one morning Kempelen rushed into the room where Worousky -was concealed. - -“A frightful misfortune hangs over us,” the mechanician said, in a -terrible state of alarm, and showing a letter dated St. Petersburg. -“Heaven knows how we shall escape it! The Empress Catherine, having -heard through the papers of the automaton’s wonderful talent, desires to -play a game with it, and requests me to bring it straight to the -imperial palace. We must hit on some plan to evade this dangerous -honor.” - -To Kempelen’s extreme surprise, Worousky heard this great news very -calmly, and even seemed to be pleased at it. - -“Refuse such a visit!--by no means: the wishes of the Czarina are orders -which cannot be infringed without peril; we must, therefore, obey her as -quickly as possible. Your zeal will have the double effect of gaining -her favor, and removing any suspicions that might arise about your -automaton. Besides,” the bold soldier added, with a degree of pride, “I -confess I should like to find myself face to face with the great -Catherine, and show her that the head on which she set the price of a -few roubles is, under certain circumstances, as good as her own.” - -“Madman that you are!” M. de Kempelen exclaimed, startled by the -excitement of the impetuous insurgent. “Remember, that we may be -discovered, and you will lose your life, while I shall be sent to -Siberia.” - -“Impossible!” Worousky quietly replied; “your ingenious machine has -already deceived so many skillful persons, that I am convinced we shall -soon have one dupe more. Besides, what a glorious reminiscence, what an -honor it will be to us, if we can say some day that the Empress -Catherine II., the haughty Czarina, whom her courtiers proclaim the most -intellectual person in her vast empire, was deceived by your genius, and -conquered by me!” - -Kempelen, though not sharing Worousky’s enthusiasm, was obliged to -yield. Hence, they set off without further argument; the journey was -very long and fatiguing, but Kempelen did not quit his companion for a -moment, and did all in his power to ameliorate his position. At length -they reached their journey’s end, but though they had travelled as fast -as they could, Catherine, on receiving Kempelen, appeared rather angry. - -“My roads must be very bad, sir, if you require fifteen days to travel -from Vitebsk to St. Petersburg.” - -“Will your majesty,” the crafty mechanician replied, “allow me to make a -confession which will serve as my excuse?” - -“Do so,” Catherine replied, “provided it be not a confession of the -incapacity of your marvellous machine.” - -“On the contrary, I would confess that, being aware of your majesty’s -skill at chess, I desired to offer you a worthy opponent. Hence, before -starting, I made some additions which were indispensable for so -important a game.” - -“Ah!” the empress said, with a smile, smoothed down by this flattering -explanation. “And you fancy these new arrangements will enable your -automaton to beat me?” - -“I should be much surprised were it otherwise.” - -“Well, we shall see, sir,” the empress continued, nodding her head -ironically. “But,” she added, in the same tone, “when will you bring my -terrible opponent before me?” - -“Whenever your majesty may please.” - -“If that is the case, I am so impatient to measure my strength with the -conqueror of the most skillful players in my country, that I will -receive him this very evening in my library. Put up your machine there, -and at eight o clock I will join you. Be punctual!” - -Kempelen took leave of Catherine, and hastened to make his preparations -for the evening. Worousky was delighted at the prospect of amusing the -empress; but although Kempelen was resolved to risk the adventure, he -wished to take all possible precautions, so that he might have a way of -escape in case of danger. Hence, he had the automaton carried to the -palace in the same chest in which it travelled. - -When eight o’clock struck, the empress, accompanied by a numerous suite, -entered the library and took her place at the chess-board. - -I have forgotten to say that Kempelen never allowed any one to pass -behind the automaton, and would not consent to begin the game till all -the spectators were in front of the board. - -The court took their places behind the empress, unanimously predicting -the defeat of the automaton. The chest and the Turk’s body were then -examined, and when all were perfectly convinced they contained nothing -but the clockwork I have already mentioned, the game began. It proceeded -for some time in perfect silence, but Catherine’s frowning brow speedily -revealed that the automaton was not very gallant towards her, and fully -deserved the reputation it had gained. The skillful Mussulman captured a -bishop and a knight, and the game was turning much to the disadvantage -of the lady, when the Turk, suddenly forgetting his dignified gravity, -gave a violent blow on his cushion, and pushed back a piece his -adversary had just moved. - -Catherine II. had attempted to cheat; perhaps to try the skill of the -automaton, or for some other reason. At any rate the haughty empress, -unwilling to confess her weakness, replaced the piece on the same -square, and regarded the automaton with an air of imperious authority. -The result was most unexpected--the Turk upset all the pieces with a -blow of his hand, and immediately the clock work, which had been heard -during the whole game, stopped. It seemed as if the machinery had got -out of repair. Pale and trembling, M. de Kempelen, recognising in this -Worousky’s impetuous temper, awaited the issue of this conflict between -the insurgent and his sovereign. - -“Ah, ah! my good automaton! your manners, are rather rough,” the empress -said, good humoredly, not sorry to see a game she had small chance of -winning end thus. “Oh! you are a famous player, I grant; but you were -afraid of losing the game, and so prudently upset the pieces. Well, I am -now quite convinced of your skill and your violent character.” - -M. de Kempelen began to breathe again, and regaining courage, tried to -remove the unfavorable impression which the little respect shown by the -automaton must have produced. Hence he said, humbly, - -“Will your majesty allow me to offer an explanation of what has just -happened?” - -“By no means, M. de Kempelen,” Catherine said, heartily--“by no means; -on the contrary, I find it most amusing, and your automaton pleases me -so much that I wish to purchase it. I shall thus always have near me a -player, somewhat quick perhaps, but yet able to hold his own. You can -leave it here to-night, and come to-morrow morning to arrange the -price.” - -There is strong reason to believe that Catherine wished to commit an -indiscretion when she evinced a desire that the figure should remain at -the palace till the next morning. Fortunately, the skillful mechanician -managed to baffle her feminine curiosity by carrying Worousky off in the -big chest. The automaton remained in the library, but the player was no -longer there. - -The next day Catherine renewed her proposition to purchase the -chess-player, but Kempelen made her understand that, as the figure could -not perform without him, he could not possibly sell it. The empress -allowed the justice of these arguments; and, while complimenting the -mechanician on his invention, made him a handsome present. - -Three months after the automaton was in England, under the management of -Mr. Anthon, to whom Kempelen had sold it. I know not if Worousky was -still attached to it, but I fancy so, owing to the immense success the -chess-player met with. Mr. Anthon visited the whole of Europe, always -meeting with the same success; but, at his death, the celebrated -automaton was purchased by MaĂ«lzel, who embarked with it for New York. -It was then, probably, Worousky took leave of his hospitable Turk, for -the automaton was not nearly so successful in America. After exhibiting -his mechanical trumpeter and chess-player for some time, MaĂ«lzel set out -again for France, but died on the passage of an attack of indigestion. -His heirs sold his apparatus, and thus Cronier obtained his precious -relic. - -My fortunate star again furnished me with an excellent occasion for -continuing my studies. A Prussian of the name of Koppen exhibited at -Paris, about the year 1829, an instrument known as the Componium. It was -a perfect mechanical orchestra, playing operatic overtures with -remarkable precision and effect, and it owed its name to the -circumstance that, by means of truly marvellous arrangements, this -instrument improvised charming variations without ever repeating itself. -It was asserted to be as difficult to hear the same variation twice, as -to find two similar quaternes drawn in succession at a lottery. - -The Componium was enormously successful, but at last public curiosity -was exhausted, and it was withdrawn, after bringing in the owner one -hundred thousand francs clear profit in a year. This amount, whether -correct or not, was adroitly published, and some time after the -instrument was put up for sale. A speculator by the name of D----, -seduced by the hope of obtaining equally large receipts in a foreign -country, bought the instrument, and took it to England. Unfortunately -for D----, at the moment when this goose with the golden eggs arrived in -London, George IV. died; the court went into mourning, and no one -visited the instrument. In order to avoid useless expense, D---- -thought it prudent to give up a scheme commenced under such evil -auspices, and determined on returning to Paris. The Componium was -consequently taken to pieces, packed up and carried to France. - -D----, hoped the instrument would enter duty free, but, on leaving -France, he had omitted some formality indispensable before obtaining -this favor. The Customs stopped it, and he was obliged to refer the case -to the Minister of Trade. While awaiting his decision, the chests were -deposited in damp ware-rooms, and it was not till the end of the year, -and after numberless formalities and difficulties, that the instrument -returned to Paris. - -This will give an idea of the state of disorder, confusion and damage in -which the Componium was left. - -Discouraged by the ill success of his trip to England, D---- resolved on -selling his mechanical improviser, but, before doing so, he cast about -for a mechanician who would undertake to put it in working order. I have -forgotten to state that, on the sale of the Componium, M. Koppen had -handed over with it a very clever German workman, who was, as it were, -the driver of this gigantic instrument. This person, finding he must sit -with his hands before him during the interminable formalities of the -French Customs, thought he could not do better than return home. - -The repair of the Componium was a tedious business--a work of -perserverance and research--for, as its arrangement had always been kept -secret, no one could supply the least information. D---- himself, having -no notion of mechanism, could not be of the slightest use, so the -workman must only depend on his own ideas. - -I heard the matter talked about, and, urged by a probably too flattering -opinion of myself, or rather dazzled by the glory of executing such a -splendid job, I offered to undertake the immense repairs. - -I was laughed at: the confession is humiliating, but perfectly truthful. -I must say, too, that it was justifiable, for I was only known at that -time as an humble workman, and it was feared that, far from making the -instrument act properly, I should cause still greater injury, while -trying to repair it. However, as D---- met with no better offer, and I -offered to deposit a sum, to be forfeited in the event of my doing any -injury, he eventually yielded to my wishes. - -It will be allowed that I was a very conscientious workman; but, in -reality, I acted for my own benefit, as this undertaking, by supplying -me with an interesting object of study, would prove a perfect lesson in -mechanism for me. - -As soon as my offer was accepted, all the boxes in which the componium -was packed were carried into a large room I used as workshop, and -emptied, pell-mell, into sheets, spread for the purpose, on the ground. - -When alone, and I saw this heap of rusty iron, these myriads of parts, -whose meaning I did not understand, this orchestra of instruments of -every size and shape, such as cornets, bugles, hautboys, flutes, -clarionets, bassoons, organ pipes, big drum, triangle, cymbals, &c., all -arranged in sizes, according to the chromatic scale, I was so frightened -by the difficulty of my task, that I was quite annihilated for several -hours. - -To better understand my mad presumption, which only my passion for -mechanics and my love of the marvellous can excuse, I must add that I -never even saw the componium performing; hence, all was an unknown -country for me. Add to this, that the greater portion of the works were -covered with rust and verdigris. - -Seated in the midst of this musical chaos, with my head resting in my -hands, I asked myself a hundred times this simple question, “Where shall -I begin?” and then my imagination was quite paralysed. One morning, -however, finding myself well disposed, and feeling the influence of the -Hippocratic axiom, “Mens sana in corpore sano,” I felt disgusted at my -long sloth, and rushed headforemost at my immense task. - -If my readers were only mechanicians, how willingly would I describe to -them all my trials, attempts, and studies! With what pleasure I would -explain the skillful and ingenious combinations that arose successively -from this chaos! But as I fancy I can see my readers turning over my -pages to seek the end of a chapter that is growing too serious, I will -check my inclination, and content myself with stating that, for a whole -year, I proceeded from the known to the unknown, in solving this -inextricable problem, and one day I had the happiness of seeing my -labors crowned with complete success. The componium--a new -phĹ“nix--had risen from its ashes. - -This unexpected success gained me the greatest praise, and D---- bade me -name my own price; but I would not accept anything beyond my actual -outlay, feeling amply repaid by such a glorious result. And yet, however -high my reward might have been, it would not have repaid me what this -task, which overtasked my strength, eventually cost me. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - An Inventor’s Calculations--One Hundred Thousand Francs a Year by - an Inkstand: Deception--My new Automata--The First Magician in - France: Decadence--I meet Antonio--Bosco--The Trick with the - Cups--An Execution--Resurrection of the Criminals--Mistake in a - Head--The Canary rewarded. - - -My sleepless nights, my incessant toil, and, above all, the feverish -agitations resulting from all the emotions of such an arduous -undertaking, had undermined my health. A brain-fever attacked me, and -though I recovered from it, it was only to pass five long years in -listlessness and vacuity. My mind seemed quite gone: I felt no passion, -no love, no interest, even in the arts I had so delighted in: conjuring -and mechanism only existed for me in the shape of recollections. - -But this illness, which had mastered the faculty of Paris, could not -resist the refreshing air of the country, where I retired for six -months, and when I returned to Paris, I was a new man. With what joy I -saw again my beloved tools! With what ardor I reassumed my work! for I -had to regain not only the lost time, but also the enormous expenses -incurred by my long illness. - -My modest fortune was for the moment sensibly diminished, but on this -point I was case-hardened; for would not my future performances fill up -all these losses, and insure me a handsome fortune? Thus I discounted an -uncertain future; but, after all, do not all inventors like to convert -their schemes into ingots? - -Perhaps, too, I unconsciously yielded to the influence of one of my -friends, an extraordinary projector, whom mistakes and deceptions never -hindered forming fresh schemes. Our manner of calculating the future had -considerable affinity. But I must do him this justice: however high my -estimate might be, he was far superior to me in that respect. Here is an -instance to judge by. - -One day this friend called upon me, and showing me an inkstand of his -invention, which combined the double merit of being safe from upset, and -of always keeping the ink at the same level, said, - -“At last, my lad, I have hit it; this invention will make a revolution -in the writing world, and allow me to walk about like a gentleman, with -a hundred thousand francs a year--at the very lowest, understand me. But -you can judge for yourself, if you follow my calculations closely. You -know, there are thirty-six millions of inhabitants in France?” - -I nodded an affirmative. - -“Starting on this basis, I do not think I err if I assume that at least -one-half can write, eh? or, say we take one-third, or, to be still more -sure, the round sum of ten millions. Now, I hope I shall not be charged -with exaggeration, if, out of these ten millions, I take one-tenth, or a -million, as the number of those looking after what may be useful to -them.” - -And my friend stopped here and looked at me, as much as to say, “Am I -not reasonable in my estimates?” - -“We have, then, in France one million men capable of appreciating the -benefits of my inkstand. Well, of this number how many will you allow -who, during the first year, hear of my inkstand, and consequently will -purchase it?” - -“Well,” I replied, “I confess to a difficulty in giving you an exact -answer.” - -“Good Heavens! who spoke about exactness? I only want an approximation, -and that must be the lowest possible, that there may be no mistake.” - -“Well,” I went on, continuing my friend’s decimal calculations, “take a -tenth.” - -“Now, mind, _you_ said a tenth, or, in other words, one hundred -thousand. But,” the inventor continued, charmed at seeing me share his -brilliant calculations, “do you know what the sale of these one hundred -thousand inkstands will produce me in a year?” - -“I can form no idea.” - -“I will then tell you. I have reserved myself one franc on each inkstand -sold. This gives a profit then----“ - -“Of one hundred thousand francs, of course.” - -“You see, there is no difficulty in making the calculation. You must -bear in mind, too, that the other nine hundred thousand writers we left -on one side will end by appreciating my inkstand: they will also buy it. -Then what will the nine millions we omitted do? And notice, too, that I -am only speaking of France, which is a mere dot on the globe. When -foreign countries know its merits, when the English and their colonies -order it---- Oh, it would require a mathematician to reckon all this -up!” - -My friend wiped his brow, which had grown quite damp during the heat of -his address, and he ended by repeating, “Remember, we established our -estimate on the lowest basis.” - -Unfortunately, that was the place where my friend’s calculation broke -down. His inkstand, being much too dear, was not purchased, and the -inventor ended by adding this gold mine to his many other deceptions. - -I, too, I confess, based my calculations on the census, or, at least, on -the approximative number of visitors to the capital, and even at the -lowest figure I arrived at a most satisfactory result. But I do not -regret having given way to these fancies, for though they occasioned me -various disappointments, they served to keep up some energy in my mind, -and enabled me to wrestle against the numberless difficulties I -encountered in making my automata. Besides, who has not, once in his -life at least, indulged in the gilded calculations of my friend the -inkstand inventor? - -I have already repeatedly mentioned the automata I made, and it is high -time to describe the nature of the articles intended to be used in my -performances. - -The first was a small pastrycook issuing from his shop door at the word -of command, and bringing, according to the spectator’s request, patties -and refreshments of every description. At the side of the shop assistant -pastrycooks might be seen rolling paste and putting it in the oven. - -Another specimen represented two clowns, Auriol and Debureau. The latter -held out at arm’s length a chair, on which his merry comrade performed -acrobatic tricks, like his namesake at the circus in the Champs ElysĂ©es. -After these performances Auriol smoked a pipe, and ended by accompanying -on the flagolet an air played by the orchestra. - -The next was a mysterious orange-tree, on which flowers and fruit burst -into life at the request of the ladies. As the finale, a handkerchief I -borrowed was conveyed into an orange purposely left on the tree. This -opened and displayed the handkerchief, which two butterflies took by the -corners and unfolded before the spectators. - -Lastly, I made a dial of transparent glass, which marked the hours at -the will of the spectators, and struck the time on a crystal bell. - -At the time I was most deeply engaged in these labors, I made a very -agreeable rencontre. While walking along the Boulevards, full of -thought, according to my usual habit, I heard some one calling me. On -turning round, an elegantly-dressed man pressed my hand. - -“Antonio!” I exclaimed, as I embraced him, “how glad I am to see you! -But why are you here--what are you doing--and Torrini?” - -Antonio interrupted me. “I will tell you all about it. Come to my -apartments, where we shall be more at ease. I only live a few doors -off.” - -In fact, within two minutes we stopped in the Rue de Lancry, before a -very handsome house. - -“Go up,” Antonio said: “I live on the second floor.” - -A servant opened the door. “Is your mistress at home?” Antonio asked. - -“No, sir; but I was to tell you she would be in soon.” - -After leading me into a pretty drawing-room, Antonio made me sit down by -his side on a sofa. - -“Now, my friend, let us talk, for we must have a great deal to tell each -other.” - -“Yes, let us talk; for I confess that my curiosity is strongly excited. -I fancy, at times, I am dreaming.” - -“I will bring you back to real life,” Antonio continued, “by telling you -what has happened to me since we parted. Let us begin with poor -Torrini.” - -I made a movement of pained surprise. - -“What do you say, Antonio? Can our friend----?” - -“Yes, it is only too true. Death struck him at the moment we had every -reason to hope a happier fate. On leaving you, Torrini intended to -return as quickly as possible to Italy. The Count de Grisy was anxious -to reassume his name and revisit the scenes of past successes, for he -hoped there to become again the brilliant magician of yore. God decided -otherwise. Just as we were about leaving Lyons, where we had been giving -some successful performances, he was suddenly seized with typhus fever, -which carried him off in a few days. - -“I was his residuary legatee, and after paying the last honors to a man -to whom I had pledged my life, I began realizing my small fortune. I -sold the horses and travelling-carriage, and kept the apparatus, as I -intended to use it. I had no profession, so I thought I could not do -better than to take up one, for which the road was clear before me, and -I hoped that my name, to which my brother-in-law had given a certain -celebrity in France, would assist me. It was very bold in me to try and -fill the place of such a master, but I thought my impudence would answer -as well as talent. - -“Hence I called myself Signor Torrini, and, after the fashion of my -rivals, I added the title of â€first magician of France.’ Each of us is -always the first and the most skillful in the country where he happens -to be, unless he think proper to call himself the first in the whole -world. Conjuring is a profession in which, as you know, no one errs -through excess of modesty, and the custom of producing illusions -facilitates this issue of bad money, which the public, it is true, -appreciates and sets its true value on. - -“So it behaved to me, for, despite my pompous announcements, I frankly -confess it did not recognize the celebrity I claimed. On the contrary, -my performances were so little attended, that my receipts were hardly -sufficient for my existence. Still I went from town to town, giving my -performances, and nourishing myself more often on hope than on reality. -But the moment arrived when this unsubstantial food no longer sufficed -me, and I was forced to stop. I had exhausted my resources: I had -nothing left but my instruments. My clothes were reduced to the sheerest -necessity, and threatened to desert me at any moment: thus hesitation -was impossible. I decided on selling my instruments, and, provided with -the small sum they produced me, I set out for Paris, the last refuge of -those whose talent is neglected and position hopeless. - -“In spite of my ill success, I had lost none of my stock of philosophy, -and, though not very happy, I was full of hope in the future. Yes, my -friend--yes, I had a presentiment at that time of the brilliant position -fate reserved for me, and to which it lead me, I may say, by the hand. - -“Once arrived at Paris, I hired a modest room, and determined to live as -savingly as possible, in order to make my money hold out. You see that, -in spite of my confidence in the future, I took some precautions, so as -not to run the risk of dying of hunger; but you will allow I acted wrong -in not trusting entirely to my lucky star. - -“I had hardly been in Paris a week, when I met an old comrade, a -Florentine, who used to perform as second basso in my old theatre. He, -too, had been maltreated by Fortune, and having come to Paris, he found -himself reduced to accept a situation in the chorus of the Opera. When I -had revealed my position to him, he told me a tenor situation was vacant -in the chorus, and advised me to try and get it: I accepted the offer -with pleasure, though, of course, as merely transitional, for I felt a -pang at my descent. Still, prudence suggested I had better guard against -want. - -“I have often noticed,” Antonio continued, “that those events which -inspire us with the greatest doubt, turn out the most favorable, and -mine was a case in point. As I had a good deal of spare time, I thought -I would employ it in giving singing lessons. I, therefore described -myself as a singer at the Opera, while concealing the position I -occupied there. Procuring my first pupil was as difficult as saving the -first hundred pounds towards a fortune, and I had to wait a long time. -At length I caught him; then others; and, gradually, I had enough pupils -to enable me to leave the theatre. - -“I must tell you this determination had another reason. I loved one of -my lady pupils, and she returned my affection. Under such circumstances, -it was not prudent to remain a chorus-singer, which might have impeded -my views. You naturally expect some romantic adventure; but nothing -could be more simple than the event which crowned our loves--it was -marriage. - -“Madame Torrini, whom you will see presently, was the daughter of a -retired laceman. Her father, a widower, with no other children, had no -will but his daughter’s, and he accepted my offers. He was the worthiest -of men; but, unfortunately we lost him two years ago. I retired from my -professional duties on the fortune he left us, and I now live happily -and calmly, in a position which realizes my most brilliant dreams of -old. This is another proof,” my philosophic friend said, in conclusion, -“that, however precarious may be the position in which a man finds -himself, he ought never to despair of luck turning.” - -My story was not so long as Antonio’s, for with the exception of my -marriage, there was no event worthy narrating. I told him, however of my -long illness, and the work that had brought it on, and I had scarce -ended, when Madame Torrini entered the room. My friend’s wife received -me most kindly, saying: - -“I have known you, sir, for a long time, as Antonio told me your -history, which caused me to feel the greatest interest, and my husband -and myself often regretted we could not hear of you. Now, however, M. -Robert,” she added, “that we have found you, consider yourself an old -friend of the family and come to see us often.” - -I profited by this kind invitation, and more than once went to seek -consolation and encouragement from these worthy friends. - -Antonio still took an interest in conjuring, although it was a mere -distraction by which he amused his friends.--Still, not a conjurer -announced his performance but he went to see him. One morning he entered -my workshop in great haste. - -“Look here,” he said, offering me a paper, “as you run after all the -celebrated conjurers, here is one that will astonish you. Read.” - -I took the paper eagerly, and read the following puff: - -“The famous Bosco, who can conjure away a house as easily as a nutmeg, -is about to give his performances at Paris, in which some miraculous -tricks will be executed.” - -“Well, what do you say to that?” Antonio asked me. - -“A man must possess very great talent to undertake the responsibility of -such praise. After all, I think the journalist is amusing himself at the -expense of his readers, and that the famous Bosco only exists in his -columns.” - -“You are quite wrong, my dear Robert: this conjurer is not an imaginary -being, for not only have I read this puff in several papers, but I even -saw Bosco last night at a cafĂ©, giving some specimens of his skill, and -announcing his first performance for next Tuesday.” - -“If it be so,” I said to my friend, “I must ask you to spend the evening -with M. Bosco, and I will come and call for you.” - -“Done,” said Antonio, “mind and call for me on Tuesday at half-past -seven, as the performance commences at eight.” - -At the appointed time we proceeded to the Rue Chantereine, where the -performance was announced. At the money-taker’s we found ourselves face -to face with a stout gentleman, dressed in a coat adorned with frogs and -trimmed with fur, making him look like a Russian prince on his travels. -Antonio nudged me with his elbow, and said, in a whisper, “That’s he!” - -“Who’s he?” - -“Why, Bosco.” - -“All the worse,” I said; “I am sorry for him.” - -“Explain yourself, for I do not understand the harm a Boyard’s dress can -do a man.” - -“My friend, I do not blame M. Bosco so much for his dress as for -occupying his present place. I think an artiste cannot be too chary of -his person off the stage; there is so much difference between the man -whom an entire audience listens to and applauds, and the director who -comes openly to watch his paltry interests, that the latter must injure -the former.” - -During this conversation, my friend and myself had entered the room and -taken our seats. According to the idea I had formed of a magician’s -laboratory, I expected to find myself before a curtain whose large -folds, when withdrawn, would display before my dazzled eyes a brilliant -stage ornamented with apparatus worthy of the celebrity announced; but -my illusions on this subject soon faded away. - -A curtain had been considered superfluous, and the stage was open. -Before me was a long three-storied sideboard, entirely covered with -black serge. This lugubrious buffet was adorned with a number of wax -candles, among which glistened the apparatus. At the topmost point of -this strange _Ă©targère_ was a death’s-head, much surprised, I have no -doubt, at finding itself at such a festival, and it quite produced the -effect of a funeral service. - -In front of the stage, and near the spectators, was a table covered by a -brown cloth, reaching to the ground, on which five brass cups were -symmetrically arranged. Finally, above this table hung a copper ball, -which strangely excited my curiosity.[D] - -For the life of me I could not imagine what this was for, so I -determined to wait till Bosco came to explain it. Antonio had entered -into conversation with his neighbor, who spoke in the most enthusiastic -manner of the performance we were about to witness. The silvery sound of -a small bell put an end to my reverie and to my friend’s conversation, -and Bosco appeared on the stage. - -The artiste had changed his costume: he had substituted for the Russian -great-coat a little black velvet jacket, fastened round the waist by a -leathern belt of the same color. His sleeves were excessively short, and -displayed a handsome arm. He wore loose black trousers, ornamented at -the bottom with a ruche of lace, and a large white collar round his -neck. This strange attire bore considerable resemblance to the classical -costume of the Scapins in our plays. - -After making a majestic bow to his audience, the celebrated conjurer -walked silently and with measured steps up to the famous copper ball. -After convincing himself it was solidly hung, he took up his wand, which -he wiped with a white handkerchief, as if to remove any foreign -influence; then, with imperturbable gravity, he struck the ball thrice -with it, pronouncing, amid the most solemn silence, this imperious -sentence: _Spiriti miei infernali, obedite_. - -I, like a simpleton, scarce breathed in my expectation of some -miraculous result, but it was only an innocent pleasantry, a simple -introduction to the performance with the cups. I was, I confess, rather -disappointed, for, in my opinion, this performance was only suited for -the public streets, and I did not expect any one would venture it on a -Paris stage in 1838. I was justified in this view, as two persons, -Miette and Lesprit, might be daily seen going through this performance -in the streets. Still, I must say that Bosco displayed great skill, and -was heartily applauded by the public. - -“Well,” Antonio’s neighbor said, victoriously, “was I not right--is he -not remarkably clever? But you’ll see, that’s nothing as yet.” - -Either Antonio was in a bad temper, or the performance did not please -him, for he could not “plant” the admiration he had been quite prepared -to bestow. In fact, he became most impatient when Bosco commenced the -“pigeon trick.” Still, it must be allowed that the _mise en scène_ and -the execution were of a nature to irritate nerves even less sensitive -than my friend’s. - -A servant placed on small tables on either side the stage two small -blocks of black wood, on each of which a death’s-head was painted. They -were the blocks for the culprits. Bosco then came forward, holding a -knife in one hand and a black pigeon in the other. - -“Here is a pizon” (I forgot to state that Bosco spoke with a strong -Italian accent) “zat has behaved badly. I am going to cut off his head; -zall it be, ladies, wiz blood or wizout?” (This was one of his strong -points.) - -Some people laughed, but the ladies hesitated to reply to this strange -question. - -“Without blood,” a spectator said. Bosco then placed the pigeon’s head -on the block and cut it off, being careful to press the neck, and -prevent the effusion of blood. - -“You zee, ladies,” the operator said, “zat ze pizon does not bleed, as -you ordered.” - -“With blood,” suppose another spectator said. Then Bosco loosened the -artery, and let the blood run on a plate, which he handed round for -inspection. The head, after being cut off, was placed upright on one of -the blocks; and Bosco, taking advantage of a convulsive movement, which -caused the beak to open, made this barbarous jest: “Come, mossiou, bow -to zis amiable company--now once more. Ah, ah, zat is right.” - -The public listened, but no longer laughed. - -The same operation was performed on a white pigeon without the slightest -variation, after which Bosco placed the bodies in two false-bottomed -boxes, being careful to put the black head with the white pigeon, and -the white head with the black one. Then he repeated his conjurations -over the boxes, and when he opened them, a black pigeon came with a -white head, and a white one with a black head. Each of the culprits, -according to Bosco, had been restored to life, and assumed its comrade’s -head. - -“Well, what do you think of that?” Antonio’s neighbor asked him, as he -clapped vociferously. - -“To tell you the truth,” my friend replied, “I must say the trick is not -very wonderful. Besides, I should like it better were it performed with -less cruelty.” - -“Ah, you have delicate nerves, I see,” the neighbor said; “perhaps you -experience similar sensations when you see a fowl killed and put on the -spit?” - -“Allow me, sir, before answering you,” my friend replied, sharply, “to -ask if I have come here to see a kitchen performance?” - -The discussion was growing warm, and was rather savage in its tone, when -a third party terminated the dispute by the following jest: - -“Hang it, sir,” he said to Antonio, “if you do not like cruelty, at any -rate do not disgust other people with it.” - -Bosco now returned on the stage with a canary in his hand. - -“Zentlemen,” he said, “this is Piarot: he is very polite, and zall -zalute you. Come, Piarot, do your duty.” And he pinched the bird’s claws -with such force that the unfortunate tried to escape from this cruel -clutch. Overcome by pain, it bent down over the juggler’s hand, uttering -cries of distress. - -“Zat is good; I am satisfied wiz you. You see, ladies, he not only -zalutes you, but he says â€Good-night.’ Continue, Piarot, you zall be -rewarded.” - -The same torture made the bird bow twice more, and to _reward_ it its -master placed it in the hands of a lady, begging her to keep it. But -during the passage the bird had ended its life, and reached the lady’s -hand dead. Bosco had strangled it. - -“Oh, good Heavens, madam!” the conjurer exclaimed, “I believe you have -killed my Piarot--you zall have squeezed him too moch. Piarot--Piarot!” -he added, tossing the bird in the air, “Piarot, answer to me. Ah, -madam, he is dezidedly dead. What zall my wife say when she sees Bosco -arrive wizout his Piarot: quite zurely I zall be beaten by Madame -Bosco.” (I must observe, here, that all I describe is literally true.) - -This bird was interred in a large box, whence, after fresh conjurations, -a living bird came out. This new victim was fated to suffer shorter -agony. It was thrust alive into the barrel of a large pistol, and Bosco, -holding a sword in his hand, begged a spectator to fire at the point of -the weapon he held out to him. The pistol was fired, and a third victim -was seen spitted on the point of the sword. - -Antonio rose. “Let us go,” he said, “for I am turning sick.” - -I have seen Bosco several times since then, and each time I studied him -carefully, not only to try and explain the cause of the great fashion he -enjoyed, but also to be able to compare the various opinions expressed -about this celebrated man. Here are some deductions drawn from my -observations. - -Bosco’s performances generally please a large number, for the public -suppose that, through some inexplicable address, the bird-murders are -simply feigned, and, tranquil, on this point, they indulge in all the -pleasure caused by the talent of the conjurer and the originality of his -accent. - -Bosco has a quaint and full-sounding name, adapted to become popular, -and no one knows better than he how to take advantage of it. Neglecting -no opportunity for notoriety, he performs at any hour of the day, -whatever may be the quality and number of the spectators. In a coach, at -a table d’hĂ´te, in cafĂ©s or shops, he never fails to give some specimen -of his skill, by juggling a coin, a ring, and so on. - -The witnesses of these little improvised performances consider -themselves bound to return Bosco’s politeness, by attending his public -performance. They have formed the acquaintance of the celebrated -conjurer, and are obliged to sustain the reputation of their new friend. -Hence, they urge all their acquaintances to go also, puff off the -performance, and thus the room is always full. - -It must also be mentioned that numerous accomplices help Bosco’s -popularity materially. Each of them, it is known, is instructed to hand -the magician a handkerchief, shawl, watch, &c., which he has in double. -This allows him to pass them with an appearance of magic or skill, into -a cabbage, a loaf, a box, or any other object. These accomplices, while -aiding in the conjurer’s experiments, have a great interest in securing -their success: for their self-love finds its profit in the success of -the mystification. Besides, they have no objection to accept some of the -applause as their due: hence, the magician has as many admirers as -accomplices, and the influence a dozen intelligent prompters can exert -in a room is well known. - -Such were the influences which, joined to Bosco’s talent, gained him a -great renown for many years. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - A Reverse of Fortune--Cookery and Clockwork--The Artist’s - Home--Invention of an Automaton--Voluntary Exile--A modest - Villa--The Inconveniences of a Speciality--Two August Visitors--The - Throat of a mechanical Nightingale--The Tiou and the - Rrrrrrrrouit--Seven Thousand Francs earned by making Filings. - - -In the meanwhile I worked indefatigably at my automata, hoping that when -these were completed, I should be able to establish myself permanently. -But, in spite of my activity, I advanced very slowly towards the -realization of my long-deferred hopes. - -Only an inventor can know the value of a day’s work on the gloomy road -to success in combining automata. Numberless trials and deceptions of -every nature foil at any moment the best-conceived plans, and seem to -realize the pleasant story about reaching the end of a journey by making -two steps forward and three backward. - -I performed this wearisome progress during six months, and, at the end -of that time, though I had several specimens far advanced, it was still -impossible for me to fix the period when they would be quite finished. -In order not to defer my appearance before the public, I therefore -resolved to begin with my conjuring tricks and such automata as were -ready. I had arranged with an architect, who was to help me in finding a -suitable site for a theatre, but I had scarce taken my first steps, when -an unforeseen catastrophe ruined both my father-in-law and myself. - -This reverse of fortune threw me into a state of abject despondency, for -I saw, to my terror, the realization of my plans indefinitely postponed. -I could no longer think of inventing machines, but must work, day by -day, to support my large family. I had four children, all very young, -and this was a heavy burden on a man who had never yet thought of his -own interests. - -The vulgar truth, “Time dissipates the severest griefs,” is not the less -true from being so often repeated; and it was the case with me. I was at -first as wretched as man could well be; then my despair gradually died -away, and made room for sorrow and resignation. At last, as it is not my -nature to keep up a melancholy character long, I ended by accepting the -situation. Then the future, which had appeared so gloomy, assumed a -different face, and, by a gradual process of reasoning, I began to -indulge in reflections whose consoling philosophy restored my courage. - -“Why should I despair?” I said to myself. “At my age, time itself is a -fortune, and I have a considerable reserve fund of that. Besides, who -knows whether Providence, by sending me this trial, has not wished to -delay an undertaking that was not yet quite assured of success?” - -In fact, what had I to offer the public that would overcome the -indifference a new performer always inspires?--improved conjuring -tricks! Those, I thought, would not prevent me failing, for I was -unaware at that period that, in order to please the public, an idea must -be, if not novel, at least completely transformed, so that it cannot be -recognized. Only in that way can an artiste escape a remark that always -fills him with dread--“I have seen that before.” My automata and -mechanical curiosities would not have betrayed the hopes I built upon -them, but I had too few, and the specimens I had in hand still required -years of study and labor. - -These wise reflections restored my courage, and, resigned to my new -situation, I resolved to effect an utter reform in my budget. I had -nothing more to look for than what I earned with my own hands, so I -hired a modest lodging, at three hundred francs a year, in the Rue du -Temple. It consisted of a room, a cabinet and a stove in a cupboard, to -which my proprietor gave the name of kitchen. I converted the largest -room into our common sleeping apartment, the cabinet served as my -workshop, while the stove kitchen was used to prepare our modest meals. - -My wife, though in delicate health, undertook the household department. -Fortunately, this was not very laborious, as our meals were most modest; -and as our rooms were limited in number, there was not much moving about -required. The proximity of our mutual laboratories had also this double -advantage, that, whenever my housekeeper was absent, I could watch the -pot-au-feu or stir a ragoĂ»t without leaving my levers, wheels and cogs. - -These vulgar occupations for an artiste will make many a reader smile, -but when a man cannot afford to keep a servant, and the quality of the -dinner, consisting of a single dish, depends on the care devoted to it, -it is better to pocket one’s dignity and attend to the culinary -department, at any rate, without feeling false shame. However, it -appears that I performed my confidential mission admirably, for my -exactitude gained me abundant praise. Still, I must confess that I had -very slight talent for cooking, and this boasted exactitude was produced -by my fear of incurring the reproaches of my head cook. - -This humble existence was less painful to me than I had imagined. I had -always been moderate, and the privation of succulent dishes affected me -very little. My wife, surrounded by her children, to whom she devoted -her utmost care, seemed equally happy, while hoping for better times to -come. - -I had resumed my first trade, that of repairing watches and clocks. -Still, this was only to secure our hand-to-mouth existence, for all the -while I was repairing I was meditating a piece of clockwork, the success -of which restored some ease to our household. It was an alarum, which -was thus arranged: - -You placed it by your side when you went to bed, and, at the hour -desired, a peal aroused the sleeper, while, at the same time, a ready -lighted candle came out from a small box. I was the prouder of this -invention and its success, as it was the first of my ideas which -produced me any profit. - -This “alarum-light,” as I christened it, was so popular that, in order -to satisfy the great demand for it, I was obliged to add a workshop to -my rooms and hire several workmen. Encouraged by such a favorable -result, I turned my attention afresh to inventions, and gave a free -scope to my imagination. I succeeded in making several more toys, among -which was one which my readers will probably remember to have seen in -the shop-windows. It was a glass dial, mounted on a column of the same -material. This “mysterious clock” (as I called it), although entirely -transparent, indicated the hour with the greatest exactness, and struck, -without any apparent mechanism to make it move. I also constructed -several automata, such as a conjurer playing with cups, a dancer on the -tight-rope, singing birds, &c. - -It may strike the reader that, with so many strings to my bow, and such -amusing toys to make, my situation would be considerably improved, but -it was not so. Each day, on the contrary, produced fresh trouble in my -trade as well as in my household, and I even saw a financial crisis -approaching which I found it impossible to prevent. - -The cause of this result was very simple. While engaged with the -mechanical toys I have just mentioned, I still worked at my theatrical -automata, for which my passion had been again aroused by my present -labors. Like the gambler, who throws his last farthing on the board, I -invested all my earnings in my theatrical preparations, hoping these -would soon repay me for my sacrifices with a hundred per cent. profit. - -But it was fated that I should no sooner see the realization of my -projects close at hand, than an unforseen event should remove it again -from my grasp. I had a sum of two thousand francs to pay at the end of -the month; I had not a penny to meet it, and I had only three days left -before the bill I had accepted became due. - -Never did an embarrassment arrive more inopportunely! I had just formed -the plan of an automaton in which I placed the greatest hopes. It was a -“writing and drawing automaton,” answering in writing or emblematic -designs questions proposed by the spectators, and I intended to employ -this figure between the performances in my future theatre. - -Once more was I obliged to check the flight of my imagination to absorb -myself in the vulgar and difficult problem of meeting a bill when you -have no money. I might, it is true, have saved myself all trouble by -applying to my friends, but prudence and delicacy rendered it my duty -to pay it from my own resources. Providence, doubtlessly, recognized -the merit of my resolution, for she sent me a saving idea. - -I had sold several mechanical toys to M. G----, a rich curiosity dealer, -who had always treated me with marked kindness. I went to him, and gave -him an exact description of my new automaton, and necessity must have -rendered me eloquent, for M. G---- was so satisfied that he bought my -automaton on the spot, which I bound myself to deliver to him within -eighteen months. The price was arranged at five thousand francs, half of -which M. G---- agreed to pay me in advance, reserving to himself the -right, if I failed, in my promise, of recouping himself by purchasing -several of my automatic toys. - -Imagine my joy when I returned home, holding in my hands the money to -meet the bill! But the prospect of devoting myself for a long time to -the manufacture of an article satisfying my mechanical taste, rendered -me even happier. - -Still, the princely way in which M. G---- had concluded the bargain, -produced some serious thoughts as to the promise I had made him. I now -saw a thousand obstacles to prevent me keeping my word. I calculated -that, even if I devoted every moment to my work, I should lose much time -by causes I could not foresee or hinder. There were, first, friends, -customers, and bores; then a family dinner, an evening party, that could -not be declined, a visit that must be paid, and so on. These claims on -politeness, which I must respect, would inevitably cause me to break my -word: in vain I racked my brain in devising some scheme to gain time, or -at least not lose it; still, I could only succeed at the expense of my -good temper. I therefore formed a resolution which my relations and -friends declared to be madness, but from which they could not turn me, -and that was to exile myself voluntarily until my task was completed. - -Paris not appearing to me a secure place against annoyance, I chose the -suburbs as my retreat, and one fine day, despite the prayers and -supplications of my whole family, after entrusting my business to one of -my workmen, whose talent and probity I was convinced of, I proceeded to -Belleville, and installed myself in a little room in the Rue des Bois, -which I hired for twelve months, at a hundred francs. The only furniture -was a bed, a chest of drawers, a table, and a few chairs. - -This act of madness, as my friends called it, or this heroic -determination, as I called it, saved me from imminent ruin, and was my -first step on the ladder of success. From this moment an obstinate will -was aroused in me which enabled me to confront many obstacles and -difficulties. - -I am bound to confess that the first days of my retirement were painful, -and I bitterly deplored the harsh necessity that thus isolated me from -all I loved. The society of my wife and children had grown a necessity -to me; a kiss from these dear beings restored my courage in hours of -despondency, and now I was deprived of it. Surely I must have been -supported by an enormous strength of will not to turn back at the -prospect of this frightful vacuum. - -Many times I furtively wiped away a tear, but then I closed my eyes, and -straightway my automaton and the various combinations that were to -animate it appeared before me like a consoling vision; I passed in -review all the wheels I had created; I smiled upon them like so many -children of my own; and when I emerged from this restorative dream I -set to work again, filled with a courageous resignation. - -It had been arranged that my wife and children should spend every -Thursday evening with me, and I always dined at home on Sunday. These -few hours devoted to my family were the only amusements I allowed -myself. - -At my wife’s request, the portress of the house had agreed to prepare my -meals; this excellent creature, an old _cordon bleu_, had left service -to marry a mason of the name of Monsieur Auguste. This gentleman, -judging by my modest existence in the house, thought me a poor devil who -found some difficulty in keeping himself: hence, he assumed an air of -generous protection, or kindly pity towards me. As he was a worthy man -at the bottom, I pardoned his ways, and only laughed at them. - -My new cook had received special instruction to treat me famously, but, -not wishing to increase my household expenses, I, on my side, made -stipulations which were kept with the greatest secresy. I arranged my -meals after the following fashion: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and -Thursdays I lived on an enormous dish, to which my chef gave the generic -name of _fricot_, but that made no difference to me. On Friday and -Saturday, for the sake of my health, I lived low; haricot beans, either -white or red, satisfied my hunger, and with them a composite soup, often -reminding me of the gastronomic tastes of an Auvergnat, and I dined as -well, perhaps better, than Brillat-Savarin himself. - -This mode of life offered me two advantages: I spent little, and -indigestion never troubled the clearness of my ideas. I required this, -however, for it must not be supposed that mechanical difficulties were -the only ones I had to contend against in making my automaton. My -readers may judge, from the following incident, which also proves the -truth of the proverb, “Willing is doing.” - -At the commencement of my labor I had ordered from a wood-carver the -body, head, legs, and arms of my writer, and had applied to an artist, -particularly recommended to me as most skillful, and I had tried to make -him understand the importance I attached to my automaton having an -intelligent face. My Phidias had replied that I might trust to him. - -A month after, my sculptor made his appearance: he carefully removed the -wrapper, and showed me arms and legs splendidly carved, and ended by -handing me the head, with an air that seemed to signify, “What do you -think of that?” - -After what I had already seen I was prepared to admire a masterpiece, -but imagine my stupor on observing that the head belonged to a saint! -Quite astonished at this, I looked at my friend as if seeking an -explanation, but he did not seem to understand me and continued to point -out all the beauties of his work. I had no good reason to refuse it, -for, after its fashion, it was a very fine head, so I accepted it, -though it could be of no use to me. At any rate I wished to know the -motive that induced my sculptor to select such a type, and, by dint of -cross-examination, I learned that his special trade was carving saints, -and he could not emerge from his usual “groove.” - -After this check I applied to another artist, being careful to inquire -of him previously whether he had been in the habit of carving heads of -saints. In spite of my precautions, I only got from this artist a head -bearing a strong family likeness to those Nuremberg dolls made to act as -lay figures in studios. - -I had not the courage to make a third trial; yet, my writer required a -head, and I regarded my chefs-d’œuvre in turn. Neither could by -possibility suit me. A head with not the slightest expression spoiled my -automaton, while a holy Jerome on the body of a writer dressed in the -Louis XV. style would be a terrible anachronism. - -“And yet the face I want is engraved here,” I said, striking my -forehead. “What a pity I cannot carve it--suppose I were to try!” - -It has always been my character to set about a scheme as soon as I had -formed it, whatever the difficulties might be. Hence I took a piece of -modeling wax, made it into a ball, in which I formed three holes, -representing mouth and eyes, then sticking on a patch for a nose, I -stopped to admire my handiwork. - -Have you ever noticed a toy belonging to earliest youth, representing -two blacksmiths at work on an anvil, which they are made to strike in -turn by pulling two parallel rods? Well, those mechanical combinations, -sold at one penny, I believe, are perfect marvels of art in comparison -with my first essay in modeling. - -Dissatisfied, disgusted, and almost angry, I threw my clumsy attempt -aside, and thought of some other plan to escape my difficulty. But I -have already said I am obstinate and persevering in all I undertake, and -the greater the difficulty seems, the more I feel myself pledged to -surmount it. The night passed in dreams which showed me my task -satisfactorily accomplished, and the next morning I took heart, and went -at it again. In fact, by passing a chisel over my ball--by taking away -from one side and adding to the other--I succeeded in making eyes, -mouth, and nose, which, if not regular, had at least the appearance of a -human form. - -The following days were spent in fresh studies and improvements, and -each time I noticed some progress in my work. Still, a moment arrived -when I was terribly embarrassed. The face was regular, but that was not -enough. I must give it some sort of character; but, as I had no model, -the task seemed beyond my strength. - -The idea struck me of looking in the glass, and judging from my own face -what features produce expression. Sitting down, then, as if writing, I -studied my full face and profile, and tried to imitate what I saw. I was -engaged at this task a long while, incessantly touching and retouching, -until one fine day I found my work finished, and I stopped to look at it -more attentively. Judge of my surprise on finding that I had -unconsciously produced an exact likeness of myself. Far from being vexed -at this unexpected result, I was pleased, for it was quite natural this -child of my imagination should have my features. I was not sorry to -place this family seal on a work to which I attached such importance. - -I had been now living for more than a year at Belleville, and I saw with -extreme pleasure the end of my task and of my exile drawing near. After -many doubts as to the success of my enterprise, the solemn moment -arrived when I should make the first trial of my writer. I had spent the -whole day in giving the last touches to the automaton, which sat before -me as if awaiting my orders, and prepared to answer the questions I -asked it. I had only to press the spring in order to enjoy the long -awaited result. My heart beat violently, and though I was alone, I -trembled with emotion at the mere thought of this imposing trial. - -I had just laid the first sheet of paper before my writer, and asked him -this question: - -“Who is the author of your being?” - -I pressed the spring, and the clockwork began acting. I dared hardly -breathe through fear of disturbing the operations. The automaton bowed -to me, and I could not refrain from smiling on it as my own son. But -when I saw the eyes fix an attentive glance on the paper--when the arm, -a few seconds before numb and lifeless, began to move and trace my -signature in a firm handwriting--the tears started to my eyes, and I -fervently thanked Heaven for granting me such success. And it was not -alone the satisfaction I experienced as inventor, but the certainty I -had of being able to restore some degree of comfort to my family, that -caused my deep feeling of gratitude. - -After making my Sosia repeat my signature a thousand times, I gave it -this next question: “What o’clock is it?” - -The automaton, acting in obedience to a clock, wrote: “It is two in the -morning.” - -This was a very timely warning. I profited by it, and went straight to -bed. Against my expectations, I enjoyed a sleep I had not known for a -long time. - -There may be among those who read my book some who have also created -some successful work. They will know that next to the happiness of -enjoying one’s own invention, nothing is so flattering as to offer it to -the notice of a third party. Molière and J. J. Rousseau consulted their -servants, and, I must confess, it afforded me great pleasure the next -morning to invite my portress and her husband to be present at the first -performance of my writer. - -As it was Sunday, and M. Auguste had no work to do, I found him at -breakfast. He held a modest sardine with his thumb on a piece of bread, -while in the other hand he had a knife, the handle of which was fastened -to his waist by a lanyard. My invitation was graciously accepted, and -they came to my room to witness the aristocratic performance of a -nobleman of the age of Louis XV. The mason’s wife chose this question: -“What is the emblem of fidelity?” The automaton replied by drawing a -pretty little greyhound lying on a cushion. Madame Auguste, quite -delighted, begged me to make her a present of the drawing, while her -husband, having by this time finished his breakfast, begged to see the -work, for, as he said, - -“I understand something about that sort of thing, for I have always to -grease the vane on the church steeple, and have even taken it down -twice. Ah! if I were to direct my attention to mechanics, I have no -doubt I should be very successful.” - -Although, of course, he understood nothing of what he saw, the worthy -mason carefully examined the mechanical arrangements; then, as if -yielding to an impulsive frankness, he said, in a kindly protecting -tone, - -“If I was not afraid of vexing you, I would make an observation.” - -“Pray do so, Monsieur Auguste, and be sure I shall treat it as it -deserves.” - -“Well, in your place, I would have made the mechanism much more simple; -for then those who do not understand that sort of thing, would be able -to do so more easily.” - -With some difficulty I maintained sufficient gravity to reply: - -“Your observation is very just, Monsieur Auguste; I had not thought of -that: but be assured I shall now profit by your suggestions, and -speedily remove half the machinery; there will be quite sufficient -left.” - -“Oh, certainly,” the mason said, believing in the sincerity of my -remarks, “there will be quite enough left then.” - -At this moment the garden-bell rang, and M. Auguste, ever attentive to -his duties, ran to answer it, and as his wife also took her departure, I -was enabled to laugh at my ease. - -It is curious that an automaton which was visited by all Paris and -gained me such reputation--that the designer, which interested Louis -Philippe and his family so greatly, should at the outset only receive -the stupid criticism of a porter. Well, a man is no more a prophet in -his own house than in his own country. - -It was more extraordinary, though, that I had eventually to make an -alteration in the automaton for the following reasons: the public (I do -not mean the educated portion) generally understand nothing of the -mechanical effects by which an automaton is moved; but they are pleased -to see them, and often only value them by the multiplicity of their -parts. I had taken every care to render the mechanism of my writer as -perfect as possible, and had set great store on making the clockwork -noiseless. In doing this I wished to imitate nature, whose complicated -instruments act almost imperceptibly. - -Can it be credited that this very perfection, which I had worked so hard -to attain, was unfavorable to my automaton? On its first exhibition, I -frequently heard persons who only saw the outside, say: - -“That writer is first rate; but the mechanism is probably very simple. -It often requires such a trifle to produce great results.” - -The idea then struck me of rendering the clock-work a little less -perfect, so that a whizzing sound should be heard, something like cotton -spinning. Then the worthy public formed a very different estimate of my -work, and the admiration increased in ratio to the intensity of the -noise. Such exclamations as these where continually heard: “How -ingenious! What complicated machinery! What talent such combination must -require!” - -In order to obtain this result, I had rendered my automaton less -perfect; and I was wrong. In this I followed the example of certain -actors who overdo their parts in order to produce a greater effect. They -raise a laugh, but they infringe the rules of art and are rarely ranked -among first-rate artists. Eventually, I got over my susceptibility, and -my machine was restored to its first condition. - -My writer thus finished, I could have ended my voluntary imprisonment if -I pleased; but I wished to finish another automaton, for which a -residence in the country would be requisite. Although this second -automaton was very complicated, it did not so fully occupy my time as -the first. It was a nightingale, which a rich merchant of St. Petersburg -had ordered, and I had agreed to produce a perfect imitation of the song -and actions of this delightful wood minstrel. - -This undertaking offered some serious difficulties; for though I had -already made several birds, their singing was quite arbitrary, and I had -only consulted my own taste in arranging it. The imitation of the -nightingale’s pipe was much more delicate, for I had to copy notes and -sounds which were almost inimitable. - -Fortunately, we were in the season when this skillful songster utters -his delicious accents; hence, I could employ him as my teacher. I went -constantly to the wood of Romainville, the skirt of which almost joined -the street in which I lived, and, laying myself on a soft bed of moss in -the densest foliage, I challenged my master to give me lessons. (The -nightingale sings both by night and day in Continental Europe, and the -slightest whistle, in tune or not, makes him strike up directly.) - -I wanted to imprint on my memory the musical phrases with which the bird -composes its melodies. The following are the most striking among them; -_tiou-tiou-tiou_, _ut-ut-ut-ut-ut_, _tchit-chou_, _tchit-chou_, -_tchit-tchit_, _rrrrrrrrrrrrrouit_, _&c._ I had to analyse these strange -sounds, these numberless chirps, these impossible rrrrouits, and -recompose them by a musical process. Now, here was the difficulty. I -only knew so much of music as a natural taste had taught me, and my -knowledge of harmony was hence a very feeble resource. I must add that -in order to imitate this flexibility of throat, and produce these -harmonious modulations, I had a small copper tube, about the size and -length of a quill, in which a steel piston moving very freely, produced -the different sounds I required; this tube represented in some respects -the nightingale’s throat. - -This instrument would have to work mechanically; clock work set in -motion the bellows, opened or closed a valve which produced the -twittering, the modulation, and the sliding notes, while it guided the -piston according to the different degrees of speed and depth I wanted to -reach. - -I had also to impart motion to the bird: it must move its beak in -accordance with the sounds it produced, flap its wings, leap from branch -to branch, &c. But this part of my task troubled me much less than the -other, as it was purely mechanical. - -I will not attempt to describe to the reader all the trials and -investigations I had to make; suffice it to say that, after repeated -experiments, I created a system, half musical, half mechanical, which -only required to be improved by fresh studies. Provided with this -instrument, I hurried off to the wood of Romainville, where I seated -myself under an oak, near which I had often heard a nightingale sing, -which I thought was the “star” among the virtuosi. I wound up the -clockwork, and it began playing in the midst of profound silence; but -the last notes had scarce died away ere a concert commenced from various -parts of the wood, which I was almost inclined to regard as a general -protest against my clumsy imitation. - -This collective lesson did not suit my purpose, for I wished to compare -and study, and could positively distinguish nothing. Fortunately for me, -all the musicians ceased, as if by word of command, and one of them -began a solo: it was doubtlessly the _premier sujet_, the Duprez of the -company--possibly the nightingale I have just mentioned. This tenor -indulged me with a succession of dulcet sounds and accents, which I -followed with all the attention of an industrious pupil. - -Thus I passed a portion of the night; my professor was indefatigable, -and, for my part, I was not weary of listening. At length we were -obliged to part, for, in spite of the pleasure I felt, I began to grow -chilly and sleepy. However, my lesson had done me so much good, that the -next morning I began making important corrections in my mechanism. After -five or six more visits to the wood, I attained the required result--the -nightingale’s song was perfectly imitated. - -After eighteen months’ stay at Belleville, I at length returned home to -enjoy the company of my wife and children; in my absence my business had -prospered, and I, by the manufacture of my two automata, had gained the -enormous sum of seven thousand francs. - -Seven thousand francs by making filings, as my father used to say. -Unfortunately, that excellent man could not enjoy the beginning of my -success--I had lost him a short time before the reverse of my fortune. -With his love for mechanical inventions, how proud he would have been of -my successes! - -Having thus regained a certain degree of comfort, I was now able to -enjoy some amusement, and visit my friends, among them Antonio, who -could not blame me for deserting him so long. In our long conversations -my friend never ceased to encourage me to realize the projects he had -suggested--I mean my theatrical schemes, of which he predicted the -certain success. - -While not neglecting my work, I had recommenced my conjuring exercises, -and began to make the acquaintance of several conjurers. I also wished -to see those ingenious personages who, not having a theatre to display -their talents in, visit the cafĂ©s. Such men as these are obliged to -employ an extraordinary degree of skill, for they have to deal with -people who are set upon detecting them. I met several interesting -specimens from whom I learned something; but a slight adventure soon -told me I must be on my guard in the choice of my acquaintances. - -A conjurer, whom I had formerly met at Roujol’s, and to whom I had -rendered a service, introduced me one day to a person by the name of -D----. He was a young man of prepossessing appearance and very elegantly -dressed, while his manners evidenced the thorough gentleman. - -“My friend tells me, sir,” he said, after the usual salutations, “that -you are in search of a person possessing a certain degree of address. -Although I have no wish to compliment myself, I may be able to show many -things you do not know.” - -“I accept your offer willingly,” I replied, “but I must tell you before -hand I am not a novice.” - -This introduction took place in my study, and we sat down to a table on -which refreshments were served. This was a trap by which I intended to -make my visitor more communicative. I then took up a pack of cards, and -showed him my dexterity in _sauter la coupe_ and various other tricks. - -I was watching D---- to observe the impression I produced on him, and -after a few moments’ careful following my hands, he gave his comrade a -gentle wink, of which I did not understand the meaning. I stopped for a -moment, and not wishing to ask a direct explanation, I opened a bottle -of Bordeaux, and filled his glass several times. This scheme was -successful, and the wine loosened his tongue, and he told me something -that surprised me. - -“I have a remark to make, M. Robert-Houdin,” he said, emptying his -glass, and holding it out to be filled again: “I thought I had come here -to deal with what we call a â€pigeon;’ I perceive it is quite otherwise, -and as I do not wish to expose the tricks by which I earn my livelihood, -I will content myself with the pleasure of having formed your -acquaintance.” - -The technical terms seemed to me a startling contrast to my visitor’s -elegant manners, still, as I did not wish to give in yet, I said, in a -tone of disappointment, - -“I hope, sir, you will recall your decision, and not leave me till you -have shown me how you handle the cards. You can do this without -prejudice, I think?” - -To my great satisfaction he at length consented. - -“Very well,” he said, taking up a pack of cards; “but you will see our -modes of â€working’ do not agree.” - -It would be difficult for me to give a name to what he performed in my -presence. It was not, properly speaking, sleight-of-hand; but they were -tricks and processes applied to cards, and were so unexpected, that -they must deceive everybody. This manipulation was only an exhibition, -however, of certain principles I learned at a later date. - -Like singers who begin by being urged, and who, when they have once -started, cannot leave off, D----, animated both by the sincere praise I -offered him and the great number of glasses of Bordeaux he had -swallowed, said to me with that frankness common to drinkers, “And now, -sir, I will give you another hint. I am not a professor of -sleight-of-hand, but only perform a few tricks I show to amateurs. These -lessons, you can understand, would not suffice for my livelihood, and I -will tell you, then,” he added, emptying his glass again, and holding it -out to be filled, as if he wished me to pay for his confidence, “I visit -in the evening houses where I have managed to gain an introduction, and -profit by some of the principles I have just shown you.” - -“I suppose you give a performance?” D---- smiled slightly, and repeated -the wink he had once before given his comrade. - -“Performances!” he replied. “Never! or rather, I give them after my own -fashion; I will explain that to you presently, but I will first amuse -you by telling you how I manage to get a handsome prize for the lessons -I give my amateurs; after that I will return to my _performances_. - -“You can suppose, for reasons easy to understand that I only give -lessons to young men whose pockets I presume are well lined. On -beginning my explanations I tell my pupil that I leave my price to him, -and during the lesson I perform an interlude which must heighten his -generosity. - -“Drawing near my pigeon--pray pardon the word--“ - -“I have already done so.” - -“Ah, very good; I beg your pardon. I say, taking one of his buttons in -my hand, â€Here is a mould piercing the cloth, and you might lose it.’ - -“At the same time I throw a Louis on the table; then I examine his -buttons, one after the other, and pretend to draw a gold piece from -each. As I only perform this trick as a harmless pleasantry, I pick up -my gold with the greatest indifference. I even push my indifference so -far as to leave one or two by mistake on the table, but only for a short -time, of course. - -“I continue my lesson, and, as I expected, my pupil pays but slight -attention to it, being fully engaged with the reflections I have so -skillfully suggested. Can he offer five francs to a man who appears to -have his pocket full of gold? Of course not; the least he can do is to -add one more piece to those I had displayed, and that always happens. - -“Like a modern Bias, then, I carry all my fortune about me; I am -sometimes tolerably rich, and then my pockets are well lined. Often -enough, too, I am reduced to a dozen of these â€yellow boys,’ but them I -never touch, as they are the instruments by which I procure others. Many -times I have gone without my dinner, though having this small fortune in -my pocket, because I laid it down as a rule not to break into it.” - -“The performances you give in society,” I said to my narrator, in order -to bring him back to that point, “are of course more lucrative?” - -“They are so, but prudence prevents me giving them so often as I should -like.” - -“I do not understand you.” - -“I will explain my meaning. When I am in society I am a young man of -good family, and, like all young men, play. The only difference is, I -have my own way of playing, which is not that of all the world, but it -seems it is not bad, because it often renders chances favorable. You -shall judge.” - -Here my narrator stopped to refresh himself, then, as if doing the most -legal or harmless thing in the world, he showed me several tricks, or -rather acts of swindling, which he executed with so much grace, skill, -and simplicity, that it would be impossible to detect him. - -In order to understand the effect these culpable confessions produced -upon me, my readers ought to know what it is to love a science of which -you seek to solve the mysteries. Far from feeling repugnance or even -disgust at this man with whom justice would have one day an account to -settle, I admired, I was stunned! The finesse and perfection of his -tricks made me forget their blameworthy application. - -At length my Greek left me, and so soon as he was gone the remembrance -of his confessions sent the blood to my cheeks. I was as ashamed of -myself as if I had been his accomplice. I even reproached myself -severely for the admiration I could not restrain, and the compliments it -extorted from me. In some measure to compound with my conscience, I -ordered my door to be closed against this man; but it was an unnecessary -precaution--I never heard of him again. - -Strangely enough, in consequence of my meeting with D----, and the -revelations he had made me, I was enabled, at a later period, to render -a service to society by unmasking a piece of swindling which the most -skillful experts could not detect. - -In 1849, M. B----, a magistrate belonging to the police office of the -Seine, begged me to examine and verify one hundred and fifty packs of -cards, seized in the possession of a man whose antecedents were far from -being as unblemished as his cards. The latter, indeed, were perfectly -white, and this peculiarity had hitherto foiled the most minute -investigation. It was impossible for the most practised eye to detect -the least alteration or the slightest mark, and they all seemed very -respectable packs of cards. - -I consented to examine the cards, as I hoped to detect a manĹ“uvre -which must be clever as it was so carefully concealed. I could only do -so after my performance was over, and so each night, before going to -bed, I sat down with a bright lamp, and remained at my task till sleep -or want of success routed me from my post. - -Thus I spent nearly a fortnight, examining, both with my eyes and a -strong magnifying-glass, the form and imperceptible varieties in the -cards composing the one hundred and fifty packs. I could detect nothing, -and, weary of the job, I began to agree in the opinion of the previous -experts. - -“I am sure there is nothing the matter with these cards,” I said one -night, angrily, as I threw them across the table. - -Suddenly I fancied I noticed a pale spot on the glistening back of these -cards, and near one of the corners. I stepped forward, and it -disappeared, but, strangely enough, it reappeared as I fell back. - -“What a magnificent dodge!” I exclaimed, in my enthusiasm. “I have it: -that is a distinguishing mark.” - -And following a certain principle which D---- had explained to me, I -assured myself that all the cards possessed a mark, which, according to -its position, indicated the value and color. - -For the last quarter of an hour I have been burning with a desire to -explain to my readers a most interesting process, but I am restrained by -the fear that this ingenious swindling may facilitate false play. Still, -it is an indubitable truth, “that to avoid a danger, it must be known.” -Hence, if every player were initiated into the stratagems of the -card-swindlers, the latter would find it impossible to employ them. - -I am, therefore, inclined to make the communication I have stated, that -a single mark placed in a certain part of a card is sufficient to make -it known. To explain this, I must employ a diagram: - - - DIAGRAM 1. - - Ace. King. Queen. Knave. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. - +---------------------------------------------------------+ - | | - Hearts | | - | | - Diamonds | . | - | | - Clubs | | - | | - Spades | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - +---------------------------------------------------------+ - -Suppose a card divided into eight parts vertically, and four -horizontally, as in diagram 1; the former will indicate the value of the -cards, the latter the suit. The mark is placed at the point where two -lines intersect. Such is the process: practice does the rest. - -As for the process employed in impressing the mysterious mark I have -mentioned, I may be excused from stating it, as my object is to expose -swindling, and not show the way to do it. Suffice it to say that, looked -at closely, this point is lost in the white of the card; but, at a -distance, the light renders the card brilliant, while the mark alone -remains dull. - -At the first blush, it will appear, perhaps, rather difficult to find -out the division to which the isolated dot on the back of the card -belongs. Still, by a little attention, it may be accurately detected by -a practised eye. Thus, on my diagram, the dot indicates the Queen of -Diamonds. - -It must be remembered that a Greek using these cards stakes, I will not -say his honor but, his liberty, against fortune, and that he has -carefully studied an art on which his livelihood depends. - -After the explanation I have given, I can easily imagine my reader -forming an heroic determination. - -“Since these things take place,” he says to himself, “I will only play -with chequered cards, and so I shall be safe.” - -Unfortunately, chequered cards are better adapted for swindling purposes -than the others, and to prove it, I must employ another diagram. Suppose -the chequer to be formed of dots or any other figures regularly -arranged, as is usually the case with fancy backed cards: - - DIAGRAM 2. - - +-----------------------------+ - | | - | * * * * | - | | - | . . . | - | | - | * * * * | - | | - | . . . | - | | - | . * * * * | - | | - | . . . | - | | - | * * * * | - | | - +-----------------------------+ - -the first dot, starting from the left-hand top of the card, as in the -previous diagram, will represent hearts; the second, downwards, -diamonds; the third, clubs; and the fourth, spades. If, now, another -small dot is placed by the side of one of these chequers, it will -indicate the value of the card. This dot must be placed in one of the -divisions marked in fig. 3 The topmost point indicates an ace; the next, -to the right, a king; the third, a queen; the fourth, a knave; and so -on. Of course, a single dot, as in fig. 2, when it is placed by the -third point or color, indicates the eight of clubs. - -[Illustration] - -There are many other arrangements, but they are more difficult to -explain than to understand. Thus I have had chequered cards given me to -inspect which had had no mark at all on them, but the pattern was more -or less altered by the way in which the cards were shaped, and this -simple peculiarity indicated them all. - -There are also the cards on the edge of which the Greek, when playing, -makes a mark with his thumb-nail, which he can detect as they pass -through his hands. If he is playing Ă©cartĂ©, the kings are thus marked, -and when these pass through his fingers, he can, by a familiar trick, -leave them on the pack and deal the next card. This substitution can be -done so cleverly that it is impossible to detect it. I have also met -persons of such practised sight that, after playing two or three games -with a pack, they could recognize every card. - -Returning to the prepared cards, it may be asked how it is possible to -change the cards, for in all society where play goes on the cards are -only taken out of the paper just before beginning. - -Well! this is simple enough. The Greek finds out at what shop these -houses buy their cards: at first he will make some small purchases, so -that he may be regarded as a regular customer: then, on one fine day, he -says that a friend has commissioned him to buy a dozen packets of packs. -The next day these are brought back under the pretext that they are not -of the color required, and as the packets are still sealed, the -tradesman, full of confidence, changes them for others. - -But the Greek has spent the night in undoing the bands and sealing them -up again by a process known to conjurers; the cards have been all marked -and properly arranged, and as the tradesman has them now in his shop, -the trick is accomplished. Before long, they will reach the house where -they are wanted. - -All these swindling arts are very shocking, but there is another even -more so in the shape of “imperceptible telegraphy.” Without the -slightest appearance of collusion, a Greek can tell his partner every -card his opponent holds in his hand by a system similar to that of my -“second sight.” - -I could describe many other tricks, but I will stop here. 1 believe I -have said enough about card-sharpers and their swindling to induce a -person never to sit down but with persons whose honor is unimpeachable. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - The Inventive Genius of a Sugar-baker--Philippe the Magician--His - Comic Adventures--Description of his Performance--Exposition of - 1844--The King and Royal Family visit my Automata. - - -The long looked-for change in my fortunes had at length arrived; my -automata had gained me a certain degree of reputation, and I was making -arrangements to commence my performances. Before describing these, I -must devote a few pages, however, to some account of my immediate -predecessor in the conjuring art, whose success in Paris at this period -was most brilliant: I mean Philippe, the renowned magician, sorcerer, -sleight-of-hand performer, and conjurer. - -Philippe Talon was born at Alais, near NĂ®mes; after having carried on -his sweet trade of confectioner for some time in Paris, his want of -success compelled him to expatriate himself. London, that _pays de -Cocagne_, the perspective El Dorado, was close at hand; so our tradesman -proceeded thither, and soon set up again in trade in the capital of the -United Kingdom. The French confectioner had fair chance of success, for -in addition to the English liking for sweet-stuff, French confectionary -has ever enjoyed a reputation in that country, only comparable with that -which _real_ English blacking has so long held in France. Still, despite -these advantages, it seems that fresh difficulties arose; the fogs of -the Thames, or, as some say, dangerous speculations, melted the fragile -wares; the comfitures suffered a decided discomfiture. - -Talon packed up a second time and went to Aberdeen, to ask shelter from -the Scotch mountaineers, to whom he offered in exchange his seductive -cates. Unfortunately, the Scotch of Aberdeen, differing greatly from the -mountaineers in _La Dame Blanche_, wear neither silk stockings nor -patent leather shoes, and consume very few jujubes and tarts. Thus, the -new shop would soon have undergone the fate of the other two, had not -Talon’s inventive genius found an issue from this precarious position. - -The confectioner rightly thought that, in order to sell wares, they must -be known; and in order for them to be known, they must be made known. -Relying on this judicious reasoning, Talon soon compelled the -Aberdonians to eat his sugar-plums, and, better still, to pay for them. - -At this period, there was a company of actors at Aberdeen much in the -same condition as Talon’s “goodies;” they were neglected, and no one -cared to try them. In vain had the manager prepared a pantomime full of -tricks and blue-fire, the public remained deaf to his repeated appeals. - -One fine day, Talon called on the Scotch impresario: “I have a proposal -to make to you, sir,” he said, without further preface, “which, if -accepted, will fill your theatre, I am convinced.” - -“Pray explain yourself, sir,” the manager said, nibbling at the bait, -but putting little faith in a promise which he had good reasons for -believing difficult of realization. - -“It is simply,” Talon continued, “to join to the attraction of your -performance a lottery, for which I will pay all the cost. This shall be -the arrangement: each spectator, on entering, must pay, in addition, -the sum of sixpence, giving him a claim-- - -“1. To a paper of mixed sugar-plums. - -“2. To a lottery-ticket, by which he may gain the first prize, of the -value of five pounds.” - -Talon also promised a new performance, the secret of which he confided -to the manager under the seal of discretion. - -These proposals being accepted, the bargain was soon completed, and the -intelligent Talon had not deceived himself. The public attracted by the -bonbons, the pantomime, and the promised surprise, filled the theatre. - -The lottery was drawn; the prize made one person happy, and the other -twelve or fifteen hundred spectators, provided with their papers of -sugar-plums, consoled their disappointment by exchanging their -“goodies.” Under such favorable circumstances the pantomime was found -charming. - -Still, this piece was drawing to its close, and the promised surprise -had not yet come off, when suddenly the dancers in the ballet arranged -themselves in a circle, a sharp cry was heard, and a magnificent Punch -bounded on to the stage. It was Talon disguised by two cotton humps and -the traditional costume. - -Our new artist performed Punch’s eccentric dance with rare talent, and -was heartily applauded. To thank the audience for their kind reception, -the dancer tried to make a bow, but managed it so clumsily that he fell -over on his side and could not rise again. The performers hastened to -pick the wounded man up; he spoke in a faint voice, and complained of a -broken rib. He earnestly asked for a box of Morrison’s pills, and a -servant hastened to bring him pills of an enormous size. - -The public, who till then had pitied poor Punch’s pain, and remained -silent sympathisers, now began to scent a jest. First they smiled, and -then they laughed when the patient, taking one of the pills, pretended -to swallow it. Half a dozen having followed the same road, Punch found -himself perfectly recovered, so, making a polite bow, he retired amidst -shouts of laughter. - -Philippe had given his first performance--the confectioner had exchanged -the barley-sugar trick for the magician’s wand. - -This burlesque scene met with extraordinary success, and the receipts -swelled day by day, until the confectioner had disposed of all his -wares. Then he set off to give a specimen of his new talent in other -towns. - -I do not know whence the new magician acquired his art, but it is -probable (historical gaps are always filled up with probabilities) that -Talon had learned conjuring, as he had Punch’s dance, to amuse his -friends. One thing is certain, the performance he offered the worthy -Aberdonians was not first rate, and it was not till he left that town -that he made the great improvement to which he owed his future -reputation. - -Henceforth, laying aside his comfitures and Punch’s garb and squeak, -Philippe (the name the conjurer assumed) traversed England, giving at -first very modest performances. Then, his repertory becoming gradually -increased by a certain number of tricks he picked up from conjurers of -the day, he attacked the large towns, and proceeded to Glasgow, where he -built a wooden theatre in which to give his performances. - -While the magic temple was building, Philippe noticed among the -bricklayer’s lads a young fellow who seemed to have remarkable -intelligence, and he eventually engaged him to appear on the stage as -assistant magician. Macalister (as his assistant was called) had a -natural genius for tricks and models; he required no apprenticeship in -this mysterious art, and indeed soon invented some tricks which -attracted his master’s attention. - -From this moment, either by Macalister’s help or for some other reason, -success attended Philippe everywhere, and he began acting in theatres. -After a lengthened tour through England he crossed over to Dublin, where -he acquired two new tricks, which were the foundation of his future -reputation. - -Three Chinese, who had come to France to perform some very startling -tricks, attempted some performances at Paris, which, owing to their ill -success, caused a quarrel among the Celestials. In France as well as in -China, “horses fight when there is no hay in the manger,” and, though -our jugglers did not have recourse to such extremities, they separated. -One of them proceeded to Dublin, where he taught Philippe the -“gold-fish” trick, as well as the “rings.” On learning the first of -these tricks, Philippe was in great trouble about performing it, for he -wanted a robe. He could not assume a Chinese costume, as his face had -none of the distinguishing features of a mandarin, nor could he dream of -a dressing-gown, for however rich it might have been, the public would -not have endured such a slight. Hence Philippe extricated himself from -the difficulty by assuming the attire of a magician. It was a daring -innovation, for, till that period, no conjurer had ventured to take on -himself the responsibility of such a costume. - -Once possessed of these two tricks, Philippe formed the project of -returning to his ungrateful country; he, therefore, came to Paris in the -summer of 1841, and performed at the Salle Montesquieu. The gold-fish -and ring tricks, a brilliant costume, a magnificent pointed cap, and a -comfortably arranged room, soon attracted large audiences, among whom -was the manager of a Vienna theatre. Delighted with the performance, the -latter on the spot offered the conjurer an engagement at half profits, -which Philippe willingly accepted. As the Salle Montesquieu was used for -public balls during the winter, this engagement also allowed him time to -have a theatre constructed in readiness for his return to Paris. - -The opening of the room Bonne-Nouvelle created a sensation in Paris when -Philippe came back from his Austrian tour, and crowds went to see the -gold-fish trick, which the performances in the Salle Montesquieu had -made known. - -My reader will have the kindness to accompany me to the _Palais des -Prestiges_ (as the new temple of magic was christened), and we will -attend one of the magician’s performances. - -On reaching the end of the first-floor passage in the Bonne-Nouvelle -Bazaar, you passed through a doorway, and were quite surprised to find -yourself in a room excellently adapted for this style of performance. -There were stalls, pit, gallery, and boxes; the decorations were most -elegant, and, above all, there was plenty of room to stretch your legs. - -An orchestra composed of six musicians of doubtful talent executed a -symphony to the accompaniment of the _mĂ©lophone_, a species of accordeon -recently invented by a man of the name of Leclerc, who undertook the -musical arrangements of the palace. - -The curtain rises. - -To the great surprise of the spectators the stage is in perfect -darkness. - -A gentleman dressed in black emerges from a side door and walks towards -us. It is Philippe: I recognise him by the Provençal twang of his -accent. All the other spectators take him for the manager, and fear they -are about to hear some painful intelligence, as this gentleman holds a -pistol in his hand. - -Their uncertainty is, however, soon dispelled, for Philippe introduces -himself. He states that he has been delayed in his preparations, but, in -order to save time, he will light the innumerable candles on his stage -by firing a pistol. Although a fire-arm is not required for the -experiment, and is only intended to throw powder in the spectators’ -eyes, the candles are suddenly lighted at the sound of the detonation. - -The audience applaud vociferously, and deservedly so, for this trick is -remarkably striking. However much it may be applauded, the time it -requires for preparation, and the mortal terror it occasions the -performer, are beyond recompense. - -In fact, like all experiments in which static electricity plays the -chief part, this magic inflammation is not infallible. When this -misfortune occurs, the position of the operator is the more -embarrassing, as the phenomenon has been announced as the result of -magic. Now, a magician must be omnipotent, or, if he be not so, he most -avoid at all risks any failure which may lower his prestige in the eyes -of the audience. - -The stage once lighted, Philippe commenced his performance. The first -part, composed of very average tricks, was relieved by the manĹ“uvres -of some curious automata. For instance: - -The _Cossack_, which should have been called the _Grimacer_, so quaint -were the contortions in which it indulged. This Cossack was also a very -clever juggler, for it passed into its pocket with considerable skill -various articles of jewelry its master had borrowed from the spectators. - -The _magic peacock_, which uttered its unmelodious screech, expanded its -gorgeous plumes, fed from its master’s hand, &c. - -And lastly, a _Harlequin_, like the one I repaired for Torrini. - -After the first part of the performance, the curtain fell to enable -preparations to be made for a scene called in the bills, “A Festival at -a Palace in Nankin.” This was an attractive title for those who dealt in -that description of cloth, but was only chosen to call to the -spectator’s memory the Chinese trick, which would end the performance. - -When the curtain rose again the stage was entirely transformed. The -tablecloths had been replaced by brocades glistening with gold and -precious stones (at least, they looked so at a distance); the candles, -although so numerous before, had been multiplied, and gave the stage the -appearance of a fiery furnace, the veritable abode of an ally of the -Evil One. - -The magician made his appearance in a costume which, in the public -admiration, it must have exhausted the riches of Golconda to buy, and -the _Festival of Nankin_ commenced with the very clever trick derived -from the Chinese. - -Philippe took up several rings about eight inches in diameter, and -intertwined them into chains and knots with the greatest possible ease. -Then suddenly, when it seemed impossible for him to unravel his -handiwork, he blew upon them, and the rings fell separately at his feet. -This trick produced a charming illusion. - -The one that succeeded it, and which I never saw performed by any one -else, was quite equal to the preceding one in interest. - -Macalister, the Scotch bricklayer (who on the stage was a negro of the -name of Domingo), brought in on a table two sugar-loaves still covered -with that horrible paper which the honest grocer sells at the price of -colonial wares. Philippe borrowed a dozen handkerchiefs (not from -accomplices), and after placing them in a blunderbuss, he fired at one -of the sugar-loaves chosen by the audience. He then broke it asunder -with an axe, and all the handkerchiefs were found in it. - -Next came _Fortunatus’s hat_. Philippe, after producing from this hat, -which he had borrowed from a spectator, an innumerable number of -objects, at last pulled out enough feathers to make a bed. The most -amusing part of this trick consisted in the conjurer making a lad kneel -down, who was completely buried in this avalanche of feathers. - -Another striking trick was the one called “The Kitchen of -Parafaragarmus.” At Philippe’s request two schoolboys came on the stage, -whom he dressed, one as scullion, the other as professed cook. Thus -metamorphosed, the two young _cordons bleus_ underwent all sorts of -pleasantries and mystifications. (This was a trick of Castelli’s -school.) - -The conjurer then proceeded to perform the trick; for this purpose he -suspended from a tripod an enormous copper caldron full of water, and -ordered the two lads to put in it dead pigeons, an assortment of -vegetables, and plenty of seasoning. Then he lit some spirits of wine -under the caldron, and pronounced some magical incantations. At his -voice, the pigeons, returning to life, flew out of the caldron; while -the water, vegetables, and seasoning had entirely disappeared. - -Philippe usually ended the evening’s performance with the famous Chinese -trick, to which he had given the pompous name of “Neptune’s Basins, or -the Gold-Fish.” - -The magician, clothed in his brilliant costume, mounted on a sort of low -table, which isolated him from the stage. After a few manĹ“uvres to -prove he had nothing about him, he threw a shawl at his feet, and, on -lifting it up, he displayed a glass basin filled with water, in which -gold-fish swam about. This was thrice repeated, with the same result; -but, in his desire to improve on his brethren of the Celestial Empire, -the French conjurer had added a variation to their trick, which gave an -amusing termination to the performance. Throwing the shawl on the ground -for the fourth time, several animals, such as rabbits, ducks, chickens, -&c., emerged from it. This trick was performed, if not gracefully, at -least in a way to excite the lively admiration of the spectators. - -Generally, Philippe was very amusing in his entertainment. His -experiments were performed with a good deal of conscientiousness, skill, -and dash, and I have no hesitation in saying that the conjurer of the -Bonne-Nouvelle Bazaar might then be considered one of the best of the -day. Philippe quitted Paris the following year, and has since performed -entirely in foreign countries, or the provinces. - -Philippe’s success would not have failed to rekindle my desire to -realize my theatrical schemes, had not, at this period, a misfortune -hurled me into a state of profound wretchedness. I lost my wife. - -Left with three young children, I was obliged to undertake their charge, -although so unskilled in household cares. Thus, at the end of five -years, robbed by some, deceived by others, I had almost lost all that my -labor had produced me, and was going to ruin. - -Forced by my intolerable position, I determined on reconstituting my -home, and I married again. I shall have so many occasions of speaking -of my new wife, that I shall refrain at present from praising her -according to her deserts; besides, I am not sorry to abridge these -domestic details, which, though personally important to me, only possess -a very slight interest in my story. - -The Exhibition of 1844 was about to open, so I asked and obtained leave -to exhibit some specimens of my skill. The site granted me, opposite the -door of honor, was undoubtedly one of the best in the hall, and I -erected a circular stand, on which I placed a specimen of all the -mechanical pieces I had as yet made. Among these my _Writer_ took the -first place, which M. G---- had been kind enough to lend me for the -occasion. I may say I enjoyed all the honor of the exhibition, for my -productions were constantly surrounded by a crowd of spectators, who -were all the more eager as the performance was gratis. - -Louis Philippe paid daily visits to the Palace of Industry, and as my -automata had been pointed out as deserving his attention, he evinced a -wish to see them, and gave me twenty hours’ notice of his visit. I thus -had time enough to make all my arrangements. The king arrived, holding -the Comte de Paris by the hand, and I stood on his left hand to explain -my various articles. The Duchess of Orleans was by my side, and the -other members of the royal family formed a circle around his majesty, -while the crowd, kept back by the keepers of the palace and the police -agents, left an open space round my exhibition. - -The king was in a charming humor, and seemed to take a pleasure in all I -showed him. He frequently asked me questions, and missed no occasion to -show his excellent judgment. At the end of the _sĂ©ance_, the party -stopped before my Writer. This automaton, it must be borne in mind, -wrote or drew according to the question asked. The king made the -following inquiry: “How many inhabitants does Paris contain?” The writer -raised its left hand as if to indicate that it required a sheet of -paper, on receiving which, it wrote very distinctly, “Paris contains -998,964 inhabitants.” - -The paper passed from the king’s hand into those of the royal family, -and all admired the beauty of the writing; but I saw that Louis Philippe -had a critique to offer, his smile proved that plainly enough. Hence I -was not surprised when, pointing to the paper which had come back to -him, he said: - -“Monsieur Robert-Houdin, you did not, perhaps, recollect that this -number will not agree with the new census, which is almost completed?” - -Contrary to my expectations, I felt quite at ease with my illustrious -visitors. - -“Sire!” I replied, with sufficient assurance for a man not much -accustomed to the society of crowned heads, “I hope at that period my -automaton will be intelligent enough to make any necessary corrections.” - -The king appeared satisfied with this reply, and I took advantage of his -good humor to mention that my Writer was also a poet, and explained -that, if he would deign to offer an unfinished quatrain, the automaton -would fill up the rhyme in the fourth line. The king chose the -following: - - Lorsque dans le malheur, accablĂ© de souffrance, - AbandonnĂ© de tous, l’homme va succomber, - Quel est l’ange divin qui vient le consoler? - C’est.... - -_L’EspĂ©rance_, the writer added to the fourth line. - -“That is really charming,” the king said to me. “But, Monsieur -Robert-Houdin,” he added, in a confidential tone, “you must have given -your writer instructions in the poetic art?” - -“Yes, sire, as far as my weak powers permitted.” - -“Then my compliment is merited more by the master than the pupil.” - -I bowed to thank the king as much for his compliment as for the delicate -manner in which it was conveyed. - -“Now then, Monsieur Robert-Houdin,” Louis Philippe continued, “I see by -the notice attached to this automaton that it is a draughtsman, in -addition to its merits as a writer and poet. If it be so, come,” he -said, addressing the Comte de Paris, “choose your own subject for a -drawing.” - -Thinking to cause the prince an agreeable surprise, I had recourse to -palmistry to influence his decision, and he, consequently selected a -crown. The automaton began drawing the outline of this regal ornament -with great skill, and every one followed its movements with interest, -when, to my great disappointment, the point of the draughtsman’s pencil -broke, and the crown could not be finished. I was going to recommence -the experiment, when the king declined, with thanks. - -“As you have learned to draw,” he said to the Comte de Paris, “you can -finish this for yourself.” - -This performance, besides being the prelude of the kindly interest the -Orleans family afterwards displayed towards me, probably exerted some -influence on the decision of the jury, which granted me a silver medal. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - My proposed Reforms--I build a Theatre in the Palais - Royal--Formalities--General Rehearsal--Singular Effect of my - Performance--The Largest and Smallest Theatre in - Paris--Tribulation--My first Performance--Panic--Discouragement--A - Fallible Prophet--Recovery--Success. - - -It may seem strange that I thus pass from my mechanical labors to my -studies in sleight-of-hand; but if my readers will bear in mind that -these two sciences were to unite in producing my success, it will easily -be understood that I felt an equal degree of affection for them, and -that after mentioning one I must allude to the other. The Exhibition did -not drive from my thoughts my theatrical projects. - -The instruments intended for my future performances were on the point of -completion, for I had never stopped working at them. I was hence enabled -to commence operations as soon as an opportunity offered. In the mean -time, I determined on the changes I intended to introduce into the usual -routine of conjuring performances. - -Remembering Torrini’s principles, I intended to have an elegant and -simple stage, unencumbered by all the paraphernalia of the ordinary -conjurer, which looks more like a toyshop than a serious performance. I -would have none of those enormous metal shades usually placed over -objects that are to disappear, and whose secret duties cannot escape -the notice of the simplest spectator. Apparatus of transparent or opaque -glass, according to circumstances, would suffice for all my operations. -In the performance of my tricks I also intended to abolish those -double-bottomed boxes of which some conjurers made such an abuse, as -well as all instruments designed to make up for the performer’s want of -skill. Real sleight-of-hand must not be the tinman’s work but the -artist’s, and people do not visit the latter to see instruments perform. - -Of course, after the abuse I have showered upon the use of accomplices, -I quite did away with them. I have always regarded such trickery as -unworthy a real artist, as it raises doubts as to his skill. Besides, -having frequently acted as an accomplice, I remembered the unfavorable -impression this employment had left upon me as to the talent of my -partner. - -Jets of gas, covered by opaque globes, were to be substituted on my -stage for the thousands of candles, whose brilliancy is only intended to -dazzle the spectators and thus injure the effect of the experiments. - -Among the reforms I intended to introduce on the stage, the most -important was the abolition of those long tablecloths reaching to the -ground, beneath which an assistant is always suspected, and, generally -with some show of reason. For these immense chests of deception I -substituted consoles of gilt wood after the style of Louis XV. - -Of course, I abstained from any eccentric costume, and I never thought -of making any change in the attire civilized society has agreed to -accept for evening dress, for I was always of opinion that bizarre -accoutrements, far from giving the wearer any consideration, on the -contrary cast disfavor upon him. - -I had also traced out for my performances a line of conduct from which I -never diverged; that was to make no puns or play upon words, and never -to permit myself to be guilty of a mystification, even were I sure of -gaining the greatest success. - -Finally, I wished to offer new experiments divested of all charlatanism, -and possessing no other resources than those offered by skillful -manipulation, and the influence of illusions. - -This was, it will be seen, a complete regeneration in the art of -conjuring; my only fear was whether the public would accept these -important reforms and such elegant simplicity. It is true, Antonio, the -usual confidant of my plans and thoughts, strongly encouraged me. - -“Don’t be alarmed about your success,” he said; “you have precedents to -prove the good taste of the public and their willingness to accept -reforms based on reason. Remember Talma appearing suddenly at the -Thèâtre-Français clothed in the simple antique toga, at a time when -tragedies were performed in silk coats, powdered perukes, and red -heels.” - -I accepted the reasoning, though I did not recognise the justice of the -comparison. In fact, Talma could impose his taste on the public by the -authority of his talent and reputation, while I, who as yet held no -brevet rank in the army of conjurers, trembled to see my innovations -badly received. - -We had now reached the month of December, 1844, and, having nothing -further to detain me, I decided on striking the grand blow--that is to -say, I went out one morning determined on finding a site for my theatre. -I passed the whole day in attempting to find a spot combining advantage -of situation, chance of receipts, and many other benefits. I stopped -through preference at the best spots and before the handsomest houses, -but found nothing that exactly suited me. - -Wearied with searching, I singularly lowered my pretentions and wants. -Here I found an enormous price asked for a room that only in part suited -me; there, proprietors who would not, for any consideration, have -performances in their houses; in short, obstacles and impossibilities on -all sides. - -Thus I ran about Paris for a fortnight, passing from the largest to the -smallest houses in turn, and ended by convincing myself that fate was -adverse to my plans. Antonio relieved me from my difficulty, for that -worthy friend, who aided me in the search, came to tell me he had found -a room in the Palais Royal which could be easily converted into a -theatre. I went straight to 164 in the Galerie de Valois, where I found, -in fact, all the conditions I had sought elsewhere, combined. - -The proprietor of this house had been dreaming for a long time in vain -about a benevolent tenant, who, while paying an exhorbitant price for -his room, would come in without expecting any repairs to be done. I was, -therefore, most welcome, when I not only agreed to pay the rent asked, -but endured passively every sort of imposition. Indeed, I would have -given much more, so afraid as I was lest this desirable house should -slip from me. - -When the bargain was concluded, I applied to an architect, who soon -brought me the plan of a charming room, which I jumped at. A few days -later he set to work, partitions were knocked down, the ground cleared, -and the carpenters began erecting my theatre, which was to contain from -180 to 200 persons. Though small, this room was all I wanted for my -style of performance; for supposing, according to my famous -calculations, that it was constantly full, it would be an excellent -affair for me. - -Antonio, ever filled with zeal for my interests, paid constant visits to -my workmen and stimulated their activity, but one day my friend was -struck by a sudden idea. - -“By the way,” he said, “have you thought of asking permission from the -Prefect of Police to construct your theatre?” - -“Not yet,” I replied, quietly. “It cannot be refused me, as this -construction makes no change in the architectural arrangements of the -house.” - -“That is possible,” Antonio added, “but in your place I would take this -step immediately, that no difficulty may occur when it is too late.” - -I followed his advice, and we went together to M. X----â€s office, who -then had the direction of theatrical affairs. After an hour waiting, we -were introduced to the head of the office, who, being at the moment -engaged in some interesting reading, did not seem even to notice our -presence. In ten minutes, however, M. X---- laid down his book, opened -and shut a few drawers, called his clerk, gave orders, lifted his -spectacles, and made us a sign that he was ready to hear a sentence -which I had already commenced twice or thrice without being able to end -it. This impertinent coolness made my blood boil; still I said, as -politely as my vexation would allow me, - -“I have come, sir, to ask your permission to open a room for -performances of magic and sleight-of-hand in the Palais Royal.” - -“Sir,” the head of the office replied, very dryly, “if you have chosen -the Palais Royal for your performance, I can tell you you will not -obtain permission.” - -“Why so, sir?” I said, in consternation. - -“Because a ministerial decree forbids any new establishment being opened -there.” - -“But pray consider, sir, that, not being aware of this decision, I have -taken a room on a long lease, and my theatre is at this moment being -built. The refusal of this permission will be my ruin. What can I do -now?” - -“That is not my business,” the bureaucrat replied, disdainfully; “I am -not a theatrical agent.” - -With these words M. X----, after the method employed by solicitors and -physicians to announce that a consultation is over, rose, led us to the -door, and, himself opening it, showed us clearly what we had to do. -Antonio and myself, equally in despair, remained for more than an hour -at the door of the Prefecture, vainly taxing our brains how to escape -from this difficulty. With all our reasoning, we always arrived at the -mournful conclusion that we could do no less than stop the building, and -compound with B---- to take the lease off my hands. It was my ruin, -Antonio understood as well as I, and he could offer me no consolation. - -“But, stay,” he said suddenly, striking his forehead, “I have an idea. -Tell me, during the late exhibition, did you not sell a â€mysterious -clock’ to M. Benjamin Delessert, a banker?” - -“Well, suppose I did, what has that to do with----“ - -“What! do you not understand me? M. Delessert is brother of the Prefect -of Police. Go and see him; he is said to be good hearted, perhaps he -will give you good advice, or even better than that. If he would speak -to his brother on your behalf, we should be saved, for M. Gabriel -Delessert is omnipotent in theatrical matters.” - -I adopted Antonio’s advice with joy, and proceeded to carry it into -effect. M. B. Delessert received me kindly, complimented me on the -clock, with which he was quite satisfied, and made me inspect his -magnificent picture-gallery, in which it was put up. Emboldened by this -kind reception, I explained to him the embarrassment in which I was -placed. - -“Well, M. Robert-Houdin,” he said to me, “console yourself; we may -possibly arrange this affair. I am going to give a large party next -Wednesday evening, to which my brother has promised to come. Do me the -pleasure to join us; you will give us a specimen of your talents, and -when M. le PrĂ©fet has learned to appreciate you, I will speak to him of -your matter.” - -On Wednesday, I proceeded to the house of my new protector, who had the -kindness to present me to some of his guests, while confidentially -praising my sleight-of-hand talents. My performance came off, and, -judging by the applause I received, I may say it justified their -anticipated compliments. A week had scarce elapsed when I received a -summons to the office of Prefect of Police. I went there with all speed, -and M. Gabriel Delessert informed me that he had been able to induce the -minister to revoke his decision. “Hence you can now go,” he added, “and -obtain your permission in M. X----â€s office, where it has been sent for -some formalities.” - -It was curious about my reception on this occasion, but M. X---- -displayed such extreme politeness towards me, that it largely made up -for the cavalier treatment he had offered me on the first occasion. Far -from leaving me standing, he would willingly have offered me two chairs -instead of one, and when I quitted his office, he overwhelmed me with -all the attention due to a man protected by a superior power. I was too -happy to bear M. X---- any malice; hence we separated quite reconciled. - -I will spare my readers the numberless tribulations which accompanied my -unending building; mistakes in time and money are so usual in such -matters, that I need not allude to them here. At length, all this was -over, and with the liveliest pleasure I saw the last workman depart not -to return again. - -We had now reached the end of June, and I hoped to commence at the -beginning of July. For this purpose I hastened my preparations, for each -day was an enormous loss, as I was spending much and earning nothing. - -I had already given some partial rehearsals, and I now decided on -holding one to precede the general rehearsal, but, as I was not quite -sure of the success of my experiments, I only invited half a dozen -intimate friends, pledged to give me their opinion with the greatest -severity. This performance was fixed for the 25th June, 1845, and on -that day I made my preparations with as much care as if I were going to -give my opening performance, for I had been suffering for nearly a month -from a regular panic, which I could attribute to no other cause than my -nervous and impressionable temperament. - -I could not get a wink of sleep, my appetite had left me, and I thought -of my performances with a species of dread. I, who had hitherto treated -so lightly the performances I gave to my friends--I, who had obtained -such success at Aubusson, trembled like a child. - -The reason was, that hitherto I had performed before spectators ever -smiling or ready to smile, and the success of my experiments made no -difference to me. Now, I was about to appear before a real audience, and -I trembled at the thought of “the right they purchased at the door.” - -On the appointed evening, at eight precisely, my friends having duly -arrived, the curtain rose, and I appeared on the stage. Half a dozen -smiles greeted my appearance, which rekindled my courage and even gave -me a species of coolness. The first of my experiments was performed very -decently, and yet my address was very badly repeated. I recited it like -a schoolboy who tries to remember his lesson, but the good favor of my -spectators once acquired, I continued famously. - -To explain what follows, I must mention that, during the whole day, -heavy clouds had hung over Paris; and the evening, far from bringing any -relief, wafted into the room puffs of heated air, which seemed to issue -from a stove. - -Well, I had scarcely reached the middle of the first part, when two of -my spectators had yielded to the soporific influences of the weather and -my “patter.” I could excuse them, however, for my own eye-lids were -beginning to droop. Not being accustomed to sleep standing, however, I -held my own. - -But it is well known that nothing is so contagious as sleep, hence the -epidemic made rapid progress. At the end of a few moments the last of -the survivors let his head fall on his chest and completed the sextet, -whose snoring, continually _crescendo_, at length drowned my voice. My -situation was disagreeable, and though I tried to arouse my audience by -speaking in a louder key, I only succeeded in causing one or two -eye-lids to open, which, after a few insane winks, closed again. - -At length the first part of the performance was over and the curtain -fell, and with much pleasure I stretched myself in an arm-chair to enjoy -a few minutes’ rest! Five minutes would be enough, and I was asleep -before I could repel the invader. My son, who helped me on the stage, -had not waited so long; he had laid himself on the ground and was -sleeping like a top, while my wife, a busy, courageous woman, though -struggling against the common foe, watched near me, and, in her tender -care, did not disturb a sleep I required so much. Besides, she had -peeped through the hole in the curtain, and our spectators seemed so -happy, that she had not the heart to disturb them. But, insensibly, her -strength betrayed her courage, and unable to resist the temptation of a -nap, she fell asleep too. - -The pianist, who represented my orchestra, having seen the curtain fall, -and hearing no movement on the stage, thought my performance was over, -and determined on going. As the porter had orders to turn off the gas at -the main when he saw my pianist go out, and was most anxious to be exact -at the beginning of his engagement, he hastened to obey my orders, and -plunged the room into utter darkness. - -We had been enjoying this delightful sleep for about two hours, when I -was aroused by a confused sound of voices and shouts. I rubbed my eyes -and wondered where I was, but seeing nothing, I grew quite alarmed. “Can -I possibly have gone blind?” I exclaimed; “I can see nothing!” - -“Hang it, no more can we see anything!” said a voice, which I recognized -as Antonio’s. “For goodness’ sake, give us a light!” - -“Yes, yes, a light!” my five other spectators repeated in chorus. - -We were soon on our feet; the curtain was raised, and then, having -lighted some candles, we saw our five sleepers rubbing their eyes, and -trying to find out where they were; while Antonio was growling away -under the stalls, where he had fallen asleep. - -All was then explained; we had a hearty laugh at the adventure, and -separated with the promise of meeting again. - -There were only four days to the 1st of July, and to any one acquainted -with the preparations for a first performance, and, far more important -still, for opening a theatre, this lapse of time will appear very short, -for there is always so much to be done at the last moment. Thus, the 1st -of July arrived, and I was not prepared, and the opening did not take -place till three days later. - -On this day, by a strange coincidence, the Hippodrome and the “fantastic -soirĂ©es” of Robert-Houdin, the largest and smallest stage in Paris, were -opened to the public. The 3d of July, 1845, saw two bills placarded on -the walls of Paris; one enormous, belonging to the Hippodrome, while the -other, of far more modest proportions, announced my performances. Still, -as in the fable of the reed and the oak, the large theatre, in spite of -the skill of the managers, has undergone many changes of fortune; while -the smaller one has continually enjoyed the public favor. - -I have sacredly kept a proof of my first bill, the form and color of -which has always remained the same since that date. I copy it word for -word here, both to furnish an idea of its simplicity, and to display the -programme of the experiments I then offered to the public: - - +----------------------------------------------------------------+ - | TO-DAY, THURSDAY, JULY 3, 1845. | - | | - | FIRST REPRESENTATION | - | | - | OF | - | | - | THE FANTASTIC SOIRÉES | - | | - | OF | - | | - | ROBERT-HOUDIN. | - | | - | AUTOMATA, SLEIGHT-OF-HAND, MAGIC. | - | | - | The Performance will be composed of entirely novel Experiments| - | invented by M. ROBERT-HOUDIN. | - | | - | AMONG THEM BEING: | - | | - | THE CABALISTIC CLOCK. | - | AURIOL AND DEBUREAU. | - | THE ORANGE-TREE. | - | THE MYSTERIOUS BOUQUET. | - | THE HANDKERCHIEF. | - | PIERROT IN THE EGG. | - | OBEDIENT CARDS. | - | THE MIRACULOUS FISH. | - | THE FASCINATING OWL. | - | THE PASTRYCOOK OF THE PALAIS ROYAL. | - | | - | TO COMMENCE AT EIGHT O’CLOCK. | - | | - | Box-office open at Half-past Seven. | - | | - |Price of places: Upper Boxes, 1 fr. 50 c.; Stalls, 3 fr.; Boxes,| - | 4 fr.; Dress Circle, 5 fr. | - +----------------------------------------------------------------+ - -The day of my first representation had at length arrived. To say how I -spent it is impossible; all I remember is, that, at the end of a -feverish and sleepless night, occasioned by the multiplicity of my -tasks, I had to organise and foresee everything, for I was at once -manager, machinist, author and actor. What a terrible responsibility for -a poor artist, whose life had hitherto been spent among his tools! - -At seven in the evening, a thousand things had still to be done, but I -was in a state of febrile excitement which doubled my strength and -energy, and I got through them all. - -Eight o’clock struck and echoed through my heart like the peal that -summons the culprit to execution; never in my life did I experience such -emotion and torture. Ah! if I could only draw back! Had it been possible -to fly and abandon this position I had so long desired, with what -happiness would I have returned to my peaceful avocations! And yet, why -did I feel this mad terror? I know not, for three-fourths of the room -were filled with persons on whose indulgence I could rely. - -I made a final attack on my pusillanimity. - -“Come!” I said to myself, “courage! I have my name, my future, my -children’s fortune at stake; courage!” - -This thought restored me; I passed my hand several times over my -agitated features, ordered the curtain to be raised, and without further -reflection I walked boldly on the stage. - -My friends, aware of my sufferings, received me with some encouraging -applause; this kind reception restored my confidence, and, like a gentle -dew, refreshed my mind and senses. I began. - -To assert that I acquitted myself fairly would be a proof of vanity, and -yet it would be excusable, for I received repeated signs of applause -from my audience. But how to distinguish between the applause of the -friendly and the paying public? I was glad to deceive myself, and my -experiments gained by it. - -The first part was over, and the curtain fell. My wife came directly to -embrace me, to encourage me, and thank me for my courageous efforts. I -may now confess it: I believed that I had been alone severe to myself, -and that it was possible all this applause was sterling coin. This -belief did me an enormous good; and why should I conceal it, tears of -joy stood in my eyes, which I hastened to wipe away lest my feelings -might prevent my preparations for the second part. - -The curtain rose again, and I approached my audience with a smile on my -lips. I judged of this change in my face by those of my spectators, for -they began all at once to share my good humor. - -How many times since have I tried this imitative faculty on the part of -the public? If you are anxious, ill-disposed, or vexed, or should your -face bear the stamp of any annoying impression, your audience, -straightway imitating the contraction of your features, begins to frown, -grows serious, and ill-disposed to be favorable to you. If, however, you -appear on the stage with a cheerful face, the most sombre brows -unwrinkle, and every one seems to say to the artist: “How d’ye do, old -fellow, your face pleases me, I only want an opportunity to applaud -you.” Such seemed to be the case with my public at this moment. - -It was more easy for me to feel at my ease as I was beginning my -favorite experiment, “the surprising pocket-handkerchief,” a medley of -clever deceptions. After borrowing a handkerchief, I produced from it a -multitude of objects of every description, such as sugar-plums, feathers -of every size up to a drum-major’s, fans, comic journals, and, as a -_finale_, an enormous basket of flowers, which I distributed to the -ladies. This trick was perfectly successful, but, to tell the truth, I -had it at my fingers’ ends. - -The next performance was the “orange-tree,” and I had every reason to -calculate on this trick, for, in my private rehearsals, it was the one I -always did best. I began with a few juggling tricks as introduction, -which were perfectly successful, and I had every reason to believe I was -getting through it capitally, when a sudden thought crossed my mind and -paralyzed me. I was assailed by a panic which must have been felt to be -understood, and I will try to explain it by an illustration. - -When you are learning to swim, the teacher begins by giving you this -important piece of advice; “Have confidence, and all will be well.” If -you follow his advice, you can easily keep yourself up on the water, and -it seems perfectly natural; thus you learn to swim. But it often happens -that a sudden thought crosses your mind like lightning: “Suppose my -strength failed me!” From that time you hurry your movements, you -redouble your speed, the water no longer sustains you, you flounder -about, and, if a helping hand were not by, you would be lost. - -Such was my situation on the stage; the thought had suddenly struck me: -“Suppose I were to fail!” And immediately I began to talk quick, hurried -on in my anxiety to finish, felt confused, and, like the tired swimmer, -I floundered about without being able to emerge from the chaos of my -ideas. - -Oh! then I experienced a torture, an agony which I could not describe, -but which might easily become mortal were it prolonged. - -The real public were cold and silent, my friends were foolish enough to -applaud, but the rest remained quiet. I scarcely dared to look round the -room, and my experiment ended I know not how. - -I proceeded to the next, but my nervous system had reached such a degree -of irritation that I no longer knew what I said or did. I only felt that -I was speaking with extraordinary volubility, so that the four last -tricks of my performance were done in a few minutes. - -The curtain fell very opportunely; my strength was exhausted; but a -little longer and I should have had to crave the indulgence of my -audience. - -In my life I never passed so frightful a night as the one following my -first performance. I had a fever, I am quite certain, but that was as -nothing in comparison with my moral sufferings. I had no desire left or -courage to appear on the stage. I wished to sell, give up, or give away, -if necessary, an establishment which taxed my strength too severely. - -“No,” I said to myself, “I am not born for this life of emotion. I will -quit the parching atmosphere of a theatre. I will, even at the expense -of a brilliant fortune, return to my gentle and calm employment.” - -The next morning, incapable of rising, and, indeed, firmly resolved to -give up my representations, I had the bill taken down that announced my -performance for that evening. I had made up my mind as to all the -consequences of this resolution. Thus, the sacrifice accomplished, I -found myself far more calm, and even yielded to the imperious claims of -a sleep I had for a long time denied myself. - -I have now arrived at a moment when I shall quit for ever the mournful -and wearisome details of the numerous misfortunes that preceded my -representations; but my readers will notice with some surprise to what a -futile circumstance I owed my release from this state of discouragement, -which I fancied would last for ever. - -The repose I had taken during the day and the following night had -refreshed my blood and my ideas. I regarded my situation under a very -different aspect, and I had already made up my mind not to give up my -theatre, when one of my friends--or, who called himself so--came to pay -me a visit. - -After expressing his regret at the unhappy result of my first -performance, at which he had been present, he said: - -“I called in to see you because I noticed your room was closed, and I -had a wish to express my feelings to you on the subject. I must say, -then, to speak frankly” (I have noticed that this phrase is always -followed by some bad compliment, which is meant to pass under the guise -of friendly frankness), “that you are perfectly right to quit a -profession beyond your strength, and that you have acted wisely by -anticipating with good grace a decision to which you would have been -forced sooner or later. However,” he added, with a self-sufficient air, -“I foretold it. I always thought you were committing an act of madness, -and that your theatre would no sooner be opened than you would be -obliged to close it.” - -These cruel compliments, addressed under the cloak of apocryphal -frankness, wounded me deeply. I could easily detect that this offerer of -advice, sacrificing to his vanity the slight affection he felt for me, -had only come to see me in order to parade his perspicacity and the -justice of his previsions, of which he had never mentioned a syllable to -me. Well, this infallible prophet, who foresaw events so truly, was far -from suspecting the change he was producing in me. The more he talked, -the more he confirmed me in the resolution of continuing my -performances. - -“Who told you my room was closed?” I said, in a tone that had nothing -affectionate about it. “If I did not perform yesterday, it was because, -worn out by the fatigue I have undergone for some time, I wished to rest -for at least one day. Your foreboding will, therefore, be disappointed, -when I tell you that I shall perform this very evening. I hope, in my -second representation, to take my revenge on the public; and this time -they will judge me less severely than you have done. I am quite -convinced of it.” - -The conversation having taken this turn, could not be continued much -longer. My offerer of advice, dissatisfied at my reception of him, -quitted me, and I have never seen him since. Yet, I bear him no malice; -on the contrary, if he reads my Memoirs, I beg to offer him in this -place my thanks for the happy revolution he produced in me by wounding -my vanity to the quick. - -Bills were immediately posted to announce my performance for that -evening, and I made my preparations calmly, while thinking over those -parts of my performance in which it would be advisable to introduce a -change. - -This second representation went on much better than I had hoped, and my -audience appeared satisfied. Unfortunately, that audience was small, and -my receipts, consequently, were the same. Still, I accepted it all -philosophically, for the success I had obtained gave me confidence in -the future. - -However, I soon had real causes for consolation. The celebrities of the -press came to my representations, and described my performance in the -most flattering terms. Some contributors to the comic papers also made -very pleasant allusions to my performances and myself. Among others, the -present editor of the _Charivari_ wrote an article full of fun and dash -about my performances, which he terminated with some lines, expressive -of his decided opinion that I belonged to the family of Robert le Diable -and Robert Macaire. - -Finally, the _Illustration_, desirous of evincing its sympathy, engaged -Eugène Forey to draw a sketch of my theatre. Such publicity soon -attracted the attention of the first Parisian circles: people came to -see my performances: they appointed to meet at my room, and from this -moment commenced that reputation which has never left me since. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - New Studies--A Comic Journal--Invention of Second Sight--Curious - Experiments--An enthusiastic Spectator--Danger of being a - Sorcerer--A Philter or your Life--Way to get rid of Bores--An - Electric Touch--I perform at the Vaudeville--Struggles with the - Incredulous--Interesting Details. - - -Fontenelle says, somewhere or other, “There is no success, however -merited, in which luck does not have a share;” and, although I was of -the same opinion as the illustrious Academician, I determined by sheer -toil to diminish as much as in me lay the share luck could claim in _my_ -success. In the first place, I redoubled my efforts to improve the -execution of my tricks, and when I believed I had attained that result, -I tried to correct a fault which, I felt, must injure my performance. -This was speaking too rapidly; and my “patter,” recited in a schoolboy -tone, thus lost much of its effect. I was drawn in this false direction -by my natural vivacity, and I had great trouble in correcting it; -however, by resolutely attacking my enemy, I managed to conquer it. - -This victory was doubly profitable to me: I performed with much less -fatigue, and had the pleasure of noticing, in the calmness of my -audience, that I had realized the scenic truth, “the more slowly a story -is told, the shorter it seems.” In fact, if you pronounce slowly, the -public, judging from your calmness that you take an interest in what you -are saying, yield to your influence and listen to you with sustained -attention. If, on the contrary, your words reveal a desire to finish -quickly, your auditors gradually submit to the influence of this -restlessness, and they are as anxious as yourself to hear the end of -your story. - -I have said that people of the first rank came to my theatre, but I -noticed, on the other hand, to my regret, that my pit was scantily -filled. As I was ambitious to have my room thronged, I thought I could -not effect this more easily than by making my theatre better known than -I had hitherto done. - -From time immemorial it has been the custom, at conjuring performances, -to distribute small presents to the audience, in order to “maintain -their friendship.” Toys were generally selected, which spectators of all -ages contended for; and this often made Comte say at the moment of -distribution, “Here are toys for great children and small.” These toys -had a very ephemeral existence, and as nothing indicated their origin, -they could attract no attention to the giver. While, then, I was as -liberal as my predecessors, I wished that my little presents should keep -up for a longer period the remembrance of my name and experiments. -Instead of dolls and other similar objects, I distributed to my -spectators, under the form of presents produced by magic, illustrated -comic journals, elegant fans, albums, and rebuses, all accompanied by -bouquets and excellent bonbons. Each article bore, not only the -inscription “Recollections of Robert-Houdin’s fantastic soirĂ©es,” but -also details of my performances, according to the nature of the article. -These were generally presented in the shape of verses. The thing that -caused me the most trouble was my comic journal, the “Cagliostro,” which -I was forced to edit at the expense of my night’s rest. The audience -were amused by my jests, and the perusal of the paper between the acts -gave me a little time to make my preparations. - -The experiment, however, to which I owed my reputation was one inspired -by that fantastic god to whom Pascal attributes all the discoveries of -this sublunary world: chance led me straight to the invention of _second -sight_. - -My two children were playing one day in the drawing-room at a game they -had invented for their own amusement. The younger had bandaged his elder -brother’s eyes, and made him guess the objects he touched, and when the -latter happened to guess right, they changed places. This simple game -suggested to me the most complicated idea that ever crossed my mind. - -Pursued by the notion, I ran and shut myself up in my workroom, and was -fortunately in that happy state when the mind follows easily the -combinations traced by fancy. I rested my head in my hands, and, in my -excitement, laid down the first principles of second sight. - -It would require a whole volume to describe the numberless combinations -of this experiment; but this description, far too serious for these -memoirs, will find a place in a special work, which will also contain -the explanation of my theatrical tricks. Still, I cannot resist the -desire of cursorily explaining some of the preliminary experiments to -which I had recourse before I could make the trick perfect. - -My readers will remember the experiment suggested to me formerly by the -pianist’s dexterity, and the strange faculty I succeeded in attaining: I -could read while juggling with four balls. Thinking seriously of this, I -fancied that this “perception by appreciation” might be susceptible of -equal development, if I applied its principles to the memory and the -mind. - -I resolved, therefore, on making some experiments with my son Emile, -and, in order to make my young assistant understand the nature of the -exercise we were going to learn, I took a domino, the cinq-quatre for -instance, and laid it before him. Instead of letting him count the -points of the two numbers, I requested the boy to tell me the total at -once. - -“Nine,” he said. - -Then I added another domino, the quarter-tray. - -“That makes sixteen,” he said, without any hesitation. - -I stopped the first lesson here; the next day we succeeded in counting -at a single glance four dominoes, the day after six, and thus we at -length were enabled to give instantaneously the product of a dozen -dominoes. - -This result obtained, we applied ourselves to a far more difficult task, -over which we spent a month. My son and I passed rapidly before a -toy-shop, or any other displaying a variety of wares, and cast an -attentive glance upon it. A few steps further on we drew paper and -pencil from our pockets, and tried which could describe the greater -number of objects seen in passing. I must own that my son reached a -perfection far greater than mine, for he could often write down forty -objects, while I could scarce reach thirty. Often feeling vexed at this -defeat, I would return to the shop and verify his statement, but he -rarely made a mistake. - -My male readers will certainly understand the possibility of this, but -they will recognize the difficulty. As for my lady readers, I am -convinced beforehand they will not be of the same opinion, for they -daily perform far more astounding feats. Thus, for instance, I can -safely assert that a lady seeing another pass at full speed in a -carriage, will have had time to analyze her toilette from her bonnet to -her shoes, and be able to describe not only the fashion and quality of -the stuffs, but also say if the lace be real, or only machine made. I -have known ladies do this. - -This natural, or acquired, faculty among ladies, but which my son and I -had only gained by constant practice, was of great service in my -performances, for while I was executing my tricks, I could see -everything that passed around me, and thus prepare to foil any -difficulties presented me. This exercise had given me, so to speak, the -power of following two ideas simultaneously, and nothing is more -favorable in conjuring than to be able to think at the same time both of -what you are saying and of what you are doing. I eventually acquired -such a knack in this, that I frequently invented new tricks while going -through my performances. One day, even, I made a bet I would solve a -problem in mechanics while taking my part in conversation. We were -talking of the pleasure of a country life, and I calculated during this -time the quantity of wheels and pinions, as well as the necessary cogs, -to produce certain revolutions required, without once failing in my -reply. - -This slight explanation will be sufficient to show what is the essential -basis of second sight, and I will add that a secret and unnoticeable -correspondence existed between my son and myself, by which I could -announce to him the name, nature, and bulk of objects handed me by -spectators. - -As none understood my mode of action, they were tempted to believe in -something extraordinary, and, indeed, my son Emile, then aged twelve, -possessed all the essential qualities to produce this opinion, for his -pale, intellectual, and ever thoughtful face represented the type of a -boy gifted with some supernatural power. - -Two months were incessantly employed in erecting the scaffolding of our -tricks, and when we were quite confident of being able to contend -against the difficulties of such an undertaking, we announced the first -representation of second sight. On the 12th of February, 1846, I printed -in the centre of my bill the following singular announcement: - -“_In this performance M. Robert-Houdin’s son, who is gifted with a -marvellous second sight, after his eyes have been covered with a thick -bandage, will designate every object presented to him by the audience_.” - -I cannot say whether this announcement attracted any spectators, for my -room was constantly crowded, still I may affirm, what may seem very -extraordinary, that the experiment of second sight, which afterwards -became so fashionable, produced no effect on the first performance. I am -inclined to believe that the spectators fancied themselves the dupes of -accomplices, but I was much annoyed by the result, as I had built on the -surprise I should produce; still, having no reason to doubt its ultimate -success, I was tempted to make a second trial, which turned out well. - -The next evening I noticed in my room several persons who had been -present on the previous night, and I felt they had come a second time to -assure themselves of the reality of the experiment. It seems they were -convinced, for my success was complete, and amply compensated for my -former disappointment. - -I especially remember a mark of singular approval with which one of my -pit audience favored me. My son had named to him several objects he -offered in succession; but not feeling satisfied, my incredulous -friend, rising, as if to give more importance to the difficulty he was -about to present, handed me an instrument peculiar to cloth merchants, -and employed to count the number of threads. Acquiescing in his wish, I -said to my boy, “What do I hold in my hand?” - -“It is an instrument to judge the fineness of cloth, and called a thread -counter.” - -“By Jove!” my spectator said, energetically, “it is marvellous. If I had -paid ten francs to see it, I should not begrudge them.” - -From this moment my room was much too small, and was crowded every -evening. - -Still, success is not entirely rose-colored, and I could easily narrate -many disagreeable scenes produced by the reputation I had of being a -sorcerer; but I will only mention one, which forms a rĂ©sumĂ© of all I -pass over: - -A young lady of elegant manners paid me a visit one day, and although -her face was hidden by a thick veil, my practised eyes perfectly -distinguished her features. She was very pretty. - -My incognita would not consent to sit down till she was assured we were -alone, and that I was the real Robert-Houdin. I also seated myself, and -assuming the attitude of a man prepared to listen, I bent slightly to my -visitor, as if awaiting her pleasure to explain to me the object of her -mysterious visit. To my great surprise, the young lady, whose manner -betrayed extreme emotion, maintained the most profound silence, and I -began to find the visit very strange, and was on the point of forcing an -explanation, at any hazard, when the fair unknown timidly ventured these -words: - -“Good Heavens! sir, I know not how you will interpret my visit.” - -Here she stopped, and let her eyes sink with a very embarrassed air; -then, making a violent effort, she continued: - -“What I have to ask of you, sir, is very difficult to explain.” - -“Speak, madam, I beg,” I said, politely, “and I will try to guess what -you cannot explain to me.” - -And I began asking myself what this reserve meant. - -“In the first place,” the young lady said, in a low voice, and looking -round her, “I must tell you confidentially that I loved, my love was -returned, and I--I am betrayed.” - -At the last word the lady raised her head, overcame the timidity she -felt, and said, in a firm and assured voice, - -“Yes, sir--yes, I am betrayed, and for that reason I have come to you.” - -“Really, madam,” I said, much surprised at this strange confession, “I -do not see how I can help you in such a matter.” - -“Oh, sir, I entreat you,” said my fair visitor, clasping her hands--“I -implore you not to abandon me!” - -I had great difficulty in keeping my countenance, and yet I felt an -extreme curiosity to know the history concealed behind this mystery. - -“Calm yourself, madam,” I remarked, in a tone of tender sympathy; “tell -me what you would of me, and if it be in my power----“ - -“If it be in your power!” the young lady said, quickly; “why, nothing is -more easy, sir.” - -“Explain yourself, madam.” - -“Well, sir, I wish to be avenged.” - -“In what way?” - -“How, you know better than I, sir; must I teach you? You have in your -power means to----“ - -“I, madam?” - -“Yes, sir, you! for you are a sorcerer, and cannot deny it.” - -At this word sorcerer, I was much inclined to laugh; but I was -restrained by the incognita’s evident emotion. Still, wishing to put an -end to a scene which was growing ridiculous, I said, in a politely -ironical tone: - -“Unfortunately, madam, you give me a title I never possessed.” - -“How, sir!” the young woman exclaimed, in a quick tone, “you will not -allow you are----“ - -“A sorcerer, madam? Oh no, I will not.” - -“You will not?” - -“No, a thousand times no, madam.” - -At these words my visitor rose hastily, muttered a few incoherent words, -appeared suffering from terrible emotion, and then drawing near me with -flaming eyes and passionate gestures, repeated: - -“Ah, you will not! Very good; I now know what I have to do.” - -Stupefied by such an outbreak, I looked at her fixedly, and began to -suspect the cause of her extraordinary conduct. - -“There are two modes of acting,” she said, with terrible volubility, -“towards people who devote themselves to magic arts--entreaty and -menaces. You would not yield to the first of these means, hence, I must -employ the second. Stay,” she added, “perhaps this will induce you to -speak.” - -And, lifting up her cloak, she laid her hand on the hilt of a dagger -passed through her girdle. At the same time she suddenly threw back her -veil, and displayed features in which all the signs of rage and madness -could be traced. No longer having a doubt as to the person I had to deal -with, my first movement was to rise and stand on my guard; but this -first feeling overcome, I repented the thought of a struggle with the -unhappy woman, and determined on employing a method almost always -successful with those deprived of reason. I pretended to accede to her -wishes. - -“If it be so, madam, I yield to your request. Tell me what you require.” - -“I have told you, sir; I wish for vengeance, and there is only one -method to----“ - -Here there was a fresh interruption, and the young lady, calmed by my -apparent submission, as well as embarrassed by the request she had to -make of me, became again timid and confused. - -“Well, madam?” - -“Well, sir, I know not how to tell you--how to explain to you--but I -fancy there are certain means--certain spells--which render it -impossible--impossible for a man to be--unfaithful.” - -“I now understand what you wish, madam. It is a certain magic practice -employed in the middle ages. Nothing is easier, and I will satisfy you.” - -Decided on playing the farce to the end, I took down the largest book I -could find in my library, turned over the leaves, stopped at a page -which I pretended to scan with profound attention, and then addressing -the lady, who followed all my movements anxiously, - -“Madam,” I said, confidentially, “the spell I am going to perform -renders it necessary for me to know the name of the person; have the -kindness, then, to tell it me.” - -“Julian!” she said, in a faint voice. - -With all the gravity of a real sorcerer, I solemnly thrust a pin through -a lighted candle, and pronounced some cabalistic words. After which, -blowing out the candle, and turning to the poor creature, I said: - -“Madam, it is done; your wish is accomplished.” - -“Oh, thank you, sir,” she replied, with the expression of the -profoundest gratitude; and at the same moment she laid a purse on the -table and rushed away. I ordered my servant to follow her to her house, -and obtain all the information he could about her, and I learned she had -been a widow for a short time, and that the loss of an adored husband -had disturbed her reason. The next day I visited her relatives, and, -returning them the purse, I told them the scene the details of which the -reader has just perused. - -This scene, with some others that preceded and followed it, compelled me -to take measures to guard myself against bores of every description. I -could not dream, as formerly, of exiling myself in the country, but I -employed a similar resource: this was to shut myself up in my workroom, -and organize around me a system of defence against those whom I called, -in my ill-temper, thieves of time. - -I daily received visits from persons who were utter strangers to me; -some were worth knowing, but the majority, gaining an introduction under -the most futile pretexts, only came to kill a portion of their leisure -time with me. It was necessary to distinguish the tares from the wheat, -and this is the arrangement I made: - -When one of these gentlemen rang at my door, an electric communication -struck a bell in my workroom; I was thus warned and put on my guard. My -servant opened the door, and, as is customary, inquired the visitor’s -name, while I, for my part, laid my ear to a tube, arranged for the -purpose, which conveyed to me every word. If, according to his reply, I -thought it as well not to receive him, I pressed a button, and a white -mark that appeared in a certain part of the hall announced I was not at -home to him. My servant then stated I was out, and begged the visitor to -apply to the manager. - -Sometimes it happened that I erred in my judgment, and regretted having -granted an audience; but I had another mode of shortening a bore’s -visit. I had placed behind the sofa on which I set an electric spring, -communicating with a bell my servant could hear. In case of need, and -while talking, I threw my arm carelessly over the back of the sofa, -touching the spring, and the bell rang. Then my servant, playing a -little farce, opened the front door, rang the bell, which could be heard -from the room where I sat, and came to tell me that M. X---- (a name -invented for the occasion) wished to speak to me. I ordered M. X---- to -be shown into an adjoining room, and it was very rare that my bore did -not raise the siege. No one can form an idea how much time I gained by -this happy arrangement, or how many times I blessed my imagination and -the celebrated savant to whom the discovery of galvanism is due! - -This feeling can be easily explained, for my time was of inestimable -value. I husbanded it like a treasure, and never sacrificed it, unless -the sacrifice might help me to discover new experiments destined to -stimulate public curiosity. - -To support my determination in making my researches, I had ever before -me this maxim: - -IT IS MORE DIFFICULT TO SUPPORT ADMIRATION THAN TO EXCITE IT. - -And this other, an apparent corollary of the preceding: - -THE FASHION AN ARTISTE ENJOYS CAN ONLY LAST AS HIS TALENT DAILY -INCREASES. - -Nothing increases a professional man’s merit so much as the possession -of an independent fortune; this truth may be coarse, but it is -indubitable. Not only was I convinced of these principles of high -economy, but I also knew that a man must strive to profit by the fickle -favor of the public, which equally descends if it does not rise. Hence I -worked my reputation as much as I could. In spite of my numerous -engagements, I found means to give performances in all the principal -theatres, though great difficulties frequently arose, as my performance -did not end till half-past ten, and I could only fulfil my other -engagements after that hour. - -Eleven o’clock was generally the hour fixed for my appearance on a -strange stage, and my readers may judge of the speed required to proceed -to the theatre in so short a time and make my preparations. It is true -that the moments were as well counted as employed, and my curtain had -hardly fallen than, rushing towards the stairs, I got before my -audience, and jumped into a vehicle that bore me off at full speed. - -But this fatigue was as nothing compared to the emotion occasionally -produced by an error in the time that was to elapse between my two -performances. I remember that, one night, having to wind up the -performances at the Vaudeville, the stage-manager miscalculated the time -the pieces would take in performing, and found himself much in advance. -He sent off an express to warn me that the curtain had fallen, and I was -anxiously expected. Can my readers comprehend my wretchedness? My -experiments, of which I could omit none, would occupy another quarter -of an hour; but instead of indulging in useless recriminations, I -resigned myself and continued my performance, though I was a prey to -frightful anxiety. While speaking, I fancied I could hear that cadenced -yell of the public to which the famous song, “_Des lampions, des -lampions_,” was set. Thus, either through preoccupation, or a desire to -end sooner, I found when my performance was over I had gained five -minutes out of the quarter of an hour. Assuredly, it might be called the -quarter of an hour’s grace. - -To jump into a carriage and drive to the Place de la Bourse was the -affair of an instant; still, twenty minutes had elapsed since the -curtain fell, and that was an enormous time. My son Emile and I -proceeded up the actors’ stairs at full speed, but on the first step, we -had heard the cries, whistling, and stamping of the impatient audience. -What a prospect! I knew that frequently, either right or wrong, the -public treated an artiste, no matter whom, very harshly, to remind him -of punctuality. That sovereign always appears to have on its lips the -words of another monarch: “I was obliged to wait.” However, we hurried -up the steps leading to the stage. - -The stage-manager, who had been watching, on hearing our hurried steps, -cried from the landing: - -“Is that you, M. Houdin?” - -“Yes, sir--yes.” - -“Raise the curtain!” the same voice shouted. - -“Wait, wait, it is imp----“ - -My breath would not allow me to finish my objection; I fell on a chair, -unable to move. - -“Come, M. Houdin,” the manager said, “_do_ go on the stage, the curtain -is up, and the public are so impatient.” - -The door at the back of the stage was open, but I could not pass through -it, fatigue and emotion nailed me to the spot. Still, an idea occurred -to me, which saved me from the popular wrath. - -“Go on to the stage, my boy,” I said to my son, “and prepare all that is -wanting for the second-sight trick.” - -The public allowed themselves to be disarmed by this youth, whose face -inspired a sympathizing interest; and my son, after gravely bowing to -the audience, quietly made his slight preparations, that is to say, he -carried an ottoman to the front of the stage, and placed on a -neighboring table a slate, some chalk, a pack of cards, and a bandage. - -This slight delay enabled me to recover my breath and calm my nerves, -and I advanced in my turn with an attempt to assume the stereotyped -smile, in which I signally failed, as I was so agitated. The audience at -first remained silent, then their faces gradually unwrinkled, and soon, -one or two claps having been ventured, they were carried away and peace -was made. I was well rewarded, however, for this terrible ordeal, as my -“second-sight” never gained a more brilliant triumph. - -An incident greatly enlivened the termination of my performance. - -A spectator, who had evidently come on purpose to embarrass us, had -tried in vain for some minutes to baffle my son’s clairvoyance, when -turning to me, he said, laying marked stress on his words: - -“As your son is a soothsayer, of course he can guess the number of my -stall?” - -The importunate spectator doubtlessly hoped to force us into a -confession of our impotence, for he covered his number and the adjacent -seats being occupied, it was apparently impossible to read the numbers. -But I was on my guard against all surprises, and my reply was ready. -Still, in order to profit as much as possible by the situation, I -feigned to draw back. - -“You know, sir,” I said, feigning an embarrassed air, “that my son is -neither sorcerer nor diviner; he reads through my eyes, and hence I have -given this experiment the name of second-sight. As I cannot see the -number of your stall, and the seats close to you are occupied, my son -cannot tell it you.” - -“Ah! I was certain of it,” my persecutor said, in triumph, and turning -to his neighbors: “I told you I would pin him.” - -“Oh, sir! you are not generous in your victory,” I said, in my turn, in -a tone of mockery. “Take care; if you pique my son’s vanity too sharply, -he may solve your problem, though it is so difficult.” - -“I defy him,” said the spectator, leaning firmly against the back of his -seat, to hide the number better--“yes, yes--I defy him!” - -“You believe it to be difficult, then?” - -“I will grant more: it is impossible.” - -“Well, then, sir, that is a stronger reason for us to try it. You will -not be angry if we triumph in our turn?” I added, with a petulant smile. - -“Come, sir; we understand evasions of that sort. I repeat it--I -challenge you both.” - -The public found great amusement in this debate, and patiently awaited -its issue. - -“Emile,” I said to my son, “prove to this gentleman that nothing can -escape your second sight.” - -“It is number sixty-nine,” the boy answered, immediately. - -Noisy and hearty applause rose from every part of the theatre, in which -our opponent joined, for, confessing his defeat, he exclaimed, as he -clapped his hands, “It is astounding--magnificent!” - -The way I succeeded in finding out the number of the stall was this: I -knew beforehand that in all theatres where the stalls are divided down -the centre by a passage, the uneven numbers are on the right, and the -even on the left. As at the Vaudeville each row was composed of ten -stalls, it followed that on the right hand the several rows must begin -with one, twenty-one, forty-one, and so on, increasing by twenty each. -Guided by this, I had no difficulty in discovering that my opponent was -seated in number sixty-nine, representing the fifth stall in the fourth -row. I had prolonged the conversation for the double purpose of giving -more brilliancy to my experiment, and gaining time to make my -researches. Thus I applied my process of two simultaneous thoughts, to -which I have already alluded. - -As I am now explaining matters, I may as well tell my readers some of -the artifices that added material brilliancy to the second sight. I have -already said this experiment was the result of a material communication -between myself and my son, which no one could detect. Its combinations -enabled us to describe any conceivable object; but, though this was a -splendid result, I saw that I should soon encounter unheard-of -difficulties in executing it. - -The experiment of second sight always formed the termination of my -performance. Each evening I saw unbelievers arrive with all sorts of -articles to triumph over a secret which they could not unravel. Before -going to see Robert-Houdin’s son a council was held, in which an object -that must embarrass the father was chosen. Among these were -half-effaced antique medals, minerals, books printed in characters of -every description (living and dead languages), coats-of-arms, -microscopic objects, &c. - -But what caused me the greatest difficulty was in finding out the -contents of parcels, often tied with a string, or even sealed up. But I -had managed to contend successfully against all these attempts to -embarrass me. I opened boxes, purses, pocket-books, &c., with great -ease, and unnoticed, while appearing to be engaged on something quite -different. Were a sealed parcel offered me, I cut a small slit in the -paper with the nail of my left thumb, which I always purposely kept very -long and sharp, and thus discovered what it contained. One essential -condition was excellent sight, and that I possessed to perfection. I -owed it originally to my old trade, and practice daily improved it. An -equally indispensable necessity was to know the name of every object -offered me. It was not enough to say, for instance, “It is a coin;” but -my son must give its technical name, its value, the country in which it -was current, and the year in which it was struck. Thus, for instance, if -an English crown were handed me, my son was expected to state that it -was struck in the reign of George IV., and had an intrinsic value of six -francs eighteen centimes. - -Aided by an excellent memory, we had managed to classify in our heads -the name and value of all foreign money. We could also describe a -coat-of-arms in heraldic terms. Thus, on the arms of the house of X---- -being handed me, my son would reply: “Field gules, with two croziers -argent in pale.” This knowledge was very useful to us in the _salons_ of -the Faubourg Saint Germain, where we were frequently summoned. - -I had also learned the characters--though unable to translate a -word--of an infinity of languages, such as Chinese, Russian, Turkish, -Greek, Hebrew, &c. We knew, too, the names of all surgical instruments, -so that a surgical pocket-book, however complicated it might be, could -not embarrass us. Lastly, I had a very sufficient knowledge of -mineralogy, precious stones, antiquities, and curiosities; but I had at -my command every possible resource for acquiring these studies, as one -of my dearest and best friends, Aristide le Carpentier, a learned -antiquary, and uncle of the talented composer of the same name, had, and -still has, a cabinet of antique curiosities, which makes the keepers of -the imperial museums fierce with envy. My son and I spent many long days -in learning here names and dates, of which we afterwards made a learned -display. Le Carpentier taught me many things, and, among others, he -described various signs by which to recognise old coins when the die is -worn off. Thus, a Trajan, a Tiberius, or a Marcus Aurelius became as -familiar to me as a five-franc piece. - -Owing to my old trade, I could open a watch with ease, and do it with -one hand, so as to be able to read the maker’s name without the public -suspecting it: then I shut up the watch again and the trick was ready; -my son managed the rest of the business. - -But that power of memory which my son possessed in an eminent degree -certainly did us the greatest service. When we went to private houses, -he needed only a very rapid inspection, in order to know all the objects -in a room, as well as the various ornaments worn by the spectators, such -as châtelaines, pins, eye-glasses, fans, brooches, rings, bouquets, &c. -He thus could describe these objects with the greatest ease, when I -pointed them out to him by our secret communication. Here is an -instance: - -One evening, at a house in the ChaussĂ©e d’Antin, and at the end of a -performance which had been as successful as it was loudly applauded, I -remembered that, while passing through the next room to the one we were -now in, I had begged my son to cast a glance at a library and remember -the titles of some of the books, as well as the order they were arranged -in. No one had noticed this rapid examination. - -“To end the second sight experiment, sir,” I said to the master of the -house, “I will prove to you that my son can read through a wall. Will -you lend me a book?” - -I was naturally conducted to the library in question, which I pretended -now to see for the first time, and I laid my finger on a book. - -“Emile,” I said to my son, “What is the name of this work?” - -“It is Buffon,” he replied, quickly. - -“And the one by its side?” an incredulous spectator hastened to ask. - -“On the right or left?” my son asked. - -“On the right,” the speaker said, having a good reason for choosing this -book, for the lettering was very small. - -“The Travels of Anacharsis the Younger,” the boy replied. “But,” he -added, “had you asked the name of the book on the left, sir, I should -have said Lamartine’s Poetry. A little to the right of this row, I see -CrĂ©billon’s works; below, two volumes of Fleury’s Memoirs;” and my son -thus named a dozen books before he stopped. - -The spectators had not said a word during this description, as they felt -so amazed; but when the experiment had ended, all complimented us by -clapping their hands. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - - Seductions of a Theatrical Agent--How to gain One Hundred Thousand - Francs--I start for Brussels--A lucky Two-Sou Piece--Miseries of - professional Travelling--The Park Theatre--Tyranny of a - Porter--Full House--Small Receipts--Deceptions--Return to Paris. - - -Had it not been for my constant toil and the inconveniences attached to -it, I should have been quite happy and satisfied with the daily profit -my performances brought me in. But one fine day the demon of seduction -presented himself before me in the obsequious form of a theatrical -agent. - -“Monsieur Robert-Houdin,” he said, with a smile on his lips, as if we -were old friends, “I am commissioned by M. X----, manager of the royal -theatres of Brussels, to offer you an engagement for the summer season.” - -My first answer was a refusal, which I based on excellent reasons. As I -was very successful, it would not be prudent to break the vein, while I -saw no occasion to go a long distance in search of advantages I could -secure at home. This reasoning would have settled any one but a -theatrical agent; but nothing, it is well known, can shake off the grip -of these skillful crimps. - -“Permit me, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, not to be quite of your opinion. I -allow, of course, that with your talents you are always secure of good -receipts, but you should bear in mind that the dog-days are approaching, -and your room is stifling in summer. This consideration might induce -the Parisian public to defer till autumn the pleasure of witnessing your -performances, while, by going to Brussels, where the theatres are large -and airy, you would have no reason to fear such a result. Come,” the -plenipotentiary continued, in a most candid tone, “I must tell you, -without wishing to flatter you the least in the world, that everybody is -talking about you in Belgium; I may add, even, that the manager has been -urged to make you offers by a great number of his subscribers.” - -This flattering insinuation began to shake my decision, and I offered in -my defence reasons whose weakness only attested to my indecision. My -clever touter noticed this, and thinking the moment arrived to strike -his great blow, said: - -“Do you know, sir, the probable proceeds of my offer?” - -“No, sir.” - -“Well, make an estimate.” - -“It is impossible.” - -“Then, approximate.” - -“I must decline; for I understand nothing of such calculations.” - -“Well, then, I understand them, and am rarely mistaken,” said the agent, -stroking his chin, “and I tell you it is an affair to you” (here my -seducer stopped, as if to make a most accurate calculation)--“an affair -of one hundred thousand francs.” - -“One hundred thousand francs!” I exclaimed, dazzled at such a prospect, -“you cannot mean it.” - -“It is precisely because I mean it that I tell you, and repeat it again: -you will clear one hundred thousand francs by your trip. Add to this, -the advantage of having seen a splendid country, and being received with -all the attention due to an artist of your merit. You will then return -to your impatient spectators, whose curiosity, heightened by their long -privation, will produce you receipts far more brilliant than any you -might have expected by remaining in Paris.” - -Being little conversant at that period with theatrical matters, and -having no reason to doubt the honesty of my eloquent “humbugger,” I -easily believed his fine promises. The chink of one hundred thousand -francs still ringing in my ears fascinated me; and I gave way -unconsciously to the same mode of reasoning the inkstand inventor had -employed. - -“And, really,” I said to myself, “supposing, for instance, that----“ -And, leaping from supposition to supposition, my calculations exceeded -those of the agent. But, in order to be reasonable, I concluded, like my -friend the inventor, in this way: “Well, to prevent any -misunderstanding, suppose we say only fifty thousand francs--surely -nobody can accuse me with exaggeration.” - -Though dazzled by this brilliant calculation, I strove to conceal my -desire of accepting the offer. - -“It is all very well,” I said, in my turn, after the style of a perfect -man of business, “but what are the conditions?” - -“Oh, most simple!” the crafty fellow said; “the same as are made with -all distinguished artists. Monsieur X---- will pay all the expenses, but -to cover those, he will deduct three hundred francs from the gross -receipts, exclusive of the claim of the poor, and the rest will be -fairly divided between him and yourself.” - -“Still, I should like to know how much the sum to be divided will amount -to?” - -“How is it possible to say?” the agent exclaimed, with an aspect of the -greatest sincerity. “With such success as awaits you, it will be -enormous.” - -In spite of my pressing, the agent always entrenched himself in his -exclamations, and the impossibility of making such an estimate. Tired of -the struggle, I at length formed my decision. - -“I will go to Brussels,” I said, in a resolute tone. - -The theatrical agent immediately drew from his pocket a printed form, -which he had brought in case of our coming to terms, and we had only to -add the stipulations to it. - -“Tell me, sir,” the manager’s representative said, in a conscientious -tone, “will you have any objection to a forfeit of six thousand francs? -As the engagement is reciprocal, you must find this but fair.” - -I only saw in the agent’s request a very natural desire to defend his -employer’s interests; and I drew this conclusion from it: if the -agreement was advantageous for the manager, it must be equally so for -me, as we were to share the receipts. I consented to the clause, and -affixed my signature. The agent could not repress his satisfaction, but -he cleverly ascribed it to the interest he felt in me. - -“I congratulate you sincerely on the engagement you have just made,” he -said, as he offered me his hand; “you will soon be able to tell me of -the results you will draw from it. By the way,” he added, in a friendly -tone, after a pause, “will you now permit me to give you a piece of -advice?” - -“Certainly, sir--certainly.” - -“I would recommend you, then, to take a collection of showy bills and -posters with you to Belgium. They do not know how to get them up in -Brussels, and they will produce a prodigious effect. It would be also as -well to have a handsome lithograph, representing your stage; it can be -put up in the various picture-shops, and you will obtain increased -publicity.” - -These counsels, and the familiar, almost protecting, tone in which they -were given, appeared to me strange; and I could not refrain from -expressing my surprise to the man of business. - -“What need of all these precautions? I fancied I understood you -that----“ - -“Good gracious me! all professionals are alike,” the giver of advice -interrupted me; “absorbed in their art, they understand nothing of -business. But tell me, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, would you feel annoyed at -netting one hundred and fifty thousand francs, instead of the one -hundred thousand I promised you?” - -“On my word, no,” I said, with a smile; “and I confess that, far from -feeling vexed, I should be very pleased at it.” - -“Well, then, the more you make yourself known, the more you will add to -the amount I stated.” - -“But I thought that notoriety was generally the business of managers.” - -“Certainly, ordinary publicity, but not extraordinary. You must see that -is unlikely, as it will be all for your advantage.” - -Though little conversant with business, as the agent had just remarked, -I saw that his arguments were not always in accordance with logic. -However, I consented to the posters and the lithograph, in consideration -of the promised results. - -“That is right,” the agent said, his familiarity sensibly increasing -since the signature of the contract--“that is right: that is what I call -managing things properly.” - -And my man left me, after complimenting me once more on the arrangement -I had made. - -When left to myself, I indulged at my ease in daydreams about the -magnificent result promised me, and this anticipated joy was probably -all I tasted from the moment of signing this engagement to its -termination. The first unpleasantness it occasioned me was a slight -discussion with my cashier, that is to say, my wife, who, in -consideration of her employment, had a deliberative voice in all -theatrical matters. I could not certainly have found an employĂ©e of -greater probity, or a more devoted clerk, but I am bound to say that -this clerk, probably through her intimate connexion with her employer, -sometimes ventured to contradict him. Thus I feared when I described to -that functionary the brilliant perspective of my agreement. - -Although I finished my statement with this harmonious phrase, on every -word of which I laid a heavy stress, in order to give it more value, -“and we shall return to France with one--hundred--thousand--francs clear -profit,” my wife, or rather my cashier, coolly said to me: - -“Well, in your place, I should not have made such a bargain.” - -“But why not?” I said, piqued by this unexpected opposition. - -“Why? because nothing guarantees you the promised profits, while you are -perfectly certain as to your expenses.” - -Wishing to cut short a discussion from which I did not see my way out -with honor: - -“Women are all alike,” I said, employing the phrase of the theatrical -agent; “understanding nothing of business, they oppose one out of -obstinacy. But,” I added, tossing my head, “we shall soon see which of -us is in the right.” - -I confess that in this instance I allowed myself too easily to be led -astray by flattering illusions; but I must add, that it was for the last -time; for, thenceforth, I was so skeptical as regarded calculations, -that my modest expectations always remained below the reality. - -The period for starting soon arrived, and we made our preparations with -incredible activity, for I desired to lose as little time as possible -between the closing of my performances at Paris and their commencement -in Brussels. - -The Great Northern line not being open at that period, I was obliged to -content myself with a post-chaise. Consequently, I hired from a builder -of public conveyances, for two hundred francs a month, a diligence which -had formerly been used in the environs of Paris; it was composed of a -coupĂ© and a vast rotonde, over which was an impĂ©riale for the luggage. -On the 25th of May, the day fixed for our departure, my carriage was -loaded with an immense number of chests, containing my apparatus, and -after we had taken our places, the postillion’s whip cracked, and we -started. - -We took with us on this trip, besides my two boys who performed with me, -a manager, a workman, also acting as servant, and my wife’s mother, who -came partly for pleasure, and partly to help her daughter in her -theatrical details. Galloping through Paris, we soon left the Faubourg -and the Barrière St. Denis behind us. The weather was splendid--a -perfect spring evening; my wife and I, with the children, were -comfortably established in the coupĂ©, and as it was Madame -Robert-Houdin’s first journey, she was so delighted with it, that I -believe, if I had then offered her the calculation of my presumed -profits, she would probably have herself augmented it. For my own part, -I was plunged in a delicious reverie. I recalled my journey with -Torrini, and while giving a thought of regret to that excellent friend, -I compared his carriage with my brilliant equipage, his modest claims on -fortune with the magnificent prospects promised me; and I could not help -yielding to a feeling of noble pride when I remembered I owed this -position solely to my labor and to my energy. Then, finding myself freed -from the annoyance of any theatrical administration, and my inventive -ideas abandoned, I experienced an undefinable comfort, and were it not -for the fear of making a pun, I would add, at this moment I was really -transported. - -What would I have given to see myself thus bowling along in my own -carriage! I fancied that the very passers-by regarded us with a certain -degree of satisfaction; and in this infantile illusion I smiled upon -them most benignantly. - -At some distance from the barrier we stopped. - -“Will you please to get out and have your carriage weighed? Here is the -office.” - -“Before proceeding to weigh,” the receiver of the toll said, approaching -me, “I warn you that I shall summons you for carrying a heavier weight -than the law allows.” - -I could not appeal to my ignorance of this, for no one ought to be -ignorant of the law; I therefore submitted philosophically enough to the -threatened summons, and we soon recommenced our journey, laughing -heartily at the incident. The shades of night began to cover the country -when we reached the environs of Senlis. An old beggar, seeing us -approaching, held out his hat; I understood this expressive gesture, and -had the satisfaction of doing a clever trick and a good action at the -same time; for I threw out a penny, which fell in his hat. - -I had hardly executed this adroit manĹ“uvre, when cries of “Stop! -stop!” reached my ear; and at the same time I saw the old man running -panting after the carriage, and shouting. The postillion at length -stopped the horses, and he was just in time--a few paces further on, and -our heavy carriage would have been upset. The worthy beggar had -perceived that one of our wheels was on the point of losing its tire, -and as the old man in his haste had lost his coin, and was beginning to -look for it, I spared him this trouble by giving him a five-franc piece. - -How true it is that an act of kindness is never lost: to a simple penny -we owed our escape from an accident, the consequences of which would -have been incalculable. A neighboring cartwright soon came up and told -us it was necessary to have the two wheels of the carriage repaired; and -he gave us the following explanation of the accident that had occurred: - -The diligence had been standing for a long time in a damp coach-house, -and the felloes had swollen. The heat produced by our rapid locomotion -had dried them, and they had caught fire under the tire. The operation -lasted four hours, and cost me forty francs; this was, perhaps, twenty -more than it was worth, but what could I do but pay, as I should have -lost precious time by appealing to the law? - -I was beginning to understand that travelling impressions in a diligence -are not at all of a nature to enrich a traveller; but the reflection -came too late, and I could only continue my journey. I, therefore, did -so, not very gaily, perhaps, but at any rate with a degree of careless -resignation. - -I will pass over the details of a thousand petty miseries we had to -undergo, like so many pin-pricks echeloned on our passage to prepare us -for more bitter deceptions. We at length reached QuiĂ©vrain, the frontier -town of Belgium, where we were to give up our horses and put our -carriage on the railway running to Brussels; beforehand, however, we had -to endure the formalities of the custom-house. - -I hoped, as the theatrical agent had informed me, to pass all my traps -summarily, by declaring the nature of my apparatus, and hence I went to -the office and made my declaration. - -“There is only one way of passing your luggage, sir,” a clerk said to -me, very politely. (Belgian officials are generally very gentle and -civil--at least, I always found them so.) - -“Then,” I replied, in the same tone, “will you have the kindness, sir, -to tell me the way, that I may profit by it as speedily as possible?” - -“You must unpack your instruments, put an _ad valorem_ duty on them, -which the comptroller will verify, and pay 25 per cent. on the amount, -after which you can start as soon as you please.” - -“But, sir, that is not possible,” I said, greatly annoyed at this -_contretemps_. - -“And why not?” - -“Because my instruments are not merchandise.” - -I then explained to my clerk that I was going to Brussels to give some -performances, after which I intended to return to France with the same -luggage. According to the information the official gave me, it seems I -had neglected to fulfil a simple formality, through the want of which -the office at QuiĂ©vrain would not let me go on without payment. To pass -my instruments duty free, I ought to have applied to the Belgian -Minister, who would willingly have granted me the permission. I could -certainly do so still, but I could not receive an answer under a week, -and that was just three days after the period fixed for my commencing at -Brussels. - -Hence I found myself between the horns of a dilemma. I must either, -after paying a heavy duty, lose precious time in packing, valuing and -unpacking my instruments, or forfeit six thousand francs to my manager -while awaiting a ministerial reply. Although I made all sorts of -supplications to the different custom officials, I could only obtain -this answer, dictated by their inflexible orders, “We can do nothing.” - -I was in despair; in vain, conforming to the maxim, “It is better to -address the king than his officials,” I pursued the director himself -with my entreaties; he would not hear a word. He was a stout, -good-looking man, of some fifty years of age, dressed in an enormous -paletot, much resembling in cut the one I have described as my costume -when learning my sleight-of-hand tricks at Tours. - -We were both standing at the door of the custom-house, near the high -road, where my chests had been deposited. Wearied with listening to my -eternal remonstrances, the director began talking to me about -indifferent matters; but I always led the conversation back to the same -subject. - -“You are a prestidigitator, then?” my stout Belgian said to me, laying a -stress on this word, to prove to me that he knew the pompous title by -which the juggler is distinguished. - -“Yes, sir, that is my profession.” - -“Ah, ah! very good; I know several celebrities in that art. I have even -witnessed their performances with a great deal of pleasure.” - -While my amateur was thus talking, an idea occurred to me, which I -immediately put in execution, for I trusted the result of it would -powerfully aid in favoring my entreaties. - -“What are your most striking tricks?” the stout man added, in the tone -of a perfect connoisseur. - -“I really cannot describe them to you, it would be too difficult. There -is one which can only be appreciated when seen; but I can easily give -you a specimen.” - -“I should much like it, if you would,” the official said, not sorry thus -to console himself for the trouble I had caused him. My son, at this -moment, was playing some distance off on the high road, and kicking a -pebble about. - -“Emile!” I cried, hailing him, “can you tell us what this gentleman has -in his pocket?” - -“Certainly!” the boy replied, without leaving off his game; “he has a -blue-striped handkerchief.” - -“Oh, oh!” the stout gentleman said, with an air of astonishment. Then he -recovered, and putting his hands in both pockets to conceal their -contents, - -“That’s all very good!” he added, with an air of doubt; “but chance may -have aided that discovery.” - -After a slight pause, during which he seemed considerably bothered, he -continued! - -“Can he tell me, though, what is under the handkerchief?” - -“The gentleman asks what is under the handkerchief?” I shouted to my -son. - -“There is,” he replied, in the same loud voice, “a green morocco -spectacle case, without the spectacles.” - -“That’s really curious--very curious!” said the man of the paletot. -“But,” he added, shrugging his shoulders, “I should much like him to -mention the article under the spectacle case.” - -And my incredulous friend shoved his hands in his pockets. I drew a -good omen from this last exclamation, and so, desirous to ensure my -success, I took my precautions that my son should answer correctly, and -I transmitted him the question just asked me. - -Emile, who had not left off his game for a moment, exclaimed, as if -anxious to get rid of us, “It is a piece of sugar which the gentleman -saved from his cup of coffee.” - -“Ah! that is too fine!” the director exclaimed, in a tone of admiration; -“the lad is a sorcerer.” - -My second-sight performance was at an end; still I saw with pleasure -that it produced a lively impression on the director of the customs, -who, after some moments’ reflection, himself returned to the subject we -had left. - -“Come, sir,” he remarked, “I will infringe my regulations for your sake. -We will not open your chests; I will rely on your statement of their -contents and value, and you will pay the duty according to the tariff. -When you have reached Brussels, and have obtained the ministerial -authority to introduce your instruments duty free, I will return you the -money you have paid.” - -I thanked my new protector, and, a few hours later, personnel and -luggage had reached the station at Brussels. - -Before leaving QuiĂ©vrain for ever, I will give my reader an idea of the -conjuring trick which enabled me to produce those startling instances of -second sight to which I owed my deliverance. - -I have already said that the director wore a paletot, with large -pockets, so, profiting by the art by which I had so cleverly emptied -Comte’s pockets some time before, I found out what he had in them, and -my son consequently learned it from me. As for the piece of sugar, it -was easy enough to perceive by its regular shape that it had come from -a cafĂ©--besides, I could have no doubt that a lump of sugar, taken from -the pocket of a man of fifty, and, above all, a Belgian, must be saved -from his after-dinner coffee. - -At the Brussels station, a postillion who had three horses out of work, -offered to take our heavy carriage to the Tirlemont Hotel, and I -consented, for I really knew not what hotel to go to. After driving -through the city at full speed, we entered a winding street, in the -midst of which our driver began smacking his whip loudly to announce our -arrival, and with the skill of a practised driver, he turned into an -archway that opened on to the hotel yard. We made a princely entrĂ©e -here, which reminded me of our departure from Paris, for the master of -the hotel, his wife, and the servants, were all at their posts ready to -receive us worthily. We had gone safely through about half the narrow -entry, when our vehicle suddenly stopped, as if riveted to the pavement: -blows fell like hail on the unhappy steeds, but these, though -accompanied by vigorous oaths and stimulants of every description, could -not conquer the unknown obstacle. - -Being quite convinced that the road was clear on either side, our -postillion decided on trying a final effort; so he got down rapidly from -his seat, took the horses by the bit, and drew them forward sharply. The -carriage appeared to yield to this powerful attraction, and began to -move slowly. All at once a sound of breaking was heard, while at the -same moment cries of alarm issued from both compartments of the -carriage. - -The doors were hurriedly opened, women and children emerged, and the -last of our party was still on the step, when the impĂ©riale gave way, -and the numerous heavy trunks crashed into the centre of the carriage. -In the emotion produced by such danger, I looked round my party, and -thanks to Heaven, we were all safe and sound. - -My wife and children were carefully attended to, while I, though not -entirely recovered from my terror, sought the cause of this unforeseen -catastrophe. I soon discovered that our carriage, being too highly -loaded, had caught in the projecting sides of the archway, and that this -gradual and powerful pressure had forced the mouldering framework of our -old vehicle to give way. - -In comparison with the misfortune from which we had so miraculously -escaped, the injury to the carriage was an accident of no importance--a -loss which would be quickly forgotten in the success that awaited us. -The carriage was sent to be repaired, and the accident was soon a thing -of the past, as we sought to recover from the fatigue of our long and -wearying journey. - -My first walk in Brussels led me straight to the manager, who appeared -delighted at my keeping my word, and gave me a most polite reception: -thence, I proceeded to the Park Theatre, where I was to give my -performances. - -This building, lately destroyed by fire, was situated on one of the most -agreeable sites in the city, for it formed the angle of a magnificent -park, which is to Brussels what the Tuilleries are to Paris. - -During the summer no theatrical performance took place, and it was to -fill up this gap that the engagement had been formed with me. - -This theatre was city property, and I learned the fact in the following -way. The porter, whom the manager ought to have recommended to give me -all necessary information, stated to me that he was attached to the -theatre, both as keeper and head machinist. He also told me, with -pedantic gravity, that I could not drive in a nail, form an opening in -the stage, or, in a word, make the slightest change, until he, as -responsible official, had referred the point to the city architect. - -“Such supervision is not possible,” I said to this important personage. -“How do you manage, then, when the theatrical performances are on?” - -“Ah, that is different. As the architect places confidence in me, he -allows me to do whatever I think proper, and I am responsible for -everything.” - -“If that is all, I can take the responsibility on myself, and the matter -can be settled at once.” - -“If you think so,” the porter replied, in an ironical tone, “you can -apply to the city authorities; the council will take it into -consideration, and you will receive permission in a fortnight.” - -I saw that the crafty gentleman wished to force himself upon me, but I -soon destroyed his hopes by making him understand I would allow no -stranger to be initiated into my mysterious arrangements. - -This conversation had taken place on the stage, by the light of a candle -which the conservator of the royal theatre held in his hand, but so soon -as I had intimated my intention of doing without him, he turned on his -heel and retired to his den, leaving us in perfect darkness. - -“Wait a moment, sir,” I cried to him; “we cannot be groping about in -this way; so, open the windows.” - -“Windows!” the machinist said, with a laugh; “who ever heard of windows -in a theatre? What use would they be when the rehearsals always take -place by candle-light?” - -“Excellently reasoned, my worthy man,” I replied, checking my -inclination to laugh; “I always thought like you that windows could be -done without if you had lights, but when you have no lights----“ - -“Why, then, you do as I do, you go money in hand to the grocer’s and -buy candles; I see no difficulty in that.” - -And, while making this reply, the porter and his candle were gradually -eclipsed. I had no time to lose in arguing, and besides, this man, whom -I would have gladly brought to his senses under other circumstances, -might play me some trick that might prevent me performing _mine_. My -instruments would remain, so to speak, at his mercy during the night, -and he would have all possible facility to do me some injury, which he -could deny in safety. Hence, I sent my servant straight to the grocer’s, -that natural providence of any one who wants a light. - -All my readers have probably read descriptions of theatrical interiors, -and they are all much alike, although their cleanliness and arrangement -vary according to the intelligence of the stage-manager. Nor is the same -luxury of decorations and accessories visible in all theatres; some are -literally encumbered with them, while others are almost entirely wanting -in these qualities. - -I remember that, when giving a dozen performances at Chester, I found -the theatrical decorations charmingly original. Properly speaking, there -was only one scene; but, as it would have been impossible to produce the -scenic effect with this, the machinist had very cleverly painted a -forest on the back, and the scene moved on a pivot, which my friend -turned by the aid of a winch, and thus could display a hall or a forest -at will. - -With such feeble resources, the scenic illusion was often compromised, -but, according to the machinist, the actors corrected any glaring -anachronisms of place by ingenious new readings, and sometimes, too, by -the _expression of their faces_. - -This machinist was like his scenery, for he filled many parts; he was in -turn porter, painter, wig-maker, property man, tailor, and -ticket-taker; but with so many strings to his bow, this worthy man found -himself out of work during three parts of the year, for during that -period there were no performances at Chester. - -But to return to the porter, machinist, and keeper of the Park Theatre. -This man could never forgive my refusal of his services, and his -impertinence and ill-will pursued me to the close, and occasioned me -continual annoyance; and although I complained to the manager, I could -obtain no redress. The porter, being paid by government, claimed the -right, like his brethren the porters of Paris, of making his tenants -feel his power and his independence. - -I have performed in many royal theatres, but I never had to deal with -any but most polite machinists and managers, who could flatter -themselves they were masters in their own house. - -However, I managed to surmount difficulties of every description, and -the day of my first representation arrived. - -On this very day was opened that fiery furnace which was called “the -summer of 1846;” and the heat was astounding. Still, the theatre was -full, and the success of my experiments was as great as I could desire. -The second sight, especially, produced an enthusiasm which the generally -cold inhabitants of Brussels expressed by noisy bravos. - -I was proud and happy, for, in addition to the satisfaction success -always produces, I foresaw the realization of the theatrical agent’s -brilliant promises. Thus, to take a slight revenge for my cashier’s -obstinacy, I never failed, each time I left the stage, to say to her in -a tone of triumph: - -“Well! do you believe in the one hundred thousand francs now? That’s how -I like business.” - -And I returned on the stage with a smiling and animated face. - -The performance over, the curtain fell on the illusions I had produced, -as well as on those I had nursed as to my receipts. They were equally -ephemeral in either case, for I had scarcely left the stage when I saw -my manager coming towards me in the attitude once assumed by the steeds -of Hippolytus, according to Theramene’s recital. He, so joyous at the -commencement of the performance, - - L’œil morne maintenant et la tĂŞte baissĂ©e, - Semblait se conformer Ă sa triste pensĂ©e. - -“Here, sir,” he said, pointing to a small rouleau, “is your share.” - -“What! my share?” I exclaimed, in a tone of indescribable -disappointment; “and the rest?” - -“The rest, sir, has gone in the expenses, and the poor-rate.” - -“But the rest,” I still insisted--“the rest, what has become of it?” - -“Well, sir,” my manager replied, in a lamentable tone, “the cashier -states that the greater part of the audience received free admissions.” - -Irritated by such an explanation, I hurried to the office, and opened -and closed the door violently. The employĂ© turned towards me, and -without being affected by my abruptness, he bowed to me politely -(another instance of Belgian courtesy). - -“How is it,” I said, without replying to his bow, “that so many free -admissions were given without my sanction?” - -“They were given, sir, by the manager’s orders,” the man replied, with a -calmness that made me believe he was used to such scenes, “and you must -be aware,” he added, in a conciliatory tone, “that there are numerous -claims on the first night of a new performance at a royal theatre. Thus -we have, for instance, the authorities, the city architect, the manager -of the gas company, the newspaper writers, the manager’s relations and -friends, the police inspector, who has a right to a box; and all these -gentlemen, as you may suppose, bring their families with them. We have, -again----“ - -“Oh, sir,” I replied, ironically, “for goodness’ sake, stop, for if you -go on at that rate I shall begin to fear you had not a seat left for the -paying public. To-morrow, I presume, I shall have to hand you back the -modest sum you have just sent me. However, I shall certainly insist on -an explanation with the manager.” - -The next day I proceeded to call on M. X----, with the firm intention of -evincing to him my dissatisfaction; but he was so ready with his -explanations that I could not be angry, and we ended by agreeing that, -henceforth, all free admissions should have my signature, and that they -should not be dispensed quite so liberally. - -This measure, perhaps, checked some new abuses, but was not enough to -suppress them all, for though the theatre grew more and more crowded, my -strong-box did not follow the same progression. - -Far from netting the fabulous sum which had so dazzled me, I only -brought back from my trip to Brussels an illusion dispelled and -experience, while, as my cashier had predicted, my expenses rather more -than balanced my receipts. - -I have great reason for believing that, during my stay at the Park -Theatre, I was cheated out of my proper share. It was my first affair of -the kind, and I was obliged to study at my own expense; but, from that -period, I was on my guard, and evaded every attempt at fraud. I will -add, too, that at a later date I had the satisfaction of dealing only -with managers of well-known probity, to whom I gave my entire confidence -without ever having any reason to regret it. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - - Reopening of my Fantastic SoirĂ©es--Minor Miseries of Good - Luck--Inconvenience of a small Theatre--My Room taken by Storm--A - gratuitous Performance--A conscientious Audience--Pleasant Story - about a Black Silk Cap--I perform at the Château of St. - Cloud--Cagliostro’s Casket--Holidays. - - -The recommencement of the performances on my own stage largely -recompensed me for my bitter _impressions de voyage_. My room was taken -a week beforehand for my first performance, as well as for the -following, and I had to send away four times as many persons as I could -receive. - -This success had been foreseen by the theatrical agent, and I owed it as -much to my absence from the capital as to the attraction my experiments -held out. My repertory was still a novelty to the Parisian public, as I -had started for Brussels at the height of my success. This did not -prevent me, however, from offering some new tricks, one of which more -especially produced a striking effect. - -After my son had mounted on a very small table, I covered him with an -enormous stuffed cone, which concealed him from sight, and then, at the -sound of a pistol, the cone was thrown over, and at the same instant the -lad appeared at my side. Afterwards, in large theatres, and especially -in London, this trick was improved upon, and seemed more marvellous -still. Instead of appearing by my side, the boy was instantaneously -transported to a box at a long distance from the stage, where every body -could easily see him. - -It is a well-known fact that a man cannot enjoy perfect happiness in -this world, and that the greatest prosperity has its disagreeable side; -this is what is called “the minor evils of good luck.” One of my special -annoyances was having a room much too small, which disabled me from -satisfying all the demands made for places, and, though I racked my -brain, I could hit on no expedient to remedy this inconvenience. - -As I have already said, my room was often taken beforehand; in that case -the office was not opened, and a placard on the door announced it was -useless for any non-holders of tickets to apply. But it daily happened -that persons, annoyed at being unable to enjoy a promised treat, took no -heed of the notice and went straight to the pay place. On being refused -admission, they abused the money-taker, and still more the management. - -These complaints were generally absurd, and of the following -description: - -“Such an abuse is most improper,” one of these disappointed persons -said, with great simplicity; “I will certainly go to-morrow and complain -to the prefect of police, and we shall see whether Monsieur -Robert-Houdin has a right to have too small a theatre.” - -When these recriminations went no further, I confess I laughed at them, -but they did not always end in such a pacific manner. My employĂ©s were -sometimes personally attacked, and on one occasion my theatre was taken -by storm. The story is worth telling: - -One evening a dozen young men, after heating their brains by an -excellent dinner, presented themselves at the door of my theatre; the -notice they read only appeared to them an excellent jest. Consequently, -paying no attention to the observations made to them, they collected -round the door, and to employ the usual expression in such cases, they -began to form “the head of the tail.” Other visitors, encouraged by -their example, collected, and gradually a considerable crowd assembled -in front of the theatre. - -The manager, informed of what was happening, came forward, and prepared -to address the crowd from the head of the stairs, after coughing to -render his voice clearer. But he had scarce commenced his address, when -his voice was drowned by derisive laughter and shouts, which compelled -his silence. In his despair, he came to tell me the dilemma, and ask -what he had better do. - -“Do not disturb yourself,” I said; “all will end better than you expect. -Stay,” I added, looking at my watch; “it is now half-past seven, and the -ticket-holders will begin to arrive; so, open the doors, and, as soon as -the room is full the public outside will be compelled to abandon the -ground.” - -I had scarcely uttered the words, when a servant came in all haste to -tell me that the crowd had broken down the barrier, and rushed into the -room. I hastened on to the stage, and through the hole in the curtain, -could assure myself of the truth of the statement: the room was full. - -I confess I was much embarrassed as to what I should do. To have the -room cleared by the neighboring guard was a scandal I wished to avoid, -and I could not calculate the consequences. Besides, if the police -interfered, I should have to attend at the court, and thus lose precious -time. Lastly, the Prefecture, which had hitherto imposed but a single -sentry on me, would not fail to send a corporal’s guard, at least, to -the great increase of my daily expenses. - -I immediately formed a decision. - -“Have the doors closed,” I said to my manager, “and put up a notice -that, owing to a sudden indisposition, the evening’s performance is -postponed till to-morrow. As this measure applies to the ticket-holders, -be in readiness to return the money to those who will not exchange their -tickets. As for me,” I continued, “I have made up my mind. I will give a -gratis performance, and my revenge will consist in compelling the public -to be ashamed of the schoolboy trick they have played.” - -This plan arranged, I prepared to do the honors of my house properly, -and the curtain soon rose. - -When I appeared on the stage, I noticed that the greater number of the -spectators evinced considerable embarrassment; still, I soon put them at -their ease by the nonchalant air I assumed, as if ignorant of what had -occurred. I did even more. I performed with an unusual amount of dash; -and when the time arrived to offer my small presents, I was so liberal -with them that not a single spectator was overlooked. - -I need not say that I was heartily applauded. The public vied with me in -“reciprocating” compliments, and thus hoped to compensate me for the -annoyance they fancied they had caused me. - -An original and extremely comic scene was performed when my audience -lingeringly departed. - -Nearly all the persons present had only seen in this assault on my room -a means to obtain places, and each intended to pay for his seat after -having occupied it. - -But, for my part, I determined on maintaining the original character of -my gratuitous performance, even if my pocket suffered. Thus, foreseeing -this feeling of delicacy, I had ordered all my attendants to leave -before the performance was over, and they had obeyed me so well, that -manager, money-taker, and box-openers had disappeared. - -I then posted myself where I could see everything without being noticed. -The spectators looked for the office; searched all around to find some -official; thrust their hands in their pockets, and collected in small -groups, until, worn out, they went away. - -Still, the public would not allow themselves to be beaten, and for -several days I had a regular procession of people coming to pay their -debt. Some persons added their apologies, and I also received by post a -note for 100 fr., with the following letter: - - “SIR,--Having been dragged into your room last night by a party of - thoughtless young men, I tried in vain, after the performance, to - pay for the seat I had occupied. - - “I do not wish, however, to quit France without paying the debt I - have contracted. In consequence, estimating the price of my stall - by the pleasure you caused me, I send you a hundred-franc note, - which I beg you to accept in payment of the debt I involuntarily - contracted. - - “Still, I should not consider myself out of your debt were I not - also to offer you my compliments for your interesting performance, - and beg you to accept, sir, the assurance of my consideration.” - -As the loss entailed on me by the assault on my room was light, I had no -cause to repent the decision I had formed. On the other hand, the -adventure became known, and added still more to my credit, as it is -notorious the public prefer going to theatres where they are certain of -finding no room. - -As a general rule, family parties came to see me, but it was not unusual -for a number of persons to form a rendezvous at my theatre. The -following incident will offer an instance: - -The ingenious author of those eccentric caricatures, which delight -everybody who is not himself attacked, Dantan the younger, came one day -to my box-office. - -“Madam,” he said to the lady in command, “how many stalls have you to -let?” - -“I will consult my book,” the lady replied. “Do you wish them for -to-night?” - -“No, madam, for this day week.” - -“Oh, in that case, you can have as many as you like.” - -“How, as many as I like? Why, your room must be made of india-rubber.” - -“No, sir, I merely mean to say that of fifty stalls I have at my -disposal, you can take as many as you please.” - -“Very good, madam, I now understand,” Dantan continued, laughingly; -“then, if I can have as many as I please, have the goodness to keep me -sixty.” - -The lady, much embarrassed to solve this problem, sent for me, and I -easily arranged the affair by converting the first pit row into stalls. - -The reason why the sculptor required so many seats was as follows: - -Dantan, junior, has an enormous number of friends, and the original idea -had occurred to him of inviting a certain number of them to -Robert-Houdin’s performance, and for that purpose he had engaged these -sixty seats. - -I have mentioned this incident, because it both proves the renown my -theatre enjoyed at that time, and reminds me of the commencement of one -of the most agreeable acquaintances I ever made in my life. From this -moment I became, and have always remained, one of the intimate friends -of the celebrated sculptor. - -Before knowing him personally, like the majority of his admirers, I was -unacquainted with his serious works, but when I was admitted to his -studio, I could appreciate the full extent of his talent. - -Dantan has in this room, arranged on enormous shelves, the most perfect -collection of busts of contemporary celebrities. I do not think a single -illustrious person of the age is missing. Each is properly classified -and arranged as in a museum; monarchs and statesmen, less numerous than -the others, are collected on one shelf; then come authors, musicians, -singers, composers, physicians, warriors, dramatic artists--in a word -great men of every description and country. But the most interesting -thing in the gallery is that every bust is accompanied by its -caricature, so that, after admiring the original, you laugh heartily at -noticing all the comic details of the other. - -On seeing these numberless heads, it is difficult to imagine that one -man’s life could suffice for such a toil. Dantan, however, has a -remarkable talent in catching the characteristic features of a face, and -often enough he need only see a person once in order to produce an -extraordinary likeness. Witness the following fact, which I will cite as -much for its singularity as because it bears an affinity, in some -degree, to sleight-of-hand: - -The son of Lieutenant-General Baron D---- came one day to Dantan, -begging him to make a bust of his father. “I will not hide from you,” he -said to the artist, “that you will encounter an almost insurmountable -difficulty in performing your task. Not only would the general never -consent to sit to you, but you cannot even be introduced to him at home. -As my father has been ill for many years, he sees no other persons than -his servants, and he keeps almost always alone. Hence, you will have to -manage to catch a glimpse at him unawares, but I do not know how.” - -“Does your father never go out?” the sculptor asked. - -“Oh yes, sir; every afternoon at four my father takes the â€bus and goes -to read the papers at a room in the Place de la Madeleine, after which -he comes back and shuts himself up again.” - -“I require no more,” the artist said. “I will begin making my -observations to-day, and set to work to-morrow.” - -In fact, at four o’clock precisely, Dantan posted himself before a house -forming the corner of the Boulevards and the Rue Louis-le-Grand, and -soon saw the general come out and walk to an omnibus. The sculptor -followed his model and entered the vehicle with him, but, unfortunately, -the only two seats vacant were on the same side, and the artist could -only make profile studies, being very careful not to attract attention. - -At last the â€bus stopped before the Madeleine church; pursuer and -pursued went in together to the same reading-room, where each took up -his favorite paper, and was soon lost in the perusal. - -Dantan had taken a seat opposite the general, and, while apparently -absorbed in a leader, took stealthy glances at his model. - -All was going on favorably, and the artist continued his studies quietly -for some moments, until the general, already surprised that his -fellow-passenger should come to the same reading-room, caught his eye -fixed upon himself. - -Annoyed by this impertinent curiosity, for which he could assign no -reason, he attempted to foil it by forming a rampart of his enormous -paper. - -The face of the old baron disappeared, but the top of his head was still -visible, and Dantan would have been able to continue his task -satisfactorily, had it not been for a frightful silk cap he wore. - -Many a conjurer, even the most famous, would have been checked by such a -difficulty; but Dantan did not long rack his brains, which renders his -trick only the more striking. - -He went up to the lady at the counter, spoke with her for a few moments, -and then quietly returned to his post of observation. - -It is necessary to state that the reading-room, heated by a large stove, -was already quite warm enough; but suddenly an insupportable degree of -heat filled the room, and drops of perspiration stood on the foreheads -of several persons. - -The general, who at this moment held the _Gazette des Tribunaux_ in his -hand, and was doubtlessly amusing himself with some lugubrious drama, -was one of the last to notice the heightened temperature. Even he, -though, at length found it necessary to remove his silk cap, and put it -in his pocket, growling, “Confound it, how hot the room is!” - -The trick was done. - -The reader has already guessed that the clever sculptor was the cause of -this vapor-bath, which he induced the lady to produce by explaining to -her his important mission. - -This result once obtained, Dantan hastily made his phrenological studies -on the venerable head of the old warrior; then, rising from the table, -he cast a final glance over his features, photographed him, so to speak, -in his mind, and ran off to set to work. - -A short time after, the sculptor sent the general’s family the most -perfect bust possibly ever produced by his chisel. - -Here I will close the parenthesis I commenced with reference to the -evils the smallness of my theatre entailed on me; and I will now begin -another about the pleasures my success procured me. - -At the beginning of November, I received a “command” to St. Cloud, to -give a performance before Louis Philippe and his family. I accepted the -invitation with the greatest pleasure; for as I had never yet performed -before a crowned head, this was an important event for me. - -I had six days before me to make my preparations, and I took all -possible pains, even arranging a trick for the occasion, from which I -had reason to expect an excellent result. - -On the day fixed for my performance, a fourgon came at an early hour to -fetch me and my apparatus, and we were conveyed to the château. A -theatre had been put up in a large hall selected by the king for the -representation, and in order that I might not be disturbed in my -preparations, a guard was placed at one of the doors leading into the -corridor. I also noticed three other doors in this apartment; one, -composed of glass, opened on to the garden opposite a passage filled -with splendid orange-trees; the two others, to the right and left, -communicated with the apartments of the king and the Duchess of Orleans. - -I was busy arranging my apparatus, when I heard one of the doors I have -just mentioned open quietly, and directly a voice made the following -inquiry in the most affable manner: - -“Monsieur Robert-Houdin, may I be permitted to come in?” - -I turned my head in the direction, and recognized the king, who, having -asked this question merely as a form of introduction, had not waited for -my reply to walk towards me. - -I bowed respectfully. - -“Have you all you require for your preparations?” the king asked me. - -“Yes, sire; the steward of the château supplied me with skilled workmen, -who speedily put up this little stage.” - -My tables, consoles and tabourets, as well as the various instruments -for my performance, symmetrically arranged on the stage, already -presented an elegant appearance. - -“This is all very pretty,” the king said to me, drawing near the stage, -and casting a stealthy glance on some of my apparatus; “I see with -pleasure that the artist of 1846 will justify the good opinion produced -by the mechanician of 1844.” - -“Sire,” I replied, “on this day I will strive, as I did two years ago, -to render myself worthy of the great favor your majesty deigns to bestow -on me, by witnessing my performance.” - -“Your son’s second-sight is said to be very surprising,” the king -continued: “but I warn you, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, to be on your guard, -for we intend to cause you considerable difficulties.” - -“Sire,” I replied, boldly, “I have every reason for believing that my -son will surmount them.” - -“I should be vexed were it otherwise,” the king said, with a tinge of -incredulity, as he retired. “Monsieur Robert-Houdin,” he added, as he -closed the door after him, “I shall feel obliged by your punctuality.” - -At four o’clock precisely, when the royal family and the numerous guests -were assembled, the curtains that concealed me opened, and I appeared on -the stage. Owing to my repeated performances, I had fortunately acquired -an imperturbable assurance and a confidence in myself which the success -of my experiments fully justified. - -I began in the most profound silence, for the party evidently wished to -see and judge before giving me any encouragement. But, insensibly, they -became excited, and I heard several exclamations of surprise, which were -soon followed by still more expressive demonstrations. - -All my tricks were very favorably received, and the one I had invented -for the occasion gained me unbounded applause. - -I will give a description of it: - -I borrowed from my noble spectators several handkerchiefs, which I made -into a parcel, and laid on the table. Then, at my request, different -persons wrote on the cards the names of places whither they desired -their handkerchiefs to be invisibly transported. - -When this had been done, I begged the king to take three of the cards at -hazard, and choose from them the place he might consider most suitable. - -“Let us see,” Louis Philippe said, “what this one says: â€I desire the -handkerchiefs to be found beneath one of the candelabra on the -mantelpiece.’ That is too easy for a sorcerer; so we will pass to the -next card: â€The handkerchiefs are to be transported to the dome of the -Invalides.’ That would suit me, but it is much too far, not for the -handkerchiefs, but for us. Ah, ah!” the king added, looking at the last -card, “I am afraid, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, I am about to embarrass you. -Do you know what this card proposes?” - -“Will your majesty deign to inform me?” - -“It is desired that you should send the handkerchiefs into the chest of -the last orange-tree on the right of the avenue.” - -“Only that, sire? Deign to order, and I will obey.” - -“Very good, then; I should like to see such a magic act: I, therefore, -choose the orange-tree chest.” - -The king gave some orders in a low voice, and I directly saw several -persons run to the orange-tree, in order to watch it and prevent any -fraud. - -I was delighted at this precaution, which must add to the effect of my -experiment, for the trick was already arranged, and the precaution hence -too late. - -I had now to send the handkerchiefs on their travels, so I placed them -beneath a bell of opaque glass, and, taking my wand, I ordered my -invisible travellers to proceed to the spot the king had chosen. - -I raised the bell; the little parcel was no longer there, and a white -turtle-dove had taken its place. - -The king then walked quickly to the door, whence he looked in the -direction of the orange-tree, to assure himself that the guards were at -their post; when this was done, he began to smile and shrug his -shoulders. - -“Ah! Monsieur Robert-Houdin,” he said, somewhat ironically, “I much fear -for the virtue of your magic staff.” Then he added, as he returned to -the end of the room, where several servants were standing, “Tell William -to open immediately the last chest at the end of the avenue, and bring -me carefully what he finds there--if he _does_ find anything.” - -William soon proceeded to the orange-tree, and though much astonished at -the orders given him, he began to carry them out. - -He carefully removed one of the sides of the chest, thrust his hand in, -and almost touched the roots of the tree before he found anything. All -at once he uttered a cry of surprise, as he drew out a small iron coffer -eaten by rust. - -This curious “find,” after having been cleaned from the mould, was -brought in and placed on a small ottoman by the king’s side. - -“Well, Monsieur Robert-Houdin,” Louis Philippe said to me, with a -movement of impatient curiosity, “here is a box; am I to conclude it -contains the handkerchiefs?” - -“Yes, sire,” I replied, with assurance, “and they have been there, too, -for a long period.” - -“How can that be? the handkerchiefs were lent you scarce a quarter of an -hour ago.” - -“I cannot deny it, sire; but what would my magic powers avail me if I -could not perform incomprehensible tricks? Your majesty will doubtlessly -be still more surprised, when I prove to your satisfaction that this -coffer, as well as its contents, was deposited in the chest of the -orange-tree sixty years ago.” - -“I should like to believe your statement,” the king replied, with a -smile; “but that is impossible, and I must, therefore, ask for proofs of -your assertion.” - -“If your majesty will be kind enough to open this casket they will be -supplied.” - -“Certainly; but I shall require a key for that.” - -“It only depends on yourself, sire, to have one. Deign to remove it from -the neck of this turtle-dove, which has just brought it you.” - -Louis Philippe unfastened a ribbon that held a small rusty key, with -which he hastened to unlock the coffer. - -The first thing that caught the king’s eye was a parchment, on which he -read the following statement: - - THIS DAY, THE 6TH JUNE, 1786, - THIS IRON BOX, CONTAINING SIX HANDKERCHIEFS, WAS PLACED AMONG THE - ROOTS OF AN ORANGE-TREE BY ME, BALSAMO, COUNT OF CAGLIOSTRO, TO - SERVE IN PERFORMING AN ACT OF MAGIC, WHICH WILL BE EXECUTED ON THE - SAME DAY SIXTY YEARS HENCE BEFORE LOUIS PHILIPPE OF ORLEANS AND HIS - FAMILY. - -“There is decidedly witchcraft about this,” the king said, more and more -amazed. “Nothing is wanting, for the seal and signature of the -celebrated sorcerer are placed at the foot of this statement, which, -Heaven pardon me, smells strongly of sulphur.” - -At this jest, the audience began to laugh. - -“But,” the king added, taking out of the box a carefully sealed packet, -“can the handkerchiefs by possibility be in this?” - -“Indeed, sire, they are; but, before opening the parcel, I would request -your majesty to notice that it also bears the impression of Cagliostro’s -seal.” - -This seal once rendered so famous by being placed on the celebrated -alchemist’s bottles of elixir and liquid gold, I had obtained from -Torrini, who had been an old friend of Cagliostro’s. - -“It is certainly the same,” my royal spectator answered, after comparing -the two seals. Still, in his impatience to learn the contents of the -parcel, the king quickly tore open the envelope, and soon displayed -before the astonished spectators the six handkerchiefs which, a few -moments before, were still on my table. - -This trick gained me lively applause, but in my second sight, which was -to terminate the performance, I had really to sustain a terrible -struggle, as the king had warned me. - -Among the objects handed me, there was, I remember, a medal, which it -was expected would embarrass me. Still, I had no sooner taken it in my -hand than my son described it in the following terms: - -“It is,” he said, confidently, “a Greek medal of bronze, on which is a -word composed of six letters, which I will spell: _lamba_, _epsilon_, -_mu_, _nu_, _omicron_, _sigma_, which makes _Lemnos_.” - -My son knew the Greek alphabet; hence, he could read the word Lemnos, -although he could not possibly have translated it. - -This was in itself a severe trial for so young a lad; but it did not -satisfy the royal family. - -I was handed a small Chinese coin with a hole through the centre, and -its name and value were immediately indicated; and, lastly, a -difficulty, from which I managed to escape successfully, was the -brilliant finale of my performance. - -I had been surprised to see the Duchess of Orleans, who took a lively -interest in the second sight, retire to her apartments; but she soon -returned, and handed me a small case, the contents of which she wished -my son to describe, but I must be careful not to open it. - -I had foreseen this prohibition; so, while the princess was speaking to -me, I opened the case with one hand, and, by a rapid glance, satisfied -myself as to its contents. Still, I pretended for a moment to be -startled by the proposal, in order to produce a greater effect. - -“Your highness,” I remarked, as I returned the case, “will allow me to -appeal against such a proposal, for you must have remarked that, until -now, I required to see the object before my son could name it.” - -“Yet you have surmounted greater difficulties,” the amiable duchess -retorted. “However, if it is not possible, let us say no more about it, -for I should be grieved to cause you any embarrassment.” - -“What your highness wishes is, I repeat, impossible; and yet my son, -feeling anxious to justify the confidence you place in his clairvoyance, -will attempt to see through the case, and describe its contents. - -“Can he do so even through my hands?” the duchess continued, trying to -conceal the case. - -“Yes, madam, and even if your highness were in the next room, my son -would be able to see it.” - -The duchess, declining the new trial I proposed, satisfied herself by -questioning my son with her own lips. - -The boy, who had long received his instructions, replied, without -hesitation, “There is in the case a diamond pin, the stone being -surrounded by a garter of sky-blue enamel.” - -“That is perfectly correct,” the duchess said, as she showed the -ornament to the king. “Judge for yourself, sire;” then, turning to me, -she added, with infinite grace, “Monsieur Robert-Houdin, will you accept -this pin in remembrance of your visit to St. Cloud?” - -I thanked her highness sincerely, as I assured her of my gratitude. - -The performance was over: the curtain fell, and, in my turn, I was -enabled to enjoy a curious scene at my ease; it was to look through a -small hole at my audience, who had assembled in groups, and were talking -about the impression I had produced. - -Before leaving the château, the king and queen again sent me the most -flattering messages by the person charged to hand me a souvenir of their -munificence. - -This representation could not increase my reputation--that was not -possible--but it helped powerfully to maintain it. My performance at St. -Cloud, more especially, created a sensation among the aristocracy, who, -until that moment, had hesitated about visiting my small room. Their -curiosity overcame other considerations, and they came in their turn to -assure themselves of the reality of the marvels attributed to me. - -The summer heats were, however, beginning to be felt: we had reached the -commencement of July, and I had to think about closing my theatre. -However, instead of running after fortune, as in the previous year, I -occupied myself with changing and improving my performance. The task was -heavy; for I was filled with bold emulation, as I could not conceal from -myself that my success imposed certain duties on me, and that, in order -to keep it up, I must be constantly deserving of it. - -The most painful part of my inquiries was, that my inventions must be -completed by a certain day and hour, for the reopening of my theatre was -fixed for the first of the next September, and, for many reasons, I -determined on being punctual. - -For two months I worked with great ardor, granting myself no rest or -pleasure. Sometimes, however, after dinner on Sunday, I allowed myself a -recreation which may seem strange to many of my readers: I went to the -fairs round Paris, and studied the mountebanks. There I amused myself, I -may say, as much as any of the spectators around me; though the pleasure -I felt was not of the same nature as that of my neighbors. I amused -myself by seeing their amusement, and nothing more; for any one who has -seen this style of spectacle must have noticed that the mountebank gives -his public very little for their money. The best part of the sight is -often seen outside. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - - New Experiments--AĂ«rial Suspension, &c.--A Performance at the - OdĂ©on--A Friend in Need--1848--The Theatre deserted--I leave Paris - for London--Manager Mitchell--Publicity in England--The Great - Wizard--A Butter-mould used as a Puff--Singular Bills--A Prize for - the best Pun. - - -Instead of being able to recommence my performances on the 1st of -September, as I had hoped, my compulsory holidays, which might be called -my “penal servitude,” were prolonged another month, and it was not till -the 1st of October that I was prepared to offer my new experiments to -the public. - -My pecuniary interests were much affected by this delay, but I trusted, -correctly enough, to the zeal of the public to visit me, as a -compensation. - -My new repertory contained the _Crystal Box_, the _Fantastic Portfolio_, -the _Trepèze Tumbler_, the _Garde Française_, the _Origin of Flowers_, -the _Crystal Balls_, the _Inexhaustible Bottle_, the _Ethereal -Suspension_, &c. - -I had devoted especial care to the last experiment, on which I built -great hopes. Surgery had supplied me with the first idea of it. - -It will be remembered that in 1847 the insensibility produced by -inhaling ether began to be applied in surgical operations; all the world -talked about the marvellous effect of this anæsthetic, and its -extraordinary results. In the eyes of many people it seemed much akin to -magic. - -Seeing that the surgeons had invaded my domain, I asked myself if this -did not allow me to make reprisals. I did so by inventing my _ethereal -suspension_, which, I believe, was far more surprising than any result -obtained by my surgical brethren. - -The subject I intended to operate on was my younger son, and I could not -have selected one better suited for the experiment. He was a stout lad -of about six years of age, and his plump and rosy face was the picture -of health. In spite of his youth, he displayed the greatest intelligence -in learning his part, and played it with such perfection, that the most -incredulous were duped. - -This trick was very much applauded, and I am bound to say that my -arrangements were excellently made: this was the first time I tried to -direct the surprise of my spectators by gradually heightening it up to -the moment when, so to speak, it exploded. - -I divided my experiment into three parts, each more surprising than the -former. - -Thus, when I removed the stool from beneath the child’s feet, the -public, who had smiled during the preparations for the suspension, -became thoughtful. - -When I next removed one of the canes, exclamations of surprise and fear -were heard. - -Lastly, at the moment when I raised my son to an horizontal position, -the spectators, at this unexpected result, crowned the experiment with -hearty applause. - -Still, it sometimes happened that sensitive persons, regarding the -etherization too seriously, protested in their hearts against the -applause, and wrote me letters in which they severely upbraided the -unnatural father who sacrificed the health of his poor child to the -pleasures of the public. Some went so far as to threaten me with the -terrors of the law if I did not give up my inhuman performance. - -The anonymous writers of such accusations did not suspect the pleasure -they caused me. After amusing the family circle, I kept the letters -preciously as proofs of the illusion I had produced. - -The fashion this performance raised could not surpass that of the -previous year: I could not expect any other result than filling my -theatre, and that occurred every evening. - -The royal family also wished to see my new experiments; and for this -purpose the whole room was taken for the afternoon, so that my evening -performances were not interrupted. - -This performance, which the Queen of the Belgians witnessed with her -family, was only so far peculiar, that my little room was filled with -exalted personages. All the seats were occupied, for their majesties -were accompanied by their respective courts, and a great number of -ambassadors and royal dignitaries. - -As I had reason to hope, my noble spectators were satisfied, and deigned -to thank me in person. - -In the midst of this gentle satisfaction, I had every reason to believe -that I possessed the favor of the public; I learned, though, at a heavy -penalty, that even if the favor of that sovereign may appear secured, a -trifle will cause it almost to expire. - -On the 18th of February, 1848, Madame Dorval took her benefit at the -OdĂ©on, and I promised that eminent actress to perform some of my tricks -as an interlude. - -I was punctual to my appointment across the water; half-past eleven -struck, when the curtain fell just prior to my performance. As I had -been ready to begin for some time, ten minutes were sufficient to give a -final glance to my preparations. - -My first care, on taking possession of the stage, had been to conceal my -operations from indiscreet eyes; hence, I had dismissed everybody. -Unfortunately, I had not even made an exception in favor of the -stage-manager, and the sorrowful effects of this measure will now be -seen. - -In most excellent humor, I ordered my servant to give the three usual -taps, and the orchestra began playing while I walked to the side-scene, -prior to making my appearance. But at the moment the curtain rose, I -remembered I had forgotten one of my “accessories,” and I ran to my -dressing-room to fetch it. Unfortunately, in my hurry, I did not notice -that the machinist had inadvertently left a small trap open, and my leg -slipped into it up to the knee. - -The pain drew from me a sharp cry of distress; my servant ran up, and he -could only release me with some difficulty. But I was in a sad state, -for my trouser was torn completely up, exposing my bleeding and -lacerated leg. - -In this unhappy condition, I could not possibly return to the stage; -hence I looked around in search of some one to announce to the public -the accident that had happened to me, but I could only see two firemen. -They would not do for so delicate a mission, and although I had my -servant, this worthy lad was a negro with woolly head, blubber lips, and -an ebony skin, whose simple language would not have failed to raise a -laugh at my painful position. - -The stage-manager alone could undertake the mission; but where should I -find him? - -These reflections, prompt as lightning, were interrupted by the -commencement of a storm in the theatre; the public summoned me, for it -must be remembered the curtain had risen, and in the eyes of the public -I had missed my entrance; this was disrespect, and, therefore, -unpardonable! - -My negro, without caring for what was passing elsewhere, tore up his -handkerchief and mine, and bound my wound with considerable skill. This -did not prevent me suffering severe pain, but I soon experienced a -torture a thousand-fold greater when I heard a violent storm burst out -in the house. The public, who had begun by stamping, were now hissing, -shouting, and yelling in all the discordant tones of dissatisfaction. - -Overcoming my pain, I changed my trousers in haste, and decided on going -myself to describe my accident. I therefore walked slowly to the door of -the stage, and I was just going to open it, when a frightful noise -turned me cold with terror, and checked me. My heart failed me. Still, I -put a stop to this. “Courage,” I said to myself, with a supreme -effort--“courage!” and straight-way throwing open the folding doors, I -walked on the stage. - -I shall never forget my reception. On one hand, cries, hisses, yells; on -the other, clapping of hands and applause, enough to wake the dead. The -two parties were apparently attempting to conquer each other in making a -noise. - -Pale and trembling at such a rough reception, I waited patiently for a -moment when the combatants, wearied with the contest, would allow me to -explain my delay. This moment at length arrived, and I was enabled to -describe my painful adventure. My paleness testified to the truth of my -words. The public allowed themselves to be disarmed, and hisses were no -longer mingled with the applause which greeted my explanation. - -Any one who knows the relief and comfort bravos and hearty applause -arouse in the heart of an actor, will understand the sudden change they -produced in me. The blood rushed to my cheeks and restored my color, my -strength returned, and, possessed by fresh energy, I stated to the -public that I found myself so much recovered that I would go on with my -performance. I did so; and such was the power of my excitement, that I -scarce felt the pain produced by my wound. - -I have said that, on my appearance, I was saluted by demonstrations of a -very different nature. Although many of my spectators hissed, others -applauded me. Truth extorts a confession from me. I was supported on -this evening by an omnipotent protector. - -This requires an explanation. Hence, that my readers may solve the -enigma, I am obliged to narrate a slight anecdote: - -At the period when I invented my experiment of second sight, several -Parisian managers proposed to me to perform, as an interlude, in their -theatres, but I had refused, because, as I was tired by my own -performances, I did not wish to prolong them. My determination on this -point was quite formed, when I received a visit from an actress of the -Palais Royal, Madame M----, who performed the part of duennas. - -“I have not the honor of your acquaintance, sir,” she said, with a -certain degree of hesitation, “hence I am almost afraid to ask you to -render me a great service. These are the circumstances of the case: our -excellent manager, Dormeuil, has offered me a benefit, the profits of -which are intended to release my son from the conscription. It only -depends on you, sir, to ensure the success of the performance by giving -me your assistance.” And the poor mother, deriving her eloquence from -her love for her son, painted in such lively colors the distress she -would feel from a failure, that, touched by her grief, I rescinded my -determination, and consented to add my performance of the “second sight” -to her bill. - -I dare not form the flattering idea that my name had any share in the -success of the performance; still, the house was crowded, and the -receipts more than covered the price of a substitute. - -The next day the happy mother called to tell me of her good fortune, and -thank me. She was accompanied by a gentleman I did not know, but who, so -soon as Madame M---- had ceased speaking, told me in his turn the object -of his visit. - -“I have taken the liberty of accompanying Madame M---- to compliment you -on what you have done for her. It is a good action, for which all her -theatrical friends owe you abundant thanks; and, for my part, I hope, -sooner or later, to evidence my gratitude in my own way.” - -While flattered at my visitor’s remarks, I was much puzzled as to the -sense of his last sentence. He noticed it, and, giving me no time to -reply, continued: - -“Ah! I forgot to tell you who I am, and I ought to have begun with that. -My name is Duhart, and I manage theatrical successes at the Palais -Royal. By the way,” he added, “were you satisfied with the reception you -had last night?” - -This confession, I grant, robbed me of a sweet illusion. I had fancied I -owed my reception to my own merits, and I now could not guess what share -of the applause legitimately belonged to me. Still, I thanked M. Duhart -for his kindness, both past and to come. Three months later, I had -almost forgotten this incident, when one day, as I was going to give a -performance at the Porte Saint-Martin, my friend Duhart called on me. - -“Only one word, Monsieur Houdin,” he said, without taking the trouble to -sit down. “I read in the bills that you are going to perform for -Raucourt’s benefit, and I have recommended you to P----, who will â€take -care of you.’” - -I was in fact, “taken care of,” for when I appeared on the stage, I was -greeted by a reception worthy of the highest artistic celebrities. It -was easy to recognize an ovation warmly recommended, but I was glad to -notice that the public “followed suit,” and that the bravos emanating -from the pit radiated through the whole house. - -A few months later, when about to perform at the Gymnase, came another -visit from Duhart, the same recommendation to his comrade, and a similar -result. In short, I rarely quitted my own stage but my grateful -protector interested himself in my success. - -I am forced to say that I let him do so, and saw no harm in it; far from -that, these encouragements were a stimulant for me, and I always -redoubled my efforts to deserve them. - -I have taken a pride in relating this incident, for it admirably depicts -the character of a man capable of being so long grateful for a slight -service rendered to a friend. However, the performance at the OdĂ©on was -the last in which the worthy Duhart went out of his way for me, as the -revolution of February arrived a few days later. - -It will be remembered that this event was an utter “smasher” for all the -theatres. - -After exhausting all the attractive baits of their repertory, the -managers, finding all their attractions fail, vainly formed a congress -to relieve them from such a disastrous situation. - -I was invited to the meeting, but, though I put in an appearance, it was -merely through politeness, as I was in a position very different from -that of my brethren. - -This position depended simply on the fact that my establishment, instead -of having the name of a theatre, was called a “spectacle.” Through this -slight difference of title I enjoyed rights infinitely more extended. - -Thus, while the theatres could only have bills of a size arranged by a -police decree, I was at liberty, as the manager of a spectacle, to -announce my performances in unbounded proportions. - -I could also lessen or increase the number of my performances at my -pleasure, which was not one of the slightest advantages of my -management. - -Lastly, I had a right, whenever I thought proper, to put the key of my -room in my pocket, dismiss my staff, and walk about at my leisure in -expectation of better times. - -All these advantages, to which I will add that of being burdened with -very slight expenses compared with my brethren, offered me no other -result than that of not losing my money. However I might try, the public -remained deaf to my appeal as to theirs. - -I am mistaken though; for some days I received very polite letters from -the Provisional Government, in the shape of “free passes,” which begged -me to find room in my hall for the students of the Polytechnic and St. -Cyr schools, accompanied by their tutors. - -I was enchanted, it is true, by this amiable act of politeness, which -augmented the number of my scanty spectators; for I performed, at -least, before a well-filled room, and I had no longer the annoyance of -seeing those unlucky benches empty--a sight which usually paralyzes the -most philosophic performers. - -This illusion was, in truth, very ephemeral, for each evening, after the -performance, my cashier assumed a very gloomy face on approaching me. - -What disenchantment! What bitter reprisals on the part of the blind -goddess who, for some time, had granted me such sweet favors! - -Still, in these moments of distress, I may say with perfect sincerity -deceptions and torment were not confined to the profit and loss account; -and though a manager does not take money, he desires to conceal his -misery. In order to produce a deception, he tries to furnish his -theatre, and he gives free admissions. I had recourse to this measure; -but, what will appear strange, these tickets, which, a month earlier, -would have been regarded as an immense favor, were viewed with -considerable indifference, and it often happened that people did not -take the trouble to accept my invitation. - -Having become a philosopher through necessity, I ended by resigning -myself to seeing my room nearly empty, and I sent out no more -invitations. Besides, I had enjoyed an opportunity of studying the “free -admissions,” and I had remarked that this class of spectators is, or -pretends to be, quite indifferent to the performance. In fact, the “free -admission,” when he believes the theatre short of spectators, imagines -he is doing an act of kindness by accepting the invitation offered him. -If he find the house full, he fancies all the places are occupied by -gratis tickets (and he is sometimes correct), and he concludes from it -that the performance cannot be very amusing. If he happen to be -mistaken, he does not applaud, in his fear of being taken for a -gratuitous visitor, and pass for an accomplice paying for his seat in -applause. - -I was in the thick of my managerial troubles when, one morning, I -received a visit from the manager of the French theatre in London. -Mitchell (that is his name), far from seeking to delude me by false -promises, like my Brussels theatrical agent, merely made me the -following simple proposal: - -“Monsieur Robert-Houdin,” he said to me, “you are well known in London; -come and perform at the St. James’ Theatre, and I have every reason to -believe you will be successful. Besides, we shall be equally interested, -for we will share the gross receipts, and I will pay all the expenses. -You will perform alternately with my OpĂ©ra Comique, that is to say, on -Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and you will begin, if you please, on -the 7th of May next, or a month from to-day.” - -These conditions appearing to me very acceptable, I may add, most -advantageous, I agreed to them most readily. Mitchell, then, offered me -his hand, I gave him mine, and this friendly sanction was the only -agreement we made for this important affair. Though there was no forfeit -on either side, no arrangement or signature, never was a bargain better -cemented. - -From that time, during all my long connection with Mitchell, I had many -occasions of appreciating all the value of his word. I may say loudly -that he is one of the most conscientious managers I ever had dealings -with. In addition, Mitchell adds an extreme affability, and a remarkable -degree of generosity and disinterestedness to the merit of keeping his -word. Under all circumstances, he will be found to act as a perfect -gentleman, and one of the most brilliant qualities he possesses as -manager, is his courteous behavior to his performers. The following -instance will serve as a proof: - -Jenny Lind was singing at Her Majesty’s Theatre on the same evenings I -performed at St. James’s, so that, despite all the wish I felt to go and -hear her, I could not make up my mind to sacrifice a performance for -this attractive pleasure. However, in consequence of a circumstance too -lengthy to detail here, I happened to find myself free on one of the -nights when Jenny Lind sang. I must add that, besides managing the St. -James’s Theatre, Mitchell had hired a certain number of boxes at Her -Majesty’s by the year, and, according to the English custom, let them -out to the highest bidders. It happened at times that all the tickets -were not sold, and in that case Mitchell gave them to a few privileged -friends. I was aware of this circumstance, and intended to ask him a -similar favor for this evening. - -At the moment I was going out to seek my manager, he came into my room. - -“By Jove, my dear Mitchell,” I said to him, “I was just going to prefer -a request to you.” - -“Whatever it may be, my dear friend,” he replied, politely, “be assured -it will be willingly heard.” - -And when I explained to him what I wanted, - -“Good Heavens! Houdin,” he said, in a tone of real annoyance, “how -unlucky you should ask that of me.” - -“Why so?” I replied, in the same tone; “if it is not possible, my dear -friend, pray let me withdraw my request.” - -“On the contrary, my dear Houdin--on the contrary, it is very easy; I am -only vexed at missing the surprise I intended to offer you: I was going -to give you an excellent box for to-night: here it is.” - -A more delicate and amiable way of behaving could hardly be suggested. - -A fortnight had scarce elapsed since my interview with Mitchell, when, -after a most successful passage, I disembarked at London. On the moment -of my arrival, my manager led me to a delightful lodging close to the -theatre, and showed me all the rooms. On reaching the sleeping -apartment, he said: - -“You have a celebrated bed before you: it is the one in which Rachel, -DĂ©jazet, Jenny Colon, and many other artistic celebrities, rested after -the emotion produced by their successes. You cannot but enjoy the ideas -which the remembrance of these illustrious guests will summon up in your -dreams. To any other than you, my dear Houdin, I would say that these -celebrated predecessors must bring good luck; but your success depends -on the virtue of your magic staff.” - -Mitchell, feeling desirous to add all desirable attraction to my -performances, had ordered a scene in the Louis XV. style, as well as a -curtain, on which was painted, in letters of gold, the title adopted for -my Paris theatre, “_SoirĂ©es Fantastiques de_ ROBERT-HOUDIN;” -consequently, I could not begin my arrangements till all these -preparations had been completed. - -In the meanwhile, having nothing better to do, I walked about daily in -the magnificent parks, and collected my strength, in preparation for the -fatigues I was about to undergo in my performances. - -At this word “fatigues,” my reader will be doubtlessly surprised, for he -has every reason to suppose that my stay in London would be in some -degree a period of rest, as, instead of playing seven times a week, as -in Paris, I was only to give three performances in the same period. - -To explain this apparent contradiction, it will be enough for me to -state that the work and fatigue are less in the performance than its -preparation. As at St. James’s Theatre I had to perform alternately with -the Comic Opera, I was obliged, lest I might impede these artists in -their studies, to give them all necessary time for their rehearsals, -which, as is well known, occupy the greater portion of the day. -Consequently, I had promised to clear the stage so soon as my -performance was over, and not occupy it again till the middle of the day -on which I performed. Add to this, that in my labor of preparing and -removing, the master’s eye was not sufficient, but I had for various -reasons to set to work myself, and it may be easily understood that this -caused me enormous fatigue. - -It caused me at the outset a species of comical regret to find that my -performances would not owe their success entirely to my own merits. In -England it is almost impossible to gain the ear of the public unless -every possible form of notoriety be resorted to, and the change from my -peaceful retirement in Paris was very startling. Whenever I took my -walks abroad, my name in gigantic letters stared me in the face, while -enormous posters, on which my various tricks were represented, covered -the walls of London, and, according to the English fashion, were -promenaded about the streets, by the help of a vehicle like those we -employ in Paris for removing furniture. - -But, however great this publicity might be, it was quite modest when -compared to that opposed to us by a rival, who may be justly regarded as -the most ingenious and skillful puffer in England. - -On my arrival in England, a conjurer of the name of Anderson, who -assumed the title of _Great Wizard of the North_, had been performing -for a long period at the little Strand Theatre. - -This artist, fearing, doubtlessly, that public attention might be -divided, tried to crush the publicity of my performances; hence, he sent -out on London streets a cavalcade thus organized: - -Four enormous carriages, covered with posters and pictures representing -all sorts of witchcraft, opened the procession. Then followed -four-and-twenty merry men, each bearing a banner, on which was painted a -letter a yard in height. - -At each cross-road the four carriages stopped side by side and presented -a bill some twenty-five yards in length, while all the men, I should say -letters, on receiving the word of command, drew themselves up in a line, -like the vehicles. - -Seen in front, the letters formed this phrase: - - THE CELEBRATED ANDERSON!!! - - while, on the other side of the banners could be read: - - THE GREAT WIZARD OF THE NORTH. - -Unfortunately for the Wizard, his performances were attacked by a mortal -disease; too long a stay in London had ended by producing satiety. -Besides, his repertory was out of date, and could not contend against -the new tricks I was about to offer. What could he present to the public -in opposition to the second sight, the suspension, and the inexhaustible -bottle? Hence, he was obliged to close his theatre and start for the -provinces, where he managed, as usual, to make excellent receipts, owing -to his powerful means of notoriety. - -I have met many “puffers” in my life, but I may say I never saw one who -attained the elevation Anderson reached. The instance I have quoted will -give some idea of his manner, but I will add a few others, to supply a -perfect idea of the man. - -Whenever his performances are going to be given in a large town, though -they are announced with extreme publicity, Anderson contrives to bring -his wonders to the notice even of those who never read the newspapers or -posters. - -For this purpose, he sends to all the buttermen in the town moulds on -which his name, title, and the hour of his performance are engraved, -begging them to imprint his stamp on their butter-pats, in lieu of the -cow ordinarily represented. As every family in England eats butter at -breakfast, it follows that each receives, at no expense to the conjurer, -an invitation to pay a visit to the illustrious Wizard of the North. - -Again, too, Anderson sends out into the streets, before daybreak, a -dozen men, carrying those open frames, by means of which, and with a -brush and lamp-black, the walls of Paris have been so long covered with -puffs. These people print the announcement of the Wizard’s performance -on the pavement, which is always kept remarkably clean in England. In -spite of himself, every tradesman on opening his shop, and every -inhabitant proceeding to business, cannot but read the name of Anderson, -and the announcement of his performance. It is true that a few hours -later these puffs are effaced by the footsteps of the passers-by, but -thousands of persons have read them, and the Wizard requires no more. - -His posters are equally original, and I was shown one of a gigantic size -put out on the occasion of his return to London after a lengthened -absence in the provinces. It was a caricature imitation of the famous -picture “Napoleon’s Return from Elba.” - -In the foreground Anderson was seen affecting the attitude of the great -man; above his head fluttered an enormous banner, bearing the words “The -Wonder of the World;” while, behind him, and somewhat lost in the shade, -the Emperor of Russia and several other monarchs stood in a respectful -posture. As in the original picture, the fanatic admirers of the Wizard -embraced his knees, while an immense crowd received him triumphantly. In -the distance could be seen the equestrian statue of the Iron Duke, who, -hat in hand, bowed before him, the Great Wizard; and, lastly, the very -dome of St. Paul’s bent towards him most humbly. - -At the bottom was the inscription, - - “RETURN OF THE NAPOLEON OF NECROMANCY.” - -Regarded seriously, this picture would be found a puff in very bad -taste; but, as a caricature, it is excessively comic. Besides, it had -the double result of making the London public laugh, and bringing a -great number of shillings into the skillful puffer’s pockets. - -When Anderson is about to leave a town where he has exhausted all his -resources, and has nothing more to hope, he still contrives to make one -more enormous haul. - -He orders from the first jeweller in the town a silver vase, worth -twenty or twenty-five pounds; he hires, for one evening only, the -largest theatre or room in the town, and announces that in the Wizard’s -parting performance the spectators will compete to make the best pun. - -The silver vase is to be the prize of the victor. - -A jury is chosen among the chief people of the town to decide with the -public on the merits of each pun. - -It is agreed that they will applaud if they think a pun good; they will -say nothing to a passable one, but groan at a bad one. - -The room is always crowded, for people come less to see the performance, -which they know by heart, than to display their wit publicly. Each makes -his jest, and receives a greeting more or less favorable; and, lastly, -the vase is decreed to the cleverest among them. - -Any other than Anderson would be satisfied with the enormous receipts -his performance produces; but the Great Wizard of the North has not -finished yet. Before the audience leaves the house he states that a -short-hand writer had been hired by him to take down all the puns, and -that they will be published as a Miscellany. - -As each spectator who has made a joke likes to see it in print, he -purchases a copy of the book for a shilling. An idea of the number of -these copies may be formed from the number of puns they contain. I have -one of these books in my possession, printed at Glasgow in 1850, in -which there are 1091 of these facetiæ. - -The charlatan style of Anderson’s bills is most amusing--at least I -regard it as such; for it is not presumable that Anderson ever intended -sincerely to praise himself in such an outrageous way. If I am mistaken, -it would be more than vanity on his part, when I take into consideration -his conjuring talent. Hence I believe him to be very modest at heart. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - - The St. James’s Theatre--Invasion of England by French - Performers--A FĂŞte patronised by the Queen--The Diplomatist and the - Sleight-of-Hand Man--Three Thousand Pounds taken at one Haul--I - perform at Manchester--The Spectators in the Pillory--What capital - Curaçoa!--A Torrent of Wine--A Catastrophe--Performance at - Buckingham Palace--A Wizard’s Repast. - - -But it is time to return to St. James’s: the machinists, painters, and -decorators have finished their work, for the 2nd of May has arrived, the -day fixed for my stage being handed over to me. - -In fact, every one was admirably punctual: the new scenery was in its -place at an early hour, and as, at Mitchell’s request, the rehearsals -were suspended for that day, the theatre was entirely at my service; -hence I could devote myself quietly to the preparations for my -performance. However, all had been so well arranged beforehand, that I -was in perfect readiness when the audience began entering the house. - -It may be supposed I had taken every possible precaution to insure -success, for an experiment which must excite astonishment if it succeed, -in the event of failure is ruin to the operator. Hence I sincerely pity -those sorcerers whose supernatural power hangs on a thread. - -It is true that a skillful conjurer ought always to be able to escape -any difficulty that may occur to him; still, this sort of repairs very -rarely meets with success, for, after all, it is only a patching -together, in which the cracks are only too visible. - -I had a mode of escape always at hand in any emergency, but I confess I -was much vexed when compelled to have recourse to these secondary means, -which, by prolonging the experiment, render it far less striking. - -When a failure happens in tricks of skill an escape is impossible, for a -conjurer ought no more to fail in these than a good musician play a -false note. Whenever he makes a mistake in such a case, it results from -his want of adroitness, which only time can correct; but in our -experiments accidents at times happen which the most careful man cannot -foresee. In such an event, you can only trust to the expedients which -presence of mind suggests. - -Thus, one day, I happened to break the glass of a watch lent me for a -trick. My position was awkward, for it is a very clumsy termination to a -trick to return an object lent you in any way injured. - -I quietly walked up to the gentleman who had lent me the watch, and -offered it to him, while being very careful to keep the face downwards; -but, at the moment he was going to take it, I drew it back. - -“This is your watch?” I said, confidently. - -“Yes, sir, it is.” - -“Well, I merely wished to prove the fact; will you, sir,” I added, -sinking my voice, to a whisper, “lend it to me for another trick which I -intend to perform presently?” - -“Willingly,” the obliging spectator replied. - -I then carried the watch on the stage, and, handing it secretly to my -servant, I bade him go at full speed to a watchmaker’s, and have a new -glass put in. - -Half an hour later, I returned the watch to its owner, saying: - -“I have just noticed to my regret that the lateness of the hour will -preclude me from performing the trick I promised you; but as I hope to -have the pleasure of seeing you again at my performances, please to -remind me the first time you come, and I shall then be able to perform -the interesting trick.” - -I was saved. - - * * * * * - -In the meanwhile, the public were entering the theatre, but so quietly -that, although my dressing-room was close to the stage, I heard scarcely -any noise in the house. I was frightened at this, for such a quiet entry -is in France a sure prognostic of bad receipts for the manager, and -sinister foreboding of a failure to the performer. - -When I was able to proceed on the stage, I ran to the curtain-hole, and -I saw with as much surprise as pleasure the house completely filled, and -presenting, in addition, the most charming company I had ever yet -performed before. - -I must say, too, that the St. James’s Theatre is a splendid -establishment, for it is in some degree the gathering-place of the -flower of the English aristocracy, who visit it not merely to enjoy the -performances, but also to improve their pronunciation of French. - -One fact will give an idea of the elegance and fashion of my spectators; -no lady is allowed to keep on her bonnet, however elegant it may be; she -is obliged to leave it in the saloon. This is, indeed, a thorough -English fashion, for the ladies come to the theatre in evening costume, -with their hair beautifully arranged, and low-necked dresses, while the -gentlemen are attired in black, with white neck-handkerchiefs and -gloves. - -At St. James’s, the pit only exists traditionally; it is driven under -the boxes, and its presence is scarcely noticed. All the body of the -house is filled with stalls, or rather elegant arm-chairs, to which -ladies are admitted. - -The price of the seats is in proportion to the comfort they offer; each -stall costs seven shillings, and you can enter the modest pit for three -shillings; but this is no dearer than at the Opera. - -While I was surveying this elegant assembly with delight, I felt a -gentle tap on my shoulder. It was Mitchell, who came to give me a -delicate hint about some invitations he had thought it advisable to send -out. - -“Well, Houdin,” he said to me, “how do you like your examination? does -the audience please you?” - -“It is delightful, my dear Mitchell; I may add, it is the first time I -ever performed in a theatre to such a brilliant audience.” - -“Brilliant is the very word, my friend, for you must know that, among -your admirers” (pardon me this word of praise, but I am quoting -Mitchell), “is the whole of the English Press, which possesses a -numerous staff. We shall also have as spectators some gentlemen whose -opinion exercises a very great influence in London drawing-rooms. And -lastly, a great number of places are occupied by artistic celebrities, -who will justly appreciate the Robert-Houdin whom, to employ the -champagne phrase, we have made â€sparkle’ as he deserves.” - -It may be imagined that, after this explanation, my performance seemed -to me a solemnity, and that I employed the utmost care and zeal in -executing my tricks. I am justified in stating that I obtained a -legitimate success. - -Shall I now speak of the kindness and encouragement I received from the -audience of St. James’s Theatre? I will appeal to the celebrated -artistes who have performed on this stage before me: Rachel, Roger, -Samson, Regnier, Duplessis, DĂ©jazet, BouffĂ©, Levassor, &c.; have they -ever found in Europe spectators comparable to those of St. James’s? Here -there are no paid clappers; they would be superfluous, for the audience -take upon themselves to encourage the performers. The gentlemen are not -afraid of bursting their gloves, while the ladies make as much noise -with their tiny hands as their strength allows. - -But I must stop, for I should fear, were I to continue, drifting into -the style of the Great Wizard. - -My performances went on at St. James’s, and amply consoled me for my -losses in Paris. Although I only performed three times a week, their -produce exceeded that of my best days at home. My readers might imagine -that such unequivocal success ought to have satisfied me, but, as I have -said before, I am naturally ambitious, and I longed for one decisive -triumph--I wished to have my performance honored by the presence of the -Queen. Under happier auspices I doubt not that the honor would have -fallen to my share, but at the moment there was a peculiar difficulty, -which I saw no mode of overcoming. I will describe it in as summary a -manner as I can. - -After the revolution, the French theatres, as I have already said, found -their receipts reduced to worthless free tickets; hence they sought in -neighboring countries, just as I had done myself, a public less engaged -with politics, and consequently more apt to yield to the attraction of -amusement. - -England was the only country that had made no change in its habits of -luxury and pleasure, and hence many managers turned their longing eyes -towards this El Dorado. - -The Palais Royal Theatre, which, by the way, was not the worst off, was -one of the first to draw a bill at sight upon the rich metropolis of -England. - -Dormeuil, its skillful manager, divided his company into two parts, one -remaining at Paris, while the other came to the St. James’s Theatre in -the place of the OpĂ©ra Comique, which had ended its engagement with -Mitchell. Levassor, Grassot, Ravel, M’lle Scrivaneck, &c., received a -brilliant reception from our mutual audience. - -This success became known in Paris, and turned the head of M. H----, -manager of the Historic Theatre. - -After making arrangements with the proprietors of a London theatre -(Covent Garden, I think), the impresario also came across with a portion -of his company to perform his play of _Monte Christo_, which lasted two -evenings. - -The arrival of these performers, all of great merit generally, disturbed -the peace of the English managers, who, fearing with some reason the -entire loss of their audiences, resolved to oppose this dangerous -invasion. - -“The French and Italian theatres in London,” they said in their attacks, -“can play on their boards whatever pieces they like; they are privileged -to do so, and we respect their right. But we will not permit all our -theatres to be thus invaded, or Shakspeare be dethroned by foreign -playwrights.” - -The question of theatrical rivalry soon assumed the character of a -national one. The papers took up the cause of the theatres, while the -public adopted the opinion of the press writers, and formed an army to -fight against the new comers. - -M. H---- attempted, however, to perform Alexandre Dumas’s master-piece; -but it was impossible to hear a word, so great were the noise and -confusion in the house during the whole time the performance lasted. -Although the manager persevered in his enterprise, he was at length -obliged to yield to this imposing protest, which threatened to -degenerate into a collision, and he decided on closing the theatre. - -Mitchell held out his hand to the unlucky manager, and offered him the -hospitality of his theatre, that he might at least play his double piece -once before he left London. For this purpose he granted him one night of -the Palais Royal performances, and promised to arrange with me for the -next night. - -I could refuse Mitchell nothing, and the drama was represented in its -entirety, after which the company returned to France. - -I granted this favor with the greatest pleasure, as it obliged many -amiable performers, and I will add that, were a similar occasion offered -me to oblige M. H---- again, I would gladly accept it, if only to remind -him about thanking me for the first service I did him. - -Fortunately for my hopes, an occasion was offered me for performing -before her Majesty, of which I gladly availed myself, as it enabled me, -at the same time to do some slight service in the cause of charity. The -occasion I will here describe, as it affords a pleasing trait of English -manners and customs. - -A benevolent fĂŞte, the object of which was to open baths for the poor, -had been organized by the first ladies in the land, and it was to be -held at a delicious villa at Fulham, belonging to Sir Arthur Webster, -who had kindly placed it at the disposal of the lady patronesses. - -This graceful swarm of sisters of charity was composed of ten duchesses, -fifteen marchioness, and some thirty countesses, viscountesses and -baronesses, at the head of whom was the Queen, who intended to honor -the fĂŞte by her presence. This was more than sufficient to dispose of -the tickets, however high the price might be. Still, the ladies -conscientiously desired to add some attraction, which would occupy the -afternoon agreeably. The first idea was to arrange a concert, and, of -course, the chief singers in the metropolis must be invited to join, as -the company was so select; hence the committee turned their eyes to Her -Majesty’s Theatre. - -But there a difficulty arose: they must ask each artiste to display his -talent gratuitously, and as this was begging a favor, the embassy placed -the fair promoters in a delicate position which they hesitated to -accept. - -Fortunately for them, these ladies had taken care to enlist the services -of my manager, whose intelligent advice would be most useful in -arranging the fĂŞte. - -Mitchell was requested to call on the artistes, and he soon drew up a -most remarkable list: it contained Madame Grisi, Madame Castellan, -Madame Alboni, Mario, Roger (then engaged at Her Majesty’s Theatre), -Tamburini, and Lablache. - -After the concert a divertissement was to take place which must excite -the public curiosity. A large number of ladies, dressed in costumes -selected from all parts of the world, had promised to form fancy -quadrilles on the lawn, in which they would perform character dances, -and for this purpose elegant and spacious tents were erected. - -But this spectacle could only last an hour, and there were still two to -be filled up, in which the guests could only be offered the pleasure of -walking about. It was evident this was not enough, especially when we -remember the price of the tickets was two pounds. Hence the committee -naturally thought of my performance. - -Mitchell had expected this, so he took on himself, owing to our friendly -connexion, to obtain my consent. He did more, for wishing in his turn to -offer his alms to the poor, he offered to build, at his own expense, a -theatre in the ground, and transfer to it the scenery I had at the -theatre. This was, in some respects, removing St. James’s Theatre to -Fulham. - -Mitchell told me of this lucky event, from which he expected the best -results, and I may say at once that his expectations were realized. As -soon as it was known that the Queen would deign to be present at one of -my performances, many members of the aristocracy, who had not yet -visited the St. James’s Theatre, sent to order boxes. - -On the day fixed for the Fulham festival, I started after breakfast for -Sir Arthur Webster’s residence. My manager, with the machinist of the -theatre, had been at work there from an early hour, so that, when I -arrived I found the theatre quite in readiness for me. Scenery, drops, -and curtain, everything, in short, was there, excepting the foot-lights, -for which the sun was an admirable substitute. - -The public were to be admitted at one, and though I was not to give my -performance till nearly four o’clock, all my preparations were made by -the time the doors opened. The lady patronesses were already at their -posts to receive the Queen and the royal family, and were assisted by -stewards selected from the highest members of the aristocracy; among -them being the Duke of Beaufort, the Marquis of Abercorn, the Marquis of -Douglas, &c. - -While waiting my turn to act, I thought I might as well take part in the -fĂŞte as a simple spectator; hence I went first to the entrance gates. - -I had scarce reached them when I saw the Duke of Wellington get out of -his carriage, the popular hero before whom gentle and simple bowed with -respectful deference. - -A few moments later appeared the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, -accompanied by his Highness Prince Frederick William of Hesse, and in a -group immediately following these high personages, the Duchess of Kent, -the Duchess Bernhard of Saxe Weimar, and the Princesses Anne and Amelia -were pointed out to me. - -These illustrious visitors were received by the lady patronesses with -the honors due to their rank, while the band of the Royal Horse Guards -played national airs. - -Outside could be heard the noisy and animated crowd, pressing forward, -at the risk of their lives, to see the carriages with the powdered and -gorgeous footmen whose heads are taxed so highly by the government. - -The numerous subscribers flocked in: all wished to be punctual, for it -was known the Queen would grace the fĂŞte by her presence, and an -Englishman, great or small, would not at any price miss the pleasure of -seeing once again the features of her most gracious Majesty. - -The place I had selected was most favorable for observing the new -arrivals and not missing a single person. Still, whatever attraction -this brilliant panorama might offer me, I was equally anxious to see the -interior of the fairy palace, and I was just turning away, after -directing a parting glance to the entrance gates. I was glad I did so, -for at this moment arrived, close after each other, Prince Louis -Napoleon, our present Emperor; Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar; Prince -LĹ“wenstein, and several other great personages whose names have -escaped my memory. - -The gardens, the conservatories, and apartments, were already crowded by -all the rank and fashion of London, and it was a hard matter to move -about at one’s ease. At each moment a formidable swarm of marchionesses -and ladies stopped the way, and forced me to yield the road to them, in -my fear of crushing the most dazzling dresses I had ever seen. This was -difficult enough, for whatever way I might turn in my politeness, I ran -the risk of finding myself in the same dilemma, so numerous and compact -was the assemblage at Fulham. - -At half-past two the Queen had not yet arrived, and there was a -hesitation about waiting any longer, when frenzied hurrahs, rending the -air for the length of a mile, announced her Majesty’s speedy arrival. - -The church-bells immediately began ringing, the band struck up “God save -the Queen,” while the youngest and fairest ladies formed a double avenue -along her Majesty’s route. - -These preparations were scarce made ere the Queen left her carriage, and -moving along an immense avenue, covered with red cloth, and sheltered -overhead by a gay awning, she walked towards the room where her arrival -was only awaited to commence the concert. - -On reaching the room, the Queen took her place in the midst of a circle -formed by the lady patronesses, and the concert began. - -I should have gladly listened to the dulcet sounds, but, unfortunately, -the hall, in spite of its vast proportions, could not contain all the -spectators, and the crush was so great that it was not only crowded, but -the approaches were invaded to the point where the vibration of the -voices finally died away. - -Hence, I was obliged to content myself with hearing outside the repeated -applause bestowed on the talented singers. Roger, especially, obtained a -real triumph by his aria from Lucia di Lammermoor, and the exquisite -way in which he sings it is well known. The Queen herself commanded an -encore. - -The concert was scarcely over when, in accordance with the programme, -the Queen proceeded to see the quadrilles, in which magnificently -attired ladies were to take part. - -I should have gladly witnessed this graceful sight, but I thought it -advisable to cast a final glance on my stage. - -Hence, I proceeded towards the theatre, where a private entrance had -been prepared for me, and I was just going up the few steps leading to -it, when some one seized my arm. - -“Ah! Monsieur Robert-Houdin,” a gentleman said to me, with a smile, as -he prepared to follow me up the stairs, “that is capital--we will go in -together.” - -“Where, sir?” I asked, much surprised at this proposal. - -“Why, on your stage,” the unknown said, with an air of authority; “and I -trust you will not refuse me that pleasure.” - -“I am vexed to deny you, sir; but that is impossible,” I said politely, -knowing that in these grounds I could only meet persons who must be -treated with respect. - -“Why so?” the gentleman continued, most pressingly. “I find, on the -contrary, nothing easier. If we cannot go in side by side, we can follow -each other.” - -“Pardon me, sir, if I refuse your request; but no stranger is allowed on -my stage.” - -“Very good,” my assailant then said, pleasantly; “if that is the case, I -will tell you my name, so that I may be no longer a â€stranger’ to you. I -am Baron Brunnow, the Russian ambassador, as great an admirer of your -mysteries as I am desirous to find them out.” And he continued his -ascent, while striving to force the barrier. “What, Monsieur -Robert-Houdin,” he added, “do you still refuse me this? I only ask one -or two explanations, nothing more.” - -“I must persist in my refusal, Monsieur le Baron, for several reasons, -and, more especially, for this one----“ - -“What?” - -“Your perspicuity and talent are so universally recognized, that I would -not deprive you of the pleasure of yourself detecting these secrets, -which are hardly worthy your powerful intellect.” - -“Ah! ah!” the Baron replied, with a laugh, “how diplomatic we are. Do -you wish to follow in my track?” - -“I am unworthy to do so, Monsieur le Baron.” - -“Very good, very good. In the meanwhile, I am repulsed with loss, and -forced to take my place among the spectators. I yield; but tell me, -Monsieur Robert-Houdin, have you ever been in Russia?” - -“No, sir, never.” - -“Then give me your card.” - -And the ambassador wrote his name below mine. - -“Here,” he said, handing it me back, “if you ever feel an inclination to -visit our country, that card will be very useful to you; and, if I -happen to be at St. Petersburg at the time, come and see me, and I will -procure you the honor of performing before his Majesty the Emperor -Nicholas.” - -I thanked Baron Brunnow, and he left me. - -During this conversation, the quadrilles were being danced, and, before -their termination, the crowd had occupied all the seats for my -performance, save those reserved for the royal family and the court. The -Queen herself soon arrived, and I immediately received orders to begin. - -Would that I had a more skillful pen with which to depict in its true -colors the picture which revealed itself to my dazzled gaze at this -moment! At any rate, I will attempt to describe it. - -Imagine a large lawn rising before me in an amphitheatrical shape, and -arranged like the pit of a theatre. It would have been impossible to say -whether the ground was covered with grass or gravel, so thronged was it -with ladies, who were alone allowed to sit down. - -In the first row and nearest my theatre, the Queen, having her royal -husband on her right, was surrounded by her young and graceful family. A -little in the rear the ladies in waiting and the lady patronesses formed -the royal escort. At a respectful distance behind, the wives and -daughters of the subscribers took their places, while the gentlemen -formed symmetrical groups round this vast space. - -The sight was truly magnificent; all the ladies, dazzling with youth and -beauty, covered with diamonds and flowers, and rivalling each other in -good taste and brilliancy, resembled a vast enameled prairie, on which -the richest flowers of spring were displayed, while the black coats of -the gentlemen who enframed this smiling picture, far from dulling it, -only heightened the effect. - -On either side of the lawn, old oak-trees lent their refreshing shade to -this improvised theatre. - -I felt a noble pride at that moment, when I thought I held, as it were -at my fingers’ ends, the witching eyes of duchesses, at times so -haughty, but now so gracious, and which seemed at every moment to gain -fresh brilliancy at the sight of the surprises I offered them. - -In this unique performance the time passed so rapidly, that I was quite -astonished when I found myself performing my last trick. - -Before leaving her seat, the Queen, although she had several times -evinced her satisfaction, sent me her compliments through an -aide-de-camp, who also expressed her Majesty’s desire to have a -performance at Buckingham Palace at a later date. - -I had made every arrangement to start for town immediately my -performance was over, lest I might be delayed by the carriages waiting -at the park gates. An idea of the number of my audience can be formed, -when I say it took me more than a quarter of an hour to pass through the -carriages drawn up in double file along the road. The receipts of the -festival will supply a better proof: they amounted to 2500_l._! - -The next day the royal arms appeared at the head of my bills, and below, -the following passage, as a species of baptismal certificate: - - “_Robert-Houdin, who has had the honor of performing before her - most gracious Majesty the Queen, Prince Albert, the Royal Family, - and the Nobility of the United Kingdom,_” &c. - -My fashion only become the greater at St. James’s. - -We had now reached the middle of July, and no one but an Englishman can -understand the possibility of obtaining a theatrical success during the -dog-day heats. I must say, then, that among our brethren beyond the -Channel, where all our customs are inverted, the season for concerts is -from May to the end of August. In September the aristocracy retire to -their estates, where they remain the other six months of the year. - -I followed the example of my audience: I quitted London at the beginning -of September, not like them to take rest, but, on the contrary, to -commence a life even more agitated than the one I was leaving. I went -to the Manchester Theatre, where Knowles, the manager, had made an -engagement with me for fifteen performances. - -The theatre in this city is immense; like the vast _arenæ_ of ancient -Rome, it can hold an entire people. To give an idea of its size, I need -only say that twelve hundred spectators scarcely filled the pit. - -When I took possession of the stage, I was startled at its huge -proportions; for I feared I should be lost upon it, and my voice be -unheard. - -The reasons for the erection of this immense building were explained to -me afterwards. - -Manchester, as an eminent manufacturing city, counts its workmen by -thousands. Well, these hardy artisans are all fond of the stage, and in -their hand-to-mouth existence they often give up one or two nights a -week to this style of amusement; hence a large space was required to -house them all. - -Judging by the size of the house, I saw that many of the tricks I -performed at St. James’s were unsuited for the Manchester Theatre; -hence, I was obliged to draw up a programme containing merely tricks -that could be seen from a distance, and whose effect would strike the -masses. - -So soon as my performances were announced, the “hands” flocked in in -shoals, and the pit, their favorite place, was literally crammed; while -the rest of the house was nearly empty. This is, however, generally the -case at a first performance in England; for many people wait for the -newspaper critiques, which are sure to appear on the following day, ere -they make up their mind. - -The audience entered the house with a noise unexampled in any French -theatre, except at those gratuitous performances given in Paris on grand -occasions. Before the curtain was raised, I was obliged to wait, and -give my noisy public time to cool down, and order and silence being -gradually established, I began my performance. - -Instead of the fashionable world, the elegant toilettes, and those -spectators who seemed to spread an aristocratic perfume over the St. -James’s Theatre, I now found myself in the presence of simple workmen, -modestly and uniformly attired, rough in their manner, and eager for -amusement. - -But this change, far from displeasing me, stimulated my energies and -dash, and I was soon at my ease with my new spectators, when I saw that -they took a lively interest in my experiments. Still, an accident at the -outset nearly aroused the popular dissatisfaction. - -The Manchester artisans, far from coming to my performances to improve -their French accent, were greatly surprised at hearing themselves -addressed in any language but their own. Protests were put in on every -side, and soon shouts were heard of “Speak English!” - -As for my complying with the request, it was simply impossible; for -though I had been six months in London, as I was always among my own -countrymen, or persons who talked French, I had no occasion to apply -myself to the English language. Still, I tried to satisfy a claim that -appeared to me legitimate, and make up for my deficiencies by boldness -and good-will. I began by pronouncing the few English words I knew; when -my vocabulary was at fault, and I was about to run short, I invented -expressions which, owing to their strange shape, greatly amused my -audience. Often, too, when in a difficulty, I boldly asked them to come -to my aid, and it was my turn to feel a great inclination to laugh. - -“How do you call it?” I said, with a serio-comic air, as I held up the -article whose name I wished to know; and straightway a hundred voices -responded to my appeal. Nothing could be more pleasant than a lesson -thus taken, when my teachers, contrary to the usual fashion, paid for -the privilege of giving it. - -Through my condescension I succeeded in making peace with my audience, -who warmly cemented it on several occasions by their hearty applause. -The last trick especially created a tremendous excitement--I mean the -_inexhaustible bottle_, produced with scenery and decorations never -before witnessed on any stage. - -The picture presented by this trick is indescribable, and a skillful -pencil could alone reproduce its numerous details. Here, however, is a -sketch as accurate as possible: - -I have already said that although the spectators were few and far -between in some parts of the house, the pit was crowded, and it -consequently contained more than twelve hundred persons. - -I own it was a really curious sight to see all these heads issuing -invariably from dark-colored waistcoats, heightened by that ruddiness of -face which can be only produced by the beef and porter of Great Britain. - -In order that I might communicate more freely with my numerous -spectators, the machinist had put up a plank running from the stage to -the end of the pit, and as I also wished to address persons at the -sides, two other “practicables,” much shorter than the centre one, ran -across to the boxes. The latter did not occupy room like the first, for -they were just over a passage, while those who entered by it had to -stoop down to reach their seats; but what was that slight inconvenience -to the pleasure they promised themselves in seeing the “French -conjurer?” - -The public were still entering the pit after my performance had -commenced, and so many persons were allowed to come in that there was -soon no room for the laggards. - -Several of them had the courage to remain bent under the “practicables,” -and, looking out right and left in turn, they could follow my tricks. -But one of these bold spectators, doubtlessly fatigued by the -inconvenient posture he was obliged to keep, ingeniously passed his head -through the narrow space between the “practicable” and the boxes. He -managed it very cleverly, and his action was precisely that of a button -going into its corresponding hole. - -This innovation was, it may be easily supposed, gaily and noisily -welcomed by the audience, and the unfortunate man had to endure the fate -reserved for all innovators--he was laughed at and “chaffed” -tremendously. But he did not trouble himself about that, and his -coolness disarmed his opponents. - -Encouraged by his example, a neighbor tried the button-hole manĹ“uvre, -then a second and a third, and thus, by the middle of the performance, -half a dozen heads without bodies were symmetrically arranged on either -side the pit, looking for all the world like skittle-pins waiting to be -knocked down. - -I had arrived at the bottle trick, which consists in producing from an -empty bottle every liquor that may be asked for, no matter the number of -drinkers. - -The reputation of this famous bottle was already established in -Manchester, for the London papers had fully described the experiment. -Hence, a general hurrah was heard when I appeared armed with my -marvellous bottle; for, in addition to the merit of the trick itself, -the workmen also counted on the pleasure of drinking a glass of brandy, -or any other liquor. - -Flattered by this reception, I proceeded to the centre of the pit, -followed by my servant, who carried an enormous tray of wine-glasses. -But I had scarce arrived there when a thousand voices began exclaiming, -“Brandy, whisky, gin, curaçoa, shrub, rum,” &c. - -It was impossible to satisfy all at once; hence, I wished to proceed in -rotation, and, after filling a glass, I offered it to the man who I -thought had made the first claim; but the gentleman was utterly -disappointed. Twenty hands were stretched out to dispute the precious -liquor, and the glass was speedily upset. The spectators, suffering the -punishment of Tantalus, shouted for the liquid, which was not fated to -reach their lips. I filled a second glass--it shared the fate of the -previous one, and was fought for so obstinately that the glass was -broken. - -Further on, the same request was made; I complied, and none could profit -by it. - -Without troubling myself as to the result, I poured out the liquor -profusely, and left my audience to fight for its possession. - -Soon all the glasses had disappeared, and in vain I asked for them back -to continue my bounty; not a trace of them was to be found. My -experiment was, therefore, in danger of sudden termination, when a -clever spectator held out his hand in the shape of a cup. - -The process was as simple as it was ingenious; it was the egg of -Christopher Columbus. The astonishment his neighbors felt permitted the -inventor to profit by his discovery, which is unfortunately a rarity. - -This improvised cup was unanimously accepted, but the imitators saw -their piracy suffer the same fate, minus the breakage, as the glasses. - -Quite tired, I was about to withdraw, when a new improvement was -introduced by a spectator, as thirsty as he was obstinate; throwing back -his head and opening an enormous mouth, he made me signs to pour in -curaçoa. Finding the idea original, I immediately complied. - -“What capital curaçoa,” the man said, as he licked his lips. - -This seductive exclamation was scarce heard ere every mouth was open and -heads thrown back; it was enough to make me fly in terror. Still, not to -leave so curious a scene incomplete, I took a watering tour, holding the -mouth of the bottle as straight as I could. At times, the bottle being -pushed by the neighbors, sent the liquor over a man’s coat, but, save -this slight inconvenience, all went on famously, and I fancied I had -fulfilled the rude task of quenching the thirst of my audience. Still, I -heard a few more appeals; and a glass of whisky was earnestly implored -by one of the men who had thrust his head between the plank and the -boxes, and seemed in a perfect state of collapse. - -My son, who helped me on the stage, and was one of the first to hear -this request, understood all the longing the poor suppliant felt; hence -he ran on the stage for a glass, which I filled, and he carried to the -man. - -But a difficulty suddenly arose; the claimant and his comrades were shut -up in their pillory, side by side, and could not raise their arms. My -son, unthinkingly, offered the glass, and seeing no one take it, was -about to carry it back on the stage; but a groan made him turn round, -and, by the patient’s air, he understood he was begging him to stoop -down and place the glass to his lips. - -This delicate operation was performed with considerable skill on both -sides, and, despite the laughter of the public, each of the pilloried -men asked the same service in turn. - -This little scene appeared to have calmed the ardor of the public; and I -thought it possible to terminate my trick in the usual way. When my -bottle appears exhausted, I end by filling an enormous glass with -liquor, but a scene then began which I had been far from expecting. - -Many writers have described the saturnalia produced by the frightful -distribution of food and wine at the Restoration. Well, these orgies -were respectable meals compared with the assault attempted to reach the -glass I held in my hand. - -A human avalanche suddenly rose before me, and from this living pyramid -emerged two hundred hands to dispute their prey, while a hundred mouths -were opened to swallow it. - -I thought it high time to beat a retreat, in the fear of being buried -beneath this shapeless mass. It was impossible; behind me a file of -thirsty drinkers barred my passage. - -The danger was pressing, for the pyramid was bending forward to reach -me, and might lose its balance at any moment; the cries of the unhappy -beings supporting its weight explained the dangerous position in which I -might soon find myself; hence, I rushed with my head down through the -mass, and reached the stage in time to notice the curious sight of a -falling mountain. - -I will not attempt to describe the cries, shouts, and applauses that -accompanied this fall, while the victims were loud in their abuse, and -found no way of getting up, save by stepping on their companions in -misfortune. The noise was atrocious. - -The curtain fell on this strange scene, but shouts and clapping were -immediately heard: “The conjurer!” Houdin must come out to be -complimented. - -I obeyed this order, and when I made my appearance, either because I had -been too liberal with my bottle, or because, as I would sooner think, my -spectators were satisfied with my performance, the shouts and applause -broke out in such a formidable manner that I was quite stupefied, while -feeling acutely the pleasure they produced me. For I must say that the -noise of the hands struck together, though so trying in itself, has -nothing to shock the ear of a performer; on the contrary, the more -deafening it becomes, the more harmonious it appears to the recipient. - -The following performances were far from being so tumultuous as the -first, and the reason is very simple. The merchants and traders, who -form the aristocracy of Manchester, having heard of my performances, -came with the families to witness them, and their presence contributed -to keep the workmen in order. The house assumed a different aspect, and -henceforth I could only praise the quietness of the pit. - -Fifteen consecutive performances had not exhausted the curiosity of the -inhabitants, and I could certainly have given fifteen more, at least, -when, to my great regret, I was obliged to make way for two -celebrities--Jenny Lind and Roger--whom Knowles had engaged to follow my -performance. - -Though I felt vexed at throwing such a chance away, on the other hand I -was glad to escape as soon as possible from that heavy and smoky -atmosphere, which makes the industrial capital of England resemble a -city of chimney-sweeps. I could not accustom my lungs to inhale, instead -of air, the flakes of soot constantly floating about. I fell into a -state of melancholy almost akin to spleen, which did not abandon me till -I reached the gay city of Liverpool, where I intended to remain several -weeks. - -I was at that time at the height of my fashion; my performance began -with applause and ended with famous receipts. I need only add, that, -after performing in turn at the theatres of Liverpool, Birmingham, -Worcester, Cheltenham, Bristol, and Exeter, I returned to London to give -fifteen performances ere I started for France. - -A few days after my return to St. James’s Theatre, the Queen, bearing in -mind the desire she had expressed at Fulham, commanded a performance at -Buckingham Palace. - -This invitation being most agreeable, I willingly accepted it. - -At eight in the morning of the appointed day, I proceeded to the royal -residence, and the steward of the palace, to whom I was directed, led me -to the place selected for my performance. It was a long and magnificent -picture gallery, and a theatre had been put up, on which the scenery -represented a saloon in the Louis Quinze style, white and gold, much -resembling the one I had at St. James’s Theatre. - -My guide then showed me an adjoining dining-room, belonging, he said, to -the ladies of honor, and he begged me to state at what hour I should -like to breakfast. - -I was too busy to think about eating, for I had my performance to -prepare; however, I ordered the meal for one o’clock at any risk, and -set to work directly. - -Aided by my secretary (a species of factotum) and my two boys, who -helped me as well as their strength permitted, I managed to overcome all -the difficulties produced by the provisional arrangement of the stage. -But I had not finished all my preparations till two o’clock, and I was -almost dying of inanition, for, less fortunate than my companions, I had -eaten nothing the whole day. Hence it was with real joy I led the route -to the dining-room. - -As the performance was not to take place till three, I had just an hour -to recruit my strength. - -I had scarce walked a dozen steps, when I heard some one calling me. It -was a palace official who wanted to speak to me. - -“There will be a ball, sir, in this gallery,” he said, in excellent -French, “after your performance, and consequently preparations will have -to be made which may take more time than has been allowed for them. -Hence, the Queen requests you to begin your performance an hour sooner; -she is quite ready, and will be here directly.” - -“I am very sorry I cannot obey her Majesty’s commands,” I replied; “my -preparations are not yet ended, and I must add, that----“ - -“Monsieur Robert-Houdin,” the officer replied, politely, but with all -the coolness of a Briton, “such are her Majesty’s orders, and I can say -no more.” And without awaiting any explanation, he bowed to me and -retired. - -“We shall still have time to take a hasty snack,” I said to my -secretary, “so off to the dining-room as quickly as you please.” - -I had not finished the sentence, when the Queen, Prince Albert and the -royal family entered the gallery, followed by a numerous suit. - -At this sight I had not the courage to go further; I returned, and armed -myself with resignation. Protected by the curtain that concealed me from -the spectators, I hastily made my few remaining preparations, and five -minutes later I received the order to begin. - -When the curtain rose, I was dazzled at the sight that met my gaze. - -Her Majesty, the Prince Consort, the Queen Dowager, the Duke of -Cambridge and the royal children occupied the first rank. Behind them -were a portion of the Orleans family; while in the rear sat the highest -functionaries, among whom I recognized ambassadors dressed in their -national costumes, and general officers covered with brilliant -decorations. All the ladies were in ball toilette, and richly adorned -with jewels. - -A wonderful change came over me when I began my performance: all my -languor had been suddenly dispelled, and I felt in excellent spirits. - -Still this change can be easily explained. It is well known that a -performer feels no suffering while on the stage; a species of exaltation -suspends all feelings foreign to his part, and hunger, thirst, cold, or -heat, even illness itself, is forced to retreat in the presence of this -excitement, though it takes its revenge afterwards. - -This slight digression was necessary to explain the spirits I felt in -when I appeared before my noble audience. - -Never, I believe, did I throw such dash and boldness into the -performance of my experiments; never, either, had I an audience which -appreciated them so kindly. - -The Queen deigned to encourage me several times by flattering remarks, -while Prince Albert, ever so kind to professionals, heartily clapped his -hands. - -I had prepared a trick, called the _Bouquet Ă la Reine_. This is what -the _Court Journal_ says of it when describing my performance: - - * * * * * - -“The Queen evinced an extreme pleasure in these experiments; but the one -which seemed to strike her most was the _Bouquet Ă la Reine_, a very -graceful surprise, and charmingly Ă propos. Her Majesty having lent her -glove to M. Robert-Houdin, the latter immediately produced from it a -bouquet, which soon grew so large that it could be scarcely held in both -hands. Finally, this bouquet, after being placed in a vase, and bedewed -with magic water, was transformed into a garland, in which the flowers -formed the word VICTORIA. - -“The Queen was equally astonished at the surprising lucidity of M. -Robert-Houdin’s son, in the experiment of the second-sight. The most -complicated objects had been prepared in order to embarrass and foil the -sagacity of the father and the marvellous faculty of the son. Both -emerged victoriously from this intellectual combat, and defeated every -scheme.” - -After the performance, the same officer with whom I had already spoken -came to offer me the thanks of the Queen and Prince Albert. The Duchess -of Orleans had also been kind enough to add her compliments and those of -her family. - -So soon as the curtain had fallen, and I was no longer supported by the -presence of my audience, I felt ready to drop. I had taken a seat, and -could hardly rise to go and enjoy the meal which I stood in such need -of. - -Still, I was about to do so, when I was roused from my exhaustion by the -appearance of a large body of workmen, who had come to take down the -theatre in all speed and prepare the gallery for the ball. - -My readers can judge of my embarrassment and trouble when I found I must -pack up all my machinery at once, lest it might be broken. - -I tried to protest and defer the execution of the task, but it was all -in vain: orders had been given, and they must be obeyed. Hence, I was -obliged to summon up fresh energy to finish my packing, which took me an -hour and a half. - -Six o’clock struck when all was finished. I had taken no food for -exactly four-and-twenty hours. - -Leaning on my manager who had taken the precaution of ordering up the -dinner, I dragged myself as far as the dining-room. - -Twilight had commenced, and the room was not yet lighted, and it was -with some difficulty we could distinguish a table. I fell rather than -sat down upon a chair I found near me, and while my son was ringing for -lights, I commenced a second-sight performance of my own. I succeeded -famously; I laid my hand on a fork, and pricking at whatever might be -before me, found something attached to the instrument. I prudently -raised the object to my nose, and, satisfied with this inspection, I -took a triumphant bite. - -It was delicious; and I fancied I could recognize a _salmi_ of -partridge. - -I made a second exploring tour to assure myself of the truth, and, after -a few mouthfuls, I convinced myself I was not mistaken. My manager and -boys followed my example, and set to work manfully. - -It seems that the attendance must be slow in royal houses, for before -the lights arrived we had plenty of time to grow used to the darkness. - -However, this meal, through its originality, became a delightful -amusement, and I had seized a bottle to pour out some wine, when the -door of the room suddenly opened, and two servants came in bearing -candelabra. On seeing us thus seated at table and eating in the coolest -way, they nearly fell backwards in surprise. I am persuaded they took us -at the moment for real sorcerers, for we had great difficulty in -inducing them to remain in the room and wait on us. - -We then took our ease. The table was well served, the wines were -excellent, and we could rest from the fatigues and emotions of the day. -At the end of the dinner the palace steward paid us a visit, and on -hearing of my misfortunes, he expressed his deep regret. The Queen, he -assured me, would be the more vexed, if she heard of it, because she had -given the strictest orders that I should want for nothing in her palace. - -I replied, that I was amply repaid for a few moments of pain by the -satisfaction I felt at having been called to perform before his gracious -sovereign. And this was, indeed, the truth. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - - An Optimist Manager--Three Spectators in a Room--A Magical - Collation--The Colchester Public and the Nuts--I return to - France--I give up my Theatre--A Farewell Tour--I retire to St. - Gervais--An Academician’s Predictions. - - -A short time after this performance my engagement with Mitchell -terminated. - -Instead of returning to France, as I should much have desired after so -lengthened an absence, I thought it better to continue my excursions in -the English provinces till the end of September, when I hoped to reopen -my theatre at Paris. - -Consequently, I drew up an itinerary, in which the first station would -be Cambridge, celebrated for its university; and set out. - -Possibly the reader may feel no inclination to follow me on this tour, -but he may be assured I will not drag him after me, especially as my -second passage through England presents hardly any details worth -mentioning here. I will content myself with recounting a few incidents, -and among them a small adventure that happened to me, as it may serve -for a lesson for all professionals, that it is dangerous both to their -self-esteem and interests to drain public curiosity too deep in the -various places whither the hope of good receipts attracts them. - -I intended to go straight from London to Cambridge, but, half way, I -took a fancy to stop and give a few performances at Hertford, a town -containing some ten thousand people. - -My two first performances were most successful, but on the third, seeing -that the number of spectators had greatly fallen off, I decided on -giving no more. - -My manager argued against this resolution, and offered me reasons which -certainly had some value. - -“I assure you, sir,” he said, “that nothing is spoken of in the town but -your performance. Every one is asking if you are going to perform -to-morrow, and two young gentlemen have already begged me to keep them -places if you intend to remain for to-morrow.” - -GĂ©net, my manager, was certainly the best fellow in the world; but I -ought to have distrusted his counsels, knowing, as I did, his -disposition to look at the bright side of everything. He was the -incarnation of optimism, and the calculations he made about this -performance went far beyond those of the inkstand inventor. To hear him -talk, we should have to double the price of places, and increase our -staff to keep back the crowd that would rush to see me. - -While jesting GĂ©net on his exaggerated ideas, I still allowed him to -send out the bills for the performance he so much desired. - -The next evening, at half-past seven, I went, according to my usual -custom, to order the box-office to be opened, and the public allowed -admission. The performance would commence at eight precisely. - -I found my manager quite alone--not a soul had arrived yet. Still, that -did not prevent him greeting me with a radiant air--though that was his -normal condition. - -“No one has yet come to the theatre,” he said, rubbing his hands, as if -giving me first-rate intelligence; “but that is a good sign.” - -“The deuce it is! Come, my dear GĂ©net, I must have that proved.” - -“It is easy enough to understand. You must have noticed, sir, that at -our former performances we only had the country gentry.” - -“Nothing proves it was so; still, I will allow it. Now go on.” - -“Well, it is very simple. The tradespeople have not come to see you yet, -and I expect them to-night. They are always so busy, that they usually -defer a pleasure till the last moment. Have patience, and you will soon -see the rush we shall have to contend against.” - -And he looked towards the entrance door like a man perfectly convinced -that his predictions would be fulfilled. - -We had still half an hour--more than sufficient to fill the room--so I -waited. But this half-hour passed in vain expectation. Not a soul came -to the box-office. - -“It is now eight,” I said, drawing out my watch, “and no spectators have -arrived. What do you say to that, GĂ©net?” - -“Oh, sir! your watch is too fast--I am sure of it for----“ - -My manager was about to support his allegation by some proof drawn from -his brain, when the town-hall clock struck. GĂ©net, finding his reasons -exhausted, contented himself with silence, while casting a despairing -glance towards the door. - -At length, I saw his face grow purple with delight. - -“Ah! I said so,” he exclaimed, pointing to two young men coming towards -us. “The public are beginning to arrive. They doubtlessly mistook the -hour. Come, every man to his post!” - -GĂ©net’s joy did not last long, for he soon recognized in these visitors -the two young gentlemen who had taken their places the previous day. - -“You have kept our seats?” they said to the optimist, as they hurried -in. - -“Yes, gentlemen, yes; you can go in,” GĂ©net replied, making an -imperceptible grimace. And he led them in complacently, while striving -to explain the emptiness of the room by saying it was only momentary. He -had hardly returned to the box-office, when a gentleman of a certain age -hurried up the steps, and rushed towards the pay place with a haste my -previous success probably justified. - -“Is there any room left?” he asked, in a panting voice. - -My poor GĂ©net did not know how to reply to this question, which seemed a -jest; he, therefore, merely muttered one of those common-place phrases -usually employed to gain time. - -“Well, sir, to tell you the truth--I should say----“ - -“I know--I know: there are no places left. I expected it. But be kind -enough to let me go in, and I will find some corner to stand in.” - -“But, sir, allow me to tell you----“ - -“No matter.” - -“But if, on the contrary----“ - -“All the better. There, give me a stall-ticket, and I will see if I can -find room in the passage.” - -Being at the end of his arguments, GĂ©net supplied the ticket. - -You can imagine the surprise of the eager visitor when, on entering the -house, he found that he formed in his own person exactly a third of the -audience. - -For my own part, I soon made up my mind. After compounding with my -conscience, by granting the usual quarter of an hour’s grace to the -laggards, and seeing no one come, I informed my three spectators that, -being only anxious to be agreeable to them, I would perform. - -This unexpected news produced a triple hurrah in the house in the shape -of thanks. - -My orchestra consisted of eight amateurs of the town; and these -gentlemen, as a compliment to my French origin, always played as -overture the “Girondins” and the “Marseillaise,” with the assistance of -the big drum, and never failed to terminate the performance with “God -save the Queen.” - -The patriotic introduction over, I began my performance. - -My audience were collected on the first row of stalls, so that, in order -to address my explanations to them, I should have had to keep my head -constantly down, which would have eventually become troublesome. Hence I -determined to look round the house, and address the benches just as if -they were well covered. - -For their part, my audience made all possible row to prove their -satisfaction. They stamped, applauded, shouted, so as almost to make me -believe the house full. - -The whole performance was a mutual exchange of compliments, and the -spectators saw the last of my tricks arrive with considerable regret. -This, however, was not announced on my bills, for I reserved it as the -best of my surprises. - -“Gentlemen,” I said to my audience, “as I require three persons to -assist me in performing this trick, will any gentlemen present have the -kindness to come on the stage?” - -At this comic invitation the public rose _en masse_, and obligingly -placed themselves at my disposal. - -After my three assistants had promised to stand at the front of the -stage and not look round, I gave each an empty glass, announcing that it -would be filled with excellent punch so soon as they expressed the wish, -and I added that to facilitate the performance, they must repeat after -me a few cabalistic words borrowed from the enchanter Merlin. - -This jest was only proposed in order to gain time, for while we were -performing it with bursts of laughter, a change was being carried out -behind my kind assistants. The table on which I did my tricks had been -removed, and another brought forward on which an excellent supper was -spread, and a bowl of punch crackled in the centre. - -GĂ©net, clothed in black and a white cravat, and armed with a spoon, was -stimulating a spectral flame, and when my assistants expressed a wish to -see their glasses filled with punch, he said, in his most solemn voice, - -“Turn round, and your wishes will be accomplished.” - -My musicians had been spectators of this little scene, so I begged them -to join us and try the virtues of my inexhaustible bowl. This invitation -was joyfully accepted, the table was surrounded, the glasses were filled -and emptied, and we passed two agreeable hours in performing this -experiment. - -Owing to the prodigality of my “inexhaustible bowl of punch,” my guests -were all affected by a tender expansion. They almost embraced on -parting; however, they contented themselves with shaking hands and -vowing an undying friendship. - -The instruction to be drawn from this anecdote is that, in offering a -farewell to the public, you should not wait till there are none left to -receive it. - -On leaving Hertford, I went to Cambridge, thence to Bury St. Edmunds, -Ipswich and Colchester, always taking receipts proportionate to the -importance of the towns. I have only three souvenirs of those five -towns: the failure at Hertford, the enthusiastic reception from the -Cambridge students, and the nuts at Colchester. - -But, it will be asked, what connexion can there be between nuts and a -magical performance. A word will explain the fact to the reader, and all -the tribulations this fruit caused me. - -It is the custom at Colchester that when a body goes to the theatre he -fills his pockets with nuts. These are cracked and eaten during the -performance as a species of refreshment. Men and women both suffer from -this cracking mania, so that a rolling fire is kept up through the -house, often powerful enough to drown the voice. - -Nothing affected my nerves so much as this incessant cracking; my first -performance suffered from it, and despite my efforts to master myself, I -went through the whole performance in a state of irritation. I -consented, however, to perform a second time, but the manager could not -induce me to promise a third. Although he assured me that his actors had -grown quite accustomed to this strange music, and that even a minor -actor might often be seen on the stage calmly cracking a nut while -awaiting the reply, I could not stand it any longer, and left the town. - -Most assuredly, the theatres in the smaller English towns are not equal -to those in the cities. - -At Colchester my tour was to end, and I was about starting for France, -when Knowles, the Manchester director, remembering my success at his -theatre, proposed to me to take a trip with him through Ireland and -Scotland. We had then reached the month of June, 1849, when Paris was -more than ever agitated by political questions; and theatres only -existed in France as memorials of the past. I did not waste much time in -forming a decision; I started with my English manager. - -Our excursion lasted no less than four months, and I did not step on -French soil again till the end of October. - -Need I describe the delight with which I presented myself once more -before a Parisian audience, whose kind patronage I had not forgotten? -Those professional men who, like myself, have been long absent from -Paris, will understand it, for they know nothing is so sweet to the -heart as the applause given by a man’s fellow-citizens. - -Unfortunately, when I recommenced my performances, I noticed with sorrow -the change which had taken place in my health: the performances which I -formerly went through with no fatigue, now caused me a painful state of -exhaustion. - -It was easy to find a reason for this disagreeable change; fatigue, the -incessant thought connected with my performances, and still more the -foggy atmosphere of England, had exhausted my strength. My life had been -in some degree used up during my emigration. I should require a -lengthened rest to restore it, and I could not think of it at this -period, the best part of the season. I could only take precautions for -the future, in case I should find myself suddenly compelled by my health -to stop; so I decided on educating a pupil to take my place in case of -need, and whose labor might assist me in the meanwhile. - -A young man of pleasing exterior, and whose talent I was acquainted -with, seemed to offer the conditions I required. My proposals suited -him, and he immediately joined me. The future sleight-of-hand professor -evinced great aptitude and zeal in learning my lessons. I employed him -in a short time to prepare my experiments, then he aided me in the -management of my theatre, and when the summer of 1850 arrived, instead -of closing my rooms as usual, I continued to send out my bills; the only -change was that Hamilton’s name was substituted for mine. - -Considering his short period of study, my provisional substitute could -not be yet very expert; still, he pleased, and the public were -satisfied. During this period I enjoyed in the country a repose that had -been long desired. - -A man who has made a long journey never feels the fatigue so acutely as -when he proposes to continue his journey after a few moments of rest. -This was what I experienced when, my holiday being ended, I was obliged -to leave the country to begin again the feverish existence of a theatre. -I never felt such lassitude; never had I a greater desire to enjoy -perfect liberty, to renounce those fatigues of an appointed hour, which -may be justly called the collar of misery. - -At this word, I see many of my readers start. “Why,” they will say, -“thus call a labor whose object is to astonish an audience, and the -result to gain honor and profit?” - -I find myself compelled to prove the justice of the expression. - -The reader will easily understand that the fatigue, preoccupation and -responsibility attached to a magical performance do not prevent the -conjurer being subjected to the ordinary sufferings of humanity. Now, -whatever may be the nature of his sufferings or his grief, he must, at -an appointed hour each night, hide them in his bosom, and assume the -mask of happiness and health. - -This is, in itself, a painful task, but, believe me, reader, it is not -all; he must--and this is applicable to all professionals--under penalty -of ruin, enliven, animate and excite the public, or, in other words, -give them pleasure for their money. - -Can this be always equally easy? In truth, the position artists hold -would be intolerable, did not they find in the sympathy and applause of -the public a gentle recompense which makes them forget the minor -miseries of life. - -I may say it with pride, to the last moment of my artist life I only met -with sympathy and kindness; but the more I strove to render myself ever -worthy of them, the more I felt my strength failing me, and the more, -too, increased my desire to live in retirement and freedom. - -At last, in January, 1852, judging Hamilton fit to succeed me, I decided -on giving up my establishment to him, and in order that my theatre, the -fruit of my labors, might remain in the family, two contracts were -signed; and on the same day my pupil became my brother-in-law and my -successor. - -Still, however desirous an actor may be of retiring into private life, -he very rarely renounces at once and for ever the applause which has -become an agreeable stimulant for him. Hence, no surprise will be felt -on learning that, after a few months’ rest, I proposed to give a few -more performances, as a final parting from the public. - -As I had not yet visited Germany, I proceeded to the banks of the Rhine. -Desiring no unnecessary fatigue, I resolved to reserve to myself the -choice of the places where I would perform. I therefore stopped, in -preference, at those festal places called “Baths,” and visited in turn -Baden, Wiesbaden, Homburg, Aix-la-Chapelle, and Spa. Nearly each of my -performances was honored by the presence of one or more of the princes -regnant of the Germanic Confederation. - -It was my intention to return to France after my performances at Spa, -but, at the request of M. Engel, manager of a theatre at Berlin, I -retraced my steps, and started for the capital of Prussia. - -I had made a six weeks’ engagement with M. Engel; but my success, and -the excellent terms on which I stood with my manager, induced me to -prolong it for three months. I could not have taken a more brilliant -leave of the public: for, probably, I never saw greater crowds run after -my performances. Thus the reception I obtained from the Berliner will -ever remain one of my pleasantest reminiscences. - -From Berlin I proceeded straight to the neighborhood of Blois, to the -retreat I had selected. - -Whatever might be my satisfaction in enjoying the freedom I had so long -desired, it would soon have undergone the fate common to all our -pleasures, and have grown flat by the mere effect of enjoyment, had I -not reserved for these blessed hours of leisure studies in which I hoped -to find a perennial source of amusement. After gaining a fortune by -labors unjustly regarded as futile, I was about to devote myself to -serious researches, as I had been formerly advised by a member of the -Institute. - -The circumstances to which I allude date back to the Exposition of 1844, -when I submitted my automata and mechanical curiosities. - -The jury entrusted with the examination of mechanical instruments, and -designs had come to my productions, and I had repeated the little -performance I had given a few days previously in the presence of Louis -Philippe. - -After listening with interest to the details of the numerous -difficulties I had to overcome in making my automata, one of the members -of the jury said to me: - -“It is a great pity, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, that you did not apply the -talent you have evinced in fancy objects to serious labors.” - -This criticism wounded me the more, because at that period I considered -nothing superior to my works, and in my fairest dreams of the future I -desired no greater glory than that of the skillful inventor of the -“automaton duck.” - -“Sir,” I replied, in a tone that betrayed my pique, “I know no works -more serious than those which give a man an honest livelihood. Still, I -am ready to change my views, if you give me the same advice after you -have heard me. - -“At the period when I devoted myself to chronometers, I hardly earned -enough to live upon; at present, I have four workmen to help me in -making my automata; and as the least skillful among them earns six -francs a day, you can easily form an idea what I earn myself. - -“Now, sir, I ask you, if I ought to return to my old trade?” - -My critic was silent, but another member of the jury coming up to me, -said, in a low voice, - -“Go on, Monsieur Robert-Houdin--go on; I am convinced that your -ingenious works, after leading you to success, will conduct you straight -to useful discoveries.” - -“Monsieur le Baron SĂ©guier,” I replied, in the same key, “I thank you -for your encouraging prediction, and will do my best to prove its -correctness.”[E] - -I have followed the advice of the illustrious savant, and find myself -all the better for it. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - - Travels in Algeria--Convocation of the Chieftains--Performances - before the Arabs--A Kabyle rendered powerless--Invulnerability--A - Moor disappears--Panic and Flight of the - Audience--Reconciliation--The Sect of AĂŻssaoua--Their pretended - Miracles. - - -I have, then, reached the object of all my hopes: I have bidden an -eternal farewell to professional life, and from my retirement I wave my -hand in parting salutation to my kind and obliging patrons. Henceforth I -shall know no care or anxiety; free and tranquil, I am about to devote -myself to my peaceful studies, and enjoy the pleasantest existence man -ever had on earth. - -I was busily forming my plans of happiness, when, one day, I received a -letter from Colonel de Neveu, head of the political office at Algiers. -This distinguished functionary begged me to proceed to our colony, and -give my performances before the principal chieftains of the Arab tribes. - -This invitation reached me in the full of my honeymoon, if I may employ -the expression. Scarce recovered from the fatigues of my journey, I was -imbibing deep draughts of happiness, and it would have been a heavy -sacrifice to dispel the charm so soon. Hence, I expressed to Colonel de -Neveu my regret at not being able to accept his invitation. - -The colonel noted down my excuses, and, the following year, reminded me -of them. It was in 1855; but I had presented at the Universal -Exhibition several new applications of electricity to mechanism, and -having learned that the jury considered me worthy a reward, I would not -quit Paris till I had received it. Such was, at least, the motive on -which I based a new refusal, accompanied by my regret. - -But the colonel kept these excuses still in mind, and in June, 1856, he -presented them to me like a bill to be met. This time I had exhausted my -excuses, and though it cost me much to quit my retreat and brave the -caprices of the Mediterranean in the worst month of the year, I decided -on going. - -It was settled that I should reach Algiers by the next 27th of -September, the day on which the great fĂŞtes annually offered by the -capital of Algeria to the Arabs would commence. - -I must say that I was much influenced in my determination by the -knowledge that my mission to Algeria had a quasi-political character. I, -a simple conjurer, was proud of being able to render my country a -service. - -It is known that the majority of revolts which have to be suppressed in -Algeria are excited by intriguers, who say they are inspired by the -Prophet, and are regarded by the Arabs as envoys of God on earth to -deliver them from the oppression of the _Roumi_ (Christians). - -These false prophets and holy Marabouts, who are no more sorcerers than -I am, and indeed even less so, still contrive to influence the -fanaticism of their co-religionists by tricks as primitive as are the -spectators before whom they are performed. - -The government was, therefore, anxious to destroy their pernicious -influence, and reckoned on me to do so. They hoped, with reason, by the -aid of my experiments, to prove to the Arabs that the tricks of their -Marabouts were mere child’s play, and owing to their simplicity could -not be done by an envoy from Heaven, which also led us very naturally to -show them that we are their superiors in everything, and, as for -sorcerers, there are none like the French. - -Presently I will show the success obtained by these skillful tactics. - -Three months were to elapse between the day of my acceptance and that of -my departure, which I employed in arranging a complete arsenal of my -best tricks, and left St. Gervais on the 10th of September. - -I will give no account of my passage, further than to say no sooner was -I at sea than I wished I had arrived, and, after thirty-six hours’ -navigation, I greeted the capital of our colony with indescribable -delight. - -I was expected; an officer came off in an elegant boat and took me to -the HĂ´tel d’Orient, where a handsome suite of rooms was retained for me. - -The government had behaved nobly, for I was lodged like a prince. From -the window of my sitting-room I could survey the roads of Algiers, and -the prospect was only bounded by the horizon. The sea is always lovely -when seen from a window; thus each morning I admired it, and pardoned -its past slight insults. - -From my hotel I also gazed on the magnificent Government-square, planted -with orange trees, such as cannot be seen in France. They were at this -season laden with flowers and perfectly ripe fruit. - -Mme. Robert-Houdin and myself delighted in sitting beneath their shade -at nightfall and eating an ice before the doorway of an Algerian -Tortoni, while inhaling the perfumed breeze borne to us from the sea. -Next to this pleasure, nothing interested us so much as observing the -immense variety of persons moving around us. - -The five quarters of the world had sent their representatives to -Algeria: there were French, Spainards, Maltese, Italians, Germans, -Swiss, Prussians, Belgians, Portuguese, Poles, Russians, English and -Americans, all forming a portion of the population of Algeria. Add to -these the different Arabic types, such as Moors, Kabyles, Koulougly, -Biskri, Mozabites, Negroes, Arab Jews, &c., and an idea may be formed of -the sight unrolled before our eyes. - -When I arrived at Algiers, M. de Neveu told me that as a portion of -Kabylia had revolted, the marshal-governor had started with an -expeditionary corps to suppress it. In consequence of this, the fĂŞtes to -which the Arab chiefs were to be invited were deferred for a month, and -my performances put off for the same period. - -“I have now to ask you,” the colonel added, “if you will sign this new -engagement?” - -“Mon colonel!” I replied, in a jocular tone, “I consider myself in -military employ. As I depend on the governor, I will be faithful to my -post, whatever may happen.” - -“Very good, M. Robert-Houdin,” the colonel said with a laugh; “you -behave like a true French soldier, and the colony will owe you thanks -for it. At the same time, we will try to make your service in Algeria as -light as possible. We have given orders at your hotel that madame and -yourself may have no cause to regret the comfort you left to come here.” -(I have forgotten to say that, in signing my engagement, I stipulated -that Mme. Houdin should accompany me.) “If, while awaiting your official -performances, you might like to employ your leisure evenings at the town -theatre, the governor places it at your service thrice a week, the -other days belonging to the operatic company.” - -This proposition suited me admirably, and I saw three advantages in it: -the first, to get my hand in, for I had left the stage for two years; -the second, to try the effect of my experiments on the town Arabs; the -third, to pocket a very welcome sum of money. I accepted; but when I -offered my thanks to M. de Neveu, he said, - -“It is our place to thank you, for, by giving performances at Algiers -during the Kabylian expedition, you render us a great service.” - -“How, colonel?” - -“By employing the minds of the Algerines, we prevent them speculating on -the eventualities of the campaign, which might be very injurious to the -government.” - -“That being so, I will set to work at once.” - -The colonel started the next day to join the marshal, having previously -handed me over to the civil authorities; that is to say, he had -introduced me to M. de Guiroye, mayor of the town, who displayed extreme -kindness in facilitating the arrangements for my performances. - -It might be reasonably supposed that, owing to the high patronage that -supported me, I need only follow a path bestrewn with flowers, to use -the language of the poets. But it was not so: I had to endure many -annoyances, which might have vexed me greatly, had I not possessed a -stock of philosophy beyond ordinary mortals. - -M. D----, privileged manager of the Bab-Azoun Theatre, had commenced the -season with an operatic company, and, fearing lest the success of a -stranger on his stage might injure his own prospects, he complained -about it to the authorities. - -The mayor could offer him no other consolation than saying the -government ordered it. M. D---- protested, and even threatened to throw -up the management, but the mayor adhered to his inflexible decision. - -The city of Algiers thus suddenly saw itself exposed to a total -managerial eclipse, when, through a spirit of conciliation, I offered to -perform only twice a week, and defer beginning till the operatic dĂ©but -was over. - -This concession slightly calmed the impresario, though it did not gain -me his good graces. M. D---- ever maintained a coldness towards me, -which evidenced his dissatisfaction, but I held an independent position, -and this coolness did not render me wretched. - -I also managed to escape from the annoyances aroused by certain -subalterns of the stage, and, being determined that my voyage to Algiers -should be a real pleasure-trip, I laughed at these puny attacks. -Besides, my attention was directed to a matter far more interesting to -me. - -The journals had announced my performances, and this statement -immediately aroused a paper warfare in the Algerian press, the -strangeness of which contributed no little to give increased publicity -to my representations. - -“Robert-Houdin,” one paper said, “cannot be at Algiers, for we see daily -announced in the Paris papers, â€_Robert-Houdin every evening at eight -o’clock_.’” - -“And why,” another journal asked, pleasantly, “should not Robert-Houdin -perform in Algiers and yet remain all the while in Paris? Do we not know -that this sorcerer possesses the gift of ubiquity, and that he often -gives performances at Paris, Rome, and Moscow on the same evening?” - -The discussion went on thus, for several days, some denying my presence, -others affirming it. - -The public of Algiers were willing to accept this fact as one of those -pleasantries generally denominated _canards_, but they also wished to be -sure of not being victims of a delusion if they came to the theatre. - -At length the matter was taken up seriously, and the editors explained -that Mr. Hamilton, on succeeding his brother-in-law, had kept up the old -title; so that _Robert-Houdin_ was a term equally applicable to the -performer and to the style of performance. - -This curious discussion, the annoyances occasioned by M. D----, and, as -I hope I may believe, the attraction of my performance, brought me an -enormous audience. All the tickets were bought beforehand, and the house -was stiflingly hot, for the centigrade thermometer denoted 35 deg., and -we were in the middle of September. - -Poor spectators, how I pitied them! To judge from my own sensations, -they must all have been mummified on the spot. I feared that the -enthusiasm, as is the general rule, would be in an inverse ratio to the -temperature; but I had no cause to complain of my reception, and I drew -from this success a happy omen for the future. - -In order not to deprive my “official representations,” as M. de Neveu -termed them, of the interest the reader will expect from them, I will -give no details of those which preceded them, and were so many -trial-balloons. I may say the Arabs who came were very few; for these -men, with their indolent and sensual temper, consider the happiness of -lying on a mat and smoking far above a spectacle. - -Hence the governor, guided by the profound knowledge he had of their -character, never invited them to a fĂŞte: he sent them a military -summons. This occurred for my representations. - -As M. de Neveu had announced to me, the expeditionary corps returned to -Algiers on the 20th of October, and the fĂŞtes, suspended by the -campaign, were fixed for the 27th. Messengers were sent off to all parts -of the colony, and on the appointed day the chiefs of the tribes, -accompanied by a numerous suite, found themselves in the presence of the -marshal-governor. - -These autumnal fĂŞtes, the most brilliant held in Algeria, and probably -unrivalled in any country of the world, present a picturesque and really -remarkable scene. - -I should like to be able to paint here the strange aspect the capital -assumed on the arrival of the _goums_ of the Tell and the South. The -native camp, an inextricable pell-mell of huts for men and horses, -offering a thousand contrasts, strange as they were fascinating; the -brilliant cortĂ©ge of the governor-general, in the midst of which the -Arab chiefs, with their stern faces, attracted the eye by the luxury of -their costumes, the beauty of their horses, and the brilliancy of their -gold-broidered trappings; and the marvellous hippodrome, situated -between the sea, the smiling hill of Mustapha, and the plain of -Hussein-Dey, over which gloomy mountains cast a sombre shade. But I will -say nothing about all this. Nor will I describe those military exercises -called a Fantasia, in which twelve hundred Arabs, mounted on splendid -steeds, and uttering wild cries as if on the battle-field, displayed the -utmost vigor, skill, and intelligence men can possess. Nor will I speak -of the admirable exhibition of Arab stallions, each exciting the most -lively satisfaction as it passed; for all this has been already -described, and I am longing to reach my own performances, which, I may -say, formed not the least interesting part of this fĂŞte. I will only -allude to one circumstance, which struck me peculiarly. - -I saw a horseman, mounted on a magnificent Arab steed, beat all the -winners in a final heat. This horseman was twelve years of age, and -could pass under his horse without stooping. - -The races lasted three days, and I was to give my performances at the -end of the second and third. - -Before beginning, I will say a word about the Algiers theatre. - -It is a very neat house, in the style of the VariĂ©tĂ©s at Paris, and -decorated with considerable taste. It is situated at the extremity of -the Rue Bab-Azoun, on the _place_ bearing that name, and the façade is -peculiarly elegant. - -On first seeing this immense edifice, it would be assumed that the -interior was enormous: but it is nothing of the sort. The architect has -sacrificed everything to the claims of public order and ventilation, -while the stairs, passages, and green-room occupy as much space as the -house itself. Perhaps the architect took into consideration the limited -number of theatre-going people in Algiers, and thought that a small -house would offer performers a better chance of success. - -On the 28th of October, the day appointed for my first performance -before the Arabs, I reached my post at an early hour, and could enjoy -the sight of their entrance into the theatre. - -Each _goum_, drawn up in companies, was introduced separately, and led -in perfect order to the places chosen for it in advance. Then came the -turn of the chiefs, who seated themselves with all the gravity becoming -their character. - -Their introduction lasted some time, for these sons of nature could not -understand that they were boxed up thus, side by side, to enjoy a -spectacle, and our comfortable seats, far from seeming so to them, -bothered them strangely. I saw them fidgeting about for some time, and -trying to tuck their legs under them, after the fashion of European -tailors. - -Marshal Randon, with his family and suite, occupied the two stage-boxes -to the right of the stage, while the prefect and other civilian -authorities sat exactly facing him. As for Colonel de Neveu, he was -everywhere, as the arranger of the festival. - -The caĂŻds, agas, bash-agas, and other titled Arabs, held the places of -honor, for they occupied the orchestra-stalls and the dress-circle. - -In the midst of them were several privileged officers, and, lastly, the -interpreters were mingled among the spectators, to translate my remarks -to them. - -I was also told that several curious people, having been unable to -procure tickets, had assumed the Arab burnous, and, binding the -camel’s-hair cord round their foreheads, had slipped in among their new -co-religionists. - -This strange medley of spectators was indeed a most curious sight. The -dress-circle, more especially, presented an appearence as grand as it -was imposing. Some sixty Arab chiefs, clothed in their red mantles (the -symbol of their submission to France), on which one or more decorations -glistened, gravely awaited my performance with majestic dignity. - -I have performed before many brilliant assemblies, but never before one -which struck me so much as this. However, the impression I felt on the -rise of the curtain, far from paralyzing me, on the contrary inspired me -with a lively sympathy for the spectators, whose faces seemed so well -prepared to accept the marvels promised them. As soon as I walked on the -stage, I felt quite at my ease, and enjoyed, in anticipation, the sight -I was going to amuse myself with. - -I felt, I confess, rather inclined to laugh at myself and my audience, -for I stepped forth, wand in hand, with all the gravity of a real -sorcerer. Still, I did not give way, for I was here not merely to amuse -a curious and kind public, I must produce a startling effect upon coarse -minds and prejudices, for I was enacting the part of a French Marabout. - -Compared with the simple tricks of their pretended sorcerers, my -experiments must appear perfect miracles to the Arabs. - -I commenced my performance in the most profound, I might almost say -religious, silence, and the attention of the spectators was so great -that they seemed petrified. Their fingers alone moving nervously, played -with the beads of their rosaries, while they were, doubtlessly, invoking -the protection of the Most High. - -This apathetic condition did not suit me, for I had not come to Algeria -to visit a waxwork exhibition. I wanted movement, animation, life in -fact, around me. - -I changed my batteries, and, instead of generalizing my remarks, I -addressed them more especially to some of the Arabs, whom I stimulated -by my words, and still more by my actions. The astonishment then gave -way to a more expressive feeling, which was soon evinced by noisy -outbursts. - -This was especially the case when I produced cannonballs from a hat, for -my spectators, laying aside their gravity, expressed their delighted -admiration by the strangest and most energetic gestures. - -Then came--greeted by the same success--the bouquet of flowers, produced -instantaneously from a hat; the _cornucopia_, supplying a multitude of -objects, which I distributed though unable to satisfy the repeated -demands made on all sides, and still more by those who had their hands -full already; the _five-franc pieces_, sent across the theatre into a -crystal box suspended above the spectators. - -One trick I should much have liked to perform was the _inexhaustible -bottle_, so appreciated by the Parisians and the Manchester “hands;” but -I could not employ it in this performance, for it is well known the -followers of Mohammed drink no fermented liquor--at least not publicly. -Hence, I substituted the following with considerable advantage. - -I took a silver cup, like those called “punch bowls” in the Parisians -cafĂ©s. I unscrewed the foot, and passing my wand through it showed that -the vessel contained nothing; then, having refitted the two parts, I -went to the centre of the pit, when, at my command, the bowl was -_magically_ filled with sweetmeats, which were found excellent. - -The sweetmeats exhausted, I turned the bowl over, and proposed to fill -it with excellent coffee; so, gravely passing my hand thrice over the -bowl, a dense vapor immediately issued from it, and announced the -presence of the precious liquid. The bowl was full of boiling coffee, -which I poured into cups, and offered to my astounded spectators. - -The first cups were only accepted, so to speak, under protest; for not -an Arab would consent to moisten his lips with a beverage which he -thought came straight from Shaitan’s kitchen; but, insensibly seduced by -the perfume of their favorite liquor, and urged by the interpreters, -some of the boldest decided on tasting the magic liquor, and all soon -followed their example. - -The vessel, rapidly emptied, was repeatedly filled again with equal -rapidity; and it satisfied all demands, like my inexhaustible bottle, -and was borne back to the stage still full. - -But it was not enough to amuse my spectators; I must also, in order to -fulfil the object of my mission, startle and even terrify them by the -display of a supernatural power. - -My arrangements had all been made for this purpose, and I had reserved -for the end of my performances three tricks, which must complete my -reputation as a sorcerer. - -Many of my readers will remember having seen at my performances a small -but solidly-built box, which, being handed to the spectators, becomes -heavy or light at my order; a child might raise it with ease, and yet -the most powerful man could not move it from its place. - -I advanced with my box in my hand, to the centre of the “practicable,” -communicating from the stage to the pit; then, addressing the Arabs, I -said to them: - -“From what you have witnessed, you will attribute a supernatural power -to me, and you are right. I will give you a new proof of my marvellous -authority, by showing that I can deprive the most powerful man of his -strength and restore it at my will. Any one who thinks himself strong -enough to try the experiment may draw near me.” (I spoke slowly, in -order to give the interpreter time to translate my words.) - -An Arab of middle height, but well built and muscular, like many of the -Arabs are, came to my side with sufficient assurance. - -“Are you very strong?” I said to him, measuring him from head to foot. - -“Oh yes!” he replied carelessly. - -“Are you sure you will always remain so?” - -“Quite sure.” - -“You are mistaken, for in an instant I will rob you of your strength, -and you shall become as a little child.” - -The Arab smiled disdainfully as a sign of his incredulity. - -“Stay,” I continued; “lift up this box.” - -The Arab stooped, lifted up the box, and said to me, coldly, “Is that -all?” - -“Wait----!” I replied. - -Then, with all possible gravity, I made an imposing gesture, and -solemnly pronounced the words: - -“Behold! you are weaker than a woman; now, try to lift the box.” - -The Hercules, quite cool as to my conjuration, seized the box once again -by the handle, and gave it a violent tug, but this time the box -resisted, and, spite of his most vigorous attacks, would not budge an -inch. - -The Arab vainly expended on this unlucky box a strength which would have -raised an enormous weight, until, at length, exhausted, panting, and red -with anger, he stopped, became thoughtful, and began to comprehend the -influences of magic. - -He was on the point of withdrawing; but that would be allowing his -weakness, and that he, hitherto respected for his vigor, had become as a -little child. This thought rendered him almost mad. - -Deriving fresh strength from the encouragements his friends offered him -by word and deed, he turned a glance round them, which seemed to say: -“You will see what a son of the desert can do.” - -He bent once again over the box: his nervous hands twined round the -handle, and his legs, placed on either side like two bronze columns, -served as a support for the final effort. - -But, wonder of wonders! this Hercules, a moment since so strong and -proud, now bows his head; his arms, riveted to the box, undergo a -violent muscular contraction; his legs give way, and he falls on his -knees with a yell of agony! - -An electric shock, produced by an inductive apparatus, had been passed, -on a signal from me, from the further end of the stage into the handle -of the box. Hence the contortions of the poor Arab! - -It would have been cruelty to prolong this scene. - -I gave a second signal, and the electric current was immediately -intercepted. My athlete, disengaged from his terrible bondage, raised -his hands over his head. - -“Allah! Allah!” he exclaimed, full of terror; then wrapping himself up -quickly in the folds of his burnous, as if to hide his disgrace, he -rushed through the ranks of the spectators and gained the front -entrance. - -With the exception of my stage boxes and the privileged spectators who -appeared to take great pleasure in this experiment, my audience had -become grave and silent, and I heard the words “Shaitan!” “Djenoum!” -passing in a murmur round the circle of credulous men, who, while gazing -on me, seemed astonished that I possessed none of the physical qualities -attributed to the angel of darkness. - -I allowed my public a few moments to recover from the emotion produced -by my experiment and the flight of the herculean Arab. - -One of the means employed by the Marabouts to gain influence in the eyes -of the Arabs is by causing a belief in their invulnerability. - -One of them, for instance, ordered a gun to be loaded and fired at him -from a short distance, but in vain did the flint produce a shower of -sparks; the Marabout pronounced some cabalistic words, and the gun did -not explode. - -The mystery was simple enough; the gun did not go off because the -Marabout had skillfully stopped up the vent. - -Colonel de Neveu explained to me the importance of discrediting such a -miracle by opposing to it a sleight-of-hand trick far superior to it, -and I had the very article. - -I informed the Arabs that I possessed a talisman rendering me -invulnerable, and I defied the best marksman in Algeria to hit me. - -I had hardly uttered the words, when an Arab, who had attracted my -notice by the attention he had paid to my tricks, jumped over four rows -of seats, and disdaining the use of the “practicable,” crossed the -orchestra, upsetting flutes, clarionets, and violins, escaladed the -stage, while burning himself at the foot-lights, and then said, in -excellent French, - -“I will kill you!” - -An immense burst of laughter greeted both the Arab’s picturesque ascent -and his murderous intentions, while an interpreter who stood near me -told me I had to deal with a Marabout. - -“You wish to kill me!” I replied, imitating his accent and the -inflection of his voice. “Well, I reply, that though you are a sorcerer, -I am still a greater one, and you will not kill me.” - -I held a cavalry pistol in my hand, which I presented to him. - -“Here, take this weapon, and assure yourself it has undergone no -preparation.” - -The Arab breathed several times down the barrel, then through the -nipple, to assure himself there was a communication between them, and -after carefully examining the pistol, said: - -“The weapon is good, and I will kill you.” - -“As you are determined, and for more certainty, put in a double charge -of powder, and a wad on the top.” - -“It is done.” - -“Now, here is a leaden ball; mark it with your knife, so as to be able -to recognize it, and put it in the pistol, with a second wad.” - -“It is done.” - -“Now that you are quite sure your pistol is loaded, and that it will -explode, tell me, do you feel no remorse, no scruple about killing me -thus, although I authorize you to do so?” - -“No, for I wish to kill you,” the Arab repeated, coldly. - -Without replying, I put an apple on the point of a knife, and, standing -a few yards from the Marabout, ordered him to fire. - -“Aim straight at the heart,” I said to him. - -My opponent aimed immediately, without the slightest hesitation. - -The pistol exploded, and the bullet lodged in the centre of the apple. - -I carried the talisman to the Marabout, who recognized the ball he had -marked. - -I could not say that this trick produced greater stupefaction than the -ones preceding it: at any rate, my spectators, palsied by surprise and -terror, looked round in silence, seeming to think, “Where the deuce have -we got to here!” - -A pleasant scene, however, soon unwrinkled many of their faces. The -Marabout, though stupefied by his defeat, had not lost his wits; so, -profiting by the moment when he returned me the pistol, he seized the -apple, thrust it into his waist-belt, and could not be induced to return -it, persuaded as he was that he possessed in it an incomparable -talisman. - -For the last trick in my performance I required the assistance of an -Arab. - -At the request of several interpreters, a young Moor, about twenty years -of age, tall, well built, and richly dressed, consented to come on the -stage. Bolder and more civilized, doubtlessly, than his comrades of the -plains, he walked firmly up to me. - -I drew him towards the table that was in the centre of the stage, and -pointed out to him and to the other spectators that it was slightly -built and perfectly isolated. After which, without further preface, I -told him to mount upon it, and covered him with an enormous cloth cone, -open at the top. - -Then, drawing the cone and its contents on to a plank, the ends of which -were held by my servant and myself, we walked to the foot-lights with -our heavy burden, and upset it. The Moor had disappeared--the cone was -perfectly empty! - -Immediately there began a spectacle which I shall never forget. - -The Arabs were so affected by this last trick, that, impelled by an -irresistible feeling of terror, they rose in all parts of the house, and -yielded to the influence of a general panic. To tell the truth, the -crowd of fugitives was densest at the door of the dress circle, and it -could be seen, from the agility and confusion of these high dignitaries, -that they were the first to wish to leave the house. - -Vainly did one of them, the CaĂŻd of the Beni-Salah, more courageous than -his colleagues, try to restrain them by his words: - -“Stay! stay! we cannot thus lose one of our co-religionists. Surely we -must know what has become of him, or what has been done to him. Stay! -stay!” - -But the co-religionists only ran away the faster, and soon the -courageous caĂŻd, led away by their example, followed them. - -They little knew what awaited them at the door of the theatre; but they -had scarce gone down the steps when they found themselves face to face -with the “resuscitated Moor.” - -The first movement of terror overcome, they surrounded the man, felt and -cross-questioned him; but, annoyed by these repeated questions, he had -no better resource than to escape at full speed. - -The next evening the second performance took place, and produced nearly -the same effect as the previous one. - - * * * * * - -The blow was struck: henceforth the interpreters and all those who had -dealings with the Arabs received orders to make them understand that my -pretended miracles were only the result of skill, inspired and guided by -an art called _prestidigitation_, in no way connected with sorcery. - -The Arabs doubtlessly yielded to these arguments, for henceforth I was -on the most friendly terms with them. Each time a chief saw me, he never -failed to come up and press my hand. And, even more, these men whom I -had so terrified, when they became my friends, gave me a precious -testimony of their esteem--I may say, too, of their admiration, for that -is their own expression. - -Three days had elapsed since my last performance, when I received a -despatch from the governor, ordering me to be at the palace by twelve -o’clock, _military time_. - -Of course I kept the appointment, and the last stroke of twelve was -still striking by the clock of the neighboring mosque when I sent in my -name at the palace. A staff officer immediately came to me. - -“Come with me, M. Robert-Houdin,” he said, with a half mysterious air. -“I am ordered to conduct you.” - -I followed my conductor, and, as the door of a magnificent room was open -at the end of a gallery we crossed, I saw a strange sight. Some thirty -of the most important Arab chiefs were arranged in a circle, of which I -naturally formed the centre when I entered the room. - -“Salâm aleikoum!” they said, in a grave and almost solemn voice, as they -laid their hands on their hearts. - -I first returned this salutation by bowing in the French fashion, and -then by several hand-shakings, beginning with those chiefs whose -acquaintance I had already formed. - -At the head was the Bash-Aga Bou-Allem, the African Rothschild, in whose -tent I had drunk my coffee at the Arab camp during the races. - -Next came the CaĂŻd Assa, with a wooden leg, who had also offered me -pipes and coffee in the same encampment. As this chief did not -understand a word of French, my friend Boukandoura was enabled, during a -visit we paid him, to tell me the history of the wooden leg in his -presence. - -“Assa,” my friend said, “having had his leg shattered in an affair -against the French, owed his escape to the speed of his horse. Once in a -place of safety, he himself cut off his leg above the knee, and then, in -his wild energy, thrust the mutilated stump into a vessel full of -boiling pitch, in order to stop the hemorrhage.” - -Wishing to return the salutations I had received, I went round the -group, offering my hand to each in turn. But my task was remarkably -abridged, for the ranks thinned at my approach, as many of the company -had not the courage to take the hand of a man they had seriously -regarded as a sorcerer or the demon in person. - -This incident, however, did not disturb the ceremony in any way. After a -laugh at the pusillanimity of the fugitives, each re-assumed that -gravity which is the normal condition of the Arab countenance. - -Then the most aged chief in the assembly advanced towards me, and -unrolled an enormous MS. It was an address, written in verse, a perfect -masterpiece of native caligraphy, and adorned with graceful arabesques -drawn by hand. - -The worthy Arab, who was at least seventy years of age, then read, in a -loud voice, the piece of Mussulman poetry, which was perfectly -unintelligible to me, as I knew only three words of Arabic. - -When the reading was ended, the orator drew from his belt the signet of -his tribe, and solemnly placed it at the bottom of the page. The -principal Arab chiefs and dignitaries followed his example, and when all -the seals had been affixed, my old friend took the paper, and after -assuring himself the imprints were quite dry, he rolled it up and -presented it to me, saying, in excellent French, and in a tone that -revealed his sincerity: - -“To a merchant, gold is given; to a warrior, arms are offered; to thee, -Robert-Houdin, we present a testimony of our admiration, which thou -canst hand down to thy children.” And, translating a verse he had just -read in Arabic, he added, “Pardon us for presenting thee with such a -trifle, but is it fitting to offer mother-o’-pearl to the man who -possesses the real jewel?” - -I avow very frankly that never in my life did I experience such sweet -emotion--never had my success penetrated so fully to my heart; and, -moved more than I can express, I turned to wipe away a tear of sympathy. - -These details, as well as the following, certainly wound my modesty a -little, but I cannot make up my mind to pass them over in silence; -hence, I must beg the reader to accept them as a mere picture of -manners. - -I declare, too, that the thought never entered my mind of having -deserved such praise, and yet I cannot refrain from feeling as much -flattered as grateful for this homage, and regarding it as the most -precious souvenir of my professional career. - -This declaration made, I will furnish a translation of the address, in -the words used by the caligrapher himself: - - “Homage offered to Robert-Houdin, by the chiefs of the Arab tribes, - after his performances given at Algiers on the 28th and 29th of - October, 1856. - - “GLORY TO GOD, - - who teaches us what we know not, and enables us to express the - treasures of the mind by the flowers of eloquence and the signs of - writing. - - “Generous-handed destiny has sent down from above, in the midst of - lightning and thunder, like a powerful and fertilizing rain, the - marvel of the moment and the age, him who cultivates the surprising - arts and marvellous sciences--the _Sid_-Robert-Houdin. - - “Our century has seen no one comparable with him. The splendor of - his talent surpasses the most brilliant productions of past ages. - Our age is the more illustrious because it has possessed him. - - “He has known how to stir our hearts and astonish our minds, by - displaying to us the surprising facts of his marvellous science. - Our eyes were never before fascinated by such prodigies. What he - accomplishes cannot be described. We owe him our gratitude for all - the things by which he has delighted our eyes and our minds; hence, - our friendship for him has sunk into our hearts like a perfumed - shower, and our bosoms preciously conceal it. - - “We shall in vain attempt to raise our praises to the height of his - merit; we must lower our brows before him and pay him homage, so - long as the benevolent shower fertilizes the soil, so long as the - moon illuminates the night, so long as the clouds come to temper - the heat of the sun. - -“Written by the slave of God, -“ALI-BEN-EL-HADJI MOUSSA. - - “Pardon us for presenting thee with,” &c. &c. - - Then follow the seals and signatures of the chiefs of the tribes. - -After the ceremony was over, and the Arabs had left us, the -marshal-governor, whom I had not seen since my performances, being -desirous to give me an idea of the effect they had produced on the minds -of the natives, quoted the following incident: - -A Kabyle chief, who had come to Algiers to make his submission, was -taken to my first performance. - -The next day, at an early hour, he went to the palace, and asked to -speak with the governor. - -“I have,” he said to the marshal, “to ask your permission to return -immediately to my tribe.” - -“You must be aware,” the marshal replied, “that the forms are not yet -filled up, and the papers will not be in order for three days; you will, -therefore, remain for that period.” - -“Allah is great,” the Arab said, “and if it pleaseth Him I shall go away -before, you will not be able to stop me.” - -“You will not go, I feel certain, if I forbid it. But tell me, why are -you in such a hurry to leave?” - -“After what I saw yesterday I don’t wish to stay in Algiers; a -misfortune would happen to me.” - -“Did you regard the miracles as real?” - -The Kabyle surveyed the marshal with an air of astonishment, and, -without replying directly to the question addressed him, said: - -“Instead of killing your soldiers in conquering the Kabyles, send your -French Marabout to the most rebel tribes, and before a fortnight he will -bring them all to you.” - -The Kabyle did _not_ leave, for the interpreters managed to remove his -fears; still he was one of those who kept furthest aloof from me during -the ceremony I have described. - -Another Arab also said, on leaving one of my performances: - -“Our Marabouts must now do very great miracles to astonish us.” - -These statements from the governor’s own lips were very agreeable to me, -for up to that moment I had felt rather uneasy; and although I was -certain I had produced a startling impression by my performances, I was -enchanted at learning that the object of my mission had been carried out -according to the wishes of government. In addition, before I started for -France, the marshal was kind enough to assure me once again that my -performances in Algeria had produced the happiest effect in the minds of -the natives. - -Although my performances were ended, I was in no hurry to return to -France. I was curious, in my turn, to witness a conjuring performance of -the Marabouts, or other native jugglers. I had also promised several -Arab chiefs to visit them in their _douars_, and I wished to enjoy this -double pleasure. - -There are few Frenchmen who, after a short stay in Algeria, have not -heard of the AĂŻssaoua and their marvels. The stories I had been told of -the experiments performed by the followers of Sid-AĂŻssa had inspired me -with the liveliest desire to see them, and I was persuaded that all -their miracles were only more or less ingenious tricks, which I should -be able to detect. - -As M. le Colonel Neveu had promised me the opportunity of seeing them, -he kept his word. - -On a day chosen by the Mokaddem, the usual president of this sort of -meeting, we went, accompanied by several staff officers and their wives, -to an Arab house, and proceeded through a low archway into the inner -court, where the ceremony was to take place. Lights artistically fixed -on the walls, and carpets spread on the pavement, awaited the arrival of -the brothers, while a cushion was reserved for the Mokaddem. - -We all took our seats where we should not disturb the performance, and -our ladies went up to a gallery on the first floor, and thus represented -our dress-boxes. - -But I will let Colonel Neveu himself describe this scene, by copying -_verbatim_ from his interesting work “The Religious Orders among the -Mussulmans of Algeria:” - -“The AĂŻssaoua entered, formed a circle in the courtyard, and soon began -their chants. These were at first slow and solemn chants, and lasted a -long time; then came the praises of Sidi-Muhammad-Ben-AĂŻssa, founder of -the order; after which the Brethren and the Mokaddem, taking up cymbals -and tambourines, gradually increased the speed of the chanting. - -“After about two hours the songs had become wild cries, and the gestures -of the Brethren had followed the same impulse. Suddenly some of them -rose and formed a line, dancing, and pronouncing as gutturally as they -could, and with all the vigor of their energetic lungs, the sacred name -of Allah. This word, issuing from the mouths of the AĂŻssaoua, seemed -rather a savage growl than an invocation addressed to the Supreme Being. -Soon the noise increased, the most extravagant gestures began, while -turbans fell off and exposed their shorn heads, which look like those of -vultures; the long folds of their red sashes became unfastened, -embarrassing their movements and increasing their disorder. - -“Then the AĂŻssaoua moved about on their hands and knees, imitating the -movements of wild animals. They seemed to be acting under the influence -of some muscular force, and they forgot they were men. - -“When the excitement had reached its height, and the perspiration was -running down their bodies, the AĂŻssaoua began their juggling. They -called the Mokaddem their father, and asked him for food; he gave to -some pieces of glass, which they champed between their teeth; he placed -nails in the mouths of others, but, instead of swallowing them, they -carefully hid their heads in the folds of the Mokaddem’s burnous, in -order not to let the audience see them remove them. Some devoured thorns -and thistles; others passed their tongues over a red-hot iron and took -them in their hands without burning themselves. One man struck his left -arm with his right hand: the flesh appeared to open, and the blood -poured forth abundantly; then he passed his hand over his arm, the wound -closed, and the blood disappeared. Another leaped on to the edge of a -sabre held by two men, and did not cut his feet, while others produced -from small leathern sacks scorpions and serpents, which they boldly -placed in their mouths.” - -I had concealed myself behind a pillar, whence I could survey everything -without being noticed. I insisted on not being the dupe of these -mysterious tricks: hence I paid the closest attention. - -Both through the remarks I made on the scene of action, and the ulterior -researches I undertook, I am now in a position to give a satisfactory -explanation of the miracles of the AĂŻssaoua. But, not to interrupt my -narrative, I will refer the reader who is anxious for these details to -the end of this volume, and the special chapter I have christened A -CHAPTER OF MIRACLES. - -I believe myself the more competent to supply these explanations, as -some of the tricks belong to conjuring proper, and others are based on -phenomena drawn from the physical sciences. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - - Excursion in the Interior of Africa--The Abode of a Bash-Aga--A - comical Repast--A SoirĂ©e of Arab Dignitaries--A Marabout - mystified--Tent-life in Algeria--I return to France--A terrible - Storm--Conclusion. - - -Once possessed of the secret of the juggling performed by the AĂŻssaoua, -I was able to start for the interior of Africa. I therefore set out, -provided with letters from Colonel de Neveu, to several heads of the -Arab department, his subordinates, and I took with me Mme. -Robert-Houdin, who was quite delighted at the thought of making this -excursion. - -We were going to visit the Arab beneath his tent or in his house; eat -his “couscoussou,” which we only knew by name; study for ourselves the -domestic manners and customs of Africa: this was certainly enough to -inflame our imagination. So much was this the case, that I hardly ever -thought that the month in which we should re-embark for France would be -the one in which the Mediterranean is so stormy. - -Among the Arabs who had invited me to visit them, Bou-Allem-Ben-Sherifa, -Bash-Aga of the D’jendel, had pressed me so strongly that I determined -on commencing my round of visits with him. - -Our journey from Algiers to MĂ©dĂ©ah was most prosaic, for a diligence -conveyed us there in two days. - -Apart from the interest inspired in us by the peculiar vegetation of -Algeria, as well as the famous peak of the MouzaĂŻa, which we passed at a -gallop, the incidents of the journey were the same as on any French high -road. The hotels were kept by Frenchmen, and you dined at the table -d’hĂ´te on the same fare, at the same price, and with the same -attendance. This bagman’s existence was not what we had anticipated on -leaving Algiers. Hence, we were delighted to get out at MĂ©dĂ©ah, as the -diligence did not follow the same road as ourselves beyond this point. - -Captain Ritter, head of the Arab office at MĂ©dĂ©ah, to whom I went, had -seen my performances at Algiers: hence, I had no occasion to hand him -the letter of recommendation addressed to him by M. de Neveu. He -received me with great affability, and Mme. Ritter joined her entreaties -to her husband’s that we should visit the town. I indeed regretted being -obliged to leave such agreeable persons the next morning; but I was -obliged to hurry my tour over before the autumnal rains set in, which -render the roads impracticable, and often, indeed, very dangerous. - -The captain acceded to my wishes; he lent us two horses from his stable, -and gave us as a guide to Bou-Allem’s a caĂŻd who spoke French -excellently. - -This Arab had been caught when quite a youth in a hut which Abd-ul-Khadr -had been forced to abandon after one of his numerous defeats. The -government sent the lad to the Louis-le Grand College, where he got on -excellently in his studies. But, constantly pursued by the remembrance -of his African sky, and the national “couscoussou” our bachelor of arts -asked the favor of being sent back to Algeria. Owing to his education he -was made caĂŻd of a small tribe, whose name I have forgotten, but which -lay on the route we were going to take. - -My guide--whom I will call Muhammad, because I have forgotten his name -also (for Arab names are difficult to remember by those who have not -lived some time in Algeria)--Muhammad, then, was accompanied by four -Arabs of his tribe: two of them were to carry our baggage, and the other -two wait upon us. All were mounted, and proceeded before us. - -We started at eight in the morning, as our first stage was not to be -long, for Muhammad assured me that, if it pleased God (a formula a true -believer never omits in speaking of the future), we should arrive at his -house in time for breakfast. In fact, about three hours after we had set -out, our little caravan reached Muhammad’s modest _douar_, and we -dismounted in front of a villa, entirely composed of branches, of which -the roof was hardly of man’s height. This was the caĂŻd’s reception-room. - -The door was opened, and our guide showed us the way by walking in -first. Only one piece of furniture ornamented the interior; it was a -small wooden stool, which my wife converted into a seat. Muhammad and I -seated ourselves on a carpet, which an Arab had spread at our feet, and -breakfast was soon served up. Muhammad, who, I fancy, wished to gain our -pardon for a grave crime he was about to commit, treated us sumptuously, -and almost in the French style. A rich soup, roast fowls, various -ragoĂ»ts, which I cannot describe, as my culinary studies have been very -limited, and pastry, which FĂ©lix himself would not have disowned, were -placed before us in turn. More than that, my wife and I had been handed -an iron knife, fork and spoon--an unheard of thing at an Arab’s. - -The meal had been brought from an adjacent _gourbi_, where the caĂŻd’s -mother resided. This lady had lived in Algiers for a long time, where -she had acquired the skill of which she had just offered us a specimen. - -As for Muhammad, he had resumed the fashions of his ancestors, with the -Mussulman costume, and lived on dates and “couscoussou,” save when he -had any guests, which was extremely rare. - -Our breakfast over, the host advised to set out again, if we wished to -reach Bou-Allem’s before nightfall; and we followed his advice. - -From MĂ©dĂ©ah to Muhammad’s _douar_ we had followed a tolerable road, but -on leaving his house we entered on a barren and desert country, where we -saw no other signs of a road than those left by ourselves. The sun -poured its most torrid beams upon our heads, and we found no shade along -our route to protect us from it. Frequently, too, our progress became -very laborious, for we came to ravines, into which we had to descend at -the risk of our horses’ knees and our own necks. To restore our -patience, our guide told us we should soon reach more even ground, and -we continued our journey. - -About two hours after leaving our first halt, Muhammad quitted us at -full gallop, saying he would soon return, and disappeared behind a -mound. - -We never saw our caĂŻd again. - -I learned, afterwards, that in his jealousy of Bou-Allem’s wealth, he -preferred incurring a punishment sooner than pay a visit to his rival. - -This flight rendered my wife and myself very uncomfortable, and we -exchanged our ideas on the subject, with no fear of being understood by -our guides. We were alarmed by the bad example given by Muhammad. -Suppose the four Arabs were to imitate their chief, and also abandon us! -What would become of us in a country where, even if we were to meet -anybody, we could not make him understand our wishes? - -But we escaped with the fear. Our worthy guides remained faithful to us, -and were even very polite and attentive during the journey. Besides, as -Muhammad had told us, we soon reached a road leading us straight to the -abode of Bou-Allem. - -Compared with the caĂŻd’s house, the bash-aga’s might be considered a -princely residence, less, however, through the architectural beauty of -the buildings than through their extent. As in all Arab houses, only -walls could be seen from without; all the windows looked on court-yards -or gardens. - -Bou-Allem and his son, warned of our arrival, came to meet us, and paid -us in Arabic compliments I did not understand, but which I supposed to -be the usual salâmalecks, that is to say: - -“Be ye welcome, oh ye invited of Deity!” - -Such, however, was my confidence, that, whatever might have been said to -me, I should have accepted it as a compliment. - -We dismounted, and sat down upon a stone bench, where coffee was soon -served up to us. In Algeria people drink coffee and smoke the whole day -long. It is true that this beverage is not made so strong as in France, -and the cups are very small. - -Bou-Allem, after lighting a pipe, handed it to me: it was an honor he -did me to let me smoke after him, and I could not decline it, though I -might have preferred it to be just the “other way about.” - -As I have already stated, I only knew three or four words of Arabic, and -with such a poor vocabulary it was difficult to talk with my hosts. -Still, they evidenced great joy at my arrival, for every moment they -renewed their protestations, while laying their hands on their hearts. -I replied by similar signs, and hence had not to draw on my imagination -to keep up the conversation. - -Later, however, urged by an appetite whose prompt satisfaction I did not -calculate on, I ventured on a new pantomime. Laying my hand on the pit -of my stomach, and assuming a suffering air, I tried to make Bou-Allem -comprehend that we required more substantial food than civil -compliments. The intelligent Arab understood me, and gave orders for the -meal to be hastened on. - -In the meanwhile, and to keep us quiet, he offered, by gestures, to show -us his apartments. - -We ascended a small stone staircase, and, on arriving at the first -floor, our guide opened a door, which offered this peculiarity, that, to -pass through it, you were obliged to lower your head and lift your foot -simultaneously. In other words, this door was so low, that a man of -ordinary height could not pass through it without stooping, and, as the -floor was raised, you were obliged to step up on it. - -This chamber was the bash-aga’s reception-room; the walls were covered -with red arabesques relieved with gold, and the ground strewn with -magnificent Turkey carpets. Four divans, covered with rich silk stuffs, -completed the entire furniture, with a small mahogany table, on which -were spread pipes, porcelain coffee cups, and other objects especially -used by Mussulmen. Among them, Bou-Allem took up a flask filled with -rose-water, and poured it on our hands. The perfume was delicate; -unfortunately, our host wished to do things grandly, and in order to -show the esteem he held us in, employed the rest of the bottle in -literally sprinkling us from head to foot. - -We visited two other large rooms, more simply decorated than the first, -and in one of them was an enormous divan. Bou-Allem made us comprehend -that was where he slept. - -These details would have been very interesting at any other moment, but -we were dying of hunger, and, according to the proverb, “a starving -belly has neither eyes nor ears.” I was just going to recommence my -famous pantomime, when, in passing through a small room, in which the -only furniture was a carpet, our cicerone opened his mouth, pointed with -his finger that something was to be placed in it, and thus made us -understand we were in the dining-room. I laid my hand on my heart to -express all the pleasure I experienced. - -By Bou-Allem’s invitation we sat down on the carpet, round a large -waiter put down in place of a table. - -Once seated, two Arabs came in to wait on us. - -In France, servants wait with their heads uncovered; in Algeria, they -keep on their head-covering; but, in return, as a mark of respect, they -leave their shoes at the door, and serve barefooted. Between our -servants and those of the Arabs the only difference is from head to -foot. - -We were the only guests seated with Bou-Allem, for the son had not the -honor of dining with his father, who always ate alone. - -A species of salad-bowl, filled with something like pumpkin soup, was -brought in, and I am very fond of that dish. - -“What a fortunate thing,” I said to my wife, “Bou-Allem has guessed my -taste; how I will do honor to his cook.” - -My host, doubtlessly, understood the meaning of my remark, for, after -offering us each a clumsy wooden spoon, he begged us to follow his -example, and plunged his weapon in up to the wrist. We imitated him. - -I soon took out an enormous spoonful, which I hastily lifted to my -mouth; but I had scarce tasted it ere I exclaimed with a horrible -grimace: - -“Pouah! what can that be? My mouth is on fire.” - -My wife withdrew the spoonful she had raised to her lips, but either her -appetite or her curiosity induced her to taste it. She did so, but soon -joined me in coughing. It was a regular pepper-pot. - -While apparently vexed at this contretemps, our host swallowed enormous -spoonfuls of the soup, and each time he stretched out his arm with an -air of beatitude, intended to convey to us, “And yet how good it is.” - -The soup-tureen was taken away almost empty. - -“Bueno! bueno!” Bou-Allem exclaimed, pointing to a dish just placed -before us. - -Bueno is Spanish, and the worthy bash-aga, knowing two or three words of -that language, was not vexed to display his learning to us. - -This famous dish was a species of ragoĂ»t, bearing some affinity to -haricot mutton. When I lived at Belleville, this was the masterpiece of -Mme. Auguste, and I always gave it a very good reception. Hence, in -remembrance of my good old cook, I was about to fall on the ragoĂ»t; but -I looked around in vain for a fork, a knife, or even the wooden spoon -handed us for the soup. - -Bou-Allem released me from the dilemma; he showed me, by himself -plunging his fingers into the dish, that a fork was a very useless -instrument. - -As hunger tormented us, we overcame our repugnance, and my wife, to -encourage me, delicately fished up a small piece of mutton. The sauce -was very highly spiced, but still, by eating very little meat and a -great deal of bread, we were enabled to render the poison innocuous. - -That I might be agreeable to my host, I unfortunately repeated the -Spanish words he had taught me. This compliment, which he believed -sincere, caused him extreme pleasure, and he drew out from the dish a -bone with meat hanging to it, and after tearing off some pieces with his -nails, offered them politely to my wife. - -I wondered how Madame Houdin would get rid of this singular present; but -she did so much more cleverly than I expected. Bou-Allem having turned -his head to give an order, the piece of meat was restored to the dish -with astounding craft, and we were much inclined to laugh when our host, -unsuspectingly, took this very piece of mutton for his own -gratification. - -We welcomed with great satisfaction a roast fowl served after the -ragoĂ»t; I took on myself to carve it, or, in other words, to tear it -asunder with my fingers, and I did so most delicately. We found it so -much to our taste that not a particle was left. - -Then came other dishes, which we tasted with due care, among them being -the famous “couscoussou,” which I found detestable, and the meal -terminated with sweetmeats. - -Our hands were in a deplorable condition, and an Arab brought us each a -basin and soap to wash them. - -Bou-Allem, after performing the operation, and washing his beard with -the greatest care, took a handful of soapsuds and rinsed his mouth. This -was the only liquor served at table. - -After dinner we proceeded to another room, and, on the road were joined -by a young Arab whom Bou-Allem had sent for. This man had been for a -long time servant at Algiers, and spoke French excellently; hence he -would serve as our interpreter. - -We entered a small room very elegantly decorated, in which were two -divans. - -“This,” our host said, “is the room reserved for guests of distinction; -you can go to bed when you like, but if you are not tired, I would ask -your leave to present to you several chief men of my tribe, who, having -heard of you, wish to see you.” - -“Let them come in,” I said, after consulting Madame Houdin, “we will -receive them with pleasure.” - -The interpreter went out, and soon brought in a dozen old men, among -whom were a Marabout and several talebs, whom the bash-aga appeared to -hold in great deference. - -They sat down in a circle on carpets and kept up a very lively -conversation about my performances at Algiers. This learned society -discussed the probability of the marvels related by the chief of the -tribe, who took great pleasure in depicting his impressions and those of -his co-religionists at the sight of the _miracles_ I had performed. - -Each lent an attentive ear to these stories, and regarded me with a -species of veneration; the Marabout alone displayed a degree of -scepticism, and asserted that the spectators had been duped by what he -called a vision. - -Jealous of my reputation as a French sorcerer, I thought I must perform -before the unbeliever a few tricks as a specimen of my late performance. -I had the pleasure of astounding my audience, but the Marabout continued -to offer me a systematic opposition, by which his neighbors were visibly -annoyed; the poor fellow did not suspect, though, what I had in store -for him. - -My antagonist wore in his sash a watch, the chain of which hung outside. - -I believe I have already mentioned a certain talent I possess of -filching a watch, a pin, a pocket-book, &c., with a skill by which -several of my friends have been victimized. - -I was fortunately born with an honest and upright heart, or this -peculiar talent might have led me too far. When I felt inclined for a -joke of this nature, I turned it to profit in a conjuring trick, or -waited till my friend took leave of me, and then recalled him: “Stay,” I -would say, handing him the stolen article, “let this serve as a lesson -to put you on your guard against persons less honest than myself.” - -But to return to our Marabout. I had stolen his watch as I passed near -him and slipped into its place a five-franc piece. - -To prevent his detecting it, and while waiting till I could profit by my -larceny, I improvised a trick. After juggling away Bou-Allem’s rosary, I -made it pass into one of the numerous slippers left at the door by the -guests; this shoe was next found to be full of coins, and to end this -little scene comically, I made five-franc pieces come out of the noses -of the spectators. They took such pleasure in this trick that I fancied -I should never terminate it. “_Douros! douros!_” they shouted, as they -twitched their noses. I willingly acceded to their request, and the -_douros_ issued at command. - -The delight was so great that several Arabs rolled on the ground; this -coarsely expressed joy on the part of Mohammedans was worth frenzied -applause to me. - -I pretended to keep aloof from the Marabout, who, as I expected, -remained serious and impassive. - -When calm was restored, my rival began speaking hurriedly to his -neighbors, as if striving to dispel their illusion, and, not succeeding, -he addressed me through the interpreter: - -“You will not deceive me in that way,” he said, with a crafty look. - -“Why so?” - -“Because I don’t believe in your power.” - -“Ah, indeed! Well, then, if you do not believe in my power, I will -compel you to believe in my skill.” - -“Neither in one nor the other.” - -I was at this moment the whole length of the room from the Marabout. - -“Stay,” I said to him; “you see this five-franc piece.” - -“Yes.” - -“Close your hand firmly, for the piece will go into it in spite of -yourself.” - -“I am ready,” the Arab said, in an incredulous voice, as he held out his -tightly closed fist. - -I took the piece at the end of my fingers, so that the assembly might -all see it, then, feigning to throw it at the Marabout, it disappeared -at the word “Pass!” - -My man opened his hand, and, finding nothing in it, shrugged his -shoulders, as if to say, “You see, I told you so.” - -I was well aware the piece was not there, but it was important to draw -the Marabout’s attention momentarily from the sash, and for this purpose -I employed the feint. - -“That does not surprise me,” I replied, “for I threw the piece with such -strength that it went right through your hand, and has fallen into your -sash. Being afraid I might break your watch by the blow, I called it to -me: here it is!” And I showed him the watch in my hand. - -The Marabout quickly put his hand in his waist-belt, to assure himself -of the truth, and was quite stupefied at finding the five-franc piece. - -The spectators were astounded. Some among them began telling their -beads with a vivacity evidencing a certain agitation of mind; but the -Marabout frowned without saying a word, and I saw he was spelling over -some evil design. - -“I now believe in your supernatural power,” he said; “you are a real -sorcerer; hence, I hope you will not fear to repeat here a trick you -performed in your theatre;” and offering me two pistols he held -concealed beneath his burnous, he added, “Come, choose one of these -pistols; we will load it, and I will fire at you. You have nothing to -fear, as you can ward off all blows.” - -I confess I was for a moment staggered; I sought a subterfuge and found -none. All eyes were fixed upon me, and a reply was anxiously awaited. - -The Marabout was triumphant. - -Bou-Allem, being aware that my tricks were only the result of skill, was -angry that his guest should be so pestered; hence he began reproaching -the Marabout. I stopped him, however, for an idea had occurred to me -which would save me from my dilemma, at least temporarily; then, -addressing my adversary: - -“You are aware,” I said, with assurance, “that I require a talisman in -order to be invulnerable, and, unfortunately, I have left mine at -Algiers.” - -The Marabout began laughing with an incredulous air. - -“Still,” I continued, “I can, by remaining six hours at prayers, do -without the talisman, and defy your weapon. To-morrow morning, at eight -o’clock, I will allow you to fire at me in the presence of these Arabs, -who were witnesses of your challenge.” - -Bou-Allem, astonished at such a promise, asked me once again if this -offer were serious, and if he should invite the company for the -appointed hour. On my affirmative, they agreed to meet before the stone -bench I have already alluded to. - -I did not spend my night at prayers, as may be supposed, but I employed -about two hours in ensuring my invulnerability; then, satisfied with the -result, I slept soundly, for I was terribly tired. - -By eight the next morning we had breakfasted, our horses were saddled, -and our escort was awaiting the signal for our departure, which would -take place after the famous experiment. - -None of the guests were absent, and, indeed, a great number of Arabs -came in to swell the crowd. - -The pistols were handed me; I called attention to the fact that the -vents were clear, and the Marabout put in a fair charge of powder and -drove the wad home. Among the bullets produced, I chose one which I -openly put in the pistol, and which was then also covered with paper. - -The Arab watched all these movements, for his honor was at stake. - -We went through the same process with the second pistol and the solemn -moment arrived. - -Solemn, indeed, it seemed to everybody--to the spectators who were -uncertain of the issue, to Madame Houdin, who had in vain besought me to -give up this trick, for she feared the result--and solemn also to me, -for as my new trick did not depend on any of the arrangements made at -Algiers, I feared an error, an act of treachery--I knew not what. - -Still I posted myself at fifteen paces from the sheik, without evincing -the slightest emotion. - -The Marabout immediately seized one of the pistols, and, on my giving -the signal, took a deliberate aim at me. The pistol went off, and the -ball appeared between my teeth. - -More angry than ever, my rival tried to seize the other pistol, but I -succeeded in reaching it before him. - -“You could not injure me,” I said to him, “but you shall now see that my -aim is more dangerous than yours. Look at that wall.” - -I pulled the trigger, and on the newly whitewashed wall appeared a large -patch of blood, exactly at the spot where I had aimed. - -The Marabout went up to it, dipped his finger in the blood, and, raising -it to his mouth, convinced himself of the reality. When he acquired this -certainty, his arms fell, and his head was bowed on his chest, as if he -were annihilated. - -It was evident that for the moment he doubted everything, even the -Prophet. - -The spectators raised their eyes to heaven, muttered prayers, and -regarded me with a species of terror. - -This scene was a triumphant termination to my performance. I therefore -retired, leaving the audience under the impression I had produced. We -took leave of Bou-Allem and his son, and set off at a gallop. - -The trick I have just described, though so curious, is easily prepared. -I will give a description of it, while explaining the trouble it took -me. - -As soon as I was alone in my room, I took out of my pistol-case--without -which I never travel--a bullet mould. - -I took a card, bent up the four edges, and thus made a sort of trough, -in which I placed a piece of wax taken from one of the candles. When it -was melted, I mixed with it a little lamp-black I had obtained by -putting the blade of a knife over the candle, and then ran this -composition in the bullet-mould. - -Had I allowed the liquid to get quite cold, the ball would have been -full and solid; but in about ten seconds I turned the mould over, and -the portions of the wax not yet set ran out, leaving a hollow ball in -the mould. This operation is the same as that used in making tapers, the -thickness of the outside depending on the time the liquid has been left -in the mould. - -I wanted a second ball, which I made rather more solid than the other; -and this I filled with blood, and covered the orifice with a lump of -wax. An Irishman had once taught me the way to draw blood from the -thumb, without feeling any pain, and I employed it on this occasion to -fill my bullet. - -Bullets thus prepared bear an extraordinary resemblance to lead, and are -easily mistaken for that metal when seen at a short distance off. - -With this explanation, the trick will be easily understood. After -showing the leaden bullet to the spectators, I changed it for my hollow -ball, and openly put the latter into the pistol. By pressing the wad -tightly down, the wax broke into small pieces, and could not touch me at -the distance I stood. - -At the moment the pistol was fired, I opened my mouth to display the -lead bullet I held between my teeth, while the other pistol contained -the bullet filled with blood, which bursting against the wall, left its -imprint, though the wax had flown to atoms. - -After a pleasant journey, we reached Milianah at four in the afternoon. -The head of the Arab office, Captain Bourseret, received us most kindly, -and begged us to regard his house as our own during the whole time of -our stay. - -M. Bourseret resided with his mother, and that excellent lady showed -Madame Robert-Houdin all those delicate attentions which only a friend -of long standing could have claimed. - -Our trip across the D’jendel had fatigued us, hence we passed the -greater portion of the next day in resting ourselves. - -At night, the captain gave a grand dinner, to which the general -commanding, the lieutenant-colonel, and some notabilities of the town -were invited. After the repast, I thought I could not better repay my -polite reception than by giving a small performance, in which I -displayed all my skill. As I had told M. Bourseret, during the day, of -my intention, he had invited a large evening party; and I must suppose -my experiments pleased, if I may judge by the greeting they received. -Besides, my public were so favorably disposed towards me, that they -often applauded on trust, as they could not all see very well. - -Milianah was the end of my journey. I could only remain three days, if I -wished to return to Algiers in time for the steamer that would convey us -to France. - -M. Bourseret arranged an excursion for the second day of my stay at his -house to visit the Beni-Menasseh, a nomadic tribe at that time encamped -a few leagues from Milianah. - -At six in the morning we took horse, accompanied by some of the -captain’s friends, and went down the mountain on which the town is -built. - -We were escorted by a dozen Arabs attached to the office, all clothed in -red mantles, and armed with guns. - -Orders had certainly been given beforehand, for, on reaching the plain, -at the first _goum_ we passed through, ten Arabs mounted their horses -and formed our escort. A little further on another troop joined the -first, and our band, acting like a rolling snow-ball, ended by attaining -considerable proportions. It was composed of about two hundred Arabs. - -After two hours’ march, we quitted the high road, and entered a plain -that extended an immense distance in front of us. - -Suddenly, the Arabs who accompanied us, probably in obedience to a -signal from the chief, started off at a gallop, and proceeded five or -six hundred yards ahead. There the troop divided, formed four deep, and -the men of the first file rushed upon us, uttering frenzied cries as -they held their guns to their shoulders and prepared to fire. - -Our little band happened to be in front at this moment. The Arabs rushed -upon us with the velocity of a steam-engine, and in a few seconds we -should have suffered a collision that must have crushed us all. - -A sound of firing was heard: all the horsemen had discharged their guns -with admirable precision over our heads. Their horses plunged, turned on -their hind legs, and started off at full speed to join the troop. - -The Arab might have been taken for a perfect Centaur, when we saw him, -while riding at this frantic speed, load his gun, and perform with it -all the tricks peculiar to the drum-major. - -The first file of horsemen had scarce retired when the second came -forward, and went through a similar performance, which was repeated at -least twenty times. Our captain had arranged for us the surprise of a -fantasia. - -At the noise of the firing some of our horses had started, but, the -first moment of surprise passed, they remained perfectly quiet. My -wife’s horse was an animal of approved docility, hence it was far less -affected than its rider; still, every one did my wife the justice of -stating that, after the first shock was over, she remained as calm as -the boldest warrior among us. - -The fantasia terminated, the Arabs took their place in the escort -again, and within an hour we reached the tents of the Beni-Menasseh. - -The Aga Ben-Amara was awaiting us. On our arrival he advanced towards -us, and humbly kissed the captain’s hand, while other men of his tribe, -in order to do honor to our visit, discharged their guns almost under -our horses’ noses. But men and beasts were case-hardened, and there was -not the slightest movement in our ranks. - -Ben-Amara conducted us into his tent, where each sat down at his ease on -a large carpet. - -Our arrival caused a sensation in the tribe, for while we were smoking -and drinking coffee a large number of Arabs, impelled by curiosity, -ranged themselves in a circle round us, and in their immobility -resembled an avenue of bronze statues. - -We devoted about an hour to the pleasures of conversation, waiting for -the _diffa_ (meal), which we were impatiently desiring. We even began to -find the time very long, when we saw a procession approaching, with -banners at its head. - -These banners puzzled me, and seemed very strange, for they were folded -up. All at once the ranks of our peaceable spectators opened, and my -surprise was great on finding what I took for banners were only sheep -roasted whole and spitted on long poles. - -Two of these sheep-bearers marched in front. They were followed by some -twenty men, ranged in line, each of whom bore one of the dishes intended -to compose our _diffa_. - -These consisted of ragoĂ»ts and roasts of every description, the -inevitable “couscoussou,” and, lastly, a dozen dishes of dessert, the -handiwork of Ben-Amara’s wives. - -This perambulating dinner was a delicious sight, especially for people -whose appetites had been singularly sharpened by the fresh air and the -emotions produced by the fantasia. - -The head cook marched in front, and, like M. Malbroug’s officer, carried -nothing; but, so soon as he joined us, he set to work actively. Seizing -one of the sheep, he unspitted it, and laid it before us on a lordly -dish. - -To my companions, nearly all Algerian veterans, this gigantic roast was -no novelty; as for my wife and myself, the sight of such food would have -been enough to pacify our hunger under other circumstances, but now we -hastened to join the circle round this gigantic dish, which was worthy -of Gargantua. - -We were obliged, as at Bou-Allem’s, to pull the animal piece-meal with -our fingers; each tore up a strip at will--I must confess, at starting, -with some repugnance. Then, impelled by a ferocious appetite, we fell on -the sheep like wolves, and I know not whether it was owing to the sauce -we all had, but the guests unanimously declared they had never eaten -anything so good as this roast mutton. - -When we had selected the most delicate pieces, our cook proposed to -produce the other animal, but, on our refusal, he served up roast fowls, -to which we did our manly devoir. Then, turning up our noses at the -pepper-pot and “couscoussou,” which smelled strongly of rancid butter, -we made up for the want of bread during the meal by nibbling excellent -little cakes. - -There was something really princely about the aga’s reception, so, to -thank him, I proposed to give a small performance before my numerous -spectators, who, in their passionate admiration, could not leave the -ground. By their chief’s orders they drew nearer and formed a circle -round me. The captain was kind enough to act as my interpreter, and -thanks to him, I was enabled to perform a dozen of my best tricks. The -effect produced was such that I could not possibly continue, for every -one fled at my approach. Ben-Amara assured us they took me for Shaitan -himself, but, had I worn the Mohammedan costume, they would have cast -themselves at my feet as an envoy from Heaven. - -On our return to Milianah, the captain, to crown this delicious day of -pleasure, gave us the spectacle of a chase, in which the Arabs, -galloping at full speed, caught hares and partridges without once -firing. - -The following day we took leave of M. Bourseret and his excellent -mother, and proceeded towards Algiers, but not by a cross-road, for we -had had enough of them in traversing the D’jendel. This sort of party of -pleasure, in reality a party of pain, may be agreeable for once, for it -serves to revive in our inconstant minds the remembrance of the comfort -we have voluntarily given up. Hence we took the diligence to Algiers, -and on this occasion fully appreciated all the advantage of this mode of -transport. - -The _Alexander_ steamer, which had brought us from France, was to start -within two days, and this was all the time I had to take leave and thank -all those who had shown me so much kindness. - -On quitting Algiers I had the satisfaction of being conducted on board -the vessel by two officers of high rank, whose kindness I can never -repay. M. Palin du Parc, Colonel of the Marine Staff, and Colonel de -Neveu did not leave me until the wheels had begun to turn, and those -gentlemen were the last whose hands I pressed on the African coast. - -Were I to describe all my travelling incidents, I should have a great -deal to narrate before I reached my hermitage at St. Gervais; but I -will adhere to my expressed intention of only alluding to events -connected with my professional life. - -A frightful storm at sea--a tornado at the summit of the Pyrenees--death -staring us in the face twenty times--are events as terrible as they are -interesting to relate. But these moving episodes, which affect all -alike, have been already described by far more skillful pens than mine, -hence my description would offer no novelty; I will content myself, -therefore, with giving a summary of this terrible return to France. - -A tempest, assailed us in the Gulf of Lyons, and our engines were -disabled. Our vessel, after being tossed about for nine days by the -winds, at length reached the coast of Spain, and we managed to make the -port of Barcelona, where the authorities would not allow us to land, as -we had no passports for Spain. We coasted this inhospitable country -during a frightful storm, and at length reached the little port of -Rosas, where we intended to ride out the tempest. - -Here I landed, and crossed the Pyrenees in an open carriage, a -hurricane, the result of the tempest at sea, threatening to hurl us into -an abyss at every moment. At last we safely reached France, and -Marseilles, where I was obliged to fulfil a promise made to the managers -of the Grand Theatre on my former passage through the town. - -I was, indeed, famously recompensed for the fatigues and dangers of my -journey; for the Marseillais displayed towards me such unexampled -kindness, that these last performances will ever remain on my mind as -those in which I received the greatest applause. I could not take my -leave of the public in a more solemn way, and I hastened my return to -St. Gervais. - - -CONCLUSION. - -I can, in ending this work, repeat what I said at the beginning of my -penultimate chapter: “I have reached the object of my every hope.” But -this time, if it pleases God, as my guide Muhammad would say, no -temptation will again come to modify my plans of happiness. I hope still -for a long time (always if it pleases God) to enjoy that gentle and -peaceful existence which I had scarce tasted when ambition and curiosity -took me to Algiers. - -On returning home, I arranged round my study my performing instruments, -my faithful comrades, I may almost say, my dear friends; henceforth I -intended to devote myself to my darling study, the application of -electricity to mechanism. - -It must not be believed that, for that purpose, I disown the art to -which I owe so much pleasure. The thought is far from me; I am more than -ever proud of having cultivated it, as to it alone I owe the happiness -of devoting myself to my new studies. Besides, I diverge from it less -than my readers might be inclined to suppose, for I have, during a long -period, applied electricity to mechanism, and I must confess--if my -readers have not already guessed it--that electricity played an -important part in many of my experiments. In reality, my labors of -to-day only differ from the old ones in the form; but they are still -experiments. - -A lingering love for my old clockmaking trade has made me choose -chronometro-electrical works as the objects of my study. I have adopted -as my motto, “_to popularize electric clocks by making them as simple -and exact as possible_.” And as art always supposes an ideal which the -artist seeks to realize, I already dream of the day when the electric -wires, issuing from a single regulator, will radiate through the whole -of France, and bear the precise time to the largest towns and the most -modest villages. - -In the meanwhile, devoted to the sacred cause of progress, I labor -incessantly in the hope that my humble discoveries will be of some -service in the solution of this important problem. - -My performance is ended (I must remind my readers that I offered them my -narrative under this title); but I live in hope to begin it again soon, -for I have still so many mysteries, great and small, to unveil. -Sleight-of-hand is an immense quarry on which public curiosity can work -for a long time; hence I do not take leave of my audience, or rather of -my readers, for in the second form of performance I have adopted, my -farewell will not be definitive, until I have exhausted all that may be -said about SLEIGHT-OF-HAND AND ITS PROFESSORS. These two words will -serve as the title of the supplemental part of my Memoirs.[F] - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -A COURSE OF MIRACLES. - - -It has been said of the augurs, that they could not look at each other -without a laugh; it would be the same with the AĂŻssaoua, if Mussulman -blood did not flow in their veins. At any rate, there is not one among -them who is deceived as to the pretended miracles performed by his -brethren, but all lend a hand to execute them successfully, like a -company of mountebanks, at the head of whom is the Mokaddem. - -Even supposing that their pretended miracles could not be explained, a -simple reflection would destroy their prestige. The AĂŻssaoua call -themselves invulnerable--then, let them ask one of the audience to place -the red-hot iron on their cheeks, or some other part of their persons; -they assert they are invulnerable--then, let them invite some Zouaves to -pass their sabres through them. After such a spectacle, the most -incredulous would bow before them. - -Were I incombustible and invulnerable, I should find a pleasure in -offering undoubted proofs. I would put myself on a spit before a -scorching fire, and while roasting, would amuse myself with eating a -salad of pounded glass, seasoned with oil of vitriol. Such a sight would -attract the whole world, and I should become a prophet. - -But the AĂŻssaoua have reason to be prudent in the performances of these -tricks, as I will prove. The principal miracles are as follows: - - 1. Running a dagger into the cheek. - - 2. Eating the leaves of the prickly pear. - - 3. Laying the stomach on the edge of a sabre. - - 4. Playing with serpents. - - 5. Striking the arm, causing the blood to flow, and stopping it - instantaneously. - - 6. Eating pounded glass. - - 7. Swallowing pebbles, bottle-heels, &c. - - 8. Walking on red-hot iron, or passing the tongue over a white-hot - plate of iron. - -Let us begin with the most simple trick, that of thrusting a dagger into -the cheek. - -The Arab who performed this trick turned his back on me; hence I could -get very near him and watch his movements. He placed against his cheek -the point of a dagger, which was round and blunt as that of a -paper-knife. The flesh, instead of being pierced, went in for about two -inches between the molars, which were kept apart, exactly as a cake of -india-rubber would do. - -This trick is best performed by thin and aged persons, because the flesh -of their cheeks is peculiarly elastic. Now, the AĂŻssaoua fulfilled these -conditions in every respect. - -The Arab who ate the prickly pear leaves gave us no opportunity of -inspecting them, and I am inclined to believe that the leaves had been -prepared so as to do him no injury, otherwise he would not have -neglected this important point, which would have doubled the merit of -the miracle. But even had he shown them to us, this man went through so -many unneccessary manĹ“uvres, that he could very easily have changed -them for harmless leaves. In that case, it would be a fifteenth-rate -trick of conjuring. - -In the following experiment, two Arabs held a sabre, one by the hilt, -the other by the point; a third then came forward, and after raising his -clothes so as to leave the abdomen quite bare, laid himself flat on the -edge of the blade, while a fourth mounted on his back, and seemed to -press the whole weight of his body on him. - -This trick may be easily explained. - -Nothing proves to the audience that the sabre is really sharpened, or -that the edge is more cutting than the back, although the Arab who holds -it by the point is careful to wrap it up in a handkerchief; in this -imitating the jugglers who pretend they have cut their finger with one -of the daggers they use in their tricks. - -Besides, in performing this trick, the _invulnerable_ turned his back on -the audience. He knew the advantage to be derived from this -circumstance; hence, at the moment when about to lay himself on the -sabre, he very adroitly pulled back over his stomach that portion of his -clothing he had raised. Lastly, when the fourth actor mounted on his -back, he rested his hands on the shoulders of the Arabs who held the -sabre. The latter apparently maintained his balance, but, in reality, -they supported the whole weight of his body. Hence, the only requirement -for this trick is to have the stomach more or less pressed in, and I -will explain presently that this can be effected without any injury or -danger. - -As for the AĂŻssaoua, who place their hands in a bag filled with -serpents, and play with those reptiles, I will rely on Colonel de -Neveu’s judgment. This is what he says in his work already quoted: - -“We often pushed our incredulity and curiosity so far as to order the -AĂŻssaoua to come to our house with their menagerie. All the animals they -stated to us were vipers (_lifâ_), were only innocent lizards -(_hanech_), and when we offered to put our hand in the bag holding their -reptiles, they hastily retired, convinced that we were not duped by -their tricks.” - -I will add that these serpents, even had they been of a dangerous -character, could have had their teeth pulled out, so as to be harmless. -In support of this assertion, I noticed that these reptiles left no -wound where they bit. - -I did not see the trick performed of striking the arm and making the -blood issue; but it seems to me that a small sponge filled with ruddle -and concealed in the striking hand, would be enough to accomplish the -prodigy. On wiping the arm, the wound is necessarily cured. - -When I was a boy, I often made wine come out of a knife or of my finger, -by pressing a small sponge full of the liquor which I concealed in my -hand. - -I have often seen men champ wine-glasses between their teeth, and not -hurt themselves; but not one of them swallowed the fragments. Hence, it -was difficult for me to explain this trick of the AĂŻssaoua, till, by the -assistance offered me by a physician, I found in the _Dictionnaire des -Sciences MĂ©dicales_ for 1810, No. 1143, a paper written by Dr. Lesauvage -on the harmlessness of powdered glass. - -This gentleman, after quoting various instances of people he had seen -eat glass, thus describes various experiments he made on animals: - -“After placing a great number of dogs, cats and rats on a dietary of -pounded glass, the fragments being two to three lines in length, not one -of the animals was ill, and on opening some of them no injury could be -detected all along the alimentary canal. Being convinced, too, of the -harmlessness of swallowing glass, I determined to take some myself in -the presence of my colleague, M. Cagel, of Professor Lallemand, and -several other persons. I repeated this experiment several times, and -experienced not the slightest feeling of pain.” - -These authentic statements ought to have satisfied me; still, I wished -to witness this singular phenomenon with my own eyes. Hence, I gave one -of my house cats an enormous ball of meat seasoned with pounded glass. -The animal swallowed it with the greatest pleasure, and seemed even to -regret the end of this succulent meal. My family thought the cat booked -for death, and began deploring my barbarity, but the next day the animal -was perfectly well, and sniffed the spot where on the previous day it -had enjoyed the meal. - -Since that period, whenever I want to indulge a friend with this sight, -I regale my three cats, in turn, so as not to excite any jealousy among -them. - -It took me some time, I confess, before I could decide on performing Dr. -Lesauvage’s experiment on myself, and, indeed, I saw no necessity for -it. Still, one day, in the presence of a friend, I performed this -bravado, if it be so; I also swallowed my bolus, though I was careful to -pound my glass much finer than what I gave to my cats. I know not -whether it was the effect of imagination, but I fancied I enjoyed my -dinner much more than usual: did I owe this to the pounded glass? At any -rate, it would be a strange way of arousing the appetite. - -When the trick of swallowing bottle-heels and pebbles was to be done, -the AĂŻssaoua really put them in his mouth, but I believe, I may say -certainly, that he removed them at the moment when he placed his head in -the folds of the Mokaddem’s burnous. However, had he swallowed them, -there would have been nothing wonderful about this, when we compare it -with what was done some thirty years back in France by a mountebank -called “the sabre swallower.” - -This man who performed in the streets, threw back his head so as to form -a straight line with his throat, and really thrust down his gullet a -sabre, of which only the hilt remained outside the mouth. - -He also swallowed an egg without cracking it, or even nails and pebbles, -which he caused to resound, by striking his stomach with his fist. - -These tricks were the result of a peculiar formation in the mountebank’s -throat, but, if he had lived among the AĂŻssaoua, he would assuredly have -been the leading man of the company. - -Or what would the Arabs have said had they seen the conjurer who passed -a sword right through his body, and when thus spitted, also thrust a -knife into either nostril up to the handle? I witnessed this feat, and -others have probably done the same. - -This trick was, in reality, so terrifying, that the public would implore -the man to leave off; but without troubling himself about their cries, -he would reply, speaking frightfully through his nose, “that it did hib -no harb,” and sing in this singular voice the “_Fleuve du Tage_,” which -he accompanied on a guitar. - -I could not endure the sight of this trick, and would turn my head away -in horror when the troubadour drew out the sword, and begged us to -notice that it was stained with blood. - -Still, on reflection, I was certain the man could not really pierce his -stomach thus, and that there must be some trick concealed. - -My love of the marvellous made me desire to know it; hence, I applied to -the _invulnerable_, and on condition of a certain sum, and promises not -to use it, he sold me his secret. - -I may, in my turn, communicate it to the public without asking from them -the same promise. The trick is, however, rather ingenious. - -The performer was very thin--an indispensable quality for the success of -the trick. He pressed in his stomach very tightly with a waist-belt, and -produced the following result: the vertebral column being unable to -bend, served as a support, and the intestines gave way and fell in about -half the space they originally occupied. The mountebank then substituted -for the suppressed part a card-board stomach which restored him to his -original condition, and the whole being concealed beneath a -flesh-colored _tricot_, appeared to form part of his body. On either -side, above the hips, two ribbon rosettes hid the apertures by which the -sword-point would go in and out, these openings being connected by a -leathern scabbard which led the weapon securely from one end to the -other, while, in order to produce the blood, a sponge filled with a red -liquid was placed in the middle of the sheath. The knives in the -nostrils were a reality. The _invulnerable_ was very pug-nosed, which -allowed him to draw the cartilage of the nose up prior to the -introduction of the knives. - -I possessed the necessary physical qualifications for the sabre trick, -but none for that of the knives. I did not attempt the first, much less -the second. - -By the way, I may remark that, when a lad, I used to perform two -_miracles_, which might be useful to the AĂŻssaoua, if they were ever -told of them. I will explain them here. - -The corn-curer who taught me to juggle, also showed me a very curious -trick, consisting in thrusting a small nail into the right eye, which is -then made to pass into the left eye, thence into the mouth, and end by -returning into the right eye. - -It may be imagined how I burned with the fire of necromancy, since I had -the courage to practise this trick, which I found charming. A very -disagreeable circumstance, however, deprived me of my faith in the -effect produced by it. - -I sometimes spent the evening at a lady’s house who had two daughters. I -thought I could not select a better place for my first performance and -asked leave to do the trick. Of course this permission was granted, and -a circle was formed round me. - -“Ladies,” I said, with a certain degree of emphasis, “I am invulnerable. -To furnish you with a proof, I could easily stab myself with a dagger, a -knife, or any other sharp instrument; but I fear lest the sight of blood -might produce too agitating an effect on you. Hence, I will offer you -another proof of my supernatural powers.” And I performed my famous -trick of “the nail in the eye.” - -The effect of this scene was most unexpected, for the performance was -scarce over ere one of the young ladies was taken ill and fainted. The -evening’s amusement was disturbed, as may be supposed, and fearing some -recriminations, I bolted without saying a word, declaring that I would -never be caught again at such tricks. - -This, however, is the explanation of the trick: - -A small lead or silver pin may be introduced, without the slightest -feeling of pain, in the corner of the eye, near the lacrymal duct, -between the lower eyelid and the pupil; and, strangely enough, this -piece of metal once introduced, you do not in the least notice its -presence. To bring it out again, you need only press it with the finger. - -If desirous to perform the trick I have alluded to, you proceed in the -following way: - -After secretly placing one of these small nails in the left eye, and -another in the mouth, you commence as follows: - -You openly thrust a nail into your right eye, then, pressing the skin -with the end of the finger, you pretend to pass it through the nose into -the left eye, whence you withdraw the one put in beforehand. This you -return again to the eye, and the nail appears to pass into the mouth, -whence you produce the one already hidden there, and thence into the -right eye, whence you withdraw the one originally inserted. - -When this is done, you go on one side and remove the nail still -remaining in the left eye. - -But, to return to the last trick of the AĂŻssaoua, which consists in -walking over hot iron, and passing the tongue over incandescent plates -of the same metal. - -The AĂŻssaoua who walks over hot iron does nothing extraordinary, if we -consider the conditions under which the trick is performed. - -He quickly glides his heel along the iron; but the lower-class Arabs, -who all walk with naked feet, have the lower part of the foot as hard as -a horse’s hoof, hence, this horny part burns without occasioning the -slightest pain. - -And, besides, may not chance have taught the AĂŻssaoua certain -precautions known to more than one European juggler, before Dr. -Sementrici proved their use and explained them to the public? - -Let us quote some performances of our own mountebanks, and we shall -find that the followers of the AĂŻssa as miracle-mongers are a long way -behindhand in their pretended marvels. - -In February, 1677, an Englishman, of the name of Richardson, came to -Paris, and gave some very curious performances, which proved, according -to his statement, his incombustibility. - -He was seen to roast a piece of meat on his tongue, light a piece of -charcoal in his mouth by means of a pair of bellows, seize a bar of -red-hot iron in his hand, or hold it between his teeth. - -This Englishman’s servant published his master’s secret, which may be -found in the _Journal des Sciences_.[G] - -In 1809, a Spaniard, of the name of Leonetto, gave performances at -Paris. He also handled a bar of red-hot iron with impunity, passed it -through his hair, or stepped upon it; drank boiling oil, plunged his -fingers into melted lead, put some on his tongue, and ended his -performance by licking a piece of red-hot iron. - -This extraordinary man attracted the attention of Professor Sementrici, -who began carefully watching him. - -The professor remarked that the tongue of the _incombustible_ was -covered with a grey layer, and this discovery led him to try some -experiments on himself. He discovered that rubbing in a solution of -alum, evaporated to a spongy state, rendered the skin insensible to the -action of red-hot iron. He also rubbed himself with soap, and found that -even the hair did not burn when in that state. - -Satisfied with these investigations, the physician rubbed his tongue -with soap and a solution of alum, and the red-hot iron produced no -sensation on him. - -The tongue, when thus prepared, could also receive boiling oil, which -grew cold, and could then be swallowed. - -M. Sementrici also detected that the melted lead Leonetto employed was -only Arcet’s metal, fusible at the temperature of boiling water. (For -further details consult the historic notice of M. Julia de Fontenelle, -in Roret’s _Manuel des Sorciers_, page 181.) - -These explanations may appear sufficient to disprove the pretended -incombustibility of the AĂŻssaoua; still, I will add a personal fact, -whence the conclusion can be drawn that a man need not be inspired by -Allah or AĂŻssa to play with red-hot metals. - -Reading one day the _Comus_, a scientific review, I found a critique of -a work called _Study on Bodies in a Spheroidal Shape_, by M. Boutigny -(d’Evreux). The editor of the review, the AbbĂ© Moigno, quotes several of -the most interesting passages, among them being the following: - -“We passed our fingers through jets of red-hot metal” (M. Boutigny is -speaking). “We plunged our hands into moulds and crucibles filled with -metal that had just run from a Wilkinson, and of which the radiation was -insupportable, even at a long distance. We carried on these experiments -for more than two hours, and Madame Coulet, who was present, allowed her -daughter, a child of from eight to ten years, to put her hand in a -crucible of red-hot metal, which caused not the slightest injury.” - -Knowing the character of the learned abbĂ©, as well as that of the -celebrated naturalist and author of the work, it was not possible to -doubt: still, I must say, this fact appeared to me so impossible, that -my mind refused to accept it, and I wished to see, that I might believe. - -I decided on calling on M. Boutigny, and expressed to him my wish to see -so interesting an experiment, while carefully avoiding any expression -of doubt on the subject. - -This gentleman received me kindly, and proposed to repeat the experiment -before me, when I might have an opportunity to wash my hands in molten -metal. - -The proposition was attractive, scientifically speaking; but, on the -other hand, I had some fears, which the reader will appreciate, I think. -In the event of a mistake I should reduce my hands to charcoal, and I -was bound to take the greater care of them as they had been such -precious instruments to me. Hence I hesitated with my reply. - -“Do you not place confidence in me?” M. Boutigny asked. - -“Oh, certainly, sir, I have plenty of confidence, but--“ - -“But you are afraid--out with it!” the doctor interrupted me, with a -laugh. “Well, to ease your mind, I will try the temperature of the -liquid before you place your hands in it.” - -“And what is about the temperature of molten metal?” - -“Close on one thousand six hundred degrees.” - -“One thousand six hundred degrees?” I exclaimed. “Oh! the experiment -must be splendid: I consent.” - -On the day appointed by M. Boutigny, we proceeded to Mr. Davidson’s -foundry at La Villette, after he had granted us permission to make the -experiment. - -I was strangely affected on entering this vast establishment; the -deafening noise produced by the immense blasts, the flames escaping from -the furnaces, the sparkling jets transported by powerful machines and -running into gigantic moulds, the wiry, muscular workmen, blackened by -smoke and dust,--all this medley of men and things produced a strange -and rather solemn effect upon me. - -The manager came up to us and pointed out the furnace to which we were -to proceed for our experiment. - -While waiting for a jet of metal to run, we remained for a few moments -in silence near the furnace; then we commenced the following -conversation, which was certainly not of a nature to encourage me: - -“I would only repeat this experiment, which I am not fond of, for your -sake,” M. Boutigny said; “I confess that, though I am morally sure of -the result, I always feel an emotion which I cannot dispel.” - -“If that be the case,” I replied, “suppose we go? I will believe your -word.” - -“No, no; I am bound to show you this curious phenomenon. But, by the -way,” the learned doctor added, “let me see your hands.” - -He took them in his. - -“Hang it,” he went on, “they are very dry for our experiment.” - -“You think so?” - -“Certainly.” - -“Then it is dangerous?” - -“It might be so.” - -“In that case, we will go,” I said, turning to the door. - -“That would be a pity,” my companion replied, holding me back; “stay, -dip your hands in this bucket of water, dry them well, and they will be -sufficiently damp.” - -I must mention that to insure the success of this marvellous experiment -no other condition is requisite than to have the hands slightly damp. I -regret I can offer no explanations as to the principle of the -phenomenon, for this would require many a long chapter; hence I will -refer my readers to M. Boutigny’s work. It will be enough to state that -the metal, when in a state of fusion, is kept at a distance from the -skin by a repulsive force, which opposes an insurmountable barrier. - -I had scarce finished wiping my hands when the furnace was opened, and a -jet of molten metal, about the thickness of my arm, burst forth. Sparks -flew in every direction, as if it were a firework performance. - -“Wait a few minutes,” M. Boutigny said, “till the metal is cleansed, for -it would be dangerous to try our experiment at this moment.” - -Five minutes later the stream of liquid fire left off bubbling and -emitting scoriæ; it became, indeed, so limpid and brilliant, that it -scorched our eyes at a few yards off. - -All at once my companion walked up to the furnace, and calmly began -washing his hands in the metal as if it had been lukewarm water. - -I make no pretence to bravery; I confess at this moment my heart beat as -if it would burst, and yet, when M. Boutigny ended his strange -ablutions, I walked forward in my turn with a determination that proved -a certain strength of will. I imitated my professor’s movements, I -literally dabbled in the burning liquid, and, in my joy, inspired by -this marvellous operation, I took a handful of the metal and threw it in -the air, and it fell back in a fire-shower on the ground. - -The impression I felt in touching this molten iron can only be compared -to what I should have experienced in handling liquid velvet, if I may -express myself so. - -I now ask what are the red-hot bars of the AĂŻssaoua, in comparison to -the enormous temperature to which my hands had been exposed? - -The old and new miracles of the incombustibles are, therefore, explained -by the experiments of a skillful naturalist, who, while making no -pretence to trickery, only appreciates such phenomena in their relation -to the immutable laws by virtue of which they are accomplished. - - - - -INDEX. - - -A. - -Academician’s, predictions, 370. - -Accident at the OdĂ©on, 315. - -Accomplice, a kind, 135. - -Acrobatic canaries, 39. - -Africa, life in, 373. - -AĂŻssaoua, miracles of the sect of, 396. - -Alarum, a novel, 37. - -Alarum-light, the, 195. - -Albertus Magnus and his brazen man, 157. - -Alboni, Madame, 337. - -Algeria, journey to, 372; - reception in, 373. - -Ali-Ben-el-Hadji Moussa, “the slave of God,” 393. - -Ambassador, Houdin as, 372. - -Amputation extraordinary, 390. - -Anderson, “Professor,” his flagrant puffery, 326. - -Angers, journey to, 58; - arrival at, 61; - Fair at, 61. - -Anthon, Mr., buys Automaton Chess-player, 171. - -Antonia, story of, 114; - at Constantinople, 125; - death of, 130. - -Antonio, the nurse, 56; - his confession, 73; - in Paris, 180; - his wife, 184. - -Arab address to Houdin, 391. - -Arab chiefs convoked, 378. - -Arcet’s metal, 432. - -Artificial man, the, 157. - -Artist’s home, the, 194. - -Asp, automaton, 161. - -Athlete, an Arabian, 383. - -Aubusson, accident at, 87. - -Audience, studying an, 142; - a sleepy, 243; - an indignant, 267. - -Auguste, the caterer, 203. - -Auriol, Houdin’s automaton clown, 179. - -Author’s overture, 13. - -Automata: Brazen fly, 156; - by Vaucanson, 159; - Houdin’s--the pastry cook, 179; - Auriol and Debureau, _ibid_; - orange-tree, _ib._; - time-dial, _ib._ - -Automaton, Houdin’s first, 36; - Harlequin flute-player, 158; - tambourine-player, 159; - artificial duck, 159; - discovery of its trick, 160; - chess-player, 162; - history of, 162. - -Autumnal fĂŞtes at Algiers, 378. - -Avalanche, the human, 351. - -Aviary, a wonderful, 39. - - -B. - -Bab-Azoun Theatre in Algiers, 375. - -Bacon, Roger, makes a brazen head, 156. - -Balls, juggling with the, 49. - -Baths of Germany, 368. - -Belgium, Houdin’s visit to, 201. - -Belleville, retreat to, 198. - -Benefactor, a public, 29. - -Berlin, three months in, 369. - -Bernard, Colonel gives lessons to Houdin, 191. - -Berthoud on Clock-making, 43. - -Black-silk cap, story of, 301. - -Blois:--birth-place of Houdin, 17; - Houdin retires to, 369. - -Bores, how to get rid of, 264. - -Bosco, the conjurer, 184. - -Botany, lessons in, 37. - -Bottle-trick at Manchester, 349. - -Bou-Allem’s house, 402. - -Bought and sold, 31. - -Bouquet Ă la Reine, 355. - -Boutigny, with red hot metal, 432. - -Box, the mysterious, 383. - -Brazen automaton fly, 156. - -Brazen head, Bacon and Bungey’s, 156. - -Brèguet, the Cardinal’s, 110. - -Broken-English, Houdin’s, 346. - -Broken watch, the, 109. - -Brother and sister, 116; - before the Sultan, 125. - -Brunnow, the Baron, 341. - -Brussels Theatre, engagement at, 276; - journey to, 279; - troubles _en route_, 281; - arrives at, 287; - success, 290; - but no money, 291; - cheated on all sides, 292. - -Buckingham Palace, Houdin at, 353; - short commons at, 357. - -Bungey, Thomas, makes a brazen head, 156. - -Bush-Aga, abode of a, 402. - -Bust-making, extraordinary, 301. - - -C. - -Cagliostro at Rome, 105. - -_Cagliostro_, the Houdin’s comic journal, 254. - -Cagliostro’s casket, 309; - his seal, 308. - -Cambridge, Houdin at, 359. - -Canard, a real, 160. - -Canaries, the cage of, 38. - -Candle-lighting, 227. - -Caravan, a conjurer’s, 56. - -Card-rook, a, 211. - -Cards, a duel with, 85. - -Cardinal’s watch, 106; - broken, 109; - melted down, 111; - restored whole, 112. - -Carlosbach, Dr., the conjurer, 27. - -Carpentier, Aristide le, the antiquarian, 271. - -Carriage smashed, 286. - -Castellan, Madame, 337. - -Castelli, Signor, eats a man alive, 69. - -Catherine II. plays with the automaton chess-player, 169; - attempts to cheat, 170; - wants to buy the figure, 171. - -Celestial Empire, the, 236. - -Challenge to Houdin, 268. - -_Charivari_, the, 252. - -Charlatan bills, Anderson’s, 329. - -Charles V., iron fly presented to, 155. - -ChaussĂ©e d’Antin, scene in, 272. - -Cheat, punishment of a, 83. - -Cheating cards, diagrams of, 216. - -Chess-player, history of the automaton (see _Kempelen_), 162-172. - -Chester Theatre, England, 289. - -Chinese and their conjuring tricks, 225. - -Choosing a Profession, 26. - -Cleopatra’s asp, 161. - -Clipping the coin, 51. - -Clock, the mysterious, 195. - -Clockmaking, treatise on, 43. - -Clowns, Houdin’s automaton, 179. - -Coffee, the conjurer’s, 382. - -Collation, a magical, 364. - -Colchester, audience and the nuts, 365. - -Componium, the, 172; - repaired by Houdin, 175. - -Comte, the magician, 141; - his tricks, 143; - his cafĂ©, 144; - performs at the Tuilleries, 146; - his King of Hearts, 147; - hat-trick, 148; - his ventriloquism, 149; - visits Houdin, 150. - -Comus, the conjurer, 83. - -Conjuring bullets, 413. - -Conscientious audience, 298. - -Constantinople, conjuring at, 121. - -Convocation of Arab chiefs, 378. - -Cookery and clockwork, 194. - -Cossack, the automaton, 227. - -Course of miracles, a, 422. - -_Court Journal_, 355. - -Cousin Robert, 421. - -Covent Garden Theatre, 335. - -Critic, a severe, 204. - -Cronier, the mechanician, 161. - -Crystal Balls, the, 312. - -Curaçoa from the bottle, 350. - -Curious discussion, 377. - -Custom at Colchester, 365. - - -D. - -Dantan, junior, the caricaturist, 299; - makes a bust, 301. - -D’Avaray, Duc, 37. - -Dazzling picture, a, 343. - -De Paris, the Count, 231. - -Deception, a rival’s, 99. - -Delay at Algiers, 375. - -Delirium, influence of, 53. - -Dial, Houdin’s magic, 179. - -Diagrams of cheating cards, 216 and 218. - -Diamond cut diamond, 150. - -Diplomatist and conjurer, 341. - -Director of the Belgian Customs, 283; - tricks upon, 284. - -Doctor, a strange, 55. - -Domingo, the negro, 229. - -Dormeuil, theatrical manager, 336. - -Dorval, Madame, benefit of, 314. - -Doubtful applause, 75. - -Dreams, phantasmagoria of, 54. - -Debureau, Houdin’s automaton clown, 179. - -Duhart, chief of the claquers, 318. - -Dumas’ Monte Christo, 336. - - -E. - -Electric shock, 385. - -Electric touch, an, 264. - -Electric clocks, future of, 421. - -Electricity applied to mechanism by Houdin, 370. - -Emile-Houdin, 256; - performances by, 258. - -England invaded by French performers, 334. - -English theatrical costume, 332. - -Escamoteur, the, 153. - -Etherial suspension, 312. - -Exhibition of 1844, 231; - medal voted to Houdin, 233. - -Expedient, an, 331. - -Experiments, curious, 256. - -Eye and hand, practice of, 49. - - -F. - -Failure, an utter, 247. - -Fair-Unknown, a, 258. - -Family tickets, 143. - -Fancy Fair, Sir A. Webster’s, 337. - -Fantasia by Arabs, 378. - -Fantastic portfolio, 312. - -Fantastic SoirĂ©es, Houdin’s, 244. - -Farewell tour, Houdin’s, 368. - -Father Roujol, 152. - -Faubourg St. Germain, 270. - -Festival of Nankin, 228. - -Filings, how to make, 42. - -Financial crisis, a, 197. - -First bill, Houdin’s, 245. - -First fruits of labor, 135. - -First game played by Automaton chess-player, 163; - the Turk beats the Doctor, 164. - -First magician in France, 181. - -First performance at Paris by Houdin, 246. - -First public performance, Torrini’s, 97. - -Five-franc pieces, the magical, 408. - -Flowers, the birth of, 145. - -Flute-player, automaton, 159. - -Forey, Eugène, his drawing of Houdin’s theatre, 252. - -Fortune, a reverse of, 192. - -Fortunatus’s hat, 229. - -Four balls, juggling with, 49. - -Free admissions, 320. - -French towns, how lighted, 46. - -_Fricot_, a dish of, 199. - -Future experiments, Houdin’s, 420. - - -G. - -Galerie de Valois, 237. - -Garde Française, 312. - -GĂ©net, an optimist manager, 360. - -German-flute-player, automaton, 159. - -Germany, Houdin’s tour through, 368. - -Giovanni Torrini, 127. - -Glove, Victoria’s, 355. - -Gold-fish trick, 225. - -Grand Turk, the, 122. - -Gratuitous performance, 297. - -Great personages, 339. - -Great Wizard of the North, his frightful puffery, 326. - -Greek, a modern, 213. - -Grindstone, a nose on the, 43. - -Grisi, the Count Edmond de, 90. - -Grisi, Madame, 337. - -Gun-trick, a tragic, 129. - -Gymnastic machinery, 211. - -Gymnas, performance of, 319. - - -H. - -Hamilton, successor to Houdin, 367; - becomes his brother-in-law, 368. - -Happy moment, a, 203. - -Harem, the Sultan’s, 124. - -Harlequin automata, 77; - Philippe’s, 228. - -Hat, the spoiled, 134. - -Hearts, the King of, 147. - -Her Majesty’s Theatre, 323. - -Hertford, Houdin at, 360. - -Hints for sharpers, 219. - -Hippodrome of Paris, 244. - -Hired applause, 319. - -Historic Theatre of Paris, 336. - -Home, return to, 136. - -Homicide by imprudence, 130. - -Houdin, Mademoiselle, 140; - the conjurer marries her, 141. - -Houdin, M., the mechanical artist, 141. - -Houdin-Robert, birth and parentage, 17; - adventures, _passion_. - -Human avalanche, 351. - - -I. - -Idler, a country, 26. - -_Illustration_, the, 252. - -Incantation, the, 263. - -Inexhaustible bottle, 312. - -Ingot, the magic, 112. - -Inkstand, to make a fortune by, 177. - -Inquisition at Rome, 104. - -Interior of Africa, Houdin in the, 398. - -Inventor, calculations of an, 177. - -Invulnerability, 385; - secret of, 428. - -Ireland, Houdin in, 366. - -Iron automaton fly, 155. - -Italian conjurer, 157. - -Italy, conjuring in, 90-119. - - -J. - -Jenny Lind, 323. - -Judicious puffing, 325. - -Jules de Rovère, the conjurer, 153. - - -K. - -Kabyle rendered powerless, 384. - -Kabylia, revolt in, 374. - -Kitchen of Parafaragarmus, 229. - -Kempelen, M. de, Viennese mechanician, 162; - visits Dr. Osloff at Riga, 163; - invents the automaton chess-player, 163; - travels with it to Russia, 168; - baffles the Czarina, 171; - visits England, 171. - -Knowles, the manager, 345. - -Koppen exhibits the Componium, 172. - - -L. - -Lablache, the singer, 337. - -Ladies, pleasing the, 145. - -Lamp, the stolen, 46. - -Larivière, the AbbĂ©, head of Orleans College, 23. - -Lawyer’s office, Houdin in, 35. - -Le Carpentier, Aristide, 271. - -Leclerc invents the MĂ©lephone, 226. - -Lemnos, 309. - -Lenoir, the dancing master, 64. - -Leonetto with red hot iron, 431. - -Lesprit, the conjurer, 187. - -Life, most important event of, 45. - -Linnæus, study of, 38. - -Lottery, M. Philippe’s, 223. - -Louis Napoleon at Fulham, 339. - -Louis Philippe at the Palace of Industry, 231; - and the automaton writer, 238; - at St. Cloud, 303. - -Louis XVIII. and Comte, 146. - - -M. - -Macalister, the magician, 225; - in Paris, 229. - -Mâcon, the fair of, 148. - -MaĂ«lzel owns the automaton chess-player, and takes it to America, 172. - -Magic ingot, 112. - -Malice, a conjurer through, 101. - -Manchester, a city of chimneysweeps, 352. - -Manchester Theatre, Houdin at, 345. - -Manipulation, practice makes skill in, 49. - -Marabout, shot by one, 387. - -Marabout, mystification of one, 408. - -Marquis deceived, 117. - -Mario, the singer, 337. - -Marseilles, Torrini at, 126; Houdin at, 419. - -Mechanical snuff-box, 35. - -Mechanician’s shop on wheels, 78. - -MĂ©lephone, the, 226. - -Miette, the conjurer, 187. - -Minor miseries, 295. - -Miracles, a course of, 422. - -Mitchell, London manager, 322; - Jenny Lind’s box, 323. - -Modest living, 199. - -Molten metal, washing the hands in, 433. - -Monte Christo, at Covent Garden, 335; - at St. James’s Theatre, 336. - -Moor, disappearance of a, 388. - -Morrison’s pills, 223. - -Mountebanks in Paris, 311. - -Mouse-power to raise water, 21. - -Muhammad, the Arab guide, breakfast with, 400; - he deserts, 401. - -Murderer’s confession, 59. - -Music-master, the, 182. - -Musky compliments, 151. - -Mystification, 151. - -Mystification extraordinary, 117. - -Mystifier mystified, 150. - - -N. - -Nail in the eye, 429. - -Nankin, festival of the Court of, 228. - -Naples, the King of, 100. - -Napoleon of Necromancy, 328. - -Napoleon III. in England, 339. - -Necromancy in Rome, 105. - -Need, a friend in, 285. - -Neptune’s basins, 229. - -Nevers, ventriloquism at, 148. - -Neveu, Colonel de, 371; - his work on Algiers, 396. - -New Joe Miller, a, 329. - -New studies, Houdin’s, 253. - -Nightingale, mechanical, its song, 207. - -Nomadic life, 78. - -Noriet, watchmaker and sculptor, 50. - -Novel lottery, a, 223. - -Number sixty-nine, 268. - -Nuremburg dolls, 200. - -Nuts at Colchester, 365. - - -O. - -OdĂ©on, performance at the, 314. - -Olivier, the conjurer, 126. - -Omelette accident, 133. - -Omen, an, 231. - -Open-air studies, 311. - -Optimist manager, 360. - -Orange-tree, Houdin’s mysterious, 179. - -Origin of flowers, 312. - -Orleans, Houdin at College of, 20. - -Orleans, Duchess of, 281; - at St. Cloud, 309. - -Orleans family in London, 355. - -Osloff, Dr., saves Worousky’s life, 162; - plays first game with automaton chess-player, 163. - - -P. - -Page, sawing asunder of one, 123. - -Palais Royal Theatre, 335. - -Panic, Houdin’s, 249; - of an Arab audience, 389. - -Papin, Denis, inventor of steam engine, 17. - -Parafaragarmus, kitchen of, 229. - -Paris, Robert-Houdin goes to, 141; - return to, from Brussels, 292; - from England, 366; - retires from, 368. - -Park Theatre, Brussels, 287. - -Pastry-cook, Houdin’s automaton, 179. - -Peacock, the magic, 228. - -Perambulating house, 61. - -Perrault’s fairies, 157. - -Philippe Talon, the conjurer, 221; - visits London, _ib._; - at Aberdeen, 222; - his lottery, 223; - in Paris, 227. - -Philter, a lady wants a, 262. - -Piarot, Bosco’s pigeon, 189. - -Pigeon-trick, Bosco’s, 187; - his work, 191. - -Piller of the State, a, 223. - -Pillory, spectators on the, 350. - -Pinetti, Chevalier, 92; - treachery of, 94. - -Pirlemont Hotel, Brussels, 286. - -Pistol-trick in Africa, 412. - -Piquet, a blind man’s game at, 64; - the game of, 81; - a duel at, 85. - -Pius VII. and the conjurer, 107. - -Pocket, _sauter la coupe_ in the, 50. - -Poison in the dish, 52. - -Police, the Prefect of, 238. - -Poor Piarot, 189. - -Pope, conjuring before the, 107. - -Porter, tyranny of, 288. - -Porter’s power, machine of, 38. - -_Pot-au-feu_, 194. - -Powdered glass, an appetiser, 425. - -Prepared playing cards, 214. - -Press, the English, 333. - -Prestidigitateur, title first assumed by Jules de Rovère, 154. - -Prodigal son, 136. - -Prophet, a fallible, 250. - -Protector, a powerful, 318. - -Punch’s doings, 223. - -Punch bowl, the magic, 382. - - -R. - -Race for time, 265. - -RagoĂ»t, the poisoned, 52. - -Rat, the captured, 21. - -Rat-trap, a novel, 23. - -Randon, Marshal, 380. - -Recollections of the soirĂ©es, 254. - -Red-hot metal, feats with, 432. - -Reforms in conjuring, 235. - -Rehearsal, Houdin’s first, 241. - -Repast, a wizard’s, 357. - -Retirement from Paris, 368. - -Revenge, a conjurer’s, 102. - -Revolution of 1848, 320. - -Reysolius, his artificial man, 157. - -Richardson’s incombustibility, 431. - -Rings’ trick, 225. - -Ritter, Captain, 399. - -Rival, a dangerous, 66. - -Robert, the elder, father of Robert-Houdin, his skill, 17; - death of, 208. - -Roger, M., an honest lawyer, 37. - -Roger, the singer, 337. - -Romainville, music studies in the wood of, 207. - -Rose-colored tickets, 143. - -Royal patronage, 344. - -Royalty, insult to, 101. - -Rrrrrrrrouit, the nightingale’s, 207. - - -S. - -Sabre-swallower, the French, 427. - -Saint’s head, a, 200. - -Sand-bag and stirrup trick, 33. - -_Sauter de coupe_, 84. - -Scheme of revenge, 103. - -School, Houdin at, 21. - -Sciences, Royal Academy of, 158. - -Scientific amusements, 44. - -Scotland, Houdin in, 366. - -Second-sight, invention of the, 255. - -Seductions of a theatrical agent, 273. - -Selim III., the Sultan, visits Torrini, 122. - -Sementrici’s feats with hot metal, 431. - -Seven thousand francs made by filings, 208. - -Sharpers, hints for, 219. - -Skill, a duel of, 102. - -Skillful manager, a, 143. - -Sleight-of-hand, principle of, 48; - first practice in, 49. - -SoirĂ©es Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin in London, 324. - -Sorcerer, how a man becomes one, 46. - -Spectators in the pillory, 348. - -St. Cloud, Houdin at Palace of, 303. - -St. James’s Theatre, London, 322; - Houdin at, 330; - Dormeuil at, 335. - -St. Thomas Aquinas breaks the brazen man, 157. - -Stirrup-trick, 33. - -Storm at sea, 419. - -Strange audience, 381. - -Strange banners, 417. - -Strasburg, tragedy at, 129. - -Sugar-baker, the conjuring, 221. - -Sultan, wives of the, 122. - - -T. - -Taken by storm, 295. - -Talisman, a, 387. - -Talon, Philippe, the magician, 221. - -Tambourine-player, an automaton, 159. - -Tambourine, the singer, 337. - -Tent-life in Algiers, 416. - -Theatre, Houdin’s, in the Palais Royal, 237. - -Theatricals, 139. - -Theatrical agent, seductions of, 273. - -Theatrical bed, a, 324. - -Three people make an audience, 361. - -Time, a race for, 265. - -Tiou, the nightingale’s, 207. - -Too small a theatre, 295. - -Tools, Houdin’s early love of, 19. - -Torrini, the conjurer, 57; - relates his history, 90 _et seq._; - death of, 181. - -Tours, journey to, 53; - ventriloquism at, 148. - -Toys, conjurer’s distribution of, 254. - -Trepèze tumbler, the, 312. - -Trick, a fatal, 129. - -Trick, Houdin’s first, 47. - -Tricks of the AĂŻssaoua, 423. - -Tuilleries, Comte at the, 146. - -Turks, performances to the, 121. - -Twelve hundred francs spent on a trick, 113. - -Two sous-piece, a lucky, 281. - - -U. - -Universal Exhibition of 1855, medal from, 370. - - -V. - -Vatican, conjuring in the, 107. - -Vaucanson, Jacques de, automaton maker, 160; - some account of, 161; - asp of Cleopatra, 161. - -Vaudeville, Houdin at the, 165. - -Vermifuge balsam, 31. - -Ventriloquism by Comte, 148. - -Verdigris, a ragoĂ»t of, 52. - -Virgilius, his brazen fly, 156. - -Visitors in Africa, 407. - -Victoria, Queen, 340; - patronizes Houdin, 344. - - -W. - -Watchmaking, first lessons in, 41. - -Watch, the Cardinal’s, 106; - broken, 109; - melted down, 111; - found whole, in the Pope’s pocket, 112. - -Webster, Sir Arthur, his fĂŞte at Fulham, 336; - Houdin performs at, 343. - -Welcome rest, a, 367. - -Whiskey, Houdin’s glass of, 350. - -White magic before the Pope, 108. - -William Tell and his son, 127. - -Win, the way to, 217. - -Wine, a torrent of, 351. - -Wizard’s repast, 357. - -Wood-carver, the, 200. - -Wood-cutting, 201. - -Worousky, the rebel, his life saved by Dr. Osloff, 162; - a great chess-player, 163; - plays the automaton, 165; - at Toula, 166; - plays Catherine II., 169; - visits England, 171. - -Writing and drawing automaton, 196; - its completion, 204. - - -Z. - -Zilbermann, the gambler, 81. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[A] It will be remembered that in those days French towns were lighted -by a lamp suspended in the centre of the highway from a cord attached to -two poles.--(ED.) - -[B] After Vaucanson’s death, his works were dispersed and lost, with -the exception of the duck, which, after remaining for a long time in a -garret at Berlin, saw light again in 1840, and was purchased by a M. -George Tiets, who spent four years in repairing it. - -[C] The automaton chess-player always used the left hand--a defect -falsely attributed to the carelessness of the constructor. - -[D] Since this period Bosco has changed his stage decorations: his -cloths have altered their colors, his candles are shorter, but the -death’s-head, the ball, the costume, and the tricks, have ever remained -the same. - -[E] This slight incident did not prevent the jury granting me a silver -medal for my automata. Eleven years later, at the Universal Exhibition -of 1855, I received a medal of the first class for new applications of -electricity to mechanism. - -[F] It is possible that M. Robert-Houdin intends to take this revenge, -owing to the unfair way in which he was treated during his professional -career. In 1850, a man who had been seven years in his service, and -in whom he placed entire confidence, allowed himself to be seduced by -the brilliant offers an amateur made him, and sold the secret of some -of his Master’s tricks at a high price. Justice was appealed to and -stopped this disgraceful traffic: the seller was awarded two years’ -imprisonment, but the buyer could not be touched, and thus many of M. -Houdin’s tricks passed into strange hands. - -[G] 1677, first edition, page 41, and second edition, 1680, pp. 24, 147, -252. - - * * * * * - -Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: - -Robert-Houdin, sa vie, ses Ĺ“uvres, son théätre=> Robert-Houdin, sa -vie, ses Ĺ“uvres, son théâtre {pg 5} - -prestidigitatuer=> prestidigitateur {pg 9 & 136} - -recal my reminiscences=> recall my reminiscences {pg 55} - -my suprise was increased=> my surprise was increased {pg 56} - -A day had elasped=> A day had elapsed {pg 57} - -supported by trestels=> supported by trestles {pg 61} - -same degree of skill=> some degree of skill {pg 66} - -so much petulence=> so much petulance {pg 80} - -a jury should decided=> a jury should decide {pg 84} - -had concealed for any unforseen=> had concealed for any unforeseen {pg -90} - -I was enenchanted=> I was enchanted {pg 93} - -One repesentation the less=> One representation the less {pg 94} - -celebrated BrĂ©guet=> celebrated Brèguet {pg 106} - -for the occassion> for the occasion {pg 108} - -prove its superority=> prove its superiority {pg 109} - -my experiperiment=> my experiment {pg 111} - -A brass motar=> A brass mortar {pg 111} - -Do yo not recognize Antonio Torrini=> Do you not recognize Antonio -Torrini {pg 118} - -The only precaution neccessary=> The only precaution necessary {pg 129} - -her mornful handmaids=> her mournful handmaids {pg 131} - -contented himsely with=> contented himself with {pg 141} - -occassion=> occasion {pg 146 & 264} - -In fact, the the=> In fact, the {pg 147} - -there was the ball-headed gentlemen=> there was the ball-headed -gentleman {pg 147} - -such a talened sorcerer=> such a talented sorcerer {pg 147} - -In it will he found=> In it will be found {pg 158} - -convalesence=> convalescence {pg 163} - -the brilliancy of their dèbut=> the brilliancy of their dĂ©but {pg 166} - -to enable to enable=> to enable {pg 167} - -this flatttering explanation=> this flattering explanation {pg 169} - -I have forgotton=> I have forgotten {pg 173} - -I was quite annihileted=> I was quite annihilated {pg 174} - -playing ècartè=> playing Ă©cartĂ© {pg 219} - -on a table two sugar-loves=> on a table two sugar-loaves {pg 229} - -sextett=> sextet {pg 242} - -the next day we sucseeded=> the next day we suceeded {pg 256} - -I know not how your will interpret=> I know not how you will interpret -{pg 259} - -was to elaspe between=> was to elapse between {pg 265} - -had elasped since the curtain=> had elapsed since the curtain {pg 266} - -an affair of one hundred thousand france=> an affair of one hundred -thousand francs {pg 274} - -I had sarcely uttered the words=> I had scarcely uttered the words {pg -296} - -I should like too see=> I should like too see {pg 306} - -During this conversatian=> During this conversation {pg 342} - -the the other six months=> the other six months {pg 344} - -be scarely held in both hands=> be scarcely held in both hands {pg 356} - -the incarnation of opitimism=> the incarnation of optimism {pg 360} - -“Yes, gentlemen, yes; you can go in,” Gènet replied=> “Yes, gentlemen, -yes; you can go in,” GĂ©net replied {pg 362} - -Your are mistaken=> You are mistaken {pg 383} - -weaker than a women=> weaker than a woman {pg 384} - -than the once preceding it=> than the ones preceding it {pg 387} - -surrouuded the man=> surrounded the man {pg 389} - -with great affiability=> with great affability {pg 399} - -the ground strown with magnificent Turkey carpets=> the ground strewn -with magnificent Turkey carpets {pg 403} - -The came other dishes=> Then came other dishes {pg 406} - -leaving the audience under the impression had I produced=> leaving the -audience under the impression I had produced {pg 412} - -for its serves=> for it serves {pg 418} - -Auriol and Dubereau=> Auriol and Debureau {index} - -Dubureau, Houdin’s automaton clown, 179.=> Debureau, Houdin’s automaton -clown, 179. {index} - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, ambassador, -author and conjurer, by Jean Henri Robert-Houdin - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF ROBERT-HOUDIN *** - -***** This file should be named 42916-0.txt or 42916-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/9/1/42916/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/old/42916-0.zip b/old/42916-0.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index acaa2db..0000000 --- a/old/42916-0.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42916-8.txt b/old/42916-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 9f67673..0000000 --- a/old/42916-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,15604 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, ambassador, -author and conjurer, by Jean Henri Robert-Houdin - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, ambassador, author and conjurer - -Author: Jean Henri Robert-Houdin - -Editor: Robert Shelton Mackenzie - -Release Date: June 11, 2013 [EBook #42916] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF ROBERT-HOUDIN *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - - -[Transcriber's note: The etext attempts to replicate the printed book as -closely as possible. Many obvious errors in spelling and punctuation -have been corrected. Certain consistently used archaic spellings have -been retained (i.e. secresy, boquet, unforseen, caligraphy, caligrapher, -conjuror, etc.) A list of corrections made follows the etext. - -Footnotes have been moved to the end of the text body.] - - - - - MEMOIRS - - OF - - ROBERT-HOUDIN - - AMBASSADOR, AUTHOR, AND CONJURER. - - WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. - - EDITED BY - - DR. R. SHELTON MACKENZIE. - - PHILADELPHIA: - GEO. G. EVANS, PUBLISHER, - NO. 439 CHESTNUT STREET. - 1859. - - Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1859, by - - G. G. EVANS, - -In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of - Pennsylvania. - - STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY RINWALT & CO., - 34 SOUTH THIRD STREET. - - - - -EDITOR'S PREFACE. - - -A man may not only "take his own life," by writing his autobiography, -without committing _felo de se_, but may carry himself into future time -by producing a book which the world will not willingly let die. This is -what M. Robert-Houdin, the greatest artist in what is called Conjuring, -has lately done in the remarkable book _Confidences d'un Prestigiteur_, -a faithful translation of which is here presented to the American -reading public. The work has had the greatest success in Europe, from -its lively style as well as the various information it contains, -historical and philosophical, on the practice and principles of -sleight-of-hand, and the other details, mental as well as mechanical, -which unite to make perfect the exhibition of White Magic, the antipodes -of what our forefathers knew, persecuted, and punished as the Black Art. - -Houdin has been considered of such importance and interest in France, -that in Didot's _Nouvelle Biographie Générale_, now in course of -publication at Paris, a whole page is given to him. From this memoir, -and from his own account in the pages which follow, we learn that he -was born at Blois, on the 6th December, 1805,--that his father, a -watchmaker in that city, gave him a good education at the College of -Orleans,--that his inclination for _escamotage_ (or juggling) was so -decided as to make him averse to pursue his father's trade,--that he -early exhibited great taste for mechanical inventions, which he so -successfully cultivated that, at the Paris Exhibition of 1844, he was -awarded a medal for the ingenious construction of several -automata,--that, having studied the displays of the great masters on the -art of juggling, he opened a theatre of his own, in the Palais Royal in -Paris, to which his celebrated _soirées fantastiques_ attracted -crowds,--that, in 1848, when the Revolution had ruined all theatrical -speculations in Paris, he visited London, where his performances at St. -James's Theatre were universally attractive and lucrative,--that he made -a tour through Great Britain with equal success, returning to Paris when -France had settled down quietly under the rule of a President,--that he -subsequently visited many other parts of Europe, every where received -with distinction and applause,--that at the Great Parisian Exhibition of -1855, he was awarded the gold medal for his scientific application of -electricity to clocks,--that, shortly after, he closed ten years of -active public life by relinquishing his theatre to Mr. Hamilton, his -brother-in-law, retiring with a well-earned competency to Blois,--and -that, in 1857, at the special request of the French Government, which -desired to lessen the influence of the Marabouts, whose conjuring -tricks, accepted as actual magic by the Arabs, gave them too much -influence, he went to Algeria, as a sort of Ambassador, to play off his -tricks against theirs, and, by greater marvels than they could shew, -destroy the _prestige_ which they had acquired. He so completely -succeeded that the Arabs lost all faith in the miracles of the -Marabouts, and thus was destroyed an influence very dangerous to the -French Government. - -In his retirement, to which he has returned, Houdin wrote his -_Confidences_, and is now devoting himself to scientific researches -connected with electricity. Before the appearance of his own work, M. -Hatin had published, in 1857, _Robert-Houdin, sa vie, ses oeuvres, son -théâtre_. - -The French and English critics have generally and warmly eulogized M. -Houdin's _Confidences_, and I am persuaded that, on this side of the -Atlantic, it will be considered an instructive as well as an amusing -volume. - -One error which M. Houdin makes must not be passed over. His account of -M. de Kempelen's celebrated automaton chess-player (afterwards -Maëlzel's) is entirely wrong. This remarkable piece of mechanism was -constructed in 1769, and not in 1796; it was the Empress Maria-Theresa -of Austria who played with it, and not Catherine II. of Russia; it was -in 1783 that it first visited Paris, where it played at the Café de la -Régence; it was not taken to London until 1784; and again in 1819; it -was brought to America in 1825, by M. Maëlzel, and visited our principal -cities, its chief resting-place being Philadelphia; M. Maëlzel's death -was in 1838, on the voyage from Cuba to the United States, and not, as -M. Houdin says, on his return to France; and the automaton, so far from -being taken back to France, was sold by auction here, finally purchased -by the late Dr. J. K. Mitchell, of Philadelphia, reconstructed by him, -and finally deposited in the Chinese Museum, (formerly Peale's,) where -it was consumed in the great fire which destroyed the National Theatre, -(now the site of the Continental Hotel, corner of Ninth and Chestnut -streets,) and extending to the Chinese Museum, burnt it down on July -5th, 1854. An interesting account of the Automaton Chess-Player, written -by Professor George Allen, of this city, will be found in "The Book of -the First American Chess Congress," recently published in New York. - -M. Houdin is engaged now in writing a volume explaining the manner in -which sleight-of-hand and other conjuring tricks and deceptions are -performed. - -I have added an Index to this volume, which I trust will be accepted as -useful. - -R. SHELTON MACKENZIE. - -PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 26, 1859. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -CHAPTER I. - -.....PAGE - -My Birth and Parentage--My Home--The Lessons of Colonel -Bernard--Paternal Ambition--My first Mechanical Attempts--Had I -but a Rat!--A Prisoner's Industry--The Abbé Larivičre--My Word of -Honor--Farewell to my darling Tools......17 - -CHAPTER II. - -A Country Idler--Dr. Carlosbach, Conjurer and Professor of -Mystification--The Sand-bag and the Stirrup Trick--I turn Lawyer's -Clerk, and the Minutes appear to me very long--A small Automaton--A -respectful Protest--I mount a Step in the Office--A Machine of Porter's -Power--The Acrobatic Canaries--Monsieur Roger's Remonstrances--My Father -decides that I shall follow my bent......26 - -CHAPTER III. - -My Cousin Robert--The most important Event in my Life--How a Man becomes -a Sorcerer--My first Sleight-of-Hand Feat--An utter Failure--Practising -the Eye and the Hand--Curious Experiment in Prestidigitation--Monsieur -Noriet--An Action more ingenious than delicate--I am Poisoned--Influence -of Delirium......42 - -CHAPTER IV. - -I return to Life--A strange Doctor--Torrini and Antonio: a Conjurer and -a Fanatic for Music--A Murderer's Confession--A perambulating House--The -Fair at Angers--A portable Theatre--I witness for the first Time a -Conjuring Performance--The blind Man's Game at Piquet--A Dangerous -Rival--Signor Castelli eats a Man alive......55 - -CHAPTER V. - -Antonio's Confessions--How to gain Public Applause--The Count de -----, Mountebank--I repair an Automaton--A Mechanician's Shop on -Wheels--Nomadic Life--Happy Existence--Torrini's Lessons--His Opinions -about Sleight-of-Hand--A Fashionable Greek, Victim of his own -Swindling--The Conjurer Comus--A Duel at Piquet--Torrini proclaimed -Conqueror--Revelations--New Catastrophe--Poor Torrini!.....73 - -CHAPTER VI. - -Torrini relates his Life--Treachery of Chevalier Pinetti--A Conjurer -through Malice--A Race between two Magicians--Death of Pinetti--Exhibits -before Pius VII.--The Cardinal's Chronometer--Twelve Hundred -Francs spent on a Trick--Antonio and Antonia--The most bitter of -Mystifications--Constantinople......90 - -CHAPTER VII. - -Continuation of Torrini's History--The Grand Turk orders a -Performance--A marvellous Trick--A Page cut in two--Pitying Protest -of the Harem--Agreeable Surprise--Return to France--Torrini's Son -Killed--Madness--Decay--My first Performance--An annoying Accident--I -return Home......121 - -CHAPTER VIII. - -The Prodigal Son--Mademoiselle Houdin--I go to Paris--My -Marriage--Comte--Studies of the Public--A skillful Manager--Rose-colored -Tickets--A Musky Style--The King of Hearts--Ventriloquism--The -Mystifiers Mystified--Father Roujol--Jules de Rovčre--Origin of the word -_prestidigitateur_......136 - -CHAPTER IX. - -Celebrated Automata--A Brazen Fly--The Artificial Man--Albertus Magnus -and St. Thomas d'Aquinas--Vaucanson--His Duck--His Flute-Player--Curious -Details--The Automaton Chess-Player--Interesting Episode--Catherine II. -and M. de Kempelen--I repair the Componium--Unexpected Success......155 - -CHAPTER X. - -An Inventor's Calculations--One Hundred Thousand Francs a Year by -an Inkstand: Deception--My new Automata--The First Magician in -France: Decadence--I meet Antonio--Bosco--The Trick with the Cups--An -Execution--Resurrection of the Criminals--Mistake in a Head--The Canary -rewarded......176 - -CHAPTER XI. - -A Reverse of Fortune--Cookery and Clockwork--The Artist's -Home--Invention of an Automaton--Voluntary Exile--A modest Villa--The -Inconveniences of a Speciality--Two August Visitors--The Throat of a -mechanical Nightingale--The Tiou and the Rrrrrrrrouit--Seven Thousand -Francs earned by making Filings......192 - -CHAPTER XII. - -The Inventive Genius of a Sugar-baker--Philippe the Magician--His Comic -Adventures--Description of his Performance--Exposition of 1844--The King -and Royal Family visit my Automata......221 - -CHAPTER XIII. - -My proposed Reforms--I build a Theatre in the Palais -Royal--Formalities--General Rehearsal--Singular Effect of my -Performance--The Largest and Smallest Theatre in Paris--Tribulation--My -first Performance--Panic--Discouragement--A Fallible -Prophet--Recovery--Success......234 - -CHAPTER XIV. - -New Studies--A Comic Journal--Invention of Second Sight--Curious -Experiments--An enthusiastic Spectator--Danger of being a Sorcerer--A -Philter or your Life--Way to get rid of Bores--An Electric Touch--I -perform at the Vaudeville--Struggles with the Incredulous--Interesting -Details......253 - -CHAPTER XV. - -Seductions of a Theatrical Agent--How to gain One Hundred Thousand -Francs--I start for Brussels--A lucky Two-Sou Piece--Miseries of -professional Travelling--The Park Theatre--Tyranny of a Porter--Full -House--Small Receipts--Deceptions--Return to Paris......273 - -CHAPTER XVI. - -Reopening of my Fantastic Soirées--Minor Miseries of Good -Luck--Inconvenience of a small Theatre--My Room taken by Storm--A -gratuitous Performance--A conscientious Audience--Pleasant Story about -a Black Silk Cap--I perform at the Château of St. Cloud--Cagliostro's -Casket--Holidays......294 - -CHAPTER XVII. - -New Experiments--Aërial Suspension, &c.--A Performance at the Odéon--A -Friend in Need--1848--The Theatre deserted--I leave Paris for -London--Manager Mitchell--Publicity in England--The Great Wizard--A -Butter-mould used as a Puff--Singular Bills--A Prize for the best -Pun......312 - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -The St. James's Theatre--Invasion of England by French Performers--A -Fęte patronised by the Queen--The Diplomatist and the Sleight-of-Hand -Man--Three Thousand Pounds taken at one Haul--I perform at -Manchester--The Spectators in the Pillory--What capital Curaçoa!--A -Torrent of Wine--A Catastrophe--Performance at Buckingham Palace--A -Wizard's Repast......330 - -CHAPTER XIX. - -An Optimist Manager--Three Spectators in a Room--A Magical -Collation--The Colchester Public and the Nuts--I return to France--I -give up my Theatre--A Farewell Tour--I retire to St. Gervais--An -Academician's Predictions......359 - -CHAPTER XX. - -Travels in Algeria--Convocation of the Chieftains--Performances before -the Arabs--A Kabyle rendered powerless--Invulnerability--A Moor -disappears--Panic and Flight of the Audience--Reconciliation--The Sect -of Aďssaoua--Their pretended Miracles......371 - -CHAPTER XXI. - -Excursion in the Interior of Africa--The Abode of a Bash-Aga--A comical -Repast--A Soirée of Arab Dignitaries--A Marabout mystified--Tent-life in -Algeria--I return to France--A terrible Storm--Conclusion......398 - -CHAPTER XXII. - -A COURSE OF MIRACLES......422 - -INDEX......437 - - - - -THE AUTHOR'S OVERTURE. - - -SAINT GERVAIS, NEAR BLOIS, -September, 1858. - -Eight o'clock has just struck: my wife and children are by my side. I -have spent one of those pleasant days which tranquillity, work, and -study can alone secure.--With no regret for the past, with no fear for -the future, I am--I am not afraid to say it--as happy as man can be. - -And yet, at each vibration of this mysterious hour, my pulse starts, my -temples throb, and I can scarce breathe, so much do I feel the want of -air and motion. I can reply to no questions, so thoroughly am I lost in -a strange and delirious reverie. - -Shall I confess to you, reader? And why not? for this electrical effect -is not of a nature to be easily understood by you. - -The reason for my emotion being extreme at this moment is, that, during -my professional career, eight o'clock was the moment when I must appear -before the public. Then, with my eye eagerly fixed on the hole in the -curtain, I surveyed with intense pleasure the crowd that flocked in to -see me. Then, as now, my heart beat, for I was proud and happy of such -success. - -At times, too, a doubt, a feeling of uneasiness, would be mingled with -my pleasure. "Heavens!" I would say to myself, in terror, "am I so sure -of myself as to deserve such anxiety to see me?" - -But, soon reassured by the past, I waited with greater calmness the -signal for the curtain to draw up. I then walked on the stage: I was -near the foot-lights, before my judges--but no, I err--before my kind -spectators, whose applause I was in hopes to gain. - -Do you now understand, reader, all the reminiscences this hour evokes in -me, and the solemn feeling that continually occurs to me when the clock -strikes? - -These emotions and souvenirs are not at all painful to me: on the -contrary, I summon them up with pleasure. At times I even mentally -transport myself to my stage, in order to prolong them. There, as -before, I ring the bell, the curtain rises, I see my audience again, -and, under the charm of this sweet illusion, I delight in telling them -the most interesting episodes of my professional life. I tell them how a -man learns his real vocation, how the struggle with difficulties of -every nature begins, how, in fact---- - -But why should I not convert this fiction into a reality? Could I not, -each evening when the clock strikes eight, continue my performances -under another form? My public shall be the reader, and my stage a book. - -This idea pleases me: I accept it with joy, and immediately give way to -the sweet illusion. Already I fancy myself in the presence of spectators -whose kindness encourages me. I imagine they are waiting for me--they -are listening eagerly. - -Without further hesitation I begin. - -ROBERT-HOUDIN. - - - - -MEMOIRS - -OF - -ROBERT-HOUDIN. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - - My Birth and Parentage--My Home--The Lessons of Colonel - Bernard--Paternal Ambition--My first Mechanical Attempts--Had I but - a Rat!--A Prisoner's Industry--The Abbé Larivičre--My Word of - Honor--Farewell to my darling Tools. - - -In conformity with the traditional custom which expects every man who -writes his memoirs--or not to use too strong language, his -confessions--to display his patent of gentility, I commence by stating -to my readers, with a certain degree of pride, that I was born at Blois, -the birthplace of Louis XII., surnamed the "Father of his People," and -of Denis Papin, the illustrious inventor of the steam-engine. - -So much for my native town. As for my family, it would only appear -natural, regard being had to the art to which I devoted my life, that I -should display in my family tree the name of Robert _le Diable_, or of -some medićval sorcerer; but, being the very slave of truth, I will -content myself with stating that my father was a watchmaker. - -Though he did not rise to the elevation of the Berthouds and the -Breguets, my father was reputed to be very skilful in his profession. In -fact, I am only displaying our hereditary modesty when I say that my -father's talents were confined to a single art; for, in truth, nature -had adapted him for various branches of mechanics, and the activity of -his mind led him to try them all with equal ardor. An excellent -engraver, a jeweller of the greatest taste, he at the same time could -carve the arm or leg for some fractured statuette, restore the enamel on -any time-worn porcelain, or even repair musical snuff-boxes, which were -very fashionable in those days. The skill he evinced in these varied -arts at length procured him a most numerous body of customers; but, -unfortunately, he was wont to make any repairs not strictly connected -with his own business for the mere pleasure. - -In this house, which I may almost term artistic, and in the midst of -tools and implements in which I was destined to take so lively an -interest, I was born and educated. I possess an excellent memory, still, -though my reminiscences date back so far, I cannot remember the day of -my birth. I have learned since, however, that it was the 6th of -December, 1805. I am inclined to believe that I came into the world with -a file or a hammer in my hand, for, from my earliest youth, those -implements were my toys and delight: I learned how to use them as other -children learn to walk and talk. I need not say that my excellent mother -had frequently to wipe away the young mechanic's tears, when the hammer, -badly directed, struck my fingers. As for my father, he laughed at these -slight accidents, and said, jokingly, that it was a capital way of -driving my profession into me, and that, as I was a wonderful lad, I -could not but become an extraordinary workman. I do not pretend that I -ever realized the paternal predictions, but it is certain that I have -ever felt an irresistible inclination for mechanism. - -How often, in my infantile dreams, did a benevolent fairy open before me -the door of a mysterious El Dorado, where tools of every description -were piled up. The delight which these dreams produced on me, were the -same as any other child feels when his fancy summons up before him a -fantastic country where the houses are made of chocolate, the stones of -sugar candy, and the men of gingerbread. It is difficult to understand -this fever for tools; the mechanic, the artist adores them, and would -ruin himself to obtain them. Tools, in fact, are to him what a MS. is to -the archćologist, a coin to the antiquary, or a pack of cards to a -gambler: in a word they are the implements by which a ruling passion is -fed. - -By the time I was eight years of age I had furnished proofs of my -ability, partly through the kindness of an excellent neighbor, and -partly through a dangerous illness, when my forced idleness gave me -leisure to exercise my natural dexterity. This neighbor, M. Bernard, was -a colonel on half-pay. Having been a prisoner for many years, he had -learned how to make an infinity of toys, which he taught me as an -amusement, and I profited so well by his lessons, that in a very short -time I could equal my master. I fancy I can still see and hear this old -soldier, when, passing his hand over his heavy grey moustache, he -exclaimed with energetic satisfaction, "Why, the young scamp can do -anything he likes." This compliment flattered my childish vanity, and I -redoubled my efforts to deserve it. - -With my illness my pleasures ended; I was sent to school, and from that -time I had few opportunities for indulging in my favorite tasks. Still, -on my holidays, I used to return to my father's workshop with delight, -and, yet, I must have been a great torment to that excellent parent. -Owing to my want of skill, I now and then broke some tool, and although -I might try to conceal it, the blame was generally laid on me, and, as a -punishment, I was forbidden to enter the workshop. But it was of no use -attempting to keep me from my hobby; the prohibition had to be -continually renewed. Hence it was thought advisable to attack the evil -at the root, and I must be sent away from home. - -Although my father liked his trade, experience had taught him that a -watchmaker rarely makes a fortune in a country town; in his paternal -ambition he, therefore, dreamed a more brilliant destiny for me, and he -formed the determination of giving me a liberal education, for which I -shall always feel grateful to him. He sent me to college at Orleans. I -was then eleven years of age. - -Let who will sing the praises of school life; for my own part I can -safely state, that, though I was not averse from study, the happiest day -I spent in our monastic seminary was that on which I left it for good. -However, once entered, I accepted my lot with resignation, and became in -a short time a perfect schoolboy. In my play hours my time was well -employed, for I spent the greater portion of it in making pieces of -mechanism. Thus I made snares, gins, and mouse-traps, their excellent -arrangement, and perhaps the dainty bait as well, producing me a great -number of prisoners. - -I had built for them a charming open cage, in which I had fixed up a -miniature gymnastic machinery. My prisoners, while taking their ease, -set in motion a variety of machines, which caused a most agreeable -surprise. One of my inventions more especially attracted the admiration -of my comrades; it was a method of raising water by means of a pump made -almost entirely of quills. A mouse, harnessed like a horse, was intended -to set this Lilliputian machine in motion by the muscular strength of -its legs; but, unfortunately, my docile animal, though perfectly -willing, could not overcome the resistance of the cog-wheels, and I was -forced, to my great regret, to lend it a hand. - -"Ah! if I only had a rat!" I said to myself, in my disappointment, "how -famously it would work!" A rat! But how to get one? That appeared to me -an insurmountable difficulty, but, after all, it was not so. One day, -having been caught in the act of breaking bounds by a monitor, I was -awarded twelve hours' imprisonment. This punishment, which I suffered -for the first time, produced a violent effect on me: but in the midst of -the sorrowful reflections inspired by the solitude, an idea dissipated -my melancholy thoughts by offering a famous suggestion. - -I knew that at nightfall the rats used to come from an adjacent church -into the cell where I was confined, to regale on the bread-crumbs left -by prisoners. It was a capital opportunity to obtain one of the animals -I required; and as I would not let it slip, I straight-way set about -inventing a rat-trap. My only materials were a pitcher holding water, -and, consequently, my ideas were confined exclusively to this. I, -therefore, made the following arrangement. - -I began by emptying my pitcher; then, after putting in a piece of bread, -I laid it down so that the orifice was on a level with the ground. My -object was to attract the victim by this dainty into the trap. A brick -which I dug up would serve to close the opening, but as it was -impossible for me in the darkness to notice the exact moment for cutting -off the prisoner's retreat, I laid near the bread a piece of paper which -would rustle as the rat passed over it. - -As soon as night set in, I crouched close to my pitcher, and, holding -the brick in my hand, I awaited with feverish anxiety the arrival of my -guests. The pleasure I anticipated from the capture must have been -excessive to overcome my timidity when I heard the first leaps of my -savage visitors. I confess that the antics they performed round my legs -occasioned me great nervousness, for I knew not how far the voracity of -these intrepid rodents might extend; still, I kept my ground, not making -the slightest movement, through fear of compromising the success of my -scheme, and was prepared to offer the assailants a vigorous resistance -in case of an attack. - -More than an hour passed in vain expectation, and I was beginning to -despair of the success of my trap, when I fancied I heard the slight -sound I hoped for as a signal. I laid the brick on the mouth of the -pitcher directly, and raised it up; the shrill cries inside convinced me -of my success, and I began a pćan of triumph, both to celebrate my -victory and to frighten away my prisoner's comrades. The porter, when he -came to release me, helped me to master my rat by fastening a piece of -twine to one of his hind legs, and burdened with my precious booty, I -proceeded to the dormitory, where masters and pupils had been asleep for -a long time. I was glad enough to sleep too, but a difficulty presented -itself--how should I bestow my prisoner? - -At length a bright idea occurred to me, fully worthy of a schoolboy: it -was to thrust the rat headforemost into one of my shoes. After fastening -the twine to the leg of my bed, I pushed the shoe into one of my -stockings, and placed the whole in the leg of my trousers. This being -accomplished, I believed I could go to bed without the slightest cause -for apprehension. The next morning, at five exactly, the inspector took -a turn through the dormitory to arouse the sleepers. - -"Dress yourself directly," he said, in that amiable voice peculiar to -gentlemen who have risen too soon. - -I proceeded to obey but I was fated to dire disgrace: the rat I had -packed away so carefully, not finding its quarters airy enough, had -thought proper to gnaw through my shoe, my stocking, and my trouser, and -was taking the air through this improvised window. Fortunately, it had -not cut through the retaining string, so the rest was a trifle. - -But the inspector did not regard matters in the same light as I did. The -capture of a rat and the injury to my clothes were considered further -aggravations of my previous offence, and he sent in a lengthy report to -the head-master. I was obliged to appear before the latter dressed in -the clothes that bore the proof of my offence, and, by an unlucky -coincidence, shoe, stocking and trouser were all injured on the same -leg. The Abbé Larivičre (our head-master) managed the college with truly -paternal care; ever just, and prone by nature to forgiveness, he was -adored by his pupils, and to be out of favor with him was regarded as -the severest punishment. - -"Well, Robert," he said to me, looking kindly over the spectacles which -bridged the end of his nose, "I understand you have been guilty of grave -faults. Come, tell me the whole truth." - -I possessed at that time a quality which, I trust, I have not lost -since, and that is extreme frankness. I gave the Abbé a full account of -my misdeeds, and my sincerity gained me pardon. The head-master, after a -vain attempt to repress it, burst into a loud fit of laughter, on -hearing the catastrophe of my adventures. Still, he ended his gentle -lecture in the following words: - -"I will not scold you any more, Robert. I believe in your repentance: -twelve hours' confinement are sufficient punishment, and I grant you -your release. I will do more: though you are very young, I will treat -you as a man--of honor, though--you understand me? You will pledge me -your word not only that you will not commit your old faults again, but, -as your passion for mechanics makes you often neglect your lessons, you -must promise to give up your tools, and devote yourself henceforth to -study." - -"Oh yes, sir, I give you my word," I exclaimed, moved to tears by such -unexpected indulgence; "and I can assure you, you will never repent -having put faith in my promise." - -I made up my mind to keep my pledge, although I was fully aware of all -the difficulties, which were so many stumbling-blocks in that path of -virtue I wished to follow. Much trouble, I had too, at first, in -withstanding the jests and sarcasms of the idler of my comrades, who, in -order to hide their own bad conduct, strove to make all weak characters -their accomplices. Still, I broke with them all. Sharpest pang of all, -though, was the sacrifice I made in burning my vessels--that is, in -putting aside my cages and their contents; I even forgot my tools, and -thus, free from all external distraction, I devoted myself entirely to -my Greek and Latin studies. - -The praise I received from the Abbé Larivičre, who prided himself in -having noticed in me the stuff for an excellent scholar, rewarded me for -this sublime effort, and I may say I became, thenceforth, one of the -most studious and attentive lads in the college. At times, I certainly -regretted my tools and my darling machinery, but recollecting my promise -to the head-master, I held firm against all temptation. All I allowed -myself was to set down by stealth on paper a few ideas that occurred to -me, though I did not know whether I should ever have a chance to put -them in practice. - -At length the moment arrived for my leaving college; my studies were -completed--I was eighteen years of age. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - - A Country Idler--Dr. Carlosbach, Conjurer and Professor of - Mystification--The Sand-bag and the Stirrup Trick--I turn Lawyer's - Clerk, and the Minutes appear to me very long--A small Automaton--A - respectful Protest--I mount a Step in the Office--A Machine of - Porter's Power--The Acrobatic Canaries--Monsieur Roger's - Remonstrances--My Father decides that I shall follow my bent. - - -In the story I have just narrated, only simple events were -noticeable--hardly worthy, perhaps, of a man who has often passed for a -sorcerer--but grant me a few pages' patience, reader, as an introduction -to my artistic life, and what you seek in my book will be displayed -before your eager gaze. You will know how a magician is produced, and -you will learn that the tree whence my magic staff was cut was only that -of persevering labor, often bedewed by the sweat of my brow: soon, too, -when you come to witness my labors and my anxious hours of expectation, -you will be able to appreciate the cost of a reputation in my mysterious -art. - -On leaving college, I at first enjoyed all the liberty I had been -deprived of for so many years. The power of going right or left, of -speaking or remaining silent, as I listed, of getting up sooner or -later, according to my fancy, was an earthly paradise for a collegian. I -enjoyed this ineffable pleasure to the fullest extent: thus, in the -morning--although habit made me wake at five--when the clock announced -that once so dreaded hour, I burst into a loud laugh, and offered -ferocious challenges to any number of invisible superintendents; then, -satisfied by this slight retrospective vengeance, I went to sleep again -till breakfast. After that meal I went out to indulge in a pleasant -lounge about the streets; and I preferred walking in the public -promenades, for thus I had better chances of finding something to -attract my attention. In a word, not an event happened which I did not -know, and I was the real amateur "penny-a-liner" of my native town. - -Many of these incidents afforded very slight interest; one day, however, -I witnessed a scene which produced a lasting effect upon me. One -after-dinner, while walking along the side of the Loire, engaged with -the thoughts suggested by the falling autumn leaves, I was aroused from -my reverie by the sound of a trumpet, evidently blown by a practised -performer. It may be easily supposed that I was not the last to obey -this startling summons, and a few other idlers also formed a circle -round the performer. - -He was a tall fellow with a quick eye, a sunburnt face, long and crispy -hair, and he stemmed his fist in his side, while he held his head -impudently high. His costume, though rather "loud," was still cleanly, -and announced a man who probably had "some hay in his boots," to use a -favorite phrase of gentlemen in the same profession. He wore a -maroon-colored frock-coat, trimmed with large silver frogs, while round -his neck was a black silk cravat, the two ends being passed through a -jewelled ring, which a millionaire would not have disdained--had it not -unfortunately been paste. He wore no waistcoat, but his shirt was -remarkably white, and on it glistened a heavy mosaic chain, with a -collection of appendages, whose metallic sound loudly announced his -every movement. - -I had ample time to make these observations, for as the audience -collected but slowly, the stranger continued his trumpet overture for a -quarter of an hour; at length, when an average crowd had assembled, the -trumpet made way for the human voice. The artist laid the instrument on -the ground, and walked round majestically to form a ring; then, -stopping, he passed his hand through his hair, and began his address. -Being little used to this charlatanism in the streets, I regarded the -man with confiding admiration and determined not to lose a word of his -address. - -"Gentlemen," he commenced, in a firm and sonorous voice, "pray hear me. -I am _not_ what I seem to be; I may say more, I am what I do not seem to -be. Yes, gentlemen, yes--confess it--you take me for one of those scurvy -beggars who want to draw a few halfpence from your generosity. Well, you -may undeceive yourselves. Though you see me on this spot to-day, I tell -you that I have only come here for the relief of suffering humanity in -general, then for your welfare in particular, as well as for your -amusement." - -Here the orator, whose accent plainly showed that he came from the banks -of the Garonne, passed his hand once more through his hair, raised his -head, sucked his lips, and, assuming an air of majestic dignity, -continued: - -"I will tell you presently who I am, and you will be able to estimate me -at my true value; in the mean while allow me to offer you a slight -specimen of my skill." - -The artist, having then formed the circle afresh, placed before him a -small table, on which he arranged three tin goblets, so well polished -that they might have been taken for silver; after which he fastened -round his waist a red cotton velvet bag, into which he thrust his hands -for some minutes--doubtlessly to prepare the tricks he intended to -display--and the performance commenced. - -During a long series of tricks, the nutmegs, at first invisible, -appeared at the finger ends of the conjuror; then, they passed through -the cups, under the table, into a spectator's pockets, and finally -emerged, to the general delight, from the nose of a young looker-on. The -latter took the matter quite seriously, and half killed himself with -sneezing, to see whether a few more spice balls might not be left in his -brain. The address with which these tricks were done, and the apparent -simplicity of the operator in the execution of these ingenious -artifices, produced the most perfect illusion--at least, as far as I was -concerned. - -It was the first time I had ever witnessed such a sight: I was -stupefied, astounded! The man who could perform such marvels at his will -seemed to me a superhuman being; hence I saw him put aside his cups with -considerable regret. The audience seemed equally charmed; the artist -perceived it, and took advantage of it, by making a sign that he had a -few more words to say. Then, resting his hand on the table, he -proceeded: - -"Ladies and gentlemen! I was very pleased to notice the kind attention -you devoted to my tricks, and I thank you for it" (here the conjuror -bowed to the ground); "and, as I am anxious to prove that you have not -to deal with an ungrateful person, I will attempt to repay in full the -satisfaction you have made me feel. Deign to listen to me for a moment. - -"I promised to tell you what I am; I will now satisfy you." (Sudden -change of countenance, and evidence of great self-esteem.) "You behold -in me the celebrated Dr. Carlosbach: the composition of my name reveals -to you my Anglo-Francisco-Germanic origin. To praise myself would be -like painting the lily; I will, therefore, content myself with saying -that I possess an enormous talent, and that my astounding reputation can -only be equalled by my modesty. Elected, by acclamation, member of the -most illustrious learned societies through the whole world, I incline -before their judgment, which proclaims the superiority of my skill in -the grand art of curing the human race." - -This address, as strange as it was emphatic, was delivered with -imperturbable assurance; still I fancied I noticed a twitching of the -lips, that revealed the grand doctor's ill-restrained desire to laugh. -For all that, I listened attentively to his discourse. - -"But, gentlemen," he added, "I have said sufficient of myself; it is -time to speak of my works. Learn then, that I am the inventor of the -Vermifuge Balsam, whose sovereign efficaciousness is indisputable. Yes, -gentlemen, the worm, that enemy of the human race--the worm, the -destroyer of everything existing--the worm, that obstinate preyer on the -living and the dead, is at length conquered by my science; a drop, an -atom of this precious liquor is sufficient to expel this fearful -parasite for ever. - -"And, gentlemen, such is the virtue of my marvellous balsam, that it not -only delivers man from this frightful calamity during life, but his body -has nothing to fear after death. Taking my balsam is a mode of embalming -one's body prior to death; man is thus rendered immortal. Ah! gentlemen, -were you but acquainted with all the virtues of my sublime discovery, -you would rush upon me and tear it from me; but, as that would be -illegal, I check myself in time." - -The orator, in fact, stopped, and dried his brow with one hand, while -with the other he motioned to the crowd that he had not yet ended his -discourse. A great number of the audience were already striving to -approach the learned doctor; Carlosbach, however, did not appear to -notice it, and, reassuming his dramatic posture, he continued as -follows: - -"But, you will ask me, what can be the price of such a treasure? can we -be rich enough to purchase it? The moment has now arrived, gentlemen, to -make you understand the full extent of my disinterestedness. This -balsam, in the discovery of which I have worn away my days--this balsam, -which sovereigns have purchased at the price of their crown--this -balsam, in short, which is beyond all price--well, I make you a present -of it!" - -At these unexpected words, the crowd, panting with emotion, lifted up -its eager arms, and implored the generosity of the doctor. But, what -shameful deception! Carlosbach--the celebrated Dr. Carlosbach--this -benefactor of humanity, suddenly altered his tone, and burst into an -Homeric shout of laughter. The arms fell down spontaneously; the -audience looked vacantly into each other's faces. At length one laughed. -The contagion spread, and soon everybody was following the conjurer's -example. He was the first to stop, and demanded silence: - -"Gentlemen!" he then said, in a perfectly respectful tone, "do not be -angry with me for the little trick I have played you; I wished thus to -put you on your guard against those charlatans who daily deceive you, -just as I have done myself. I am no doctor, but simply a conjurer, -professor of mystification, and author of a book, in which you will -find, in addition to the discourse I have just delivered, the -description of a great number of conjuring tricks. Would you like to -learn the art of amusing yourself in society? For sixpence you may -satisfy your curiosity." - -The conjurer produced from a box an enormous packet of books; then, -going round the crowd, he soon disposed of his wares, thanks to the -interest his talent had excited. The exhibition was over, and I returned -home with my head full of a world of unknown sensations. - -It will be readily supposed that I purchased one of these precious -volumes. I hastened to examine it; but the false doctor continued his -system of mystification in it, and despite all my good will, I could not -understand one of the tricks he pretended to explain. However, I had the -famous speech I have just quoted, as some sort of consolation. - -I made up my mind to lay the book aside and think no more of it; but the -marvels it announced returned to my mind every moment. "O Carlosbach!" I -said in my modest ambition, "if I possessed your talent, how happy I -should feel!" and, filled with this idea, I decided on taking lessons of -the learned professor. Unfortunately, this determination was arrived at -too late. When I proceeded to his lodgings, I learned that the conjuror -had resorted to his own tricks, and had left his inn the previous -evening, forgetting to pay the princely score he had run up. The -innkeeper gave me the account of this last mystification on the part of -the professor. - -Carlosbach had arrived at his house with two trunks of unequal size and -very heavy; on the larger of them was painted "Conjuring Apparatus," on -the other, "Clothing." The conjuror, who stated that he had received -various invitations to perform at the adjacent châteaux, had set off the -evening before to fulfil one of these engagements. He had only taken -with him one of his trunks, that containing the apparatus; and it was -supposed he had left the other in his room as a security for the bill he -had run up. The next day the host, surprised at finding his lodger -still absent, thought it advisable to place his traps in some safe -place. He, therefore, went into his bedroom; but the two trunks had -disappeared, and in their place was an enormous bag filled with sand, on -which was written: - - THE MYSTIFYING BAG. - - THE STIRRUP TRICK. - -I continued for some time longer to enjoy the contemplative life I had -been pursuing; but at last satiety assailed me, and I was quite -surprised one day at finding myself wearied of this life of idleness. My -father, like a man who could read the human heart, had awaited this -moment to talk seriously with me; he, therefore, took me aside one -morning, and said, without further preface, in a kindly voice: - -"My good boy, you have now quitted college with a sound education, and I -have allowed you to enjoy fully the liberty for which you seemed to -aspire. But you must see this is not sufficient for a livelihood; you -must now enter on the world resolutely, and apply your parts to the -profession you wish to embrace. That profession it is now time to -choose; you have doubtlessly some inclination, some bias, and you must -let me know it; speak, then, and you will find me inclined to second -your views." - -Although my father had frequently expressed his fears lest I should -follow his trade, I thought, after these remarks, he had changed his -mind, and I joyfully said: - -"Of course I have an inclination, and you cannot be ignorant of it, for -it is of very old standing. You know I never wished to be other than--" - -My father guessed my thoughts, and would not allow me to finish. - -"I see," he objected, "that you did not understand me, and I must -explain my meaning more clearly. My desire is for you to choose a -profession more lucrative than my own. Consider, it would be -unreasonable to bury the ten years' schooling for which I made such -heavy sacrifices in my shop; remember, too, that, after thirty-five -years' hard work, I have been hardly able to save sufficient provision -for my old age. Then, pray, change your resolution, and give up your -mania for making a 'parcel of filings.'" - -My father, in this, merely followed the idea of many parents, who can -only see the disagreeable side of their own trade. To this prejudice, I -must allow, he added the praiseworthy ambition of the head of a family -desirous that his son should rise a step higher on the social ladder -than himself. - -As I was utterly ignorant of all other professions or trades save that -of a mechanician, I was unable to appreciate them, or consequently -select one; hence I remained dumb. In vain did my father try to draw an -answer from me by explaining the advantages I should derive from being a -surgeon or chemist, a barrister or a solicitor. I could only repeat that -I placed implicit confidence in his wisdom and experience. This -self-denial and passive obedience appeared to touch him; I noticed it, -and wishing to make a final attack on his determination, I said to him: - -"Before making up my mind to any decided choice of profession, allow me -to offer one observation. Are you sure that it is your trade which is -impossible of extension, or is it owing to the smallness of the town in -which you have carried it on? Let me follow my own bent, I beseech you, -and when I have become a good workman by your instruction, I will go to -Paris and make a fortune there; I feel quite convinced I can do so." - -Fearing lest he might give way, my father tried to cut the conversation -short by evading a reply to my objection. - -"As you leave it to me," he said, "I advise you to become a solicitor; -with your natural parts, aided by application and good conduct, I am -certain you will make your way famously." - -Two days later I was installed in one of the best offices at Blois, and, -owing to my caligraphy, I was employed as a copying clerk, and in -engrossing from morning till night, though rarely understanding what I -was writing. My readers can readily guess that this mechanical work -could not long satisfy the turn of my mind; pens, ink, and paper were -most unsuitable articles to carry out the inventive ideas which -continually occurred to me. Fortunately, at that period, steel pens were -unknown; hence I had a resource in making my pens, to which I devoted -the best part of my time. This simple fact will suffice to give an idea -of the deep spleen which weighed upon me like a coating of lead, and I -should have certainly fallen ill, had I not found more attractive -employment. - -Among the mechanical curiosities entrusted to my father for repair, I -had noticed a snuff-box, on the top of which a small piece of mechanism -attracted my entire attention. The top of the box represented a -landscape. On pressing a spring, a hare made its appearance, and went -towards a tuft of grass, which it began to crop; soon after a sportsman -emerged from a thicket accompanied by a pointer. The miniature Nimrod -stopped at the sight of the game, shouldered his gun and fired; a noise -indicative of the explosion of a fire-arm was heard, and the hare, -apparently wounded, disappeared in the thicket, pursued by the dog. - -This pretty piece of mechanism excited my desires in an eminent degree, -but I could not hope to possess it, as the owner, in addition to the -value he attached to it, had no reason to dispose of it, and, besides, -my pecuniary means were insufficient. As I could not make the article my -own, I determined, at least, to keep it in remembrance, and drew a -careful plan of it without my father's knowledge. This only more -inflamed my desires, and I began to ask myself whether I could not make -an exact copy of it. - -Seeing no extreme difficulty in this, I rose at daybreak each morning, -and, going down to my father's workshop, I worked till the hour when he -used to begin work. Then I rearranged the tools exactly as I had found -them, locked up my work carefully, and proceeded to my office. The joy I -experienced in finding my mechanism act was only equalled by the -pleasure I felt in presenting it to my father, as an indirect and -respectful protest against the determination he had formed as to my -choice of a trade. I had some difficulty in persuading him that I had -not been assisted by any one in my work, but when at last I removed his -doubts, he could not refrain from complimenting me. - -"It is a pity," he said, thoughtfully, "that you cannot profit by your -turn for mechanism; but," he added, suddenly, as if seeking to dispel an -idea that troubled him, "you had better take no pride in your skill, for -it may injure your prospects." - -For more than a year I performed the duties of amateur--that is, unpaid -clerk--and I was then offered a situation by a country solicitor as -second clerk, with a small salary. I accepted this unexpected promotion -very readily; but, once installed in my new duties, I found that my -employer had deceived me as to their range. The situation I occupied was -that of office-boy, having to run on errands, for the first and only -clerk could more than attend to the business. I certainly earned some -money: it was the first I had gained by my own labor, and this -consideration gilded the pill, which was rather bitter to my pride. -Besides, M. Roger (such was my new master's name) was certainly the best -fellow in the world. His manner, full of kindness and sympathy, had -attracted me the first time I saw him, and I may add that his behavior -towards me was most agreeable during the time I remained in his office. - -This gentleman, the personification of probity, possessed the confidence -of the Duc d'Avaray, whose estate he managed, and being full of zeal for -his noble client's business, he devoted more attention to it than to his -office. At Avaray legal business was very scarce, and we had hardly -enough to fill up our time. For my own part, I had many leisure hours, -which my kind master enabled me to employ by placing his library at my -service. I had the good fortune to find in it Linnćus's Treaty on -Botany, and I learned the rudiments of that science. - -The study of botany required time, and I could only devote to it the -hours prior to the office opening. Unfortunately, I had become a -tremendous sleeper--I hardly know how--and I could not manage to get up -before eight o'clock. I resolved to conquer this obstinate somnolency, -and I invented a waking apparatus, which, from its originality, deserves -honorable mention here. - -The room I occupied formed a portion of the Château d'Avaray, and was -situated over an archway, closed by a heavy gate. Having noticed that -the porter opened this gate, which led into the gardens, every morning, -the idea occurred to me of profiting by this circumstance to institute -an energetic alarum. This is how I managed it. When I went to bed, I -fastened to one of my legs the end of a cord, which, passing through my -half-opened window, was attached to the upper part of the iron gate. -When the porter pushed the gate open, he dragged me, when least -expecting it, to the middle of my bedroom. Thus violently roused from -sleep, I tried to hold on by the bed-clothes; but the more I resisted, -the more did the pitiless porter push on his side, and I at length woke -up to hear him always abusing the hinges, which he determined to oil -before the day was out. Then, I unloosed my leg, and, with my Linnćus in -my hand, I went to interrogate Nature on her admirable secrets, the -study of which caused me to spend many pleasant hours. - -As much to please my father as to scrupulously fulfil my duties in my -new office, I had promised to pay no more attention to mechanical -inventions--for I feared their irresistible attraction--and I had -religiously kept my word. There was, then, every reason to believe that -I should pass through all my grades creditably, and some day, in my -turn, become Maître Robert, solicitor, in some country town. But -Providence, in her decrees, had traced out a very different route for -me, and my stern resolutions were routed by a temptation too powerful -for my courage. In our office there was, strangely enough, a magnificent -aviary filled with canaries, whose song and plumage were intended to -dispel the impatience of a client forced by some accident to wait. This -cage being considered a portion of the office furniture, I was bound, as -errand-boy, to keep it in a proper state of cleanliness, and provide the -food of the denizens. This was the branch of my duties I performed with -the greatest zeal: in fact, I bestowed so much care on the comfort and -amusement of the birds, that they soon absorbed nearly all my time. - -I began by setting up in this cage a number of mechanical tricks I had -invented at college under similar circumstances. I gradually added fresh -ones, and ended by making the cage a work of art and curiosity, -affording considerable attraction to our visitors. At one spot was a -perch, near which the sugar and the seed-glass displayed their -attractions; but no sooner had the innocent canary placed its foot on -the fatal perch, than a circular cage encompassed it, and it was kept a -prisoner until another bird, perching on an adjoining piece of wood, set -loose a spring, which delivered the captive. At another place were baths -and pumps; further on was a small trough, so arranged, that the nearer -the bird seemed to draw to it the further off it really was. Lastly, -each denizen of the cage was obliged to earn its food by drawing forward -with its beak small pasteboards carts. - -The pleasure I felt in carrying out these small schemes soon made me -forget I was in a lawyer's office for any other purpose than to be at -the beck and call of canaries. The chief clerk drew my attention to it, -and added some just remonstrances; but I had always a protest ready, and -continued making daily improvements in the aviary. At length, matters -reached such a point, that the supreme authority, that is to say my -master in person, felt it his duty to interfere. - -"Robert," he said to me, assuming an earnest tone, which he rarely -employed towards his clerks, "when you came into my office you were -aware it was to devote yourself exclusively to business, and not to -satisfy your own thirst for pleasure; warnings have been given you to -return your duty, and you have paid no attention to them; I am, -therefore, obliged to tell you that you must either decide on giving up -your mechanical fancies, or I must send you home to your father." - -And the worthy Monsieur Roger stopped, as if to draw breath after the -reproaches he had given me, I am sure much against his will. After a -moment's silence, he reassumed his paternal tone, and said to me: - -"And now, my friend, will you let me give you a piece of advice? I have -studied you, and feel convinced you will never be more than a very -ordinary clerk, and, consequently, a still more ordinary notary, while -you might become an excellent mechanician. It would be, then, wiser for -you to give up a profession in which you have such slight prospect of -success, and follow that for which you evince such remarkable aptitude." - -The kindly tone M. Roger assumed induced me to open my heart to him. I -told him of my father's determination to keep me from his own trade, and -described to him all the vexation I had felt from it. - -"Your father fancied he was acting for the best," he replied to me, "by -putting you in a profession more lucrative than his own; he thought he -should only have a simple boyish fancy to overcome, but I am persuaded -it is an irresistible vocation, against which you should no longer -struggle. I will see your parents to-morrow, and I have no doubt I shall -induce them to change their opinion about your future prospects in -life." - -Since I quitted my father's house he had sold his business, and had -retired to a small property he had near Blois. My master went to see him -as he had promised me; a long conversation ensued, and after numerous -objections on both sides, the lawyer's eloquence vanquished my father's -scruples, and he at length yielded. - -"Well," he said, "as he absolutely desires it, let him follow my trade. -And, as I cannot instruct him myself, my nephew, who is a pupil of mine, -will act towards my son as I did towards him." - -This news overwhelmed me with joy: it seemed as if I were entering on a -new life, and the fortnight I had yet to spend at Avaray seemed to me -terribly long. At length I set out for Blois, and the day after my -arrival found me seated before a vice, file in hand, and receiving my -first lessons in watchmaking from my relative. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - - My Cousin Robert--The most important Event in my Life--How a Man - becomes a Sorcerer--My first Sleight-of-Hand Feat--An utter - Failure--Practising the Eye and the Hand--Curious Experiment in - Prestidigitation--Monsieur Noriet--An Action more ingenious than - delicate--I am Poisoned--Influence of Delirium. - - -Before speaking of my labors in the watchmaker's shop, I must introduce -my readers to my new master. And, in the first place, to set myself -right, I will say that my cousin Robert, as I used to call him, has been -since my first connexion with him, one of my best and dearest friends. -It would be difficult, in fact, to imagine a more happy character, a -heart more affectionate and devoted. - -With a rare intelligence, my cousin combined other equally valuable -qualities. He possessed a graceful address, which, without flattery, I -may say is peculiar to our family, and he was justly considered the -first watchmaker in Blois, a town which has long excelled in the -horologic art. - -My cousin began by teaching me how to "make filings," as my father -called it, but I required no apprenticeship to learn the use of tools, -and hence the outset was not so painful as it is usually to novices. -From the beginning of my apprenticeship I was enabled to undertake small -jobs, which gained me my master's praise. Yet I would not have it -supposed I was a model pupil, for I had still rife in me that spirit of -investigation which drew down upon me several reprimands from my cousin, -and I could not endure to confine my imagination to the ideas of another -person. I was continually inventing or improving. - -My whole life through, this passion--or, if you will, mania--has held -sway over me. I never could fix my thoughts on any task without trying -to introduce some improvement, or strike out a novel idea. But this -temperament--eventually so favorable--was at this period very -prejudicial to my progress. Before following my own inspirations and -yielding to my fancies, I ought to have learned the secrets of my art, -and, in fact, dispelled all ideas which were only adapted to make me -diverge from the true principles of clockmaking. - -Such was the sense of the paternal observations made now and then by my -cousin, and I was obliged to recognize their justice. Then I would go to -work again with redoubled zeal, though groaning inwardly at the bonds -that fettered my genius. In order to aid my progress and afford me -relaxation, my master recommended me to study some treatises on -mechanics in general, and on clockmaking in particular. As this suited -my taste exactly, I gladly assented, and I was devoting myself -passionately to this attractive study, when a circumstance, apparently -most simple, suddenly decided my future life, by revealing to me a -vocation whose mysterious resources must open a vast field for my -inventive and fanciful ideas. - -One evening I went into a bookseller's shop to buy Berthoud's "Treatise -on Clockmaking," which I knew he had. The tradesman being engaged at the -moment on matters more important, took down two volumes from the shelves -and handed them to me without ceremony. On returning home, I sat down to -peruse my treatise conscientiously, but judge of my surprise when I -read on the back of one the volumes "SCIENTIFIC AMUSEMENTS." Astonished -at finding such a title on a professional work, I opened it impatiently, -and, on running through the table of contents, my surprise was doubled -on reading these strange phrases: - -_The way of performing tricks with the cards--How to guess a person's -thoughts--To cut off a pigeon's head, to restore it to life, &c., &c._ - -The bookseller had made a mistake. In his haste, he had given me two -volumes of the Encyclopćdia instead of Berthoud. Fascinated, however, by -the announcement of such marvels, I devoured the mysterious pages, and -the further my reading advanced, the more I saw laid bare before me the -secrets of an art for which I was unconsciously predestined. - -I fear I shall be accused of exaggeration, or at least not be understood -by many of my readers, when I say that this discovery caused me the -greatest joy I had ever experienced. At this moment a secret -presentiment warned me that success, perhaps glory, would one day accrue -to me in the apparent realization of the marvellous and impossible, and -fortunately these presentiments did not err. - -The resemblance between two books, and the hurry of a bookseller, were -the common-place causes of the most important event in my life. - -It may be urged that different circumstances might have suggested this -profession to me at a later date. It is probable; but then I should have -had no time for it. Would any workman, artisan, or tradesman give up a -certainty, however slight it may be, to yield to a passion which would -be surely regarded as a mania? Hence my irresistible penchant for the -mysterious could only be followed at this precise period of my life. - -How often since have I blessed this providential error, without which I -should have probably vegetated as a country watchmaker! My life would -have been spent in gentle monotony; I should have been spared many -sufferings, emotions, and shocks; but, on the other hand, what lively -sensations, what profound delight would have been sacrificed! - -I was eagerly devouring every line of the magic book which described the -astounding tricks; my head was a-glow, and I at times gave way to -thoughts which plunged me in ecstasy. Still the hours slipped away, and -while my mind was indulging in fanciful dreams, I did not notice that my -candle had burned down in the socket. How can I describe my -disappointment when it suddenly went out? It was the last candle I -possessed; hence I was forced to quit the sublime realms of magic all -for want of a halfpenny taper. At this instant I would have given my -whole fortune, were it only for a street lamp. - -I was not exactly in the dark: a dim ray entered my window from a -neighboring lamp: but, though I made every effort to read by it, I could -not decipher a single word, was obliged to retire to bed willy-nilly. - -In vain I tried to sleep: the febrile excitement produced by the book -prevented either sleep or rest. I went continually over the passages -which had most struck me, and the interest they inspired only the more -excited me. Finding it impossible to remain in bed, I repeatedly -returned to the window, and while casting envious glances on the lamp, I -had made up my mind to go down into the street and read by its light, -when another idea occurred to me. In my impatience to realize it I did -not wait to dress, but, confining my attire to what was strictly -necessary, if I may so call a pair of slippers and my drawers, I took my -hat in one hand, a pair of pincers in the other, and went down into the -street. - -Once there, I proceeded straight to the lamp; for I must confess, that -in my anxiety to profit at once by the sleight-of-hand tricks I had been -studying, I intended to conjure away the oil-lamp provided by the -authorities for the safety of the town. The part the hat and pincers -were to play in the operation were simple enough: the latter would -wrench open the little box containing the end of the cord by which the -lamp was raised, and the former would act as a dark lantern, and hide -the rays of light which might betray my theft.[A] - -All prospered famously; and I was about to retire in triumph, when a -miserable incident threatened to rob me of the profits of my trick. At -the moment of my success a baker's man overthrew my plans by emerging -from the door of his shop. I concealed myself in a doorway, and, while -striving to hide the light, I waited perfectly motionless till the -unlucky baker retired. But judge of my grief and terror when I saw him -lean against the door and calmly smoke his pipe! - -My position was growing intolerable; the cold and the fear of detection -made my teeth chatter, and to increase my despair, I soon felt the -lining of my hat catch fire. There was no time for hesitation: I crushed -my failure of a lantern in my hands, and thus put out the fire; but it -was a dreadful sacrifice. My poor hat, the one I wore on Sundays, was -smoked, stained with oil, and shapeless. And while I was enduring all -these torments, my tyrant continued to smoke with an air of calmness -and comfort which drove me nearly mad. - -It was quite plain I could not stay here till day-light; but how to -escape from this critical situation? To ask the baker to keep my secret -would be running a risk; while, to return home straight would betray me, -for I must pass in front of him, and he would be sure to recognise me. -The only chance left was to go down a side street and make a détour to -reach the house. This I decided on, even at the risk of any one meeting -me in my bathing attire. Without delay I took hat and lamp under my arm, -for I was forced to remove the proofs of my crime, and I started off -like an arrow. In my trouble, I fancied the baker was after me. I even -thought I heard his foot-fall behind me, and in my anxiety to escape I -doubled my speed; first I turned to the right, then to the left, and -went through such a number of streets, that it took me a quarter of an -hour to regain my room, in a state of perfect collapse, yet glad to have -escaped so cheaply. - -It is a painful confession for a man destined eventually to fill a -certain part in the annals of conjuring to make, that my trial-piece -turned out so lamentably. In fact, to use a theatrical phrase, it was an -utter _fiasco_. - -Still, I was not at all discouraged; the next day I regained all my -equanimity on finding my precious treatise on "White Magic" before me, -and I began studying the interesting secrets it contained with great -ardor. - -Within a week I knew them all by heart. - -From theory I resolved to proceed to practice; but, just as was the case -with Carlosbach's book, I suddenly met with an obstacle. The author, I -will grant, was more conscientious than the Bordelais mystifier: he gave -a very plain explanation of his tricks; still, he committed the error of -supposing his readers possessed of the necessary skill to perform them. -Now, I was entirely deficient in this skill, and though most desirous of -acquiring it, I found nothing in the book to indicate the means. I was -in the position of a man who attempts to copy a picture without -possessing the slightest notion of drawing and painting. - -In the absence of a professor to instruct me, I was compelled to create -the principles of the science I wished to study. In the first place, I -recognised the fundamental principle of sleight-of-hand, that the organs -performing the principal part are the sight and touch. I saw that, in -order to attain any degree of perfection, the professor must develop -these organs to their fullest extent--for, in his exhibitions, he must -be able to see everything that takes place around him at half a glance, -and execute his deceptions with unfailing dexterity. - -I had been often struck by the ease with which pianists can read and -perform at sight the most difficult pieces. I saw that, by practice, it -would be possible to create a certainty of perception and facility of -touch, rendering it easy for the artist to attend to several things -simultaneously, while his hands were busy employed with some complicated -task. This faculty I wished to acquire and apply to sleight-of-hand; -still, as music could not afford me the necessary elements, I had -recourse to the juggler's art, in which I hoped to meet with an -analogous result. - -It is well known that the trick with the balls wonderfully improves the -touch, but does it not improve the vision at the same time? In fact, -when a juggler throws into the air four balls crossing each other in -various directions, he requires an extraordinary power of sight to -follow the direction his hands have given to each of the balls. At this -period a corn-cutter resided at Blois, who possessed the double talent -of juggling and extracting corns with a skill worthy of the lightness -of his hands. Still, with both these qualities, he was not rich, and -being aware of that fact, I hoped to obtain lessons from him at a price -suited to my modest finances. In fact, for ten francs he agreed to -initiate me in the juggling art. - -I practised with so much zeal, and progressed so rapidly, that in less -than a month I had nothing more to learn; at least, I knew as much as my -master, with the exception of corn-cutting, the monopoly in which I left -him. I was able to juggle with four balls at once. But this did not -satisfy my ambition; so I placed a book before me, and, while the balls -were in the air, I accustomed myself to read without any hesitation. - -This will probably seem to my readers very extraordinary; but I shall -surprise them still more, when I say that I have just amused myself by -repeating this curious experiment. Though thirty years have elapsed -since the time of which I am writing, and though I scarcely once touched -the balls during that period, I can still manage to read with ease while -keeping three balls up. - -The practice of this trick gave my fingers a remarkable degree of -delicacy and certainty, while my eye was at the same time acquiring a -promptitude of perception that was quite marvellous. Presently I shall -have to speak of the service this rendered me in my experiment of second -sight. After having thus made my hands supple and docile, I went on -straight to sleight-of-hand, and I more especially devoted myself to the -manipulation of cards and palmistry. - -This operation requires a great deal of practice; for, while the hand is -held apparently open, balls, corks, lumps of sugar, coins, &c., must be -held unseen, the fingers remaining perfectly free and limber. - -Owing to the little time at my disposal, the difficulties connected -with these new experiments would have been insurmountable, had I not -found a mode of practising without neglecting my business. It was the -fashion in those days to wear coats with large pockets on the hips, -called _ŕ la propriétaire_, so whenever my hands were not otherwise -engaged they slipped naturally into my pockets, and set to work with -cards, coins, or one of the objects I have mentioned. It will be easily -understood how much time I gained by this. Thus, for instance, when out -on errands my hands could be at work on both sides; at dinner, I often -ate my soup with one hand while I was learning to _sauter la coupe_ with -the other--in short, the slightest moment of relaxation was devoted to -my favorite pursuit. As no one suspected that my paletôt was in some -degree a study, this manner of keeping my hands in my pockets began to -be regarded as a bad habit I had acquired; but after a few jests on the -subject I was left in peace. - -Though my passion for sleight-of-hand was so intense, I had, however, -sufficient command over myself not to displease my master, who never -noticed that my thoughts were away from my work, and constantly praised -me for my regularity and application. - -At length my apprenticeship was over, and my cousin, one fine day, -stated I was a journeyman and able to earn wages. I heard this with -double pleasure, for I found in it not only greater liberty, but also a -chance of improving my finances. Nor was I long ere I profited by my -advancement; a situation was offered me by a watchmaker at Tours, and I -proceeded to that town at once. - -My new master was that M. Noriet, who afterwards gained some distinction -as a sculptor. His imagination, already fall of his future works, -disdained the ordinary labor of watch repairing, and he gladly left to -his workmen what he called, ironically, the "shoe-black" part of the -trade. It was for this purpose I joined him, and I received, in addition -to board and lodging, 35 fr. a month. Little enough, I grant; but it was -an enormous sum in my eyes, for, since leaving the lawyer's, at Avaray, -my income had been reduced to a _minimum_. - -When I say I earned 35 fr., it is merely to mention a round sum; in -reality I never received it net. Madame Noriet, in her quality of an -excellent manager, was perfectly conversant with all matters relative to -discount and exchanges; and thus, she had found a way of lessening my -wages in a manner as ingenious as it was improper. She used to pay me in -crowns of six francs, and as at that time six-franc pieces were only -worth 5 fr. 80 c., the lady gained 24 sous every month, which I carried -to my "profit and loss" account. - -Although my time was fully occupied here, I managed to continue my -pocket practice; and I daily noticed with joy the progress I was making. -I had learned how to make any object I held in my hand disappear with -the greatest ease; and as for the practice of card tricks, they were -only child's play to me, and I could produce some delightful illusions. - -I confess to feeling a degree of pride in my humble power of amusing my -friends, and I neglected no occasion of displaying it. On Sunday, for -instance, after the invariable game of loto, which was played in this -patriarchal family, I gave a small performance of sleight-of-hand, which -enlivened the melancholy victims of this most monotonous of all games. I -was honored with the name of an "agreeable droll," and this compliment -delighted me. - -My regular habits, my perseverance, and perhaps a certain degree of -gaiety I possessed at the time, had gained me the friendship and -sympathy of both my master and mistress. At last I became an -indispensable member of the family, and shared in all their amusements. -Among these were frequent excursions in the country. On one of these, on -the 25th of July, 1828, (I shall never forget that memorable date, as it -was all but registered on my tombstone,) we went to a fair at an -adjacent village. Before leaving Tours, we had promised to be home to -dinner at five; but, finding ourselves much amused, we did not keep -military time, nor find our way home till eight. - -After enduring the scolding of the cook, whose dinner had got cold, we -sat down and ate like people whose appetite has been whetted by a long -walk in the open air, and eight or ten hours' fasting. - -Whatever Jeannette might say, everything she sent up was found -excellent, except a certain ragoűt, which everybody declared detestable, -and hardly touched. I, however, devoured my share of the dish, without -troubling myself the least in the world about its quality. In spite of -the jests aroused by my avidity, I asked for a second relay, and would -certainly have eaten the whole dish, had not my mistress, with due -regard for my health, prevented it. - -This precaution saved my life. In fact, dinner was hardly over and the -game of loto begun, when I felt most uncomfortable. I went to my room, -where atrocious pains seized upon me, and a doctor was sent for. After a -careful investigation, the doctor discovered that a powerful layer of -verdigris had formed in the stewpan in which the ragoűt had been cooked -and said I was poisoned. - -The consequences of this poisoning were most terrible to me: for some -time my life was despaired of, but eventually the sufferings seemed to -be modified by the gentle care bestowed on me, and I was granted some -slight relief. Strangely enough, it was not till this second phase of my -illness, when the doctor declared me out of danger, that I was haunted -by a certainty of speedy death, to which was joined an immoderate desire -to end my days in the bosom of my family. This idea--a species of -monomania--incessantly assailed me, and I soon had no other thought than -that of escaping to Blois. As I could not hope to obtain the doctor's -permission to set out, when his most urgent advice was to take care of -myself, I determined to take leave. - -At six o'clock one morning, taking advantage of a moment when I was left -to myself, I hastily dressed, went down stairs, and found a stage-coach -just starting for Blois. I entered the rotonde, in which I happened to -be the only passenger, and the coach, lightly laden as it was, soon set -off at full gallop. - -The journey was a horrible martyrdom to me. I was devoured by a burning -fever, and my head seemed to be burst asunder by every jolt of the -vehicle. In my frenzy I tried to escape my agony, and yet it was -continually increasing. Unable to endure longer, I opened the door of -the compartment, and leaped, at an imminent risk of my life, on to the -high road, where I fell in a state of insensibility. - -I cannot say what happened to me after my fainting fit; I can only -remember long days of vague and painful existence, that appeared of -eternal duration: I was in a raging fever; my dreams were frightful, and -I suffered from the most dreadful hallucinations. One of them was -incessantly recurring--it seemed as if my head opened like a snuff-box; -a doctor, with turned-up cuffs, and armed with an enormous pair of iron -pincers, drew from my brain roasted chesnuts, which immediately burst -like bombs, and scattered myriads of scintillations before my eyes. - -This phantasmagoria gradually faded away, and the illness at length -succumbed; but my reason was so shaken that it did not avail me. I was -reduced to a mechanical existence. If I noticed anything, it seemed -veiled in a thick mist, and I could not perform any process of -reasoning. It is true that all I did notice only served to increase the -confusion of my ideas. I felt as if being shaken in a carriage, and, -yet, I was in a capital bed, and the room was exquisitely clean. How -could I help fancying I was still dreaming? - -At length, a spark of intelligence was aroused in me, and the first -startling impression was produced by the sight of a man standing at my -bedside. His features were quite strange to me. Stooping over, he -affectionately urged me to swallow a draught. I obeyed; and he then -begged me to keep silent, and remain as calm as I possibly could. - -Unfortunately, my present state of weakness rendered it but too easy to -follow this prescription. Still, I tried to guess who this man could be, -and consulted my memory. It was quite useless: I could remember nothing -since the moment when, yielding to frenzy, I had thrown myself out of -the diligence. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - - I return to Life--A strange Doctor--Torrini and Antonio: a Conjurer - and a Fanatic for Music--A Murderer's Confession--A perambulating - House--The Fair at Angers--A portable Theatre--I witness for the - first Time a Conjuring Performance--The blind Man's Game at - Piquet--A Dangerous Rival--Signor Castelli eats a Man alive. - - -I am by no means a fatalist; and yet I cannot refrain from remarking -here that many events in human life seem to encourage the views of -fatalists. - -Suppose, dear reader, that, on leaving Blois to proceed to Tours, -destiny had opened before me one of the fairest pages of my life, I -should certainly have been delighted at such a glorious future, but in -my heart I should have been inclined to doubt its realization. In fact, -I set out as a simple workman, with the intention of making a tour of -France. This journey would have occupied much time, as I intended to -remain a year or two in every city I visited, and France is large! Then, -when I considered myself skilful enough, I would return home and set up -as a watchmaker. - -But fate decided otherwise, and I must be drawn back to my real "groove" -when I tried to escape from it. The means employed were a poisoning, -which turned me mad, and hurled me lifeless on the high road. But I was -going to recall my reminiscences after my _fortunate_ catastrophe, and I -will take up the story from the point where I left off. - -What had happened since my fainting fit; where was I; why did this man -treat me so kindly? I longed for a solution of these problems, and I -should certainly have cross-questioned my host, had it not been for the -earnest advice he had just given me. As thought, however, was not -forbidden, I tried to form a satisfactory conclusion from surrounding -objects. - -The room I was in might be three yards long by two broad. The walls were -made of polished oak; on either side was a small window with muslin -curtains; while four walnut chairs, shelves serving as tables, and my -excellent bed, composed the furniture of this moving room, which bore a -close resemblance to the cabin of a steamboat. - -There must also be two other compartments, for, to my left, I saw my -doctor frequently disappear behind two red damask curtains, where I -heard him moving about, while to my right I heard, through a thin -partition, a voice encouraging the horses. This circumstance made me -conclude I was in a carriage, and that the latter voice belonged to the -driver. - -I already knew that hero's name, as I had often heard the person I -presumed to be his master use it. It was Antonio: and he was, at any -rate, a splendid musician, for he was continually singing pieces from -Italian operas, which he broke off to swear harmlessly at his steeds. As -for the master, he was a man of about fifty, above the average height, -and his face, though sad and serious, displayed a degree of kindness -which prepossessed me. His long black hair fell on his shoulders in -natural curls, and he was dressed in a blouse and trousers of unbleached -cloth, with a yellow silk pocket-handkerchief as cravat. But nothing in -all this served to tell me what he was, and my surprise was increased by -finding him constantly at my side, and nursing me like the fondest of -mothers. - -A day had elapsed since his recommendation to keep silent; I had gained -a little strength, and fancied myself strong enough to talk; I was, -therefore, going to begin, when my host, guessing my intention, -prevented me. - -"I can imagine," he said, "your impatience to know where you are and -whom with; nor, will I conceal from you that I am equally curious to -learn the circumstances that led to our meeting. Still, in regard for -your health, the responsibility of which I have assumed, I must ask you -to be patient for one night more; to-morrow, I believe, we shall be able -to talk as long as you like, without any risk." - -As I had no serious objection to raise, and as I had been wont for some -time to obey all my strange doctor ordered, I yielded. The certainty of -soon holding the key to the enigma secured me a peaceful sleep, whose -good effects I noticed on waking. Thus, when the doctor came to feel my -pulse, he was surprised at the progress I had made in a few hours, and, -without awaiting my questions, he said, as if replying to the mute -inquiry my eyes made: - -"Yes, I will satisfy your just curiosity; I owe you an explanation, and -you shall not wait any longer. My name is Torrini, and I am a conjurer -by profession. You are in my house--that is, in the carriage I usually -employ as my domicile. You will be surprised, I dare say, to learn that -the bedroom you now occupy can be lengthened into a theatre, and in that -room behind the red curtains is the stage on which my apparatus is -arranged." - -At the word "conjurer" I could not repress a start of satisfaction, -which my sorcerer probably did not notice, ignorant as he was that he -had before him one of the most fervent adepts of his profession. - -"As for yourself," he went on, "I need not ask you any questions: your -name, trade, as well as the cause of your illness, are known to me, for -I consulted your _livret_, and some letters I found on you, in my desire -to benefit you. I must now tell you, though, all that has happened since -you lost consciousness. After giving some representations at Orleans, I -was proceeding to Angers, where the fair will shortly begin, when, at -some distance from Amboise, I found you lying insensible, with your face -to the ground. Fortunately for you, I was then taking my morning walk by -the horses' side, and this circumstance saved you from being run over. -By Antonio's help I carried you to my bed, and my knowledge of medicine -restored you to life. But, my poor fellow! the fever caused you to make -the most terrible outbreaks; you threatened me continually, and I had -the greatest difficulty in mastering you. At Tours I would have gladly -stopped to call in a doctor, for your situation was critical, and I had -not practiced for many years:--but my hours were counted: I must arrive -in time at Angers, where I wish to choose a good spot for my exhibition, -and I had a strange fancy I should save your life, which has proved -true." - -Not knowing how to thank this excellent Torrini, I offered him my hand, -which he pressed firmly: but--must I confess it--I was checked in the -effusion of my gratitude by a thought which I deeply regretted later. - -"To what motive," I asked myself, "can I attribute this sudden -affection?" This feeling, however sincere it might be, must have some -cause, and in my ingratitude I sought whether my benefactor did not -conceal some interested design behind his apparent generosity. Torrini, -as if he had guessed my thoughts, continued, in a kindly tone: - -"You expect a fuller explanation? Well, however painful it may be to me, -I will give it. It is this-- - -"You are surprised that a mountebank, a man belonging to a class not -generally erring on the side of sensibility, should have evinced such -compassion for your sufferings, but your surprise will cease, my boy, on -learning that this compassion is produced by the sweet illusion of -paternal love." - -Here Torrini stopped an instant, tried to recover himself, and then -proceeded: - -"I had a son, a beloved son; he was my hope, my life, my happiness; but -a dread fatality robbed me of him: he died, and, terrible to say, he was -assassinated, and his murderer stands before you!" - -At this unexpected confession I could not repress a start of horror; the -cold drops beaded on my face. - -"Yes, yes, his murderer!" Torrini went on, his voice growing gradually -firmer, "and, yet, the law could not punish me; it left me life. In vain -I accused myself before my judges; they treated me as a maniac, and my -crime was regarded as accidental homicide. But what do I care, after -all, for their judgment? Whether through carelessness, or imprudence as -they say, my poor Giovanni is not the less lost to me, and I shall -reproach myself with his death my life long." - -Torrini's voice was drowned by his sobs. He remained for some time with -his hands before his eyes; then, making an effort, he continued, in a -calmer tone: - -"To spare you emotions that might prove dangerous in your present state, -I will abridge the narrative of the misfortunes to which this event was -only a terrible prelude. What I have said will suffice to explain the -natural cause of my sympathy towards you. When I first saw you, I was -struck by the likeness you bore in age and height to my unhappy boy. I -even fancied I could trace a certain resemblance in your face, and -yielding to this illusion, I decided on keeping you near me, and nursing -you as if you were my own child. You can now form an idea of the agony I -endured during the week when I was compelled to despair of your -restoration to life. But Providence, taking pity on us both, has saved -you. You are now quite convalescent, and in a few days, I trust, will be -perfectly recovered. Such, my boy, is the secret of the affection I -displayed towards you." - -Deeply moved by the father's misfortunes, and touched by the tender care -he had bestowed on me, I could only express my gratitude in half-broken -phrases, for I was almost stifled by emotion. Torrini, also feeling the -necessity of shortening this painful interview, went out, promising to -return soon. - -No sooner was I alone than a thousand thoughts crossed my mind. This -mysterious and tragical event, the thought of which seemed to overthrow -Torrini's reason; this crime of which he accused himself so -persistently; this verdict whose justice he disputed, perplexed me in -the highest degree, and gave me a great desire to obtain more complete -details about this domestic drama. Then, I asked myself how a man -possessing so agreeable a countenance, who did not lack either judgment -or talent, and who joined to a solid education a readiness of -conversation and distinguished manners, could have thus sunk to the -lowest stage of his profession. - -While absorbed in these thoughts, the vehicle stopped: we had arrived at -Angers. Torrini left us, in order to obtain the mayor's leave to -perform, and so soon as he had succeeded, he prepared to occupy the spot -allotted to him. As I have already stated, the room I occupied was to be -transformed into a theatre; hence I was carried to an adjacent inn, and -placed in a capital arm chair close to an open window. The weather was -glorious; the sun's beneficent rays seemed to impart fresh life to me, -and I began to lose that egotistic indifference which a lengthened -illness usually produces. - -I could see Antonio and his master, with their sleeves tucked up, -working at the theatre. In a few hours our residence was completely -transformed; the moving house had become a charming room. The -arrangement of this singular vehicle is so stamped on my memory, that I -can still supply an exact description of it, and I will fill up the -details I have already given of it. - -The bed on which I had lain was drawn up through a trap in the ceiling -where it occupied a very small space. If clothes or linen were required, -an adjoining trap was opened, and by means of a ring, a chest of drawers -was produced, as if by magic. A similar process revealed a small -chimney, which, by a peculiar arrangement, expelled the smoke below the -hearth. Lastly, the larder, cooking-range, and other accessories of the -household, were ready to hand, and could be easily restored to their -respective places. This strange furniture occupied all the space between -the wheels, so that the room, though amply furnished, was not crowded. - -But I was most surprised to see the vehicle, which was scarcely six -yards long, suddenly grow twice that length. This was most ingeniously -contrived: the body was double and could be pulled out like a telescope. -This prolongation, supported by trestels, was quite as secure as the -rest of the edifice. The partition, dividing the rooms off, had been -removed, so that they now formed but a single apartment. The public -entered on this side, and a staircase led to the door, before which an -elegant marquee formed a vestibule, where the tickets were issued. -Lastly, a scaffolding was erected over the front, which represented a -stuccoed house. - -The sight of this machine excited my imagination, and I built castles in -the air which I was never to inhabit. I, too, would have a similar -vehicle, though rather smaller, as my exhibition would be different. - -Here I must make room for a parenthesis, to supply an explanation I -think necessary. I have spoken so much of sleight-of-hand, that it might -be supposed I had quite given up all thoughts about mechanism. On the -contrary I still passionately loved that science; but I had modified its -application, since the love of the marvellous had inflamed my -imagination. I proposed to call to my aid automata, which I would -eventually build; then, I would traverse the whole of Europe, perhaps -the world, gaining an ample amount of honor, pleasure and profit. - -While engaged with these pleasant dreams I regained my health and -strength, and hoped that Torrini would soon allow me to be present at -one of his performances. In fact, he soon offered me an agreeable -surprise, for, one evening, he led me to his theatre, and installed me -on the first row of seats, grandly denominated "the stalls." Judging by -my own enthusiasm, I expected the theatre would be thronged so soon as -the doors opened, but to my great surprise and regret, the room was not -more than half full. - -The hour fixed for commencing at length arrived; the bell rang thrice, -the curtains were drawn back, and an exquisite little stage was visible. -The most striking thing was the entire absence of all that apparatus by -which many performers compensate for their lack of skill, while by a -graceful innovation, a few candles artistically arranged, were -substituted for that dazzling glare which, at the period of which I -write, was the indispensable ornament of all performances of "amusing -science." - -Torrini appeared, walked towards the public with great ease of manner, -made a deep bow, then demanded the indulgence of the spectators, and -ended by paying a compliment to the ladies. This slight address, though -uttered in a cold and melancholy tone, received a few encouraging bravos -from the audience. - -The performance commenced in the most perfect silence; everybody seemed -inclined to devote all attention to it. I could hardly breathe, in my -desire not to lose a single word or gesture. - -I will not describe the several tricks I saw; they all possessed -extraordinary interest for me; but Torrini appeared to excel in card -tricks. He possessed two most precious qualities in the exercise of this -art: these were extreme skill and an incredible boldness of execution. -To these he added a most aristocratic way of touching the cards; his -white and carefully-tended hands seemed hardly to rest on them, and his -tricks were so artistically performed, that the audience involuntarily -bestowed a sympathising confidence upon him. Sure of the effect he would -produce, he performed the most difficult "passes," with a coolness no -one could expect him to possess; and this produced the most successful -results. To close the performances, Torrini requested the audience to -choose some one to play a game of piquet with him, and a gentleman -immediately stepped on the stage. - -"Pardon me, sir," said Torrini, "but it is indispensable, for the -success of the experiment, that I should know your name and profession." - -"Nothing easier, sir. My name is Joseph Lenoir, at your service; and my -profession is that of a dancing-master." - -Any other than Torrini would have made some jest on the name and -profession of this rival of Vestris; but he did nothing of the sort. He -had only asked this question to gain time, for he never indulged in any -mystification; so he merely added: - -"I thank you, sir, for your kindness; and now we know who we are, we can -place confidence in each other. You have come to play a game of piquet -with me; but do you understand the game thoroughly?" - -"I flatter myself I do, sir." - -"Ah! ah!" Torrini said with a laugh. "Pray do not flatter yourself till -we have played our game. Still, not to lower your self-esteem, I will -allow you to be an excellent player; but that will not prevent you -losing the game, although the chances are all in your favor. Listen to -me carefully; the trick I am going to perform, and which is called the -'blind man's game of piquet,' requires that I should be blinded, so have -the goodness to bandage my eyes carefully." - -M. Lenoir, who, I may mention, wore spectacles, was very distrustful, -hence he took extraordinary precautions to accomplish his task. First, -he covered the patient's eyes with tow, over which he fastened three -thick bandages; and, as if this fourfold covering were not enough to -blind his opponent, he fastened an enormous shawl round his head. I know -not how Torrini kept from suffocation beneath these heavy bandages; for -my part, the perspiration ran down my face at seeing him so muffled up. -Not knowing all the resources this skilful performer had at command, I -was rather fearful as to the result of the experiment, and my alarm -reached its climax when I heard him address his opponent as follows: - -"Monsieur Lenoir, have the kindness to sit down opposite me at this -table. I have still a small service to ask you before we begin our game. -You have quite deprived me of my sight, but that is not enough. You have -now to bind my hands, so that I may be quite incapable." - -M. Lenoir raised his spectacles and looked at Torrini, as if stupefied; -but the latter, quietly placing his arms on the table, and crossing his -thumbs, said, "Now, sir, fasten them securely." - -The dancing-master took the piece of whipcord and performed his task as -conscientiously as he had done the first part. - -"Am I now blinded, and deprived of the use of my hands?" Torrini asked -his vis-ŕ-vis. - -"I am certain of it," Joseph Lenoir replied. - -"Well, then, to begin our game. But tell me first in what suit you would -like to be repiqued?" - -"In clubs." - -"Very good; now deal the cards by twos or threes, as you please. When -they are dealt out, I will leave you to select the hand you think will -enable you best to prevent a repique." - -All the time these explanations and preparations lasted, the audience -remained motionless and silent, not knowing whether a mystification or a -real trick were intended. Now, on seeing the dancing-master shuffle the -cards, there could be no further doubt; hence all rose to command a view -of the stage, and a great number of spectators even surrounded the -table. I had also drawn near, and, to my great delight, secured a front -place. - -Profound silence in the room. - -"The cards are shuffled, please to cut!" the dancing-master said, in an -ironical tone, as if secure of victory. - -"Willingly," Torrini replied. And though hampered in his movements, he -soon satisfied his opponent. - -The cards having been dealt, M. Lenoir decided on keeping those before -him. - -"Very good!" said Torrini. "You wished, I think, to be repiqued in -clubs?" - -"Yes, sir." - -"Now follow my play. I throw out the sevens of spades, hearts, and -diamonds, and my two eights; the cards I take in give me a quint in -clubs, fourteen in queens, and fourteen in kings, with which I repique -you. Pray count and verify, sir." - -Torrini spoke the truth. Hearty shouts of applause greeted his success, -while jokes were cut at the expense of the poor dancing-master, who -hurried from the stage in a state of pitiable confusion. - - * * * * * - -The performance over, I expressed to Torrini the pleasure his tricks -caused me, and paid him some sincere compliments on the skill he had -evinced during the whole evening, and especially in his last trick. - -"These compliments are the more flattering," he replied, with a smile, -"as I know now they are paid me, if not by a fellow-artist, at least by -an amateur, who, I am certain, already possesses some degree of skill in -the profession." - -I know not which of us, Torrini or myself, was the more charmed by the -compliments we exchanged; at any rate, I felt most sensibly the -favorable opinion he had formed of my talents. One thing, however, -perplexed me: I had never said a word to Torrini about my -sleight-of-hand fancies: how could he have found them out? - -He read my thoughts, and added: - -"You are surprised at my detecting your secret? and you would like to -know how I did so. I am happy to tell you. My room is small; hence it is -easy for me, when on the stage, to look at every face, and judge the -various impressions I produce on the spectators. I observed you -particularly, and while watching the direction of your eyes, I could -judge what was passing in your mind. Thus when I indulged in some -amusing paradox, to draw public attention away from the side where the -trick was to be performed, you alone escaped the snare, and kept your -eyes fixed on the right spot. As for my piquet trick, though I could not -observe you while I was performing it, I have reasons to be assured that -you did not know it." - -"You have guessed perfectly right, my dear magician, and I cannot deny -that in my leisure hours I have amused myself with some of these tricks, -for which I always felt great inclination." - -"Inclination! Allow me to say that is not the proper word in your case, -my dear lad; yours is a true passion. I base my opinion on the following -observations. This evening, from the moment of the curtain rising, your -searching eye, your agitated face and half-parted lips, denoted the -state of excitement you were in. You looked like a gourmet just sitting -down to a well-covered board, or a miser gloating over his treasure. Do -you think that with these signs I need be a sorcerer to discover the -sway conjuring exercises over your mind?" - -I was about to reply, when Torrini drew out his watch, and said to me, -"Come, young gentleman, it is growing late; it is high time for a -convalescent to seek his rest. We will continue our conversation at a -better time." - -With these words my doctor led me to my room, and, after counting my -pulse, which appeared to satisfy him, retired. In spite of the pleasure -I felt in talking, I was not ill-pleased to find myself alone, for I had -a thousand souvenirs to evoke. I wished to summon up again the -experiments that had struck me most, but it was all in vain. One thought -mastered all the rest, and produced a strange sinking in my heart. I -tried, without success, to explain the motives why the public neglected -Torrini's interesting performances. - -This motive Antonio explained to me afterwards, and it is too curious to -be passed by in silence. Besides, I have here an opportunity to -introduce my readers to a very remarkable specimen of the great family -of mountebanks. - -I have said that we reached Angers at fair time; and among the numerous -providers of amusement who solicited the presence and money of the -Angevins, was another conjurer, known as Castelli. - -He was no more an Italian than was Torrini. I shall presently give -Torrini's real name, and the reasons that caused him to change it for -the one we know him by; as for the other conjurer, he was a Norman by -birth, and only assumed the name of Castelli in conformity with the -custom of most conjurers of the day, who thought an Italian name more -attractive. - -Castelli was far from possessing Torrini's marvellous address, and his -performances offered no special interest as far as sleight-of-hand was -concerned; but he thought with Figaro that "skill was better than -learning," and he proved it by his repeated successes. In truth, this -man was the incarnation of charlatanism, and he spared nothing to pique -public curiosity. Each day some new prodigy was announced on his -enormous posters. It was in reality only a deception, very often a -mystification for the audience; but his treasury was always filled to -repletion--hence, the trick was good. If the public felt wroth at being -duped, Castelli knew the art of escaping from the dilemma and drawing -the laughers on his side; he boldly made some jest in bad Italian, at -which the pit could not help laughing, and was thus disarmed. - -Besides, it must be remembered that, at this period, conjuring was not -so respectable as it is now; people went to an exhibition of that sort -to laugh at the conjurer's victims, even if themselves exposed to his -attacks. My readers ought to have seen the mystifier _par excellence_, -the celebrated physico-ventriloquist of the age, Comte, to form an idea -of the cool way in which the public was then treated. This performer, -though so graceful and gallant towards ladies, was merciless to men. -According to his notions, the cavaliers (as they were then called) were -predestined to supply amusement for the fair sex---- But I must not -poach on the biography of the "natural philosopher to the king," which -will hereafter find a place in my volume. - -The same day on which I had witnessed Torrini's performance, Castelli's -bills contained an astounding statement, well adapted, I grant, to tempt -public curiosity. The professor pledged himself to eat a man alive, and -if he did not succeed to the satisfaction of his audience, he would hand -over all the receipts to the mayor for distribution among the poor. This -seductive appeal had drawn the whole town; crowds collected round the -show, and persons who arrived too late were glad to pay double entrance -money. But the new trick played by the conjurer was quite worthy of all -that had preceded it. - -Castelli, after performing several tricks of second-rate interest, at -length arrived at the one which caused even the calmest spectator to -throb with impatience. - -"Gentlemen," he then said, addressing the audience, "we will now proceed -to the last trick. I promised to eat a man alive for my supper, and I -will keep my word. Will the courageous spectator who wishes to serve as -a repast to me (Castelli pronounced this word with the expression of a -perfect cannibal) take the trouble to mount on the stage?" - -Two victims immediately presented themselves. By accident they offered a -perfect contrast, and Castelli, who understood the art of producing an -effect, skilfully profited by it. He placed them side by side, with -their faces turned to the audience, then after surveying one of them, a -tall, bilious-looking fellow, from head to foot, he said to him, with -affected politeness, - -"I do not wish to insult you, sir, but I am sorry to tell you that, as -regards my food, I am quite of M. le Curé's opinion--you understand me?" - -The tall, thin man appeared for a moment as if trying to guess a riddle, -and ended by scratching his ear--a gesture which, among all nations, -civilized or barbarous, signifies, "I do not understand." - -"I will explain, then," Castelli continued. "You know that M. le Curé -does not like bones; at least, so they say at forfeits, and I assure you -I share the Curé's antipathy in this respect. You can retire, then; I -will not detain you." And Castelli began bowing to his visitor, who -hastened back to his seat. - -"Now, then, for us two," the conjurer said, turning to the one who -remained. He was a tall, chubby fellow, with rosy cheeks, who seemed -purposely made for the repast of an epicurean cannibal. - -"Well, my stout friend, so you consent to be eaten alive?" - -"Yes, sir, I am quite willing, and came here for that purpose." - -"Ah! ah! that is capital!" (Here Castelli licked his lips like a -gourmet, whose mouth waters at the sight of a dainty dish.) "As I have a -powerful appetite, we will begin directly." - -At this moment a gigantic cruet-stand was brought in. The stout youth -regarded it with surprise, as if trying to discover the use of this -strange utensil. - -"Don't mind it, pray!" said Castelli. "I am very fond of hot dishes, so -allow me to pepper and salt you in my usual fashion." - -And he began covering the unhappy man with a white powder, which, -adhering to his hair, face, and clothes, soon gave him an extraordinary -appearance. The stout youth, who at the beginning had tried to rival the -conjurer's gaiety, did not laugh now, and seemed earnestly to desire the -end of the jest. - -"Now, then!" Castelli added, rolling his eyes about ferociously, "kneel -down, and hold your hands over your head. Very good, my friend: it -really looks as if you had never followed any other trade than being -eaten alive. Now, then, say your prayers, and I will begin. Are you -ready?" - -"Yes, sir," the stout lad muttered, turning quite yellow with emotion, -"I am ready." - -Castelli then took the end of the patient's thumb in his mouth, and bit -it so hard that the latter, as if working by a spring, jumped up, -shouting energetically, - -"Confound it, sir, take care; you hurt me!" - -"What! I hurt you?" Castelli said, with perfect calmness. "What will you -say, then, when I reach your head? It was really absurd of you to cry -out like a baby at the first mouthful. Come, be reasonable: let me go -on. I am frightfully hungry, and long for my supper." - -And Castelli, thrusting him by the shoulders, tried to make him take his -first position. But the young man resisted with all his strength, as he -cried, in a voice palsied with fear, "I won't have it: I tell you I -won't have it. You hurt me too much!" At length, by a supreme effort, he -escaped from his tormentor's hands. During this time the audience, -foreseeing the result of this amusing scene, had been shouting with -laughter, and Castelli found some difficulty in gaining a hearing. - -"Gentlemen!" he said, assuming a tone of the deepest disappointment, -"you see me both surprised and vexed at the flight of that gentleman, -who had not the courage to allow himself to be eaten. Now, I expect some -one to take his place; for, far from shunning the performance of my -promise, I feel so comfortable, that I pledge myself, after eating the -first spectator who offers, to eat the second, and so on. Indeed, to -prove myself worthy your applause, I promise to eat the whole roomful." - -This jest was greeted by another hearty laugh, but the farce was played -out. No one came forward to be eaten, and the crowd went home to digest -the trick played on them all. - -If such manoeuvres could succeed, few spectators were left for -Torrini. As he desired to maintain a certain dignity, he never announced -tricks he did not perform, and, even if trying to render the titles -attractive, he always adhered to the strictest truth. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - - Antonio's Confessions--How to gain Public Applause--The Count - de ----, Mountebank--I repair an Automaton--A Mechanician's Shop on - Wheels--Nomadic Life--Happy Existence--Torrini's Lessons--His - Opinions about Sleight-of-Hand--A Fashionable Greek, Victim of his - own Swindling--The Conjurer Comus--A Duel at Piquet--Torrini - proclaimed Conqueror--Revelations--New Catastrophe--Poor Torrini! - - -The day after the performances, Antonio came as usual to inquire after -my health. I have already said this young man possessed a charming -character: ever gay, ever singing, his fund of good humor was -inexhaustible, and frequently produced a degree of gaiety in our house, -which otherwise would have been very gloomy. On opening my door, he -stopped the operatic air he had been humming from the bottom of the -stairs. - -"Well, my little signor," he said, in French, picturesquely intermingled -with Italian, "how is the health this morning?" - -"Famous, Antonio--famous, thank you!" - -"Oh yes! famous, Antonio, famous!" and the Italian sought to repeat the -intonation of my voice. "I believe you, my dear patient, but that will -not prevent you taking this draught the doctor, my master, has sent -you." - -"I am willing; but, indeed, this medicine is becoming unnecessary, for I -now feel that I shall soon be restored to health, and then I shall only -have to thank you and your master for your attention to me, and pay him -the expenses caused by my illness." - -"What are you talking about?" Antonio said. "Do you think of leaving us? -Oh, I hope not." - -"You are right, Antonio; I am not thinking of it to-day, but I must -consider of it so soon as I am in a condition to leave. You must see, my -friend, that, in spite of all the pain our separation will cause me, I -must make up my mind to it before long, for I am anxious to return to -Blois and reassure my family, who must feel most uncomfortable about -me." - -"Your family cannot be uncomfortable, as, in order to calm your father, -you wrote to him that your illness, having had no dangerous results, you -had proceeded to Angers to look for work." - -"It is true, but----" - -"But, but," Antonio interrupted me, "you have no good reason to offer. I -repeat, you cannot quit us. Besides," he added, lowering his voice, "if -I told you something, I am sure you would be of my opinion." - -Antonio stopped, appeared to struggle for a moment against the desire he -felt to confide in me, then, making up his mind, said, resolutely, "Ah, -bah! as it is necessary, I cannot hesitate. You were talking just now -about paying my master. Do you know that he is, I fancy, in your debt?" - -"I do not understand you." - -"Well, listen to me, my dear friend," Antonio said, with a mysterious -air; "I will explain myself. You are not ignorant that our poor Torrini -is afflicted by a very grave malady that touches him here (and Antonio -laid his hand on his forehead); now, since you have been with us, and he -fancies he can trace some resemblance to his son, my master is -gradually losing his sorrow, and even indulges in gaiety now and then. -Yesterday, for instance, during his performance, you saw him make his -audience laugh twice or thrice, which has not occurred for a long time. - -"Ah, my dear sir," Antonio continued, growing more and more -communicative, "if you had seen him before that fatal event, when he -performed in the first theatres of Italy. What enthusiasm! what spirit! -Who could have foretold at that period that Count de"--here Antonio -checked himself--"that the celebrated Torrini would ever be reduced to -play in a barn as the rival of the lowest mountebanks--he, the -inimitable sorcerer, the honored artist, everywhere known as the -handsome, the elegant Torrini! However, it was only just; for he -eclipsed the richest professors by his luxury and distinguished manners, -and never did a performer more fully deserve legitimate applause for his -talent and address. - -"However, I must confess," Antonio added, carried away by his -confessions, "that this applause was sometimes my handiwork. Doubtlessly -the public appreciates talent with intelligence, but it often requires -to be guided in the outburst of its admiration. I took charge of this -duty, and without saying a word to my master, I prepared him several -ovations which extended and prolonged his success. How many times -boquets, thrown at the right moment, excited the applause of the entire -audience? how many times murmurs of approval, skilfully introduced, -aroused the enthusiasm of the theatre? What successes, my dear -fellow--what successes we had, though, in those days. I cannot give you -a better idea of them than by saying that, at times, my master could -hardly manage to spend all the money his representations produced." - -"It is a pity, that your master," I said to Antonio, "did not place -less trust in the future, and save a portion of that fortune which he -would gladly have to-day." - -"We have often made that reflection," he replied, "but it only increased -our regret. And how could we suppose then that Fortune would turn her -back on us so suddenly? Besides, my master thought luxury necessary to -acquire that prestige which he liked to possess, and considered justly -that his prodigality added to the popularity his talent had procured -him." - -This confidential talk would probably have lasted longer, had not -Torrini called Antonio, who suddenly quitted me. - -One incident struck me in this conversation: it was when Antonio -recalled his master's name. This remark only increased my desire to know -Torrini's history. But I had no time to lose, as the last performance -was announced for the following day, and I was resolved to return home. - -I therefore armed myself with courage to overcome the repugnance which, -according to Antonio, his master felt about speaking of the past, and -after we had breakfasted together, I broke the ice, in the hope I should -lead him to tell me all I so much wanted to know. - -"You are going to Angoulęme to-morrow," I said to him, "and I regret I -cannot accompany you: we must separate, however much it may cost me, -after the service you have rendered me, and the care you have devoted to -me." - -I then begged him to let my family know the expenses my illness had -entailed, and I ended by assuring him of my deep gratitude. I expected -to hear Torrini oppose my departure: but it was not so. - -"However much you may press me," he replied, with the greatest calmness, -"I will take nothing from you. How can I ask payment for what has -caused me so much happiness? Never talk about that. You wish to leave -me," he added, with that affectionate smile peculiar to him, "and I say -you will not leave me." - -I was going to reply. - -"I say you will not leave me," he repeated, quickly, "because you have -no reason to do so, and because, presently you will have a thousand to -remain some time longer with me. In the first place, you require great -care to recover your health and root out the remains of an illness which -might otherwise return. Besides, I will add, I was awaiting your -convalescence to ask a service from you which you cannot refuse; I want -you to repair an automaton I bought from a Dutch mechanician, of the -name of Opré, and I am sure you will do it admirably." - -To these excellent reasons Torrini, who doubtlessly feared some -hesitation on my part, joined the most attractive promises. - -"To lighten your labors," he said, "we will have long talks about -conjuring. I will explain to you the game of piquet, that delighted you -so much, and after, when that subject is exhausted, I will tell you the -most important events of my life. You will learn from my story what a -man is capable of suffering short of death, and the lessons you may draw -from a life now almost ended may serve, perchance, to guide you in a -career which has hardly yet commenced. Lastly," he said, offering me his -hand, "your presence, I trust, will help to dispel those gloomy thoughts -which have robbed me so long of my energy." - -I could make no reply to these touching solicitations; hence I yielded -to Torrini's wishes. The same day he gave me the automaton I was to -repair. It was a small harlequin, supposed to leap out of the box in -which it was confined, perform some evolutions, and return to prison at -the word of command; but it was in such a bad condition, that I had -almost to make a new one. For this purpose I arranged a small workshop -in the carriage, and, two days later, I began my first automatic labors, -while proceeding along the road to Angoulęme. - -Never shall I forget the charm of that journey. My health was perfectly -restored, and with it my gaiety and the full exercise of my moral -faculties. Our enormous vehicle, drawn by two horses, could not proceed -very rapidly: hence we only covered nine or ten leagues a day, and even -then we had to start very early. Still, in spite of our slow locomotion, -never did time appear to me to pass so quickly or more agreeably. Was it -not the realization of all my dreams? What more could I desire? -Installed in a small, clean room, before a window through which the -smiling panorama of Poitou and the Angoumois was unrolled before me, I -found myself amidst my beloved tools, working at the construction of an -automaton, in which I saw the first-born of a numerous progeny: it was -impossible for me to imagine anything to surpass this. - -On starting, I attacked my work with such impetuosity, that Torrini, -still anxious for my health, insisted that I should take some rest after -every meal. The same day, on leaving the dinner-table, he handed me a -pack of cards, and told me to display my skill. - -Though frightened by such a clear-sighted spectator, by a judge whose -skill had so astonished me, I collected my courage, and began by one of -those effects to which I had given the name of "flourishes." It was a -brilliant prelude, merely intended to dazzle the eyes while showing the -extreme agility of the fingers. Torrini regarded me with indifference, -and I fancied I saw a smile playing round his lips. I was, I confess, -rather disappointed, but he hastened to console me. - -"I really admire your address," he said, "but I put little faith in -those flourishes, as you call them. I find them brilliant, but useless. -Besides, I am curious to know if you use them at the beginning or end of -your card tricks." - -"It appears to me logical enough," I replied, "to place them at the -beginning, as they are only intended to dazzle the spectators." - -"Well, my boy," he went on, "we differ on that point. I think that they -ought not to be placed either at the beginning or end of any card -tricks. For this reason: after such a brilliant exhibition, the -spectator will only see in your tricks the result of dexterity, while, -by affecting a good deal of simplicity, you will prevent your audience -trying to account for them. Thus you produce a supernatural effect, and -pass for a real sorcerer." - -I quite agreed in this reasoning, the more so as at the beginning of my -experiments I had always considered nature and simplicity the bases of -the art of producing illusions, and I had laid down the maxim (only -applicable to conjuring) that "you must first gain the confidence of the -person you wish to cheat." Hence, I had not been consistent with my -principles, and humbly confessed it. - -It is certainly a singular occupation for a man to whom frankness is -natural, to be continually engaged in concealing his thoughts, and -seeking the best way of making dupes. But may it not also be urged that -dissimulation and falsehood become qualities or defects according to the -purpose they are employed for? - -Does not the merchant, for instance, regard them as precious qualities -to heighten the value of his wares? - -Does the science of diplomacy consist in stating everything with -frankness and simplicity? - -Lastly, is not fashion, or the usages of decent society, an admirable -mixture of dissimulation and deceptions? - -As for the art I cultivated, what would it be without falsehood? - -Encouraged by Torrini, I regained my assurance. I continued practising -all my tricks, and showed him several new inventions of my own. My -master paid me some compliments, to which he added sensible advice. - -"I recommend you," he said, "to moderate your vivacity. Instead of -displaying so much petulence in your movements, affect, on the contrary, -extreme calmness, and thus you will avoid those clumsy gesticulations by -which conjurers generally fancy they distract the attention of their -spectators, when they only succeed in wearying them." - -My professor then, adding example to precept, took the cards from my -hands, and showed me in the same passes I had performed the finesses of -dissimulation allied to sleight-of-hand. I looked on with sincere -admiration: probably flattered by the impression he had produced on me, -Torrini said: - -"As we are now on the subject of card tricks, I will explain to you my -game of piquet; but, in the first place, you must see the box I employ -in its performance." - -And he handed me a small box, which I turned over a score times without -detecting its use. - -"You will seek in vain," he said to me; "a few words would put you on -the right track, but I prefer, although the remembrances it summons up -are very painful, to tell you how this box fell into my hands, and for -what purpose it was originally invented. - -"About twenty years ago I was living at Florence, where I practised as -a physician. I was not a conjurer in those days (he added, with a -profound sigh), and would to Heaven I had never become so! - -"Among the young men of my own age, I was particularly intimate with a -German of the name of Zilbermann. Like myself, he was a doctor, and -equally like myself without practice. We passed the greatest part of our -leisure hours together: in other words, we were almost inseparable. Our -tastes were much the same, save on one point, where we differed -essentially. Zilbermann was passionately fond of gambling, while I felt -no attraction for play. My antipathy for cards must indeed have been -excessive to prevent me yielding to the force of contagion, for my -friend won large sums, enabling him to live like a great gentleman, -while I, though most economical, could not help incurring debts. However -this may be, Zilbermann and I lived on terms of fraternal intimacy. His -purse was at my service, but I used it discreetly, as I knew not when I -should be able to return what I borrowed. His delicacy and generosity -towards me led me to believe he was frank and loyal with all the world, -but I was deceived. - -"One day, when I had only left him a few hours before, one of his -servants came hastily to summon me, stating that his master had been -dangerously wounded, and begged to see me at once. I ran off directly, -and found my unhappy friend lying on his couch with a face of deadly -pallor. Overcoming my grief, I proceeded to offer him succor. Zilbermann -stopped me, motioned me to sit down, dismissed his attendants, and, -after being assured we were alone, begged me to listen to him. His -voice, weakened by the pain he was suffering, scarcely reached my ear, -and I was forced to stoop down over him. - -"'My dear Edmond,' he said to me, 'a man accused me of cheating. I -challenged him--we fought with pistols--and his bullet is lodged in my -chest.' - -"And when I urged Zilbermann to let me attend to him, he added: - -"'It is useless, my friend. I feel I am wounded to death. I have hardly -time to make a confession, for which I claim all your indulgent -friendship. Learn, then,' he added, offering me a hand damp with death, -'I was not unjustly insulted. I am ashamed to confess that, for a long -time, I have lived at the expense of my dupes. Aided by a fatal skill, -and still more by an instrument I invented, I daily cheated at play.' - -"'How--you, Zilbermann?' I said, withdrawing my hand sharply. - -"'Yes, I!' the dying man replied, seeming by a glance to supplicate my -mercy. - -"'Edmond!' he added, collecting all his remaining strength, 'in the name -of our old friendship do not abandon me! For the honor of my family, let -not this proof of my infamy be found here. I implore you to remove this -instrument.' And he showed me a small box attached to his arm. - -"I unfastened it, and like yourself, my boy, looked at it, without -understanding its use. Revived by a thought of his culpable passion, -Zilbermann added, with the most lively admiration, - -"'And yet see how ingenious it was. This box can be attached to the arm -without perceptibly increasing its size. Ready packed cards are put in -it beforehand; when you are going to cut, you put your hand quietly over -the cards on the table, so as to cover them completely; then you press -this spring by resting your arm gently on the table. The prepared cards -come out while a pair of pincers seize the other pack and draw it up -into the box. To-day, for the first time, the instrument failed me--the -pincers left a card on the table. My adversary----' - -"Zilbermann could not complete the phrase; he had drawn his last gasp. - -"Zilbermann's confessions and death had overpowered me, and I hastened -from his room. On returning home, I began to reflect on what had -happened, and, imagining that my known intimacy with the deceased would -forbid my stay at Florence, I determined on proceeding to Naples. I took -with me the unlucky box, though not foreseeing the use I should -eventually make of it; and for a long time I forgot its existence. -However, when I turned my attention to conjuring, I thought about my -piquet trick, and the fortunate use I made of the box gained me one of -my most remarkable triumphs as professor of sleight-of-hand." - - * * * * * - -At this recollection, Torrini's eyes sparkled with unusual brilliancy, -and prepared me for an interesting anecdote. He proceeded as follows: - -"A conjurer, named Comus, had invented a trick at piquet, which he -performed, I must allow, with extraordinary dexterity. The praise he -acquired in consequence rendered him very boastful; and thus he never -failed to announce on his bills that he alone could perform this -incomparable trick, thus challenging all the sleight-of-hand professors -known. I had some degree of reputation in those days, and Comus's -assertion stung me. Knowing his way of doing the trick, and my own to be -far superior, I resolved to pick up the glove he threw to all his -rivals. - -"I therefore went to Geneva, where he happened to be, and offered him a -share performance, in which a jury should decide on our relative merits. -Comus gladly accepted, and on the day fixed an immense number of -spectators assembled. Being my senior, my opponent commenced. But, in -order that you, my dear Robert, may also act as jury, I will first -explain to you how he performed his trick. - -"Taking a new pack of cards, he undid the cover, had them shuffled, and -then taking them in his hand, he managed to get them, as if by accident, -either face to face or back to back. This disarrangement gave him time -to manipulate the cards, while appearing to be merely putting them in -order; thus, when he had finished, I could easily see that he had made -an almost imperceptible crease on certain cards, which must give him a -suit of eight cards, a king, and fourteen in aces. - -"This done, Comus handed the cards to his adversary, begging him to -shuffle them again; and, during this time, he had his eyes bandaged. -This was a useless precaution, let me observe _en passant_, for whatever -care may be taken to deprive a person of sight in this way, the -projection of the nose always leaves a vacuum sufficient to see clearly. - -"When the other player had finished, Comus again took up the cards as if -to shuffle them; but you can easily understand that he only arranged -them so that the cards he had marked must fall to him in the deal. The -_saute de coupe_, as you are aware, neutralises the effect of cutting; -hence Comus was certain of success. In fact, matters ended so on this -occasion, and hearty applause greeted my rival's victory. - -"I have reason to believe that a great number of these bravos emanated -from his friends and accomplices, for when I came forward in my turn to -perform my trick, a murmur of dissatisfaction greeted my appearance on -the stage. The ill-will of the spectators was so manifest that it would -have intimidated me, had I not then been quite steeled against all -applause or dissatisfaction on the part of the public. - -"The audience were far from suspecting the surprise I had prepared for -them, for instead of asking any one to come from the house as my -playman, I requested Comus himself to play with me. At this request I -saw the people begin to look at each other; but what were the -exclamations when, after asking my rival to bandage my eyes and tie my -hands, I not only declined to touch the cards, but left him at liberty, -after stating in what suit he would be repiqued, to deal the cards by -twos or threes, and choose the hand he preferred! - -"I had a pack ready prepared in my box, and I was sure of my -instrument--need I say that I gained the game? - -"Owing to my secret arrangements, my mode of acting was so simple, that -it was impossible to find out how I did it, while Comus's preliminary -manipulations led to the supposition that his dexterity gained the game. -I was declared victor unanimously. Shouts greeted this decision; and -even Comus's own friends, deserting my rival, came to offer me a pretty -gold pin, surmounted by a cup, the symbol of my profession. This pin, as -one of the audience told me, had been ordered by poor Comus, who felt -certain of winning it back. - -"I may (Torrini added) fairly boast of this victory; for, though -Zilbermann left me the box, he had not taught me the game of piquet, -which I invented myself. Was not this trick, I ask you, far superior to -Comus's, which, it is true, deceived the multitude, but the poorest -sleight-of-hand performer could easily detect?" - -Torrini was extremely proud of his inventive skill; but this, I believe, -was his sole defect, and he made up for it by his readiness to praise -other persons. His story ended, I complimented him most sincerely, not -only on his invention, but on the victory he had gained over Comus. - -Travelling in this way, and stopping at times to perform in towns where -we might hope to clear a profit, we passed through Limoges, and found -ourselves on the road leading from that town to Clermont. Torrini -proposed to give some performances in the chief town of the Puy-de-Dôme, -after which he intended returning straight to Italy, whose gentle -climate and quaint ovations he regretted. - -I had made up my mind to part from him there. We had been travelling -together about two months; this was about the time I had fixed for the -repair of the automaton, and my work was almost concluded. On the other -hand, I had a right to ask my dismissal, with no fear of being -considered ungrateful. Torrini's health had become as good as we might -ever expect, and I had given up to him all the time I could reasonably -spare. - -Still I did not like to speak about our separation, for the professor, -delighted with my progress and skill, could not conceive I could have -any other wish but to travel with him, and eventually become his -successor. This position would certainly have suited me in many -respects, for, as I have said, my vocation was irrevocably fixed. But, -whether new instincts were kindled in me, or that the intimacy I lived -in with Torrini had opened my eyes to the unpleasantness of such a mode -of life, I aimed at something higher than being his successor. - -I had therefore made up my mind to leave him; but painful circumstances -deferred the moment of separation. - -We had just arrived at Aubusson, a town celebrated for its numerous -carpet factories. Torrini and his servant were on the box of the -carriage: I was at work. We were going down a hill, and Antonio was -pulling at the rope which dragged our wheels, when, suddenly, I heard -something break, and the carriage started off at full speed. The -slightest obstacles produced a tremendous shock, and every moment I -expected the carriage to go over. - -Trembling, and hardly able to breathe, I clung to my bench as a plank of -safety, and with my eyes closed, awaited the death that appeared -inevitable. For a moment we were on the point of escaping the -catastrophe. Our powerful horses, skillfully guided by Antonio, had kept -up bravely during this rapid descent, and we had passed the first houses -in Aubusson, when, as misfortune willed it, an enormous hay-cart emerged -from a side street, and barred our passage. The driver did not see the -danger till it was too late to avoid it. The accident was inevitable, -the collision frightful. - -I was momentarily stunned by the pain, but as soon as I recovered I -stepped out of the carriage to look after my comrades. I found Antonio -covered with harmless contusions, supporting Torrini, whose arm was -dislocated, and leg broken. Our two horses lay dead in the road; as for -the carriage, only the body remained intact: all the rest was knocked to -atoms. - -A doctor, hurriedly sent for, reached an adjoining inn to which we had -been directed, almost as soon as ourselves. And here I could not refrain -from admiring Torrini's magnanimity, when he insisted on our being -looked to first; and, in spite of our entreaties, we could not alter -his determination. Antonio and myself were soon all right again, but -this was not the case with Torrini: he was obliged to undergo all the -operations and different phases of a broken leg. - -Although he treated the accident so coolly, it might produce terrible -consequences for him: the repair of the carriage, the physician, our -forced stay at an inn, would cost him very dear. Could he continue his -performances--replace his horses? This idea caused Antonio and myself -cruel anxiety: Torrini alone did not despair of the future. - -"No matter," he said, with entire confidence in himself; "once I have -recovered, all will go on well. Why ought a courageous and healthy man -to fear aught? Help yourself, and Heaven will help you! our good La -Fontaine wrote. Well, we will all, then, help ourselves, and no doubt we -shall escape from this dilemma." - -In order to give my company to this excellent man, and distract his -thoughts, I put up my bench by his bedside, and, while working, -continued the conversations which had been so unfortunately interrupted. - -The day at length arrived when I gave the last touch to the automaton, -and made it perform before Torrini, who appeared delighted with it. Had -our patient been less unfortunate, I should have now quitted him; but -could I leave the man who had saved my life in this way? Besides, -another thought had occurred to me. Although Torrini told us nothing of -his pecuniary position, Antonio and I fancied he was greatly -embarrassed. Was it not my duty to try and relieve him, were it in my -power? I imparted to Antonio a scheme he approved, though begging me to -defer it a little longer, till we found whether our suppositions were -correct. - -Still the days were very long by my patient's side, for my mechanical -job was finished, and sleight-of-hand was a subject of conversation long -exhausted. One day, when Torrini and I were seeking some topic to talk -about, I remembered his promise to tell me his life history, and -reminded him of it. - -At this request Torrini sighed. "Ah!" he said, "if I could suppress many -sad incidents in my story, I should delight to read you a few pleasant -pages from an artist's life. However, it may be," he added, "I have -contracted a debt with you which I must pay. - -"Do not expect me to give you a journal of my life; that would be -tedious both to you and to myself. I will only quote some interesting -episodes, and describe to you some tricks you possibly have not heard -of. This will be the most amusing portion of my story," Torrini added, -with a smile, "for whatever may be your present resolutions about -following my art, I need not be a Nostradamus to predict that you will -devote yourself to it some day, and gain immense success. What you are -about to hear, my friend, will show you that it is not every man who can -say, with the popular proverb, 'Spring, I will not drink thy water!'" - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - - Torrini relates his Life--Treachery of Chevalier Pinetti--A - Conjurer through Malice--A Race between two Magicians--Death of - Pinetti--Exhibits before Pius VII.--The Cardinal's - Chronometer--Twelve Hundred Francs spent on a Trick--Antonio and - Antonia--The most bitter of Mystifications--Constantinople. - - -My name is Edmond de Grisy, and that of Torrini belongs to Antonio, my -brother-in-law. That worthy young man, whom you wrongfully took for my -servant, has been good enough to follow me in my evil fortune, and help -me in my performances. You must have seen, though, by the way I treat -him, that while leaving to him the toil better suited for his age than -mine, I regard him as my equal, and consider him my best friend--at -least I should have called him so before knowing you--but now, one of my -best friends. - -My father, the Count de Grisy, resided on his property in Languedoc, the -sole resource left him of a once large fortune, which circumstances had -sadly diminished. Devoted to Louis XVI., and one of his most faithful -servants, on the day of danger he offered his body as a rampart for his -sovereign, and was killed at the storming of the Tuilleries on the 18th -of August. - -I was at that time in Paris, and, profiting by the disorders in the -capital, I was enabled to pass the barriers, and reach our small family -domain. There I dug up a hundred louis my father had concealed for any -unforseen accident; to this money I added some jewels left by my -mother, and with these modest resources proceeded to Florence. - -The value of my entire property was 5000 francs. On the interest of this -sum I could not live; hence I was obliged to seek some profession to -support me. I soon formed my decision: taking advantage of the excellent -education I had received, I devoted myself to the study of medicine. -Four years later I took my degree as doctor; I was then twenty-seven. - -I established myself at Florence, where I hoped to form a connexion. -Unfortunately for me, in this town, with its gentle climate and -reinvigorating sun, the number of physicians was greater than that of -the patients, and my new profession was a perfect sinecure. - -I have told you how Zilbermann's death compelled me to quit the capital -of Tuscany, and I established myself at Naples. More fortunate than at -Florence, immediately on my arrival I was called in to a patient whose -illness had defied the skill of the first Italian physicians. He was a -young man, of very high family; his recovery gained me great renown, and -I soon took my place among the best Neapolitan physicians. This success, -and the fashion I gained by it, opened to me the doors of all the -salons, and my name, aided by the manners of a gentleman brought up at -the court of Louis XVI., rendered me indispensable at all soirées and -festivals. - -What a happy and calm existence I might still be enjoying had not -destiny, jealous of my happiness, destroyed my future prospects of -felicity by hurling me into the vivid and ardent emotions of an artistic -life! - -The carnival of 1796 had just commenced. At that time one man was the -popular idol of the Italians; nothing was spoken of but the marvels -achieved by Chevalier Pinetti. This celebrated conjurer came to Naples, -and the whole city attended his interesting performances. As I was madly -attached to this sort of spectacle, I spent every evening at the -theatre, trying to guess the chevalier's tricks, and unfortunately for -myself, I discovered the key to many of them. - -But I did not stop here; I also wished to perform them before a few -friends: success stimulated me, and made me desirous of increasing my -repertoire. At length I could perform all Pinetti's tricks. The -chevalier was eclipsed; nothing was spoken of but my skill and address; -and every one besought a performance from me. But I did not accede to -all these requests, for I was chary in displaying my talent, hoping thus -to increase its value. - -My privileged spectators were only the more enthusiastic, and asserted -that I equalled Pinetti, if I did not surpass him. - -The public is so happy, my dear lad (Torrini said, with a look of -melancholy regret), when it can oppose some rising talent to any artist -in renown. It seems as if this sovereign dispenser of fashion and favor -takes a malicious pleasure in reminding the man it adores that every -reputation is fragile, and that the idol of to-day may be shattered -to-morrow. - -My vanity forebade my thinking of this. I believed in the sincerity of -the praise bestowed on me; and I, the earnest student, the clever -doctor, was proud of my futile success. - -Pinetti, far from seeming jealous of my triumph, evinced a desire to -form my acquaintance, and even came to call upon me. He might have been -about forty-six years of age at this time, but his elegant toilet made -him appear much younger. There was something distinguished in his face, -though the features were common-place and irregular, and his manners -were excellent. Still, by an inexplicable want of judgment, he used, -when performing, to wear a brilliant general's uniform, on which -numerous decorations glistened. - -This peculiarity, which bordered too much on the charlatan, ought to -have enlightened me as to the man's moral value; but my passion for -conjuring rendered me blind. We met like old friends, and our intimacy -was almost instantaneous. Pinetti was most affable, talked about his -secrets unreservedly, and even offered to take me to the theatre and -show me his stage arrangements. I accepted the offer with the greatest -readiness, and we entered his richly ornamented carriage. - -From that moment the chevalier treated me with the utmost familiarity. -In any other this would have wounded my pride, or at least aroused my -suspicion, and I should have been on my guard. On the contrary, I was -enchanted with Pinetti, for, by his unbounded luxury, he had gained such -consideration, that the noblest young gentlemen in the city were proud -of his friendship. Why, then, should I be more haughty than they? In a -few days we had become almost inseparable friends, only parting at the -time of our mutual performances. - -One evening, after one of my private exhibitions, I proceeded to sup as -usual with Pinetti, my head still a-glow with the compliments I had -received. I found him alone. On seeing me enter, the chevalier ran up to -me, embraced me affectionately, and asked how my performance had gone -off. I did not hide my success from him. - -"Ah! my friend," he said, "that does not surprise me; you are -incomparable: indeed, I should not be paying you a forced compliment if -I said you might challenge the most skillful among us." - -And during the whole supper, despite my efforts to stop him, he would -only speak of my skill and address. Though I tried to decline his -compliments, the chevalier seemed so sincere, that I ended by accepting -them. In fact, I was so convinced of their truth, that I began to pay -myself some compliments; for how could I believe it was all a trick to -make a fool of me? When Pinetti saw I had arrived at this stage, and -that the champagne had turned my head, he said: - -"Do you know, my dear count, that you could offer the Neapolitans a -surprise to-morrow, worth its weight in gold for the poor?" - -"How?" I asked. - -"Suppose, my dear friend, you take my place in a performance I am going -to give on behalf of the poor. We will put your name in the bills -instead of mine, and it will be regarded as a noble and honorable -understanding between two artists. One representation the less will not -injure my reputation, while it will cover you with glory; I shall thus -have the double satisfaction of helping the unfortunate, and displaying -my best friend's talent to advantage." - -This proposal so startled me, that I rose from the table, as if fearing -to hear more. But Pinetti was gifted with such persuasive eloquence, and -he seemed to promise himself so much pleasure from my future triumph, -that at length I ended by yielding all he asked. - -"That is right," Pinetti said to me; "dismiss such want of confidence in -yourself, which could be hardly pardoned in a schoolboy. Now, matters -settled so far, we have no time to lose. Let us draw up the bill: choose -among my tricks those you prefer, and, as for the preparations trust to -me: I will take care all is in order." - -The greater number of Pinetti's tricks were performed by the help of -accomplices, who brought to the theatre various objects of which the -conjurer had doubles. This singularly facilitated the pretended marvels, -and I had no doubt of success. - -We soon drew up the bill, at the top of which I wrote my name with great -emotion; then came a list of the tricks I proposed to do. Just as we -finished this, the usual guests entered the room, offering excuses more -or less specious to explain their delay. Still their tardy appearance -aroused no suspicion in my mind; for Pinetti's was open all hours of the -night, and his door was only closed from daybreak till two P. M., the -time he devoted to sleep and dress. - -As soon as the new arrivers heard of my resolution, they noisily -congratulated me, and promised to support me by their hearty applause. -Not that I wanted it, they added, for my performance would create an -extraordinary enthusiasm. Pinetti gave one of his servants the bill, -telling him to order the printer to have it posted all over the city -before daybreak. - -An impulse made me stretch out my hand to take back the paper, but -Pinetti checked me with a laugh. - -"Come, my dear friend," he said, "do not try to fly an assured triumph, -and to-morrow at this hour we shall all be toasting your success." - -All the visitors joined in chorus, and they drank in anticipation of my -approaching triumph. A few glasses of champagne dispelled my hesitation -and scruples. - -I returned home very late, and went to bed without thinking of what had -occurred. At two the next afternoon I was still asleep, when I was -aroused by Pinetti's voice. - -"Get up, Edmond!" he shouted through the door. "Up, man! we have no time -to lose: the great day has arrived. Open the door: I have a thousand -things to say to you." - -I hastened to open. - -"Ah! my dear count," he said, "allow me to congratulate you on your good -fortune. Your name is in every mouth: the whole theatre is taken; the -last tickets are being positively fought for; the king and the royal -family will do you the honor of being present; we have just been -informed of the fact." - -At these words the whole affair flashed across my mind: a cold -perspiration stood on my forehead: the terror that assails every novice -rendered me dizzy. In my confusion I sat down on the foot of my bed. - -"Do not reckon on me, chevalier," I said, with firmness. "Whatever may -happen, I will not perform." - -"What! you will not perform?" my perfidious friend said, affecting the -most perfect tranquility; "but my good fellow, you cannot be thinking of -what you are saying. There is no possibility of drawing back: the bills -are put up, and it is your duty to keep the engagement you have made. -Besides, you should remember this performance is for the poor, who have -already begun to bless you, and you cannot abandon them, while a refusal -would be an insult to the king. Come, come," he added, "summon up your -courage, my dear friend. Meet me at the theatre at four: we will have a -rehearsal, which I consider useless, but it may restore your pluck. Till -then, good-by!" - -So soon as I was left to myself, I remained for nearly an hour absorbed -in thought, trying in vain to elude the performance. An insurmountable -barrier ever prevented escape: the king, the poor, the entire -city--all, in short, rendered it an imperious duty to keep my rash -promise. At length I began to think there was no serious difficulty -about the performance, for a great number of the tricks, as I have -already said, being performed by the help of friends, these took the -chief labor on themselves. Encouraged by this idea, I gradually regained -my courage, and at four o'clock joined Pinetti at the theatre with a -degree of assurance that surprised even him. - -As the performance did not begin till eight, I had ample time to make my -preparations, and I employed it so well, that, when the moment arrived -to appear on the stage, my foolish fears were completely dissipated, and -I presented myself before the public with sufficient coolness for a -novice. - -The theatre was crowded. The king and his family, seated in a stage box, -appeared to regard me with sympathizing glances; for his majesty was -probably aware of my being a French émigré. - -I boldly commenced my performance with a trick which must eminently -excite the imagination of the spectators. I had to borrow a ring, place -it in a pistol, and fire through a window opening from the stage into -the sea that bathed the theatre-walls. This done, I would open a box, -previously examined, closed, and sealed by the audience, and in it would -be found an enormous fish bearing the ring in its mouth. - -Full of confidence in the success of the trick, I proceeded towards the -pit to borrow a ring. Of twenty offered me I selected one belonging to -an accomplice of Pinetti's, and begged him to place it with his own -hands in the barrel of the pistol I handed to him. Pinetti had told me -that his friend would use for this purpose a copper ring, which would -be sacrificed, and that I should return him a gold one in its place. - -The spectator obeyed me. I then opened the window and fired the pistol. -Like the soldier on the battle-field, the smell of powder excited me; I -felt full of fun and gaiety, and ventured on a few jests, which pleased -the audience. Taking advantage of the general hilarity, I seized my -magic wand and traced my cabalistic circles round the box. At length I -broke the seals and triumphantly produced the fish, which I carried to -the owner of the ring, that he might take it out of the fish's mouth. - -If the accomplice play his part well, he must evince the greatest -stupefaction, and, indeed, the gentleman, on receiving the ring, began -looking around him, and his face grew very long. Proud of my success, I -went back on the stage and bowed in reply to the applause I received. -Ah, my dear Robert! this triumph lasted but a short time, and became to -me the prelude of a terrible mystification. - -I was proceeding to another trick, when I saw my spectator gesticulating -to his neighbors, and then turning to me as if wishing to address me. I -fancied he was going on with the farce to dispel any suspicion of -collusion; still I thought he went too far. What was my surprise, then, -when the man rose and said: - -"Excuse me, sir, but it seems as if your trick is not over, since you -have given me a copper ring set with paste instead of my diamond -solitaire." - -As a mistake seemed to me impossible, I turned on my heel and commenced -my preparations for the next trick. - -"Sir," my obstinate spectator again took the word, "will you have the -goodness to reply to my question? If the end of your trick be a jest, I -acknowledge it as such, and you can return me my ring presently. If it -be not so, I cannot accept the horrible substitute you have handed me." - -Every one was silent: none knew the meaning of this protest, though many -fancied it was on ordinary mystification, which would end in still -greater glory for the performer. The claimant, the public, and myself -found ourselves in the same state of uncertainty; it was an enigma which -I alone could solve--and I did not know the word. - -Hoping, however, to escape from a position as critical as it was -ridiculous, I walked up to my pitiless creditor, and, on looking at the -ring I had given him, I was startled at finding it was really coarsely -gilt copper. "Could the spectator to whom I applied have been no -accomplice?" I thought. "Could Pinetti desire to betray me?" This -supposition appeared to me so hateful that I rejected it, preferring to -attribute the fatal mistake to chance. But what should I do or say? My -head was all on fire. - -In my despair, I was about to offer the public some explanation of this -untoward accident, when an inspiration temporarily relieved me from my -embarrassment. - -"Do you still believe, sir," I said to the plaintiff, after assuming an -extreme degree of calmness, "that your ring has been changed into copper -while passing through my hands?" - -"Yes, sir; and, besides, the one you have returned me does not in the -slightest degree resemble mine in shape." - -"Very good, sir," I continued, boldly; "that is the real marvel of the -trick; that ring will insensibly assume its old form on your finger, and -by to-morrow morning you will see it is the one you lent me. That is -what we term in the language of the cabala the 'imperceptible -transformation.'" - -This reply gained me time. I intended to see the claimant when the -performance was over, pay him the price of the ring, whatever it might -be, and beg him to keep my secret. After this happy escape I took up a -pack of cards and continued my performance, and as the accomplices had -nothing to do in this trick, I felt sure of success. Approaching the -royal box, I begged his majesty to do me the honor of drawing a card. He -did so very affably; but to my horror, the king had no sooner looked at -the card he had drawn, than he threw it angrily on the stage, with marks -of most profound dissatisfaction. - -The blow dealt me this time was too direct for me to attempt parrying it -or turning it aside. But I was anxious to know the meaning of such a -humiliating affront, so I picked up the card. Imagine, my dear boy, the -full extent of my despair when I read a coarse insult to his majesty, -written in a hand I could not mistake. I attempted to stammer some -excuse, but by a gesture the king disdainfully commanded silence. - -Oh, I cannot describe to you all that then passed in my mind, for a -dizziness attacked my brain, and I felt as if I were going mad. - -I had, at length, obtained a proof of Pinetti's perfidy. He had -determined on covering me with disgrace and ridicule, and I had fallen -into the infamous snare he had so treacherously laid for me. This idea -restored my wild energy: I was seized by a ferocious desire for revenge, -and I rushed to the side scene, where my enemy should be stationed. I -meant to seize him by the collar, drag him on the stage like a -malefactor, and force him to demand pardon. - -But the juggler was no longer there. I ran in every direction like a -maniac, but wherever I might turn, cries, hisses, and shouts pursued -me, and distracted my brain. At length, bowed down by the weight of such -intense emotions, I fainted. - -For a week I remained in a raging fever, incessantly yelling for revenge -on Pinetti. And I did not know all then. - -I learned afterwards that this unworthy man, this false friend, had -emerged from his hiding-place on my fainting. He had gone on the stage -at the request of some of his accomplices, and continued the -performance, to the great satisfaction of the entire audience. - -Thus, then, all this friendship--all these protestations of -devotion--were only a farce--a very juggling trick. Pinetti had never -felt the slightest affection for me; his flattery was only meant to draw -me into the trap he had laid for my vanity, and he wished to destroy by -a public humiliation a rival who annoyed him. - -He was perfectly successful in this respect, for from that day my most -intimate friends, fearing probably, that the ridicule I endured might be -reflected on them, suddenly turned their backs on me. This desertion -affected me deeply, but I had too much pride to beg the renewal of such -passing friendship, and I resolved on quitting Naples immediately. -Besides, I was planning a scheme of vengeance, for which solitude was -necessary. - -Pinetti, like the coward he was, had fled after the atrocious insult he -had offered me. To have challenged him would be doing him too much -honor, so I vowed to fight him with his own weapons, and humiliate the -shameful traitor in my turn. - -This was the plan I drew up: - -I determined to devote myself ardently to sleight-of-hand, and study -thoroughly an art of which I as yet knew only the first principles. -Then, when quite confident in myself--when I had added many new tricks -to Pinetti's repertoire--I would pursue my enemy, enter every town -before him, and continually crush him by my superiority. - -Full of this idea, I sold everything I possessed, and took refuge in the -country, where, completely retired from the world, I prepared my plans -for vengeance. I cannot describe to you, my friend, what patience I -devoted and how I toiled during the six months my voluntary retreat -lasted; but I was more than compensated for it, as my success was -complete. I gained a degree of skill to which I had never dared to -pretend: Pinetti was no longer my master, and I became his rival. - -Not satisfied with these results, I intended also to eclipse him by the -richness of my stage. I, therefore, ordered apparatus of unknown -brilliancy in those days, spending in this every farthing I possessed. -With what delight did I regard these glittering instruments, each of -which seemed to me a weapon capable of inflicting mortal wounds on my -adversary's vanity. How proudly my heart beat at the thought of the -contest I would commence with him! - -Henceforth, it would be a duel of skill between Pinetti and myself, but -a mortal duel; one of us must remain on the ground, and I had reason to -hope that I should be the victor in the struggle. - -Before commencing my tour I made some inquiries about my rival, and -learned that, after traversing Southern Italy, he had just left Lucca, -_en route_ for Bologna. I learned, too, that, on leaving that city, he -intended to visit Modena, Parma and Piacenza. - -Without loss of time I set out for Modena, in order to precede him -there, and thus prevent him performing. Enormous bills announced the -representations of "THE COUNT DE GRISY, THE FRENCH ARTIST," and my -programme was most attractive, for it contained all Pinetti's tricks. -The papers had puffed the latter so extravagantly for some time past, -that I felt sure my performance would be gladly witnessed. - -In fact, my room was taken by storm, as eagerly as on my disastrous -performance at Naples; but this time the result was very different. The -improvements I had introduced in my rival's tricks, and the great skill -I displayed in performing them, gained me a unanimous verdict. - -From this time my success was insured, and the following performances -raised my name above that of all the most fashionable magicians of the -day. According to the plan I had laid down, I left Modena when I heard -of Pinetti's approach, and went to Parma. My rival, full of faith in his -merits, and not believing in my success, took the theatre I had just -left. But he began to be bitterly undeceived; the whole city was -satiated with the style of amusement he announced; no one responded to -his appeal, and, for the first time, the success to which he was -accustomed slipped from his grasp. - -Chevalier Pinetti, who had so long held undivided sway, was not the man -to yield to a person he called a novice. He had guessed my plans, and, -far from awaiting the attack, he acted on the offensive, and came to -Parma, where he opened a room exactly opposite mine. But this town was -lost to him like the last: he had the misery of seeing my theatre -continually filled, while his was quite deserted. - -I must tell you, too, my friend, that all the money I netted only -covered my luxurious outlay. What did I care for gold and silver? I only -dreamed of revenge, and to satisfy that feeling I squandered my money. I -wished, above all, to pale that star which had formerly eclipsed me. I -displayed regal pomp in my performances; the theatre and its approaches -were literally covered with tapestry and flowers, while the house and -the stage, glistening with light, presented to the dazzled eyes of the -audience numerous escutcheons, bearing compliments to the ladies, who -were thus quite gained over to the side of the gallant Count de Grisy. - -In this way I crushed Pinetti, although he did all in his power to offer -me a vigorous resistance. But what could his tinsel and old-fashioned -ornaments avail against what I may fairly term my elegance and -distinguished manners? - -Piacenza, Cremona, Mantua, Vicenza, Padua, and Venice, were witnesses of -our desperate struggle, and, despite his rage and despair, the arrogant -Pinetti was obliged to endure my superiority, if he did not recognize -it. Abandoned by even his most zealous admirers, he determined to quit -the field, and proceeded towards Russia. Some slight success partly -consoled his late defeats, but, as if Fortune were determined on making -him repay the favors she had so long lavished on him, a tedious and -painful illness exhausted his strength as well as his slight savings. -Reduced to a state of abject misery, he died at the village of -Bartitchoff, in Volhynia, at the house of a nobleman, who sheltered him -from compassion. - -Pinetti once gone, my revenge was satiated, and, being master of the -battle-field, I might have abandoned a profession ill fitted for my -birth. But my medical connexion was broken up, and, on the other hand, I -yielded to a motive which you will appreciate some day; when a man has -once tasted the intoxication produced by the applause of the public, it -is very difficult to renounce it; with my will or against, I must -continue my profession as conjurer. - -I therefore determined on profiting by the reputation I had gained, and -proceeded to Rome, as a brilliant termination to my Italian -representations. Pinetti had never dared to enter that city, less -through distrust of himself, than through fear of the Inquisition, of -which he could only speak with terror. The chevalier was extremely -prudent whenever he was personally concerned: he feared being treated -like a sorcerer, and ending his days in an auto da fč. More than once he -had bid me take warning by the unhappy Cagliostro, who was condemned to -death, and only owed to the clemency of the Pope the commutation of the -penalty into perpetual imprisonment. - -Confiding in the intelligence of Pius VII., and, besides, having no -pretensions to the necromancy Pinetti affected, nor to the charlatanism -of Cagliostro, I proceeded to the capital of the Christian world, where -my performances created a great sensation. His Holiness himself, on -hearing of me, did me the signal honor of requesting a performance, at -which I was advised all the dignitaries of the Church would form my -audience. - -You can fancy, my lad, with what eagerness I acquiesced in his wish, and -what care I devoted to my preparations. After selecting all my best -tricks, I ransacked my brains to invent one worthy of my illustrious -spectators. But I had no need to search long, for chance, that most -ingenious of inventors, came to my aid. - -On the day prior to the performance I was in the shop of one of the -first watchmakers of Rome, when a servant came in to ask if his eminence -the Cardinal de ----'s watch was repaired. - -"It will not be ready till this evening," the watchmaker replied; "and I -will do myself the honor of carrying it to your master myself." - -When the servant had retired, the tradesman said to me: - -"This is a handsome and capital watch. The cardinal to whom it belongs -values it at more than 10,000 fr.; for, as he ordered it himself of the -celebrated Brčguet, he fancies it must be unique of its kind. Strangely -enough, though, only two days ago, a young scamp belonging to this city -offered me a precisely similar watch, made by the same artist for 1000 -fr." - -While the watchmaker was talking to me, I had already formed a plan. - -"Do you think," I said to him, "that this person is still inclined to -dispose of his watch?" - -"Certainly," the watchmaker replied. "This young prodigal, who has spent -all his fortune, is now reduced to sell his family jewels: hence the -1000 fr. will be welcome." - -"Is he to be found?" - -"Nothing easier: in a gambling-house he never quits." - -"Well, then, sir, I am anxious to purchase the watch, but it must be -to-day. Have the kindness, then, to buy it for me. After that, you will -engrave on it his eminence's arms, so that the two watches may be -perfectly similar, and on your discretion the profit you make by the -transaction will depend." - -The watchmaker knew me, and probably suspected the use I intended to -make of the watch; but he was assured of my discretion, as the honor of -my success would depend on it. Hence he said: - -"I only require a quarter of an hour to go to the gambling-house, and I -am confident your offer will be accepted." - -The quarter of an hour had not elapsed ere my negotiator returned with -the chronometer in his hand. - -"Here it is!" he said, with an air of triumph. "My man received me like -an envoy from Providence, and gave me the watch without even counting -the money. To-night all will be ready." - -In fact, that same evening the watchmaker brought me the two -chronometers, and handed me one. On comparing them, it was impossible to -detect the slightest difference. It cost me dear, but I was now certain -of performing a trick which must produce a decided effect. - -The next day I proceeded to the Pontiff's palace, and at six o'clock, -upon a signal given by the Holy Father, I stepped on the stage. I had -never appeared before such an imposing assembly. Pius VII., seated in a -large arm-chair on a daďs, occupied the foreground: near him were seated -the cardinals, and behind them were the different prelates and -dignitaries of the Church. - -The Pope's face breathed benevolence, and it was fortunate for me, for -the sight of this smiling and gentle face dissipated an unpleasant idea -which had been strangely troubling me for some moments. - -"Suppose this performance," I said to myself, "were merely a feigned -examination to make me confess my connexion with the infernal powers? -May not my words be taken down, and perhaps Cagliostro's perpetual -imprisonment be reserved as the punishment for my innocent experiments?" - -My reason soon dismissed such an absurdity--it was not probable the Pope -would lend himself to such an unworthy snare. Although my fears were -completely removed by this simple reasoning, my opening address -displayed my feelings in some degree, for it seemed more like a -justification than the prelude to a performance. - -"Holy Father!" I said, bowing respectfully, "I am about to show you -some experiments to which the name of 'White Magic' has been most -unjustly given. This title was invented by charlatans to impress the -multitude, but it only signifies a collection of clever deceptions -intended to amuse the imagination by ingenious artifices." - -Satisfied by the favorable impression my address produced, I gaily -commenced my performance. I could not describe to you, my dear lad, all -the pleasure I felt on this evening; and the spectators seemed to take -such lively interest in all they saw, that I felt myself in unusual -spirits. The Pope himself was delighted. - -"But, Monsieur le Comte," he continually said, with charming simplicity, -"how can you do that? I shall be quite ill with merely trying to guess -your secrets." - -After the "blind man's game of piquet," which literally astounded the -audience, I performed the trick of the "burnt writing," to which I owe -an autograph I set great store by. This is how the trick is done: - -A person writes a sentence or two: he is then requested to burn the -paper, which must be afterwards found intact in a sealed envelope. I -begged his Holiness to write a sentence: he consented, and wrote as -follows: - -"I have much pleasure in stating that M. le Comte de Grisy is an amiable -sorcerer." - -The paper was burned, and nothing could depict the Pope's astonishment -on finding it in the centre of a large number of sealed envelopes. I -received his permission to keep this autograph. - -To end my performance, and set the crown on my exploits, I now proceeded -to the trick I had invented for the occasion. - -Here I had several difficulties to contend with; the greatest was -certainly to induce Cardinal de ---- to lend me his watch, and that -without asking him directly for it, and, to succeed, I must have -recourse to a ruse. At my request several watches were offered me, but I -returned them with the excuse, more or less true, that, as they had no -peculiarity of shape, it would be difficult to prove the identity of the -one I chose. - -"If any gentleman among you," I added, "has a watch of rather large size -(this was the peculiarity of the cardinal's), and would kindly lend it -to me, I should prefer it as better suited for the experiment. I need -not say I will take the greatest care of it; I only wish to prove its -superiority, if it really possess it, or, on the other hand, to -marvellously improve it." - -All eyes were naturally turned on the cardinal, who, it was known, set -great value on the exaggerated size of his chronometer. He asserted, -with some show of reason perhaps, that the works acted more freely in a -large case. However, he hesitated to lend me his beloved watch, till -Pius VII. said to him: - -"Cardinal, I fancy your watch will suit exactly; oblige me by handing it -to M. de Grisy." - -His eminence assented, though not without numberless precautions; and -when I had the chronometer in my hands, I drew the attention of the Pope -and the cardinals to it, while pretending to admire the works and -handsome chasing. - -"Is your watch a repeater?" I then said to the cardinal. - -"No, sir, it is a chronometer, and watches of that degree of accuracy -are not usually encumbered with unnecessary machinery." - -"Indeed! a chronometer; then it must be English?" I said, with apparent -simplicity. - -"What, sir?" the cardinal replied, as if stung by my remark, "do you -think chronometers are only made in England? On the contrary, the best -specimens have always been made in France. What English maker can be -compared with Pierre Leroy, Ferdinand Berthoud, or Brčguet above all, -who made that chronometer for me?" - -The Pope began to smile at the cardinal's energy. - -"Well, then, we will select this chronometer," I said, putting a stop to -the conversation I had purposely started. "I have, then, gentlemen, to -prove to you its solidity and excellent qualities. Now for the first -trial." - -And I let the watch fall to the ground. A cry of terror rose on all -sides, while the cardinal, pale and trembling, bounded from his seat, -saying, with ill-suppressed wrath, - -"You are playing a very sorry jest, sir." - -"But, monseigneur," I said, with the greatest calmness, "you have no -occasion to be frightened; I merely wish to prove to these gentlemen the -perfection of your watch. I beg you not to be alarmed; it will escape -scathless from all the trials I subject it to." - -With these words I stamped on the case, which broke, flattened, and soon -presented but a shapeless mass. At first, I really fancied the cardinal -was going into a fit; he could scarcely restrain his passion; but the -Pope then turned to him: - -"Come, cardinal, have you no confidence in our sorcerer? For my part, I -laugh like a child at it, being convinced there has been some clever -substitution." - -"Will your Holiness permit me to remark," I said, respectfully, "that -there has been no substitution? I appeal to his eminence, who will -recognise his own watch." - -And I offered the cardinal the shapeless relics of his watch. He -examined them anxiously, and finding his arms engraved inside the case, -said, with a deep sigh, "Yes, that is certainly my watch. But," he -added, dryly, "I know not how you will escape, sir: at any rate, you -should have played this unjustifiable trick on some object that might be -replaced, for _my_ chronometer is unique!" - -"Well, your excellency, I am enchanted at that circumstance, for it must -enhance the credit of my experiment. Now, with your permission I will -proceed." - -"Good gracious me, sir, you did not consult me before destroying the -watch. Do what you please, it is no concern of mine." - -The identity of the cardinal's watch thus proved, I wished to pass into -the Pope's pocket the one I had bought the previous evening. But I could -not dream of this so long as his Holiness remained seated. Hence, I -sought some pretext to make him rise, and soon found one. - -A brass mortar, with an enormous pestle, was now brought in. I placed it -on the table, threw in the fragments of the chronometer, and began -pounding furiously. Suddenly, a slight detonation was heard, and a vivid -light came from the vessel, which cast a ruddy hue over the spectators, -and produced a magical appearance. All this while, bending over the -mortar, I pretended to see something that filled me with the liveliest -astonishment. - -Through respect for the Pope, no one ventured to rise, but the Pontiff, -yielding to his curiosity, approached the table, followed by a portion -of the audience. They might look and look: nothing was to be seen but -flame. - -"I know not whether I must attribute it to the dazed state of my brain," -said his Holiness, passing his hand over his eyes, "but I can -distinguish nothing." - -I, too, had much the same idea, but, far, from confessing it, I begged -the Pope to come round the table and chose a more favorable spot. -During this time I slipped my reserve watch into the Pope's pocket. The -experiment was certain, and the cardinal's watch had, by this time, been -reduced to a small ingot, which I held up to the spectators. - -"Now," I said, "I will restore this ingot to its original shape, and the -transformation shall be performed during its passage to the pocket of a -person who cannot be suspected of complicity." - -"Aha!" the Pope said, in a jocular tone, "that is becoming a little too -strong. But what would you do, my good sorcerer, if I asked you to -choose my pocket?" - -"Your Holiness need only order for me to obey." - -"Well, Monsieur le Comte, let be so." - -"Your Holiness shall be immediately satisfied." - -I then took the ingot in my fingers, showed it to the company, and it -disappeared on my uttering the word "Pass." - -The Pope, with manifestations of utter incredulity, thrust his hand into -his pocket. I soon saw him blush with confusion, and draw out the watch, -which he handed to the cardinal as if afraid of burning his fingers. - -At first it was supposed to be a mystification, as no one could believe -in such an immediate repair; but when my audience were assured that I -had fulfilled my promise, I received the applause so successful a trick -deserved. - -The next day the Pope sent me a rich diamond snuff-box, while thanking -me for all the pleasure I had occasioned him. - -This performance created a great sensation at Rome, and every one -flocked to see my marvels. Perhaps they hoped to witness the famous -trick of the "Broken Watch," which I had performed at the Vatican. But -though I was then very extravagant, I was not so mad as to spend 1200 -francs a night in the performance of a trick which could never again be -done under such favorable auspices. - -An operatic company was attached to the theatre while I performed, but -their performances were suspended during my stay in Rome. The manager -employed this leisure time to rehearse a fresh piece to be performed on -my departure, and this gave me a daily opportunity to mix with the -actors. I had formed a peculiar friendship with one of the youngest of -them, a charming lad of eighteen, with a tenor voice, whose elegant and -regular features formed a singular contrast to his employment. His -feminine face, with his small waist and timid demeanor, quite injured -the effect when he played the part of a lover; he looked like a -boarding-school miss in man's clothes. Yet, I discovered afterwards that -this effeminate person contained a bold and manly heart, for Antonio -(such was the tenor's name) had been engaged in several affairs of -honor, in which he had done his manly devoir. - - At this part of Torrini's story I interrupted him, for the name of - Antonio struck me. - -"What!" I said, "can it be that----?" - -"Certainly; the same person! Your astonishment is justifiable, but it -will cease when I tell you that more than twenty years have elapsed -since the time I speak of. At that period, Antonio did not wear a heavy -black beard, and his face had not yet been embrowned by the open air and -the fatigues of our laborious and nomadic life." - -Antonio's mother was also engaged at the theatre; she performed in the -ballets, and her name was Lauretta Torrini. Though close upon forty, she -had retained all her pristine charms. She must have been very beautiful -in her time, but the greatest scandal-mongers could not reproach her -with the least levity. She was the widow of a government clerk, and had -brought up her family by her own labor. - -Antonio was not her only child; she had borne a daughter with him. These -twins, as frequently happens, had such a striking resemblance, that only -their dress distinguished them; and they had been christened Antonio and -Antonia. The lad received a musical education at the theatre, but -Antonia was always sedulously kept from the stage. After a careful -education, her mother had placed her in a milliner's shop, till she -could set up for herself. - -I have dwelled so long on this family because, as you can guess, it soon -became my own. My friendship for Antonio was not quite disinterested, -for I owed to it an introduction to his sister. Antonia was lovely and -virtuous: I asked her hand, and was accepted. Our marriage was to take -place as soon as my engagement had terminated, and it was arranged that -Lauretta and Antonio should share our fortunes. - -I have already said that Antonio appeared effeminate; but although large -black eyes, fringed with long eyelashes, and exquisitely pencilled -eyebrows, a Grecian nose, and fresh and ruddy lips, were almost wasted -on Antonio, still these advantages admirably suited my betrothed. Such a -treasure could not long remain concealed: Antonia was noticed, and all -the rich young nobles fluttered round her. But she loved me, and had no -difficulty in resisting the numerous and brilliant offers made her. - -While waiting the wished-for day, Antonia and I formed plans for our -future happiness. She would enjoy a travelling life, and as she longed -for a sea-voyage, I promised to take her to Constantinople. I wished to -perform before Selim III., who was considered an enlightened prince, -and hospitably treated the artists he assembled at his court. All, -then, seemed to smile on my plans, when one morning, while dreaming of -these pleasant prospects, Antonio suddenly entered my room. - -"My dear Edmond," he said, "I defy you to guess where I have been, and -what has happened to me since last evening. I must tell you, then, as -prelude to my story, that, dragged, in spite of myself, into a drama, -which threatened to become very sanguinary, I turned it into a farce, -the details of which are worth hearing. You shall judge. - -"I was at the theatre yesterday, when a carpenter, a worthy man in many -respects, but who spends three parts of his time in public-houses, came -up and begged to tell me a secret. - -"Monsieur Antonio," he said, "if you wish to prevent a great evil, you -have no time to lose. I have just been drinking with some of my -comrades, and a man, whose acquaintance we had formed over the bottle, -told us we could gain a large sum easily. The proposal was so agreeable -that we accepted it unanimously, on condition of knowing what was wanted -of us. We were told, and this is what we promised to do: - -"This evening, when your sister leaves her shop, we are to surround her, -as if quarrelling, and drown her cries by our shouts. The Marquis -d'A----'s people will manage the rest. Now do you understand?" - -I only understood too well, and, scarcely thanking the carpenter, I -rushed off at full speed. Fortunately my brains did not fail me. I was -in front of a gunsmith's: I went in, bought a pair of pistols, and then -hastened home. - -"Mother," I said, as I went in, "I have made a bet that I should be -taken for Antonia by putting on her clothes. Dress me, then, quickly, -and tell my sister I beg her to leave the shop half an hour later than -usual." - -My mother did as I asked, and when I was dressed I so perfectly -resembled Antonia that she kissed me, and burst into a hearty laugh at -my pleasant idea. - -Nine o'clock had just struck: it was the hour appointed for the -abduction. I hastened away, doing my best to imitate my sister's walk -and manner. My heart beat violently when I saw this band of robbers and -servants approach me, and I instinctively put my hands on my firearms; -but I soon resumed the timid demeanor of a young girl and walked -onwards. - -The affair was executed just as I had been told; I was carried off with -all proper respect, in spite of my feigned resistance, and placed in a -carriage with the blinds down. - -The horses started off at a gallop. - -There was a man by my side whom I recognized in the gloom; it was -certainly the Marquis d'A----. I had to endure his warm excuses, and -then his passionate assurances, which sent the blood to my cheeks, and I -was several times on the point of betraying myself, but my vengeance was -so exquisite and near that I suppressed my anger. My purpose was, so -soon as I found myself alone with him, to challenge him to mortal -combat. - -Half an hour had scarce elapsed when we reached the end of our journey. -The Marquis begged me to descend, and politely offered me his hand to -lead me into a small isolated villa. We entered a brilliantly lighted -room, where some young gentlemen and ladies were awaiting us. My -abductor, radiant with victory, introduced me to his friends and their -companions, and received their felicitations. - -I lowered my eyes for fear my passion might be noticed, for I knew that -this humiliating triumph had been reserved for my sister, who would -certainly have died of shame. Five minutes later a servant opened the -folding-doors, and announced that supper was served. - -"To table, friends," the marquis exclaimed--"to table, and let each take -the place he likes best!" And he offered me his arm. - -We seated ourselves round a sumptuous repast, the marquis waiting on me, -for he had dismissed all the attendants. For some time I refused to -touch anything; but, you know, my dear Edmond, nature has claims which -cannot be neglected. I was fearfully hungry, and my appetite was -sharpened by the scent of the dainty dishes. In spite of my anger, I was -forced to give up my plans of abstention, and yielded to temptation. - -I could not eat without drinking, and there was no water on the table. -The other ladies had no objection to wine, so I followed their example. -Still I was very moderate, and, to play my part properly, I affected -great reserve and extreme timidity. - -The marquis was delighted to see me behaving thus. He addressed some -compliments to me, but noticing they were disagreeable, he did not press -me, feeling assured that he could take his revenge at a more suitable -season. - -We had reached the dessert; the whole of the company were in a charming -humor. May I confess to you, my dear Edmond, that the sight of these -merry comrades and coquettish dames produced the same effect on my -senses as the dishes had done on my appetite, and insensibly dispelled -my gloomy ideas? I had no strength left to continue the dramatic -character I had undertaken, and I sought a more satisfactory conclusion. -I soon made up my mind. - -Three toasts had been drunk in succession: "Wine!" "Play!" "Love!" The -ladies had joined in emptying their glasses, while I remained calm and -silent. The marquis begged me in vain to join in the general gaiety. -Suddenly I rose, glass in hand, and assuming the free-and-easy manner of -a soldier-- - -"Per Bacco!" I shouted, in a baritone voice, giving the marquis a hearty -slap on the shoulder. "Drink, my friends, to the lovely eyes of these -ladies!" Then I drained my glass at a draught, and trolled out a lively -ditty. - -I cannot describe the marquis's feelings; all I know is, he turned to -stone under my hand. His friends regarded me in stupor, taking me, -doubtlessly, for a maniac, while the women laughed convulsively at my -strange outbreak. - -"Well, gentlemen," I continued, "why are you surprised? Do you not -recognize Antonio Torrini, the tenor, all alive and well, and prepared -to accept anybody's challenge with the pistol or the glass, he doesn't -care which." At the same time I laid my pistols on the table. - -At these words, the marquis at length awoke from the torpor into which -the evanishment of his sweet dreams had plunged him, and he raised his -hand to strike me in the face. But his eyes no sooner met mine, than, -yielding to the influence of an illusion which he abandoned with such -pain, he fell back on his chair. - -"No!" he said, "I cannot strike a woman." - -"Oh, as for that, M. le Marquis," I said, as I left the table, "I only -ask ten minutes to appear before you in my proper attire." I then went -into an adjoining room, where I doffed gown, petticoats and finery: I -had kept all my own clothes under my feminine masquerade with the -exception of my coat. That article of clothing not being indispensable -to receive a blow, and as I was in fighting costume, I returned to the -dining-room. - -During my absence the scene had changed. I seemed to have "missed my -cue," as they say in the theatre, when an actor does not arrive in time -to reply. All the guests regarded me with smiles, and one coming up, -said: - -"Monsieur Antonio, my friend's seconds and yours, appointed _ex officio_ -during your absence, are agreed that you have taken ample satisfaction, -and have no occasion to fight. Do you approve of our decision?" - -I offered my hand to the marquis, who took it with very ill grace, for -he evidently could not stomach the bitter trick I had played him. This -dénoűment satisfied my vengeance, and I withdrew. But, before leaving, -each of us pledged our honor to discretion, in which the ladies joined. - - * * * * * - -After thanking Antonio for his devotion to me, and complimenting him on -his quickness, I added: - -"These gentlemen acted very gallantly in confiding a secret to the -ladies; but I, who flatter myself I can read the human heart, say with -François I., - - Souvent femme varie, - Bien fol est qui s'y fie. - -For this reason the marriage shall take place the day after to-morrow, -and in three days we will start for Constantinople." - -Antonio loved his sister as much as myself, and he was right, (Torrini -added,) for she was the most perfect woman earth ever saw. She was an -angel! - -The Count de Grisy was so excited by these reminiscences, that he raised -his arms to heaven, where he seemed to seek the woman he had so deeply -loved. But he fell back on his pillow again, exhausted by the agony the -disarrangement of his bandages produced. He was forced to break off his -narrative till the next day. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - - Continuation of Torrini's History--The Grand Turk orders a - Performance--A marvellous Trick--A Page cut in two--Pitying Protest - of the Harem--Agreeable Surprise--Return to France--Torrini's Son - Killed--Madness--Decay--My first Performance--An annoying - Accident--I return Home. - - -The next day, Torrini continued his narration, without awaiting any -request from me: - -On arriving at Constantinople, we enjoyed for some time a delicious -rest, whose charm was heightened by all the intoxication of the -honeymoon. At the end of the month, however, I thought our mutual -happiness ought not to prevent me trying to realize the plan I had -formed of performing in the presence of Selim III.; but, before asking -this favor, I thought of giving some performances in the town. However -great my reputation might be in Italy, it was hardly probable that my -name had crossed the Mediterranean: hence I had a new reputation to -achieve. - -I had a theatre erected, in which my success continued: crowds came to -see me, and the highest personages were my constant visitors. I may be -permitted to boast of this success, my lad, for the Turks, naturally -indolent and phlegmatic, when utterly astounded by the sight I offered -them, reminded me, by their enthusiasm, of my excitable Italian -spectators. - -The grand vizier himself came to one of my performances. He spoke about -it to his sovereign, and excited his curiosity to such a degree, that I -received an invitation, or rather a command, to court. I proceeded, in -all haste, to the palace, where the apartment was shown me in which the -performance would take place. A body of workmen was placed at my orders, -and I was allowed all latitude for my theatrical arrangements. Only one -stipulation was made: the stage must be exactly in front of a gilded -lattice, behind which, I was told, the Sultan's wives would be seated. - -Within two days, my theatre was erected and completely decorated. It -represented a garden, filled with natural flowers, whose lively colors -and fragrant scent delighted both sight and smell. At the rear, and in -the midst of dense foliage, a fountain fell back, in thousands of drops, -into a crystal basin, sparkling like diamonds in the brilliant light, -while, at the same time, the falling water deliciously cooled the air. -Lastly, to my right and left, hedges of flowers served as side scenes -and laboratory, while the buffet, loaded with my brilliant apparatus, -was erected in the centre of this Garden of Armida. - -When all was ready, the Sultan and his numerous suite took the places -assigned to them, according to their court precedence. The Sultan -reclined on a sofa, with the grand vizier by his side, while an -interpreter, keeping respectfully in the rear, translated my remarks to -him. When the curtain rose, a shower of rose-leaves fell on the stage, -and formed an odoriferous and deliciously soft carpet. I then appeared, -dressed in a rich Louis XV. costume. - -I will spare you the account of my tricks, with the exception of one, -which, like the "broken watch," was the inspiration of the moment. I -must add, that my spectators had been already considerably startled -when I performed it. - -Addressing Selim in the grave and solemn tone proper to a magician, I -said: - -"Noble Sultan, I am about to proceed from simple tricks of skill to the -sublime science of magic: but, in order that my incantations may -succeed, I must address myself directly to your august highness. Will -you be pleased to lend me this ornament which I require?" - -And I pointed to a splendid necklace of pearls which adorned his neck. -The Sultan handed it to me, and I placed it in the hands of Antonio, who -was helping me, in a page's costume. - -"It is well known," I continued, "that magicians possess unlimited -powers, for they hold in subjection familiar spirits, who blindly obey -their masters' orders. Let these spirits, then, prepare to obey me, for -I am about to summon them." - -Here I majestically traced a circle round me with my wand, and -pronounced, in a low voice, certain magic spells. Then I turned to my -page, to take the collar from him, but it had disappeared. In vain I -asked Antonio for it: his only reply was a hoarse and sarcastic laugh, -as if he were possessed by one of the spirits I had summoned. - -"Mighty prince," I then said to the Sultan, "believe me when I say that, -far from sharing in this audacious theft, I am forced to confess myself -the victim of a plot I did not at all foresee. But your highness may be -reassured: we possess means of forcing our subordinates to return to -their duty. These means are as powerful as they are terrible, and I will -offer you an example." - -At my summons two slaves brought in a long and narrow chest, and a -trestle for saving wood. Antonio seemed to be terribly alarmed, but I -coldly ordered the slaves to seize him, place him in the chest, the -cover of which was immediately nailed down, and lay it across the -trestle. Then, taking up a saw, I prepared to cut the chest asunder, -when piercing cries were heard from behind the gilt lattice--the -Sultan's wives were protesting against my barbarity. I stopped a moment -to give them time to recover; but so soon as I set to work again, new -protestations, in which I distinguished threats, compelled me to suspend -my operations. - -Not knowing if I might be allowed to address the gilt lattice, I -determined to reassure these sympathizing ladies indirectly. - -"Gentlemen," I said to my numerous audience, "have no fears, I beg, for -the culprit; instead of feeling any pain, I assure you he will -experience the most delightful sensations." - -It was evident that my statement was believed, for silence was restored, -and I could continue my experiment. The chest was at length divided into -two parts; I raised them so that each represented a pedestal; I then -placed them side by side, and covered them with an enormous wicker cone, -over which I threw a large black cloth, on which cabalistic signs were -embroidered in silver. This duly performed, I recommenced my little -farce of magic circles and bombastic words; when suddenly the deep -silence was interrupted by two voices performing an exquisite duet -beneath the black cloth. - -During this time Bengal lights were kindled all around as if by -enchantment. At length the fires and the voices having gradually died -away, a noise was heard, the cone and the cloth were upset, and---- All -the spectators uttered a cry of surprise and admiration: for two pages, -exactly alike, appeared on the pedestals, holding a silver salver, on -which lay the collar of pearls. My two Antonios walked up to the Sultan, -and respectfully offered him his rich ornament. - -The whole audience had risen as if to give more effect to the applause -bestowed on me; the Sultan himself thanked me in his own language, which -I did not understand, but I fancied I read in his face an expression of -deep satisfaction. The next day an officer of the palace came to -compliment me on behalf of his master, and offered me the collar which -had been so cleverly juggled away the previous evening. - -The trick of the _two pages_, as I called it, was one of the best I ever -performed, and yet it was probably one of the most simple. Of course you -understand, my dear boy, that Antonio disposed of the collar while I -distracted public attention by my incantations. You also understand -that, while he was being nailed up in the chest, he escaped through an -opening corresponding with a trap in the stage; hence I had only to cut -through planks. Lastly, by the aid of the cone and the cloth, Antonio -and his sister, dressed precisely alike, came up through the trap and -took their places on the pedestals. The _mise en scčne_, and the -coolness of the performers, did the rest. - -This trick created great excitement in the city; the story, passing from -mouth to mouth; soon attained the proportions of a miracle, and -contributed much to the success of my remaining performances. - -I might have realized a large fortune by making a tour through the -Turkish provinces, but I was mortally tired of the peaceful life I was -leading, and I felt the need of changing my ground and seeking fresh -excitement. Besides, I began to feel a degree of nostalgia, and as my -wife begged me to return to Italy, or some other Christian country, as -she did not wish our first-born to come into the world among Pagans, we -set out for France. - -It was my intention to proceed to Paris, but, on arriving at Marseilles, -I read in the papers the advertisements of a conjurer of the name of -Olivier. His programme contained the whole of Pinetti's tricks, which -was almost my own. Which of the two was the plagiarist? I have reason to -believe it was Olivier. At any rate, having no desire to engage in a new -passage of arms, I evacuated the town. - -It is impossible for me, my friend, to describe to you my itinerary -during sixteen years; suffice it to say, I traversed the whole of -Europe, stopping, of preference, in the chief towns. For a long time my -reputation remained at its zenith, but suddenly, like Pinetti, I was -destined to experience the inconstancy of Fortune. - -One fine day I found my star beginning to pale; the public did not flock -so eagerly to my performances. I no longer heard the bravos that used to -greet my appearance on the stage, and the spectators appeared to me -indifferent. How was this? What could be the cause of this capricious -change? My repertoire was still the same: it was my Italian one, of -which I was so proud, and for which I had made such sacrifices; I had -introduced no change; the tricks I submitted to the public were the same -which had been so warmly accepted. I felt, too, that I had lost none of -my vigor, skill, or spirit. - -Precisely because I had made no change, the public had begun to grow -indifferent; as an author has observed, very justly, "the artist who -does not rise, descends;" and this was peculiarly applicable to my -position: while civilization had been progressing, I remained -stationary--hence, I was going down. - -When this truth struck me, I made a complete reform in my programme. The -card tricks no longer possessing the charm of novelty, as the meanest -jugglers could do them, were nearly all suppressed, and I substituted -other experiments. - -The public like, and run after, touching scenes; I invented one, which, -in this respect, would certainly satisfy them, and draw them back to me. -But why did Heaven allow me to succeed? why did my brain conceive this -fatal idea? (Torrini exclaimed, raising his hands to heaven, and his -eyes filling with tears.) Had it not been so, I should still have my -son, and should not have lost my Antonia! - - * * * * * - -It was some time before Torrini could continue his narrative, for these -terrible reminiscences caused him mental torture. At length, after -holding his hand over his eyes for some time, as if trying to -concentrate himself in his grief, he continued: - -About two years ago I was at Strasburg; I was performing at the theatre, -and every one was anxious to see my touching scene, which I had named -"The Son of William Tell." My son Giovanni played the part of Walter, -the son of the Swiss hero, but, instead of placing the apple on his -head, he held it between his teeth. On a given signal, a spectator armed -with a pistol, fired at Giovanni, and the ball lodged in the heart of -the fruit. - -Owing to the success of this trick, my money-box was soon filled again. -This restored my confidence in the future, and, far from profiting by -the lessons of adversity, I reassumed my luxurious habits, as I fancied -I had again pinioned Fortune, and she could not slip from me. - -This illusion was fearfully dispelled. - -"The Son of William Tell," of which I had made a separate act, usually -terminated the performance. We were about to execute it for the -thirtieth time, and I had ordered the curtain to be dropped in order to -have the stage arranged as the public square of Altorf, but all at once -my son, who had just put on the traditional Helvetic costume, came to -me, complaining of a sudden indisposition, and begging me to hurry on -the performance. I had just seized the bell-rope to warn the carpenters -to raise the curtain, when my son fell down in a fainting fit. - -Without caring for the impatience of the public, we paid all attention -to my poor Giovanni, and I bore him to a window. The fresh air soon -restored him--still, there was a mortal pallor on his face, which would -prevent his appearance in public. I was myself assailed by a strange -presentiment, which urged me to stop the performance, and I resolved to -announce it to the public. - -The curtain was drawn up, and, with features contracted by anxiety, I -walked to the footlights, Giovanni even paler than myself, and scarce -able to stand, being at my side. I briefly explained the accident that -had happened, rendering it impossible to perform the final experiment, -and offered to return the entrance money to any who might feel -dissatisfied. But at these words, which might excite great confusion and -grave abuses, my courageous son, making a supreme effort, stated that he -felt better, and able to perform his share in the trick, which, after -all, was passive, and not at all fatiguing. - -The public received this intimation with lively applause, and I, the -insensate and barbarous father, taking no heed of the warning that -heaven had sent me, had the cruelty, the madness, to accept this -generous act of devotion. Only one word was needed to prevent ruin, -dishonor, and death, yet that word died away on my lips! Listening -solely to the noisy applause of the audience, I allowed the performance -to commence. - -I have already stated the nature of the trick that attracted the whole -town; it consisted in substituting one ball for another. A chemist had -taught me how to make a metallic composition bearing an extraordinary -resemblance to lead. I had made balls of it which, when placed by the -side of the real ones, could not be detected. The only precaution -necessary was not to press them too hard, as they were of a very friable -nature; but for the same reason, when inserted in the pistol, they fell -into an impalpable powder, and did not go further than the wad. - -Till now I had never dreamed of any danger in the performance of this -trick, and, indeed, I had taken all possible precautions. The false -bullets were contained in a small box, of which alone I had the key, and -I only opened it at the moment of action. That evening I had been -peculiarly careful; then how can I explain the frightful error? I can -only accuse fatality. So much is certain--a leaden bullet had been mixed -with the others in the box, and was inserted in the pistol. - -Conceive all the horror of such an action! Imagine a father, with a -smile on his lips, giving the signal which will deprive his son of -life--it is frightful, is it not? - -The pistol was fired, and the spectator, with cruel adroitness, had -aimed so truly that the bullet crashed through my son's forehead. He -fell forward with his face to the ground, rolled over once or twice, -and---- - -For a moment I remained motionless, still smiling at the audience, and -incapable of believing in such a misfortune. In a second a thousand -thoughts crossed my brain. Could it be an illusion, a surprise I had -prepared, and which I had momentarily forgotten? or was it the return of -my son's attack? - -Paralysed by doubt and horror, my feet clung to the stage; but the blood -welling profusely from the wound violently recalled me to the terrible -reality. At last I understood all, and, mad with agony, I cast myself on -my son's lifeless corpse. - -I know not what took place afterwards, or what became of me. When I -recovered the use of my senses, I found myself in prison, with two men -before me, a physician and a magistrate. The latter, sympathising with -me, was kind enough to perform his painful mission with all possible -regard for my feelings; but I could scarce understand the questions he -addressed to me; I knew not what to reply, and I contented myself with -shedding tears. - -I was fully committed, and brought up at the next assises. I assure you -I took my place in the dock with indescribable delight, hoping I should -only leave it to receive the just punishment of the crime I had -committed. I was resigned to die; I even wished it, and I determined to -do all in my power to get rid of a life which was odious to me. Hence, I -offered no defence; but the court requested a barrister to undertake my -cause, and he defended me with great skill. I was found guilty of -"Homicide through imprudence," and sentenced to six months' -imprisonment, which I passed in an infirmary. Here I saw Antonio again -for the first time, who brought me terrible news: my dear Antonia, -unable to endure such complicated misery, had died of a broken heart. - -This new blow affected me so much that I was nearly dead. I spent the -greater period of my imprisonment in a state of weakness akin to death; -but at length my vigorous constitution overcame all these shocks, and I -regained my health. I had quite recovered when the doors of my prison -were opened. - -Grief and remorse accompanied me wherever I went, and cast me in a state -of apathy from which nothing could arouse me. For three months I behaved -like a madman, running about the country, and only eating just enough to -keep me from perishing of hunger. I went forth at daybreak, and did not -return till night. I could not possibly have said what I did during -these lengthened excursions, but I probably walked about with no other -object than to change place. - -Such an existence could not last long; poverty, and her mournful -handmaids, soon preyed upon me. My wife's illness, my imprisonment, and -our expenses during these three months of listlessness, had swallowed -up, not only my money, but also all my apparatus. Antonio explained our -situation to me, and begged me to recommence my performances. - -I could not leave this good brother, this excellent friend, in such a -critical position; I therefore acceded to his entreaties, on condition -that I should change my name to Torrini, and never perform in any -theatre. Antonio offered to arrange everything to my wish. By selling -the valuable presents I had received on various occasions, and which he -had managed to secrete from the officers, he paid my debts, and had the -carriage built in which we suffered this painful accident. - -From Strasburg we proceeded to Basle. My first performances were stamped -with the deepest sorrow, but I gradually substituted skill and care for -my gaiety and good spirits, and the public accepted the change. After -visiting the principal towns in Switzerland, we returned to France, and -it was thus I found you my dear boy, on the road between Tours and -Blois. - - * * * * * - -I saw by Torrini's last sentences, and the manner in which he tried to -shorten his narrative, that he not only required rest, but also to -recover from the painful emotions these melancholy reminiscences had -evoked. A few words, too, Torrini had dropped confirmed my notion that -he was in a pecuniary dilemma; hence, I left him under the pretence of -letting him sleep, and begged Antonio to take a walk with me. I wanted -to remind him it was time to carry out the plan we had formed, which -consisted in giving a few performances at Aubussen, without dropping a -word of it to our dear master. Antonio was of my opinion; but when it -came to deciding which of us should perform, he positively asserted he -knew no more of the conjuring art than he had been obliged to learn--he -could slip a card, a handkerchief, or a coin into a person's pocket, if -required, but nothing more. I learned later that Antonio, though not -very skillful, knew more than he pretended. - -We decided that I should represent the sorcerer; and I must have been -animated with a great desire to help Torrini, and pay him in part the -debt of gratitude I owed, ere I consented to mount a stage so suddenly. -For, although I had shown my friends some of my tricks, the performance -had always been gratuitous; now I had to do with spectators who paid for -their seats, and this caused me considerable apprehension. - -Still, my resolution once formed, I proceeded with Antonio to the -mayor's, in order to obtain permission to perform. This magistrate was -an excellent man; aware of the accident that had happened to us, and -that he had it in his power to do a good deed, he offered us the -gratuitous use of a concert-room. More than this, to give us a chance of -forming some acquaintances who might be of use to us, he begged us to -come to his house the next Sunday evening. We accepted this offer -gratefully, and had reason to congratulate ourselves on it. The mayor's -guests, pleased with certain tricks I showed them, faithfully kept their -promise of attending my first performance, and not one was missing. - -My heart panted audibly when the curtain rose, and I was obliged to -whisper to myself that the spectators, aware of the object of my -performance, would be inclined to look over much. Some cheering applause -restored my confidence, and I got through my first tricks very decently. -This success heightened my assurance, and at length I acquired a degree -of coolness I did not think myself capable of. - -It is true, I was perfectly _au fait_ in my tricks, through having seen -Torrini perform them so often. The principal ones were, the Trowel, the -Pyramids of Egypt, the Bird Dead and Alive, and the Omelette in the Hat. -I concluded with the Blind Man's Game of Piquet, which I had carefully -studied; I was fortunate enough to succeed, and was warmly applauded. - -An accident that happened during the performance singularly lessened the -joy I felt in my triumph. I had borrowed a hat to make an omelette in. -Those who have seen this trick are aware that it is chiefly intended to -produce a laugh, and that the object borrowed runs no risk. I had got -through the first part excellently, consisting in breaking the eggs, -beating them, throwing in the salt and pepper, and pouring it all into -the hat. After this, I had to feign the frying of the omelette; I -placed a candle on the ground, then, holding the hat sufficiently high -above it to escape the flame, I began turning it gently round, while -making some of the stereotyped jokes adapted to the trick. The public -laughed so heartily and loudly that I could scarce hear myself speak, -but I could not suspect the cause of their hilarity. Unfortunately, I -detected it only too soon. A strong scent of burning made me turn my -eyes on the candle: it had gone out. I then looked at the hat: the crown -was quite burned and stained. I had kept on turning the hat round -unsuspectingly, until I at length put it on the top of the candle and -covered it with grease. - -Quite dazed by this sight, I stopped, not knowing how to escape. -Fortunately for me, my alarm, though so truthful, was regarded as a -well-played farce: it was supposed this was only a heightened effect, -and this confidence in my skill was an additional torture, for my -supernatural power could not repair a hat. My only chance was to gain -time; so I continued the trick, with a tolerably easy air, and produced -to the public a splendidly cooked omelette, which I had enough courage -left to season with a few jokes. - -Still, that quarter of an hour of which Rabelais speaks had arrived. I -must restore the hat, and publicly confess myself a clumsy blockhead. I -had resigned myself to this, and was going to do so, with all the -dignity I could muster, when I heard Antonio call me from the side. His -voice restored my courage, for I felt assured he had prepared some way -for escape. I went up to him, and found him standing with a hat in his -hand. - -"Look here," he said, exchanging it for the one I held, "it's yours; but -no matter, keep a good face: rub it as if you were removing the stains, -and, on handing it to the owner, ask him, gently, to read what is at the -bottom." - -I did as he told me; and the owner of the burnt hat, after receiving -mine, was going to betray me, when I pointed to the note fastened in the -crown. It ran as follows: - -"An act of carelessness caused me to commit a fault, which I will -repair. To-morrow I will do myself the honor of asking your hatter's -address: in the meanwhile, be kind enough to act as my accomplice." - -My request was granted, for my secret was honestly kept, and my -professional honor saved. The success of this performance induced me to -give several others: the receipts were excellent, and we realized a very -fair sum. Immense was our joy when we carried our treasure triumphantly -to Torrini. That worthy man, after listening to all the details of our -plot, was half inclined to scold us for our secrecy, but he could not -find heart to do so. He thanked us most heartily, and we began to set -matters straight again, as our master was now convalescent, and could -attend to his own business. Torrini paid all his creditors in full, -purchased two horses, and, having nothing further to do at Aubusson, he -determined on starting. - -The moment of our separation had arrived, and my old friend had been -arming himself for it during several days. The parting was painful to us -all; a father quitting his son, without hope of ever seeing him again, -could not have displayed more violent grief than did Torrini when -pressing me in his arms for the last time. I, too, felt inconsolable at -the loss of two friends with whom I would so gladly have passed my -life. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - - The Prodigal Son--Mademoiselle Houdin--I go to Paris--My - Marriage--Comte--Studies of the Public--A skillful - Manager--Rose-colored Tickets--A Musky Style--The King of - Hearts--Ventriloquism--The Mystifiers Mystified--Father - Roujol--Jules de Rovčre--Origin of the word _prestidigitateur_. - - -How my heart beat when I returned to my native town! I felt as if I had -been absent an age, and yet it was only six months. The tears stood in -my eyes as I embraced father and mother: I was stifled with emotion. I -have since made long journeys in foreign countries; I have always -returned to my family safely, but never, I can declare, have I been so -profoundly affected as on this occasion. Perhaps it is the same with -this impression as with so many others, habit at last renders it flat. - -I found my father very quiet on my account, for I had employed a trick -to ease his mind. A watchmaker of my acquaintance had sent him my -letters, as if from Angers, and he had also forwarded me the replies. -Still, I must furnish some reason for my return, and I hesitated about -describing my stay with Torrini. At length, however, urged by that -desire, common to all travellers, of narrating their travelling -impressions, I gave an account of my adventures, even to their minutest -details. - -My mother, frightened, and thinking I was still brain-struck, did not -await the end of my narrative to send for a physician, who reassured -her by stating, what my face indeed confirmed, that I was in a state of -perfect health. - -It may be thought, perhaps, that I have dwelt too long on the events -that followed my poisoning; but I was compelled to do so, for the -experience I acquired from Torrini, his history, and our conversations, -had a considerable influence on my future life. Before that period my -inclination for conjuring was very vague: from that time it gained a -complete mastery over me. - -Still, I was bound to wrestle against this feeling with all my energy, -for it was not presumable that my father, who had unwillingly yielded to -my passion for watchmaking, would be so weak as to let me try a novel -and most singular profession. I could, certainly, take advantage of my -being of age, and my own master; but, besides my unwillingness to grieve -my father, I reflected, too, that as my fortune was very small, I ought -not to risk it without his consent. These reasons induced me to defer, -if not renounce, my plans. - -Besides, my success at Aubusson had not altered my decided opinion about -conjuring, that a man who wishes to be thought capable of performing -incomprehensible things should have attained an age which leaves it to -be supposed that his superiority is the result of lengthened study. The -public may permit a man of forty to deceive them, but they will not bear -it from a young man. - -After a few days devoted to killing the fatted calf, I entered the shop -of a Blois watchmaker, who set me to work cleaning and brushing. As I -have already said, this mechanical and wearisome task reduces the -journeyman watchmaker to the level of an automaton. Each day was spent -in the same monotonous round, here a spring to repair, there a pin to -replace (for cylinder watches were rare at that period,) a chain to -refasten; lastly, after a cursory examination of the works, a turn of -the brush to make all bright again. I am far from wishing to run down -the trade of a repairing watchmaker, and I can always honor the skill -employed in repairing a watch by doing as little as possible. - -Sometimes, it may be remarked, a watch comes back from the mender's in -as bad a state as when it went. It is true, but with whom is the fault? -In my belief, with the public. In the country, more especially, it is -impossible to perform repairs conscientiously, for the public bargain -about their watch or clock as they would do in buying vegetables. The -consequence is, the watchmaker is forced to compound with his -conscience, and the customer loses his money. - -One thing is certain: I did not like the trade, and I was growing -atrociously idle. But if I were cold and indolent as regarded watch -repairing, I felt a devouring need for activity in some other -department. To satisfy this, I gave myself up entirely to an amusement -which delighted me--I became an amateur actor. - -No one, I fancy, can blame me for this; for, among those who read my -confessions, I am sure there is hardly one who has not performed in some -shape. From the boy who recites a speech at the school distribution of -prizes, up to the old gentleman who often accepts the part of "heavy -father" at one of those agreeable parties arranged on long winter -evenings, not one but enjoys the sweet satisfaction of being applauded. -I, too, had this weakness; and, urged on by my travelling recollections, -I wished to appear once more before the public, who had already treated -me so kindly. - -Some young friends joined me in forming a light comedy company, and I -had the pleasure of performing all Perlet's parts in the most -fashionable pieces of the day. Our performance was gratis: hence, I need -not say we had crowded audiences. Of course, too, we were all wonderful -actors--at least, people told us so--and our gratified self-love found -no cause for refusing their praise. - -Unfortunately for our brilliant success, rivalry and wounded feelings, -as so frequently happens, produced discord among us, and at last only -the hair-dresser and candle-snuffer were left of our goodly company. -These two faithful followers, finding themselves thus abandoned, held a -council, and, after mature deliberation, decided that they would accept -each other's resignation, as they could not perform alone. In order to -explain the heroic persistency of these two artistes, I may as well -state they were the only persons paid for their services. - -My father regretted to see me leave work for pleasure, and, in order to -bring me back to healthy ideas, he formed a plan which must have the -double advantage of improving my conduct, and tying me down to his side: -in short, he meant to establish me in business, and make me marry. - -I do not know--or, rather, I will not say--why I declined the latter -proposal, under the pretext that I felt no inclination for marriage. As -for my beginning business, I easily made my father understand that I was -too young even to dream of it. But I had hardly intimated my refusal, -when a very simple circumstance entirely changed my views, and made me -forget all my oaths of fidelity to a certain party. - -The success my acting had met with procured me admission to certain -salons, where I often spent an agreeable evening; for acting went on -here, too, in the shape of charades. - -One evening, we were requested, as usual, to enliven the visitors by one -of our proverbs. I do not remember the word proposed; I only know I was -chosen to fill the part of a bachelor gourmet. I sat down to table, and -while indulging in a meal like those usually served up at a theatre, I -improvised a warm defence of celibacy. This apology was all the more -easy to me, as I needed only to repeat the fine arguments I had employed -to my father about his double proposition. Now, it happened that, among -the persons listening to this description of the blessings of celibacy, -was a young lady of seventeen, who inclined a serious ear to my -arguments against marriage. It was the first time I had met her; so I -could not ascribe any other reason for her fixed attention than her -desire to detect the word. - -A man is always delighted to find an attentive listener, more especially -when it is a pretty young girl: hence, I thought it my bounden duty to -make some polite remarks to her during the course of the evening. A -conversation ensued, and became so interesting, that we had a great deal -still to say to each other when the hour came for separation, and I -believe the regret at parting was not felt by myself alone. - -This simple event was, however, the cause of my marriage with -Mademoiselle Houdin, and this marriage took me to Paris. The reader will -now understand why my name is Robert-Houdin; but I have also to add that -this double name, which I at first assumed to distinguish me from my -numerous homonymes, eventually became my patronymic, by a decision of -the council of state. I may be pardoned for remarking that this favor, -always so difficult to obtain, was granted me in consideration of the -popularity my long and laborious toil had gained me while using that -name. - -My father in-law, M. Houdin, a celebrated watchmaker, was a native of -Blois, and had gone to Paris, as a better field for his talents. He was -now engaged in the wholesale clock trade, while making, with his own -hands, astronomical clocks, chronometers, and regulators. It was agreed -that we should live together, and that I should help him in his -business. - -M. Houdin was quite as fond as myself of everything appertaining to -mechanism, and was thoroughly versed in the subject. Hence, we had long -and interesting conversations on the topic, and at the end of one of -these I confided to him my scheme of setting up a room for the display -of mechanical toys and sleight-of-hand tricks. M. Houdin understood me, -adopted my plans, and urged me to carry on my studies in the path I had -chosen. Proud of the approbation of a man with whose extreme prudence I -was acquainted, I gave myself up seriously, during my leisure hours, to -my favorite exercises, and began by contriving some instruments for my -future cabinet. - -My first care, on arriving at Paris, was to attend a performance of -Comte's, who had long lorded it in his theatre at the Gallery Choiseul. -This celebrated professor was now resting on his laurels, and only -performed once a week. The other evenings were devoted to the -performances of his young actors, who were perfect prodigies. - -Many of my readers will remember his bills, with their singular -announcement of the principal parts performed by M. ARTHUR, aged 5; -MADEMOISELLE ADELINA, aged 4˝; MADEMOISELLE VICTORINE, aged 7; little -VICTOR, aged 6. These baby actors attracted the whole of Paris. - -Comte might have left the stage entirely, and contented himself with -being manager and dry-nurse to these children of Thalia, for he -possessed a very comfortable fortune; but he made it a point to appear -at least once a week, from a double motive: his performances, owing to -their rarity, always exercised a beneficial effect on the receipts; and, -on the other hand, by continuing to act he prevented other professors of -conjuring setting up in opposition to him. - -Comte's tricks were all drawn from the same repertory I knew by heart; -hence they had no great interest for me; still I derived some profit -from attending his performances, for I was enabled to study the -audience. - -I listened attentively to all said around me, and often heard very -judicious remarks. These being generally made by persons not apparently -gifted with great penetration, led me to the conclusion that the -conjurer ought to distrust plain mother wit, and I worked out the -problem to my own satisfaction: "that it is easier to dupe a clever man -than an ignorant one." - -This seems to be a paradox; but I will explain it. - -The ordinary man only sees in conjuring tricks a challenge offered to -his intelligence, and hence representations of sleight-of-hand become to -him a combat in which he determines on conquering. Ever on his guard -against the honeyed words by means of which the illusion is produced, he -hears nothing, and shuts himself up in this inflexible reasoning: - -"The conjurer," he says, "holds in his hand an object, which he pretends -he makes disappear. Well, whatever he may say to distract my attention, -my eyes shall not leave his hand, and the trick cannot be done without -my finding out how he manages it." - -It follows that the conjurer, whose artifices are principally directed -to the mind, must double his address to delude this obstinate -resistance. - -The clever man, on the contrary, when he visits a conjuring performance, -only goes to enjoy the illusions, and, far from offering the performer -the slightest obstacle, he is the first to aid him. The more he is -deceived the more he is pleased, for that is what he paid for. He knows, -too, that these amusing deceptions cannot injure his reputation as an -intelligent man, and hence he yields to the professor's arguments, -follows them through all their developments, and allows himself to be -easily put off the right scent. - -Is not my problem proved? - -Comte was also an object of interesting study to me, both as manager and -as artist. As manager, Comte could have challenged the most skillful to -a comparison, and he was a famous hand at bringing grist to his mill. -The little schemes a manager employs to attract the public and increase -his receipts are tolerably well known; but Comte, for a long time, did -not require to have recourse to them, as his room was always crowded. At -length the day arrived when the benches allowed some elbow room; then he -invented his "family tickets," his "medals," his "reserved boxes for the -prize-holders at schools and colleges," &c., &c. - -The family tickets gave admission to four persons at half price. Though -all Paris was inundated with them, every one into whose hands one of -these tickets came believed himself specially favored by Comte, and none -failed to respond to his appeal. What the manager lost in quality he -amply regained in quantity. - -But Comte did not stop here; he also wished that his _rose-colored -tickets_ (the name he gave his family tickets) should bring him a small -pecuniary profit, as compensation for reduced prices. He therefore -offered each person who presented one of these tickets a copper medal, -on which his name was engraved, and asked in exchange the sum of one -penny. Suppose the ticket-holder declined, he was not admitted, and when -matters came to that pass, people always paid. - -It may be said that a penny was a trifle; but with this trifle Comte -paid for his lights; at least he said so, and he may be believed. - -During the holidays the pink tickets disappeared, and made room for -those reserved for the school prize boys, which were far more productive -than the others, for what parents could deny their sons the acceptance -of M. Comte's invitation, when they could promise themselves the extreme -pleasure of seeing their beloved boys in a box exclusively occupied by -_crowned heads_? The parents, consequently, accompanied their children, -and for a gratis ticket the manager netted six or seven fold the value -of his graceful liberality. - -I could mention many other ways Comte augmented his receipts by, but I -will only allude to one more. - -If you arrived a little late, and the length of the _queue_ made you -fear the places would be all taken, you had only to enter a small café -adjoining the theatre, and opening into the Rue Ventadour. You paid a -trifle more for your cup of coffee or your glass of liqueur, but you -were quite sure that before the public were admitted the waiter would -open a secret door, allowing you to reach the paying-place in comfort -and choose your seat. In fact, Comte's café was a true box-office, -except that the spectator received something in return for the sum -usually charged for reserving seats. - -As artist, Comte possessed the double talent of ventriloquism and -sleight-of-hand. His tricks were performed skillfully and with a good -share of dash, while his performances generally pleased, for the ladies -were treated most gallantly. My readers may judge for themselves from -the following trick, which I believe was his own invention, and which -always pleased me when I saw it. - -This experiment was called "The Birth of the Flowers," and it began with -a short address in the shape of agreeable pleasantry. - -"Ladies," the professor said, "I propose on the present occasion to make -twelve of you disappear from the pit, twenty from the first circle, and -seventy-two from the second." - -After the burst of laughter this pleasantry always produced, Comte -added: "Reassure yourselves, gentlemen; in order not to deprive you of -the most graceful ornament of this room, I will not perform this -experiment till the end of the evening." This compliment, spoken very -modestly, was always excellently received. - -Comte proceeded to perform the trick in this way: - -After sowing seeds in some earth contained in a small cup, he spread -over this earth some burning liquid and covered it with a bell, which, -as he said, was intended to concentrate the heat and stimulate -vegetation. In fact, a few seconds later, a boquet of varied flowers -appeared in the cup. Comte distributed them among the ladies who graced -the boxes, and during this distribution contrived to "plant" the -following graceful remarks: "Madam, I keep a pansy (_pensée_) for -you.--It will be my care, gentlemen, that you find no cares (_soucis_) -here.--Mademoiselle, here is a rose which you have forced to blush with -jealousy." - -Before long the little bouquet was exhausted, but suddenly the -conjurer's hands were liberally filled with flowers. Then with an air -of triumph, he exclaimed, displaying the flowers which had come as if by -enchantment: - -"I promised to metamorphose all these ladies: could I choose a form more -graceful and pleasing? In metamorphosing you all into roses, I am only -offering a copy for the original. Tell me, gentlemen, have I not -succeeded?" - -These gallant words were always greeted by a salvo of applause. - -On another occasion, Comte, while offering a rose and a pansy to a lady, -said: "I find you here, madam, exactly depicted. The rose represents -your freshness and beauty; the pansy your wit and talent." - -He also said, in allusion to the ace of hearts, which he had "passed" on -one of the most beautiful women in the room: "Will you be kind enough, -madam, to lay your hand on your heart? You have only one heart I -presume? Pardon my indiscreet question, but it was necessary; for, -though you have only one heart, you might possess them all." - -Comte was equally gallant towards sovereigns. - -At the end of a performance he gave at the Tuilleries, before Louis -XVIII., he invited his majesty to select a card from the pack. It may be -that chance led the king to draw his majesty of hearts; it may be, -though, that the conjurer's address produced this result. During this -time, a servant placed on an isolated table a vase filled with flowers. - -Comte next took a pistol loaded with powder, in which he inserted the -king of hearts as a wad; then, turning to his august spectator, he -begged him to fix his eye on the vase, as the card would appear just -over it. The pistol was fired, and the bust of Louis XVIII. appeared -among the flowers. - -The King, not knowing how to explain this unexpected result, asked -Comte the meaning of this strange apparition, adding, in a slightly -sarcastic tone, - -"I fancy, sir, that your trick has not ended as you stated." - -"I beg your majesty's pardon," Comte replied, assuming the manner of a -courtier; "I have quite kept my promise. I pledged myself that the king -of hearts should appear on that vase, and I appeal to all Frenchmen -whether that bust does not represent the King of all hearts?" - -It may be easily supposed that this trick was heartily applauded by the -audience. In fact, the _Royal Journal_ of the 20th December, 1814, thus -describes the end of the performance: - -"The whole audience exclaimed, in reply M. Comte, 'We recognise him--it -is he--the king of all hearts! the beloved of the French--of the whole -universe--Louis XVIII., the august grandson of Henri Quatre!' - -"The King, much affected by these warm acclamations, complimented M. -Comte on his skill. - -"'It would be a pity,' he said to him, 'to order such a talented -sorcerer to be burnt alive. You have caused us too much pleasure for us -to cause you pain. Live many years for yourself, in the first place, and -then for us.'" - -But though Comte was so amiable to the ladies, he was pitiless to -gentlemen. It would be a long story were I to describe all the spiteful -allusions and mystifications to which his masculine spectators were -exposed. For instance, there was his ace of heart's trick, which he -ended by producing aces from every part of his victim's body, who knew -not what saint to implore in order to stop this avalanche of cards. -Then, again, there was the ball-headed gentleman who had politely lent -his hat, and received a volley of compliments of the following nature: - -"This article must belong to you," said Comte, drawing a wig from the -hat. "Aha, sir! it appears you are a family man. Here are socks--then a -bib--a chemise--a charming little frock," and as the public laughed -heartily, "on my faith, a goody-two-shoes!" he added producing a pair of -shoes. "Nothing is wanting for the dress--not even the stays and their -laces. I suppose, sir, you thought you could stay my tongue when you -placed that article in your hat." - -Ventriloquism added a great charm to Comte's performances, as it gave -rise to numerous little scenes that produced a striking effect. This -faculty too often suggested to him curious mystifications, the best of -them (if such a thing can ever be good) being reserved for his travels, -when they served as a puff of his performances, and helped to attract -crowds. - -At Tours, for instance, he induced the people to break in four doors, in -order to rescue an unhappy man supposed to be dying of hunger. At Nevers -he renewed the miracle of Balaam's ass, by causing a donkey that was -weary of its master's weight, to lift up its voice in complaint. One -night, too, he caused a profound consternation in a diligence, for a -dozen brigands were heard at the doors shouting, "Money, or your life!" -The terrified passengers hastened to hand their purses and watches to -Comte, who offered to treat with the robbers, and they retired -apparently satisfied with their spoil. The passengers were glad to have -escaped so cheaply, and the next morning, to their still greater -satisfaction, the ventriloquist returned them the tribute they had paid -to their fears, and explained to them the talent by which they had been -duped. - -Another time, at Mâcon fair, he saw a country-woman driving a pig -before her, which could hardly move, so laden was it with fat. - -"What's the price of your pig, my good woman?" - -"A hundred francs, my good looking gentleman, at your service, if you -wish to buy." - -"Of course I wish to buy; but it is a great deal too much: I can offer -you ten crowns." - -"I want one hundred francs, no more and no less: take it or leave it." - -"Stay," Comte said, approaching the animal; "I am sure your pig is more -reasonable than you. Tell me on your conscience, my fine fellow, are you -worth one hundred francs?" - -"You are a long way out," the pig replied, in a hoarse and hollow voice; -"I'm not worth one hundred pence. I am meazled, and my mistress is -trying to take you in." - -The crowd that had assembled round the woman and pig fell back in -terror, fancying them both bewitched, while Comte returned to his hotel, -where the story was told him with sundry additions, and he learned that -some courageous persons had gone up to the woman, begged her to be -exorcised, and thus drive the unclean spirit out of the pig. - -Still, Comte did not always escape so easily; and he almost paid dearly -for a trick he played on some peasants at Fribourg, in Switzerland. -These fanatics took him for a real sorcerer, and attacked with sticks; -and they were even going to throw him into a lime-kiln, had not Comte -escaped by causing a terrible voice to issue from the kiln, which routed -them. - -I will end my account of these amusing adventures with a little -anecdote, in which Comte and myself were in turn mystifier and -mystified. - -The celebrated ventriloquist paid me a visit at the Palais Royal, and I -accompanied him to the foot of the stairs on his departure. Comte walked -down before me, still talking, so that the pockets of his coat were at -my mercy. The opportunity was too good to neglect the chance of playing -a trick on my talented _confrčre_, so I filched his handkerchief and a -handsome gold snuff-box: and I took care to turn the pocket inside out, -as a proof that my performance had been properly executed. - -I was laughing at the comic result my trick must have when I returned -Comte his property; but it was "diamond cut diamond:" for, while I was -thus violating the laws of hospitality, Comte was scheming against me. I -had scarce concealed the handkerchief and box, when I heard a strange -voice on the first floor landing. - -"Monsieur Robert-Houdin, will you be kind enough to step up to the -box-office: I wish to speak to you." - -My readers will guess that the ventriloquist had played me a trick; -indeed, on reaching the office, I only found the clerk, who could not -understand what I was talking about. I perceived, too late that I was -victimised, and I heard Comte celebrating his victory by shouts of -laughter. For a moment, I confess I felt vexed at having been taken in, -but I soon regained my equanimity on thinking I might have the best of -it yet. So I went down stairs very calmly. - -"What did that person want?" Comte asked, with ill-repressed delight. - -"Can't you guess?" - -"I?--no." - -"It was a penitent thief, who begged me to return you the articles he -had filched from you. Here they are, my master!" - -"I prefer it to end so!" Comte said, returning his pocket to its place. -"We are now quits, and I hope we shall always be good friends." - -From all the preceding remarks it may be concluded that the fundamental -principles of Comte's performances were mystifying gentlemen (sovereigns -excepted), complimenting ladies, and jesting with everybody. Comte was -right in employing these means, as he generally gained his object; for -he delighted and raised a laugh. At this period French manners justified -such behavior, and the professor, by flattering the taste and instincts -of the public, was sure to please. - -There has been a great change since, and puns are no longer held in such -esteem; banished from good society, they have sought refuge in studios, -when the pupils too often make an immoderate use of them, and though -they may be permitted now and then among intimate friends, they are not -proper in a performance of sleight-of-hand. The reason is very simple: -not only do puns raise a belief that the artist fancies himself a wit, -which may be injurious to him, but, if he succeed in raising a laugh, it -weakens the interest felt in his experiments. - -It is a recognised fact that, in those performances where imagination -plays the chief part, "astonishment is a hundred-fold better than a -silly laugh;" for, though the mind may remember what has delighted it, -laughter leaves no trace on the memory. - -Symbolical or complimentary language is also completely out of fashion, -at least the age does not err in excess of gallantry, and "musky" -compliments would be badly received in public. I have always thought, -too, that ladies visit a performance like mine in order to refresh their -minds, and not to be put in evidence themselves. They possibly prefer to -remain simple lookers-on rather than expose themselves to florid -compliments. - -As for mystification, a more powerful pen than mine must undertake its -apology. - -In saying this, I have no wish to cast censure on Comte. I am writing at -this moment in accordance with the spirit of my age; Comte acted in -accordance with his; we both succeeded, though differing in our -treatment, and this only proves that "all styles are good except that -which is wearisome." - -These performances of Comte's, however, inflamed my imagination; I only -dreamed of theatres, conjuring, mechanism, automata, &c.; I was -impatient to take my place among the adepts of magic, and make myself a -name in the marvellous art. The time I required in forming a -determination seemed to me so much stolen from my future success. My -success! I did not know what trials I should undergo ere I merited it. I -had no suspicion of the toil, the care, and trouble which I should have -to pay for it. - -Still, I resolved on continuing my studies of automata and instruments -suited to produce magical illusions. Though I had seen many of them -while with Torrini, I had many more to learn, for the stock of conjuring -tricks in those days was enormous. Fortunately I found an opportunity of -materially abridging my studies. - -I had noticed, while passing along the Rue Richelieu, a modest little -shop, in front of which conjuring apparatus was exposed for sale. This -was a piece of good luck, so I bought some of the things, and while -paying repeated visits to the master of the shop, under pretext of -asking information, I got into his good graces, and he grew to look on -me as a friend. - -Father Roujol (such was his name) was perfectly acquainted with his -trade, and he held the confidence of every conjurer of note; hence, he -could give me much valuable information, so I became more polite than -ever, and the worthy man soon initiated me into all his mysteries. But -my repeated visits to the shop had another object as well, for I wished -to meet some of the masters of the art who could increase my knowledge. - -Unfortunately, my old friend's shop was not so visited as before. The -revolution of 1830 had turned persons' ideas to more serious matters -than "physical amusements," and the greater number of conjurers had -wandered into strange countries. Old Roujol's good times had, therefore, -passed away, which rendered him very gloomy. - -"Things are not as they used to be," he would say, "and it might really -be fancied the jugglers had juggled themselves away, for I don't see a -single one. Will the time ever return," he added, "when the Duc de -M---- did not disdain to visit my humble shop, and remain here for hours -talking to me and my numerous visitors. Ah, that was a time! when all -the first conjurers and amateurs formed a brilliant club here; for each -of these masters, desirous of proving his superiority over the others, -showed his best tricks and his utmost skill." - -I felt the old gentleman's regret equally with himself, for I should -have revelled in such society, as I would have walked any time twenty -leagues for the sake of talking with a professor. Still, I had the luck -to form here the acquaintance of Jules de Rovčre, the first to employ a -title now generally given to fashionable conjurers. Being of noble -birth, he desired a title in accordance with it; but, as he had rejected -with disdain the vulgar name of _escamoteur_, and as, too, that of -_physicien_ was frequently used by his rivals, he was compelled to -create a title for himself. - -One day the pompous title of "PRESTIDIGITATEUR" was visible on an -enormous poster, which also condescended to supply the derivation of -this breath-stopping word, _presto digiti_ (activity of the fingers). -Then came the details of the performance, intermingled with Latin -quotations, which must attract the attention of the public by evidencing -the learning of the conjurer--I beg pardon, prestidigitator. - -This word, as well as _prestidigitation_, due to the same author, were -soon seized upon by Jules de Rovčre's rivals, who liked a good mouthful -too. The Academy itself followed this example by sanctioning the -formation of the word, and thus handing it down to posterity. I am bound -to add, though, that this word, originally so pompous, is no longer a -distinction, for, as the most humble jugglers were at liberty to -appreciate it, it follows that conjuring and prestidigitation have -become synonymous. The conjurer who requires a title should seek it in -his own merit, and recognise the sound truth that "it is better for a -man to honor his profession than to be honored by it." For my own part, -I never made any distinction between the two names, and I shall employ -them indiscriminately, until some new Jules de Rovčre arrive to enrich -the Dictionary of the French Academy. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - - Celebrated Automata--A Brazen Fly--The Artificial Man--Albertus - Magnus and St. Thomas d'Aquinas--Vaucanson--His Duck--His - Flute-Player--Curious Details--The Automaton - Chess-Player--Interesting Episode--Catherine II. and M. de - Kempelen--I repair the Componium--Unexpected Success. - - -Owing to my persevering researches I had nothing left to learn in -conjuring; but, in order to carry out my scheme, I had to study the -principles of a science on which I greatly depended for the success of -my future performances. I allude to the science, or rather art, of -making automata. - -While occupied with this idea I made active investigations; I applied to -the public libraries and their keepers, whom my tenacious importunity -drove into despair. But all the information I collected only brought me -descriptions of mechanical toys, far less ingenious than certain -playthings of the present day, or absurd statements of chefs-d'oeuvre -published in the dark ages. My readers may judge from the following: - -I found, in a work bearing the title "Apologie pour les Grands Homines -Accusés de Magie," that "Jean de Montroyal presented to the Emperor -Charles V. an iron fly, which made a solemn circuit round its inventor's -head, and then reposed from its fatigue on his arm." Such a fly is -rather extraordinary, yet I have something better to tell my -readers--still about a fly. - -Gervais, Chancellor to the Emperor Otho III., in his book entitled "Otia -Imperatoris," informs us that "the sage Virgilius, Bishop of Naples, -made a brass fly, which he placed on one of the city gates, and that -this mechanical fly, trained like a shepherd's dog, prevented any other -fly entering Naples; so much so, that during eight years the meat -exposed for sale in the market was never once tainted." - -How much should we regret that this marvellous automaton has not -survived to our day? How the butchers, and still more their customers, -would thank the learned bishop! Pass we to another marvel: - -Francis Picus relates that "Roger Bacon, aided by Thomas Bungey, his -brother in religion, after having rendered their bodies equal and -tempered by chemistry, employed the Speculum Amuchesi to construct a -brazen head which should tell them if there were any mode of enclosing -the whole of England by a high wall. They forged at it for seven years -without relaxation, but misfortune willed it that when the head spoke -the two monks did not hear it, as they were engaged on something else." - -I have asked myself a hundred times how the two intrepid blacksmiths -knew the head had spoken, when they were not present to hear it. I never -discovered any other solution than this: it was, doubtlessly, _because -their bodies were equalized and tempered by chemistry_. - -But here is a far more astounding marvel. - -Tostat, in his "Commentaires sur l'Enode," states that "Albertus Magnus, -Provincial of the Dominicans, at Cologne, constructed a brass man, which -he worked at continually for thirty years. This work was performed -_under various constellations_ and _according to the laws of -perspective_." - -When the sun was in the sign of the Zodiac the eyes of this automaton -melted metals, on which the characters of the same sign were traced. -This intelligent machine was equally gifted with motion and speech, and -it revealed to Albertus Magnus some of his most important secrets. -Unfortunately, St. Thomas Aquinas, Albertus's pupil, taking this statue -for the handiwork of the devil, smashed it with a big stick. - -As a finale to these fables, which are well fitted to figure among the -marvels performed by Perrault's fairies, I will quote from page 252 of -the "Journal des Savants" for 1677: "The artificial man of Reysolius, a -statue so resembling the human form, that, with the exception of the -operations of the soul, everything that takes place in the body may be -witnessed." - -What a pity the mechanician stopped so soon! for it would have cost him -so little, while making so exquisite a resemblance to the fairest work -of the Creator, to add to his automaton a soul moving by clockwork! - -This quotation does much honor to the savants who accepted the -responsibility of such a statement, and is a further proof how history -is written. - -It may be easily supposed these works furnished me no guide to the art I -so much wished to study; and although I continued my inquiries, I only -attained the unsatisfactory result that nothing serious had been written -on the subject of automata. - -"What!" I said to myself, "can it be possible that the marvellous -science which raised Vaucanson's name so high--the science whose -ingenious combinations can animate inert matter, and impart to it a -species of existence--is the only one without its archives?" - -When about to give up the subject in despair, I stumbled on a memoir of -the inventor of the "Automaton Duck." This memoir, bearing date 1738, is -addressed by the author to the members of the Academy of Sciences. In it -will be found a learned description of his flute-player, as well as a -report of the Academy, which I here transcribe. - - _Extract from the Registers of the Royal Academy of Sciences for - April 30, 1738_: - - "The Academy, after hearing M. de Vaucanson's memoir read, - containing a description of a wooden statue, copied from Coysvoix's - marble fawn, which plays twelve different airs on a German flute - with a precision deserving of public attention, was of opinion that - this machine was extremely ingenious; that the inventor had - employed novel and simple means both to give the fingers the - necessary motion and to modify the wind entering the flute, by - augmenting or diminishing its velocity, according to the various - tones; by varying the arrangement of the lips, and setting a valve - in motion to perform the functions of the tongue; lastly, by - artificially imitating all that a man is obliged to do; and that, - in addition, M. de Vaucanson's memoir possessed all the clearness - and perception such matter is capable of, proving the intelligence - of the author, and his great knowledge of the different branches of - mechanism. In confirmation of which I have signed the present - certificate. - -FONTENELLE, -"Perpetual Secretary, Royal Academy of Sciences. - - "Paris, May 3, 1738." - -After this report comes a letter of Vaucanson's, addressed to the Abbé -D. F., in which he informs him of his intention of presenting to the -public on Easter Monday-- - -1. A player of the German flute. - -2. A player of the tambourine. - -3. An artificial duck. - -"In this duck," the celebrated automatist writes, "will be noticed the -mechanism of the viscera, intended to perform the functions of eating, -drinking and digesting. The action of all the parts is exactly imitated. -The bird puts out its head to take up the seed, swallows it, digests it, -and evacuates it by the ordinary channels. - -"All thoughtful persons will understand the difficulty of making my -automaton perform so many different movements, as when it stands on its -legs and moves its head to the right and left. They will also see that -this animal drinks, dabbles with its bill, quacks like the living duck, -and, in short, is precisely similar in every respect." - -I was the more surprised at the contents of the memoir, as it was the -first trustworthy information I had gained about automata. The -description of the flute player gave me a high opinion of the inventor's -talent; but I much regretted finding so short an account of the -mechanical combinations of the duck. - -For a time, I contented myself with admiring and believing in the great -master's work, but, in 1844, Vaucanson's duck was exhibited in a room at -the Palais Royal.[B] Of course I was one of the first to visit it, and -was much struck by its skillful and learned formation. Some time after, -one of the wings having been injured, the duck was sent to me to repair, -and I was initiated into the famous mystery of digestion. To my great -surprise, I found that the illustrious master had not disdained to have -recourse to a trick which a conjurer would have been proud of. The -digestion, so pompously announced in the memoir, was only a -mystification--a real _canard_, in fact. Decidedly, Vaucanson was not -only my master in mechanism, but I must bow before his genius for -juggling. - -The trick was as simple as it was interesting. A vase, containing seed -steeped in water, was placed before the bird. The motion of the bill in -dabbling crushed the food, and facilitated its introduction into a pipe -placed beneath the lower bill. The water and seed thus swallowed fell -into a box placed under the bird's stomach, which was emptied every -three or four days. The other part of the operation was thus effected: -Bread-crumb, colored green, was expelled by a forcing pump, and -carefully caught on a silver salver as the result of artificial -digestion. This was handed round to be admired, while the ingenious -trickster laughed in his sleeve at the credulity of the public. But, -before leaving this subject, I must give a short biographical notice of -this illustrious man. - -Jacques de Vaucanson was born at Grenôble on the 24th February, 1709, of -a noble family, and his taste for mechanism was developed at an early -age. In 1730, the flute-player at the Tuilleries suggested to him the -idea of constructing on this model an automaton which should really play -the flute, and he spent four years in perfecting it. The story runs that -Vaucanson's valet was the only person acquainted with his secret, and at -the first notes produced by the flute-player, the faithful servant fell -at his master's feet, as if he were more than mortal, and they embraced -with tears of joy. - -The duck and tambourine-player soon followed, and were chiefly intended -to speculate on public curiosity. Though noble by birth, Vaucanson -exhibited his automata at the fair of Saint Germain and at Paris, where -his receipts were enormous. He is also said to have invented a loom on -which a donkey worked cloth; this he made in revenge upon the -silk-weavers of Lyons, who had stoned him because he attempted to -simplify the ordinary loom. We also owe to Vaucanson a chain that still -bears his name, and a machine to make meshes of equal size. - -It is also said he invented for the performance of Marmontel's -_Cleopatra_, an asp which fastened itself with a hiss on the bosom of -the actress who played the principal character. On the first performance -of the tragedy, a jester, more struck by the hissing of the automaton -than by the beauty of the tragedy, exclaimed, "I am of the asp's -opinion!" - -This illustrious mechanician retained all his activity to the last -moment of his life. While dangerously ill, he devoted himself to his -machine for making his endless chain. - -"Do not lose a minute," he said to his workmen; "I fear I may not live -long enough to explain my idea thoroughly." - -Eight days later, on the 21st of November, 1782, he died, at the age of -seventy-three; but, before leaving this world, he had the consolation of -seeing his machine at work. - -One piece of good luck never arrives without another; thus, in 1844, I -also saw at the house of a mechanician of the name of Cronier, at -Belleville, the famous _chess-player_, who defeated the whole chess -world. I never saw it at work, but since then I have received some -information about the automaton of a certain degree of interest, and I -trust my readers will feel the same surprise as I did when I heard it. - -My story commences in Russia: the first division of Poland in 1792 had -produced a certain fermentation, the effects of which were felt some -years later. In 1796, a revolt broke out in a half-Russian, half-Polish -regiment stationed at Riga, at the head of the rebels being an officer -of the name of Worousky, a man of great talent and energy. He was of -short stature, but well built; and he exercised such influence, that the -troops sent to suppress the revolt were beaten back with considerable -loss. However, reinforcements came from St. Petersburg, and the -insurgents were defeated in a pitched battle. A great number perished, -and the rest took to flight across the marshes, where the soldiers -pursued them, with orders to grant no quarter. - -In this rout Worousky had both thighs shattered by a cannon-ball, and -fell on the battle-field; however, he escaped from the general massacre -by throwing himself into a ditch behind a hedge. At nightfall, Worousky -dragged himself along with great difficulty to the adjacent house of a -physician of the name of Osloff, whose benevolence was well known, and -the doctor, moved by his sufferings, attended upon, and promised to -conceal him. His wound was serious, but the doctor felt confident of -curing him, until gangrene set in, and his life could only be saved at -the cost of half his body. The amputation was successful, and Worousky -saved. - -During this time, M. de Kempelen, a celebrated Viennese mechanician, -came to Russia to pay a visit to M. Osloff, with whom he had been long -acquainted. He was travelling about to learn foreign languages, the -study of which he afterwards displayed in his splendid work on the -"Mechanism of Words," published at Vienna in 1791. M. de Kempelen -stopped a short time in every country the language of which he desired -to learn, and his aptitude was so great that he acquired it very -speedily. - -This visit was the more agreeable to the doctor, as for some time he had -been alarmed as to the consequences of the noble action he had -performed; he feared being compromised if it were found out, and his -embarrassment was extreme, for, living alone with an old housekeeper, he -had no one to consult or help him. Hence, he told M. de Kempelen his -secret, and begged his aid. Though at first startled by sharing such a -secret--for he knew that a reward was offered for the insurgent chief, -and that the act of humanity he was about to help in might send him to -Siberia--still, M. de Kempelen, on seeing Worousky's mutilated body, -felt moved with compassion, and began contriving some plan to secure his -escape. - -Dr. Osloff was a passionate lover of chess, and had played numerous -games with his patient during his tardy convalescence; but Worousky was -so strong at the game that the doctor was always defeated. Then Kempelen -joined the doctor in trying to defeat the skillful player, but it was of -no use; Worousky was always the conqueror. His superiority gave M. de -Kempelen the idea of the famous Automaton Chess-player. In an instant -his plan was formed, and he sat to work immediately. The most remarkable -circumstance is, that this wonderful chef-d'oeuvre, which astonished -the whole world, was invented and finished with three months. - -M. de Kempelen was anxious his host should make the first essay of his -automaton; so, he invited him to play a game on the 10th of October, -1796. The automaton represented a Turk of the natural size, wearing the -national costume, and seated behind a box of the shape of a chest of -drawers. In the middle of the top of the box was a chess-board. - -Prior to commencing the game, the artist opened several doors in the -chest, and M. Osloff could see inside a large number of wheels, pulleys, -cylinders, springs, &c., occupying the larger part. At the same time, he -opened a long drawer, from which he produced the chessmen and a cushion, -on which the Turk was to rest his arm. This examination ended, the robe -of the automaton was raised, and the interior of the body could also be -inspected. - -The doors being then closed, M. de Kempelen wound up one of the wheels -with a key he inserted in a hole in the chest; after which the Turk, -with a gentle nod of salutation, placed his hand on one of the pieces, -raised it, deposited it on another square, and laid his arm on the -cushion before him. The inventor had stated that, as the automaton could -not speak, it would signify check to the king by three nods, and to the -queen by two. - -The doctor moved in his turn, and waited patiently till his adversary, -whose movements had all the dignity of the Sultan he represented, had -moved. The game, though slow at first, soon grew animated, and the -doctor found he had to deal with a tremendous opponent; for, in spite of -all his efforts to defeat the figure, his game was growing quite -desperate. It is true, though, that for some minutes past, the doctor's -attention had appeared to be distracted, and one idea seemed to occupy -him. But while hesitating whether he should impart his thoughts to his -friend, the figure gave three nods. The game was over. - -"By Jove!" the loser said, with a tinge of vexation, which the sight of -the inventor's smiling face soon dispelled, "if I were not certain -Worousky is at this moment in bed, I should believe I had been playing -with him. His head alone is capable of inventing such a checkmate. And -besides," said the doctor, looking fixedly at M. de Kempelen, "can you -tell me why your automaton plays with the left hand, just like -Worousky?"[C] - -The mechanician began laughing, and not wishing to prolong this -mystification, the prelude to so many others, he confessed to his friend -that he had really been playing with Worousky. - -"But where the deuce have you put him, then?" the doctor said, looking -round to try and discover his opponent. - -The inventor laughed heartily. - -"Well! do you not recognize me?" the Turk exclaimed, holding out his -left hand to the doctor in reconciliation, while Kempelen raised the -robe, and displayed the poor cripple stowed away in the body of the -automaton. - -M. Osloff could no longer keep his countenance, and he joined the others -in their laughter. But he was the first to stop, for he wanted an -explanation. - -"But how do you manage to render Worousky invisible?" - -M. de Kempelen then explained how he concealed the living automaton -before it entered the Turk's body. - -"See here!" he said, opening the chest, "these wheels, pulleys and -cranks occupying a portion of the chest, are only a deception. The -frames that support them are hung on hinges, and can be turned back to -leave space for the player while you were examining the body of the -automaton." - -"When this inspection was ended, and as soon as the robe was allowed to -fall, Worousky entered the Turk's body we have just examined, and, while -I was showing you the box and the machinery, he was taking his time to -pass his arms and hands into those of the figure. You can understand -that, owing to the size of the neck, which is hidden by the broad and -enormous collar, he can easily pass his head into this mask, and see the -chess-board. I must add, that when I pretend to wind up the machine, it -is only to drown the sound of Worousky's movements." - -"Very good, then," the doctor replied, to show he perfectly understood -the plan; "while I was examining the chest, my confounded Worousky was -in the Turk's body, and when the robe was lifted, he had passed into the -chest. I frankly allow," M. Osloff added, "that I was done by this -ingenious arrangement; but I console myself with the idea that cleverer -persons than I will be deceived." - -The three friends were the more delighted by the result of this private -rehearsal, as this instrument furnished an excellent means of escape for -the poor prisoner, and at the same time assured him a livelihood. The -same evening the road by which the frontier should be reached was agreed -on, as well as the precautions to be taken during the journey. It was -also arranged that, in order to arouse no suspicions, performances -should be given in all the towns they passed through, beginning with -Toula, Kalouga, Smolensk, &c. - -A month later, Worousky, now entirely recovered, gave a first specimen -of his marvellous skill to a numerous audience at Toula. I possess a -copy of the original bill, which was given me by M. Hessler, nephew of -Dr. Osloff, who also supplied me with all these details. Worousky won -every game he played at Toula, and the papers were full of praises of -the automaton. Assured of success by the brilliancy of their début, M. -de Kempelen and his companion proceeded towards the frontier. - -It was necessary that Worousky should be concealed from sight somewhere -even when travelling; hence he was literally packed up. The enormous -chest in which the automaton was conveyed only travelled very slowly, -apparently through fear of breaking the machinery, but in reality to -protect the skillful chess-player who was shut up in it, while air-holes -were made in the side of this singular post-chaise to enable Worousky to -breathe. - -The poor cripple endured all this inconvenience calmly, in the hope of -soon being out of reach of the Muscovite police, and arriving safe and -sound at the end of this painful journey. The fatigue, it must be -granted, was considerably alleviated by the enormous receipts they -netted by the exhibition. - -Our travellers had arrived at Vitebsk, on the road to the Prussian -frontier, when one morning Kempelen rushed into the room where Worousky -was concealed. - -"A frightful misfortune hangs over us," the mechanician said, in a -terrible state of alarm, and showing a letter dated St. Petersburg. -"Heaven knows how we shall escape it! The Empress Catherine, having -heard through the papers of the automaton's wonderful talent, desires to -play a game with it, and requests me to bring it straight to the -imperial palace. We must hit on some plan to evade this dangerous -honor." - -To Kempelen's extreme surprise, Worousky heard this great news very -calmly, and even seemed to be pleased at it. - -"Refuse such a visit!--by no means: the wishes of the Czarina are orders -which cannot be infringed without peril; we must, therefore, obey her as -quickly as possible. Your zeal will have the double effect of gaining -her favor, and removing any suspicions that might arise about your -automaton. Besides," the bold soldier added, with a degree of pride, "I -confess I should like to find myself face to face with the great -Catherine, and show her that the head on which she set the price of a -few roubles is, under certain circumstances, as good as her own." - -"Madman that you are!" M. de Kempelen exclaimed, startled by the -excitement of the impetuous insurgent. "Remember, that we may be -discovered, and you will lose your life, while I shall be sent to -Siberia." - -"Impossible!" Worousky quietly replied; "your ingenious machine has -already deceived so many skillful persons, that I am convinced we shall -soon have one dupe more. Besides, what a glorious reminiscence, what an -honor it will be to us, if we can say some day that the Empress -Catherine II., the haughty Czarina, whom her courtiers proclaim the most -intellectual person in her vast empire, was deceived by your genius, and -conquered by me!" - -Kempelen, though not sharing Worousky's enthusiasm, was obliged to -yield. Hence, they set off without further argument; the journey was -very long and fatiguing, but Kempelen did not quit his companion for a -moment, and did all in his power to ameliorate his position. At length -they reached their journey's end, but though they had travelled as fast -as they could, Catherine, on receiving Kempelen, appeared rather angry. - -"My roads must be very bad, sir, if you require fifteen days to travel -from Vitebsk to St. Petersburg." - -"Will your majesty," the crafty mechanician replied, "allow me to make a -confession which will serve as my excuse?" - -"Do so," Catherine replied, "provided it be not a confession of the -incapacity of your marvellous machine." - -"On the contrary, I would confess that, being aware of your majesty's -skill at chess, I desired to offer you a worthy opponent. Hence, before -starting, I made some additions which were indispensable for so -important a game." - -"Ah!" the empress said, with a smile, smoothed down by this flattering -explanation. "And you fancy these new arrangements will enable your -automaton to beat me?" - -"I should be much surprised were it otherwise." - -"Well, we shall see, sir," the empress continued, nodding her head -ironically. "But," she added, in the same tone, "when will you bring my -terrible opponent before me?" - -"Whenever your majesty may please." - -"If that is the case, I am so impatient to measure my strength with the -conqueror of the most skillful players in my country, that I will -receive him this very evening in my library. Put up your machine there, -and at eight o clock I will join you. Be punctual!" - -Kempelen took leave of Catherine, and hastened to make his preparations -for the evening. Worousky was delighted at the prospect of amusing the -empress; but although Kempelen was resolved to risk the adventure, he -wished to take all possible precautions, so that he might have a way of -escape in case of danger. Hence, he had the automaton carried to the -palace in the same chest in which it travelled. - -When eight o'clock struck, the empress, accompanied by a numerous suite, -entered the library and took her place at the chess-board. - -I have forgotten to say that Kempelen never allowed any one to pass -behind the automaton, and would not consent to begin the game till all -the spectators were in front of the board. - -The court took their places behind the empress, unanimously predicting -the defeat of the automaton. The chest and the Turk's body were then -examined, and when all were perfectly convinced they contained nothing -but the clockwork I have already mentioned, the game began. It proceeded -for some time in perfect silence, but Catherine's frowning brow speedily -revealed that the automaton was not very gallant towards her, and fully -deserved the reputation it had gained. The skillful Mussulman captured a -bishop and a knight, and the game was turning much to the disadvantage -of the lady, when the Turk, suddenly forgetting his dignified gravity, -gave a violent blow on his cushion, and pushed back a piece his -adversary had just moved. - -Catherine II. had attempted to cheat; perhaps to try the skill of the -automaton, or for some other reason. At any rate the haughty empress, -unwilling to confess her weakness, replaced the piece on the same -square, and regarded the automaton with an air of imperious authority. -The result was most unexpected--the Turk upset all the pieces with a -blow of his hand, and immediately the clock work, which had been heard -during the whole game, stopped. It seemed as if the machinery had got -out of repair. Pale and trembling, M. de Kempelen, recognising in this -Worousky's impetuous temper, awaited the issue of this conflict between -the insurgent and his sovereign. - -"Ah, ah! my good automaton! your manners, are rather rough," the empress -said, good humoredly, not sorry to see a game she had small chance of -winning end thus. "Oh! you are a famous player, I grant; but you were -afraid of losing the game, and so prudently upset the pieces. Well, I am -now quite convinced of your skill and your violent character." - -M. de Kempelen began to breathe again, and regaining courage, tried to -remove the unfavorable impression which the little respect shown by the -automaton must have produced. Hence he said, humbly, - -"Will your majesty allow me to offer an explanation of what has just -happened?" - -"By no means, M. de Kempelen," Catherine said, heartily--"by no means; -on the contrary, I find it most amusing, and your automaton pleases me -so much that I wish to purchase it. I shall thus always have near me a -player, somewhat quick perhaps, but yet able to hold his own. You can -leave it here to-night, and come to-morrow morning to arrange the -price." - -There is strong reason to believe that Catherine wished to commit an -indiscretion when she evinced a desire that the figure should remain at -the palace till the next morning. Fortunately, the skillful mechanician -managed to baffle her feminine curiosity by carrying Worousky off in the -big chest. The automaton remained in the library, but the player was no -longer there. - -The next day Catherine renewed her proposition to purchase the -chess-player, but Kempelen made her understand that, as the figure could -not perform without him, he could not possibly sell it. The empress -allowed the justice of these arguments; and, while complimenting the -mechanician on his invention, made him a handsome present. - -Three months after the automaton was in England, under the management of -Mr. Anthon, to whom Kempelen had sold it. I know not if Worousky was -still attached to it, but I fancy so, owing to the immense success the -chess-player met with. Mr. Anthon visited the whole of Europe, always -meeting with the same success; but, at his death, the celebrated -automaton was purchased by Maëlzel, who embarked with it for New York. -It was then, probably, Worousky took leave of his hospitable Turk, for -the automaton was not nearly so successful in America. After exhibiting -his mechanical trumpeter and chess-player for some time, Maëlzel set out -again for France, but died on the passage of an attack of indigestion. -His heirs sold his apparatus, and thus Cronier obtained his precious -relic. - -My fortunate star again furnished me with an excellent occasion for -continuing my studies. A Prussian of the name of Koppen exhibited at -Paris, about the year 1829, an instrument known as the Componium. It was -a perfect mechanical orchestra, playing operatic overtures with -remarkable precision and effect, and it owed its name to the -circumstance that, by means of truly marvellous arrangements, this -instrument improvised charming variations without ever repeating itself. -It was asserted to be as difficult to hear the same variation twice, as -to find two similar quaternes drawn in succession at a lottery. - -The Componium was enormously successful, but at last public curiosity -was exhausted, and it was withdrawn, after bringing in the owner one -hundred thousand francs clear profit in a year. This amount, whether -correct or not, was adroitly published, and some time after the -instrument was put up for sale. A speculator by the name of D----, -seduced by the hope of obtaining equally large receipts in a foreign -country, bought the instrument, and took it to England. Unfortunately -for D----, at the moment when this goose with the golden eggs arrived in -London, George IV. died; the court went into mourning, and no one -visited the instrument. In order to avoid useless expense, D---- -thought it prudent to give up a scheme commenced under such evil -auspices, and determined on returning to Paris. The Componium was -consequently taken to pieces, packed up and carried to France. - -D----, hoped the instrument would enter duty free, but, on leaving -France, he had omitted some formality indispensable before obtaining -this favor. The Customs stopped it, and he was obliged to refer the case -to the Minister of Trade. While awaiting his decision, the chests were -deposited in damp ware-rooms, and it was not till the end of the year, -and after numberless formalities and difficulties, that the instrument -returned to Paris. - -This will give an idea of the state of disorder, confusion and damage in -which the Componium was left. - -Discouraged by the ill success of his trip to England, D---- resolved on -selling his mechanical improviser, but, before doing so, he cast about -for a mechanician who would undertake to put it in working order. I have -forgotten to state that, on the sale of the Componium, M. Koppen had -handed over with it a very clever German workman, who was, as it were, -the driver of this gigantic instrument. This person, finding he must sit -with his hands before him during the interminable formalities of the -French Customs, thought he could not do better than return home. - -The repair of the Componium was a tedious business--a work of -perserverance and research--for, as its arrangement had always been kept -secret, no one could supply the least information. D---- himself, having -no notion of mechanism, could not be of the slightest use, so the -workman must only depend on his own ideas. - -I heard the matter talked about, and, urged by a probably too flattering -opinion of myself, or rather dazzled by the glory of executing such a -splendid job, I offered to undertake the immense repairs. - -I was laughed at: the confession is humiliating, but perfectly truthful. -I must say, too, that it was justifiable, for I was only known at that -time as an humble workman, and it was feared that, far from making the -instrument act properly, I should cause still greater injury, while -trying to repair it. However, as D---- met with no better offer, and I -offered to deposit a sum, to be forfeited in the event of my doing any -injury, he eventually yielded to my wishes. - -It will be allowed that I was a very conscientious workman; but, in -reality, I acted for my own benefit, as this undertaking, by supplying -me with an interesting object of study, would prove a perfect lesson in -mechanism for me. - -As soon as my offer was accepted, all the boxes in which the componium -was packed were carried into a large room I used as workshop, and -emptied, pell-mell, into sheets, spread for the purpose, on the ground. - -When alone, and I saw this heap of rusty iron, these myriads of parts, -whose meaning I did not understand, this orchestra of instruments of -every size and shape, such as cornets, bugles, hautboys, flutes, -clarionets, bassoons, organ pipes, big drum, triangle, cymbals, &c., all -arranged in sizes, according to the chromatic scale, I was so frightened -by the difficulty of my task, that I was quite annihilated for several -hours. - -To better understand my mad presumption, which only my passion for -mechanics and my love of the marvellous can excuse, I must add that I -never even saw the componium performing; hence, all was an unknown -country for me. Add to this, that the greater portion of the works were -covered with rust and verdigris. - -Seated in the midst of this musical chaos, with my head resting in my -hands, I asked myself a hundred times this simple question, "Where shall -I begin?" and then my imagination was quite paralysed. One morning, -however, finding myself well disposed, and feeling the influence of the -Hippocratic axiom, "Mens sana in corpore sano," I felt disgusted at my -long sloth, and rushed headforemost at my immense task. - -If my readers were only mechanicians, how willingly would I describe to -them all my trials, attempts, and studies! With what pleasure I would -explain the skillful and ingenious combinations that arose successively -from this chaos! But as I fancy I can see my readers turning over my -pages to seek the end of a chapter that is growing too serious, I will -check my inclination, and content myself with stating that, for a whole -year, I proceeded from the known to the unknown, in solving this -inextricable problem, and one day I had the happiness of seeing my -labors crowned with complete success. The componium--a new -phoenix--had risen from its ashes. - -This unexpected success gained me the greatest praise, and D---- bade me -name my own price; but I would not accept anything beyond my actual -outlay, feeling amply repaid by such a glorious result. And yet, however -high my reward might have been, it would not have repaid me what this -task, which overtasked my strength, eventually cost me. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - - An Inventor's Calculations--One Hundred Thousand Francs a Year by - an Inkstand: Deception--My new Automata--The First Magician in - France: Decadence--I meet Antonio--Bosco--The Trick with the - Cups--An Execution--Resurrection of the Criminals--Mistake in a - Head--The Canary rewarded. - - -My sleepless nights, my incessant toil, and, above all, the feverish -agitations resulting from all the emotions of such an arduous -undertaking, had undermined my health. A brain-fever attacked me, and -though I recovered from it, it was only to pass five long years in -listlessness and vacuity. My mind seemed quite gone: I felt no passion, -no love, no interest, even in the arts I had so delighted in: conjuring -and mechanism only existed for me in the shape of recollections. - -But this illness, which had mastered the faculty of Paris, could not -resist the refreshing air of the country, where I retired for six -months, and when I returned to Paris, I was a new man. With what joy I -saw again my beloved tools! With what ardor I reassumed my work! for I -had to regain not only the lost time, but also the enormous expenses -incurred by my long illness. - -My modest fortune was for the moment sensibly diminished, but on this -point I was case-hardened; for would not my future performances fill up -all these losses, and insure me a handsome fortune? Thus I discounted an -uncertain future; but, after all, do not all inventors like to convert -their schemes into ingots? - -Perhaps, too, I unconsciously yielded to the influence of one of my -friends, an extraordinary projector, whom mistakes and deceptions never -hindered forming fresh schemes. Our manner of calculating the future had -considerable affinity. But I must do him this justice: however high my -estimate might be, he was far superior to me in that respect. Here is an -instance to judge by. - -One day this friend called upon me, and showing me an inkstand of his -invention, which combined the double merit of being safe from upset, and -of always keeping the ink at the same level, said, - -"At last, my lad, I have hit it; this invention will make a revolution -in the writing world, and allow me to walk about like a gentleman, with -a hundred thousand francs a year--at the very lowest, understand me. But -you can judge for yourself, if you follow my calculations closely. You -know, there are thirty-six millions of inhabitants in France?" - -I nodded an affirmative. - -"Starting on this basis, I do not think I err if I assume that at least -one-half can write, eh? or, say we take one-third, or, to be still more -sure, the round sum of ten millions. Now, I hope I shall not be charged -with exaggeration, if, out of these ten millions, I take one-tenth, or a -million, as the number of those looking after what may be useful to -them." - -And my friend stopped here and looked at me, as much as to say, "Am I -not reasonable in my estimates?" - -"We have, then, in France one million men capable of appreciating the -benefits of my inkstand. Well, of this number how many will you allow -who, during the first year, hear of my inkstand, and consequently will -purchase it?" - -"Well," I replied, "I confess to a difficulty in giving you an exact -answer." - -"Good Heavens! who spoke about exactness? I only want an approximation, -and that must be the lowest possible, that there may be no mistake." - -"Well," I went on, continuing my friend's decimal calculations, "take a -tenth." - -"Now, mind, _you_ said a tenth, or, in other words, one hundred -thousand. But," the inventor continued, charmed at seeing me share his -brilliant calculations, "do you know what the sale of these one hundred -thousand inkstands will produce me in a year?" - -"I can form no idea." - -"I will then tell you. I have reserved myself one franc on each inkstand -sold. This gives a profit then----" - -"Of one hundred thousand francs, of course." - -"You see, there is no difficulty in making the calculation. You must -bear in mind, too, that the other nine hundred thousand writers we left -on one side will end by appreciating my inkstand: they will also buy it. -Then what will the nine millions we omitted do? And notice, too, that I -am only speaking of France, which is a mere dot on the globe. When -foreign countries know its merits, when the English and their colonies -order it---- Oh, it would require a mathematician to reckon all this -up!" - -My friend wiped his brow, which had grown quite damp during the heat of -his address, and he ended by repeating, "Remember, we established our -estimate on the lowest basis." - -Unfortunately, that was the place where my friend's calculation broke -down. His inkstand, being much too dear, was not purchased, and the -inventor ended by adding this gold mine to his many other deceptions. - -I, too, I confess, based my calculations on the census, or, at least, on -the approximative number of visitors to the capital, and even at the -lowest figure I arrived at a most satisfactory result. But I do not -regret having given way to these fancies, for though they occasioned me -various disappointments, they served to keep up some energy in my mind, -and enabled me to wrestle against the numberless difficulties I -encountered in making my automata. Besides, who has not, once in his -life at least, indulged in the gilded calculations of my friend the -inkstand inventor? - -I have already repeatedly mentioned the automata I made, and it is high -time to describe the nature of the articles intended to be used in my -performances. - -The first was a small pastrycook issuing from his shop door at the word -of command, and bringing, according to the spectator's request, patties -and refreshments of every description. At the side of the shop assistant -pastrycooks might be seen rolling paste and putting it in the oven. - -Another specimen represented two clowns, Auriol and Debureau. The latter -held out at arm's length a chair, on which his merry comrade performed -acrobatic tricks, like his namesake at the circus in the Champs Elysées. -After these performances Auriol smoked a pipe, and ended by accompanying -on the flagolet an air played by the orchestra. - -The next was a mysterious orange-tree, on which flowers and fruit burst -into life at the request of the ladies. As the finale, a handkerchief I -borrowed was conveyed into an orange purposely left on the tree. This -opened and displayed the handkerchief, which two butterflies took by the -corners and unfolded before the spectators. - -Lastly, I made a dial of transparent glass, which marked the hours at -the will of the spectators, and struck the time on a crystal bell. - -At the time I was most deeply engaged in these labors, I made a very -agreeable rencontre. While walking along the Boulevards, full of -thought, according to my usual habit, I heard some one calling me. On -turning round, an elegantly-dressed man pressed my hand. - -"Antonio!" I exclaimed, as I embraced him, "how glad I am to see you! -But why are you here--what are you doing--and Torrini?" - -Antonio interrupted me. "I will tell you all about it. Come to my -apartments, where we shall be more at ease. I only live a few doors -off." - -In fact, within two minutes we stopped in the Rue de Lancry, before a -very handsome house. - -"Go up," Antonio said: "I live on the second floor." - -A servant opened the door. "Is your mistress at home?" Antonio asked. - -"No, sir; but I was to tell you she would be in soon." - -After leading me into a pretty drawing-room, Antonio made me sit down by -his side on a sofa. - -"Now, my friend, let us talk, for we must have a great deal to tell each -other." - -"Yes, let us talk; for I confess that my curiosity is strongly excited. -I fancy, at times, I am dreaming." - -"I will bring you back to real life," Antonio continued, "by telling you -what has happened to me since we parted. Let us begin with poor -Torrini." - -I made a movement of pained surprise. - -"What do you say, Antonio? Can our friend----?" - -"Yes, it is only too true. Death struck him at the moment we had every -reason to hope a happier fate. On leaving you, Torrini intended to -return as quickly as possible to Italy. The Count de Grisy was anxious -to reassume his name and revisit the scenes of past successes, for he -hoped there to become again the brilliant magician of yore. God decided -otherwise. Just as we were about leaving Lyons, where we had been giving -some successful performances, he was suddenly seized with typhus fever, -which carried him off in a few days. - -"I was his residuary legatee, and after paying the last honors to a man -to whom I had pledged my life, I began realizing my small fortune. I -sold the horses and travelling-carriage, and kept the apparatus, as I -intended to use it. I had no profession, so I thought I could not do -better than to take up one, for which the road was clear before me, and -I hoped that my name, to which my brother-in-law had given a certain -celebrity in France, would assist me. It was very bold in me to try and -fill the place of such a master, but I thought my impudence would answer -as well as talent. - -"Hence I called myself Signor Torrini, and, after the fashion of my -rivals, I added the title of 'first magician of France.' Each of us is -always the first and the most skillful in the country where he happens -to be, unless he think proper to call himself the first in the whole -world. Conjuring is a profession in which, as you know, no one errs -through excess of modesty, and the custom of producing illusions -facilitates this issue of bad money, which the public, it is true, -appreciates and sets its true value on. - -"So it behaved to me, for, despite my pompous announcements, I frankly -confess it did not recognize the celebrity I claimed. On the contrary, -my performances were so little attended, that my receipts were hardly -sufficient for my existence. Still I went from town to town, giving my -performances, and nourishing myself more often on hope than on reality. -But the moment arrived when this unsubstantial food no longer sufficed -me, and I was forced to stop. I had exhausted my resources: I had -nothing left but my instruments. My clothes were reduced to the sheerest -necessity, and threatened to desert me at any moment: thus hesitation -was impossible. I decided on selling my instruments, and, provided with -the small sum they produced me, I set out for Paris, the last refuge of -those whose talent is neglected and position hopeless. - -"In spite of my ill success, I had lost none of my stock of philosophy, -and, though not very happy, I was full of hope in the future. Yes, my -friend--yes, I had a presentiment at that time of the brilliant position -fate reserved for me, and to which it lead me, I may say, by the hand. - -"Once arrived at Paris, I hired a modest room, and determined to live as -savingly as possible, in order to make my money hold out. You see that, -in spite of my confidence in the future, I took some precautions, so as -not to run the risk of dying of hunger; but you will allow I acted wrong -in not trusting entirely to my lucky star. - -"I had hardly been in Paris a week, when I met an old comrade, a -Florentine, who used to perform as second basso in my old theatre. He, -too, had been maltreated by Fortune, and having come to Paris, he found -himself reduced to accept a situation in the chorus of the Opera. When I -had revealed my position to him, he told me a tenor situation was vacant -in the chorus, and advised me to try and get it: I accepted the offer -with pleasure, though, of course, as merely transitional, for I felt a -pang at my descent. Still, prudence suggested I had better guard against -want. - -"I have often noticed," Antonio continued, "that those events which -inspire us with the greatest doubt, turn out the most favorable, and -mine was a case in point. As I had a good deal of spare time, I thought -I would employ it in giving singing lessons. I, therefore described -myself as a singer at the Opera, while concealing the position I -occupied there. Procuring my first pupil was as difficult as saving the -first hundred pounds towards a fortune, and I had to wait a long time. -At length I caught him; then others; and, gradually, I had enough pupils -to enable me to leave the theatre. - -"I must tell you this determination had another reason. I loved one of -my lady pupils, and she returned my affection. Under such circumstances, -it was not prudent to remain a chorus-singer, which might have impeded -my views. You naturally expect some romantic adventure; but nothing -could be more simple than the event which crowned our loves--it was -marriage. - -"Madame Torrini, whom you will see presently, was the daughter of a -retired laceman. Her father, a widower, with no other children, had no -will but his daughter's, and he accepted my offers. He was the worthiest -of men; but, unfortunately we lost him two years ago. I retired from my -professional duties on the fortune he left us, and I now live happily -and calmly, in a position which realizes my most brilliant dreams of -old. This is another proof," my philosophic friend said, in conclusion, -"that, however precarious may be the position in which a man finds -himself, he ought never to despair of luck turning." - -My story was not so long as Antonio's, for with the exception of my -marriage, there was no event worthy narrating. I told him, however of my -long illness, and the work that had brought it on, and I had scarce -ended, when Madame Torrini entered the room. My friend's wife received -me most kindly, saying: - -"I have known you, sir, for a long time, as Antonio told me your -history, which caused me to feel the greatest interest, and my husband -and myself often regretted we could not hear of you. Now, however, M. -Robert," she added, "that we have found you, consider yourself an old -friend of the family and come to see us often." - -I profited by this kind invitation, and more than once went to seek -consolation and encouragement from these worthy friends. - -Antonio still took an interest in conjuring, although it was a mere -distraction by which he amused his friends.--Still, not a conjurer -announced his performance but he went to see him. One morning he entered -my workshop in great haste. - -"Look here," he said, offering me a paper, "as you run after all the -celebrated conjurers, here is one that will astonish you. Read." - -I took the paper eagerly, and read the following puff: - -"The famous Bosco, who can conjure away a house as easily as a nutmeg, -is about to give his performances at Paris, in which some miraculous -tricks will be executed." - -"Well, what do you say to that?" Antonio asked me. - -"A man must possess very great talent to undertake the responsibility of -such praise. After all, I think the journalist is amusing himself at the -expense of his readers, and that the famous Bosco only exists in his -columns." - -"You are quite wrong, my dear Robert: this conjurer is not an imaginary -being, for not only have I read this puff in several papers, but I even -saw Bosco last night at a café, giving some specimens of his skill, and -announcing his first performance for next Tuesday." - -"If it be so," I said to my friend, "I must ask you to spend the evening -with M. Bosco, and I will come and call for you." - -"Done," said Antonio, "mind and call for me on Tuesday at half-past -seven, as the performance commences at eight." - -At the appointed time we proceeded to the Rue Chantereine, where the -performance was announced. At the money-taker's we found ourselves face -to face with a stout gentleman, dressed in a coat adorned with frogs and -trimmed with fur, making him look like a Russian prince on his travels. -Antonio nudged me with his elbow, and said, in a whisper, "That's he!" - -"Who's he?" - -"Why, Bosco." - -"All the worse," I said; "I am sorry for him." - -"Explain yourself, for I do not understand the harm a Boyard's dress can -do a man." - -"My friend, I do not blame M. Bosco so much for his dress as for -occupying his present place. I think an artiste cannot be too chary of -his person off the stage; there is so much difference between the man -whom an entire audience listens to and applauds, and the director who -comes openly to watch his paltry interests, that the latter must injure -the former." - -During this conversation, my friend and myself had entered the room and -taken our seats. According to the idea I had formed of a magician's -laboratory, I expected to find myself before a curtain whose large -folds, when withdrawn, would display before my dazzled eyes a brilliant -stage ornamented with apparatus worthy of the celebrity announced; but -my illusions on this subject soon faded away. - -A curtain had been considered superfluous, and the stage was open. -Before me was a long three-storied sideboard, entirely covered with -black serge. This lugubrious buffet was adorned with a number of wax -candles, among which glistened the apparatus. At the topmost point of -this strange _étargčre_ was a death's-head, much surprised, I have no -doubt, at finding itself at such a festival, and it quite produced the -effect of a funeral service. - -In front of the stage, and near the spectators, was a table covered by a -brown cloth, reaching to the ground, on which five brass cups were -symmetrically arranged. Finally, above this table hung a copper ball, -which strangely excited my curiosity.[D] - -For the life of me I could not imagine what this was for, so I -determined to wait till Bosco came to explain it. Antonio had entered -into conversation with his neighbor, who spoke in the most enthusiastic -manner of the performance we were about to witness. The silvery sound of -a small bell put an end to my reverie and to my friend's conversation, -and Bosco appeared on the stage. - -The artiste had changed his costume: he had substituted for the Russian -great-coat a little black velvet jacket, fastened round the waist by a -leathern belt of the same color. His sleeves were excessively short, and -displayed a handsome arm. He wore loose black trousers, ornamented at -the bottom with a ruche of lace, and a large white collar round his -neck. This strange attire bore considerable resemblance to the classical -costume of the Scapins in our plays. - -After making a majestic bow to his audience, the celebrated conjurer -walked silently and with measured steps up to the famous copper ball. -After convincing himself it was solidly hung, he took up his wand, which -he wiped with a white handkerchief, as if to remove any foreign -influence; then, with imperturbable gravity, he struck the ball thrice -with it, pronouncing, amid the most solemn silence, this imperious -sentence: _Spiriti miei infernali, obedite_. - -I, like a simpleton, scarce breathed in my expectation of some -miraculous result, but it was only an innocent pleasantry, a simple -introduction to the performance with the cups. I was, I confess, rather -disappointed, for, in my opinion, this performance was only suited for -the public streets, and I did not expect any one would venture it on a -Paris stage in 1838. I was justified in this view, as two persons, -Miette and Lesprit, might be daily seen going through this performance -in the streets. Still, I must say that Bosco displayed great skill, and -was heartily applauded by the public. - -"Well," Antonio's neighbor said, victoriously, "was I not right--is he -not remarkably clever? But you'll see, that's nothing as yet." - -Either Antonio was in a bad temper, or the performance did not please -him, for he could not "plant" the admiration he had been quite prepared -to bestow. In fact, he became most impatient when Bosco commenced the -"pigeon trick." Still, it must be allowed that the _mise en scčne_ and -the execution were of a nature to irritate nerves even less sensitive -than my friend's. - -A servant placed on small tables on either side the stage two small -blocks of black wood, on each of which a death's-head was painted. They -were the blocks for the culprits. Bosco then came forward, holding a -knife in one hand and a black pigeon in the other. - -"Here is a pizon" (I forgot to state that Bosco spoke with a strong -Italian accent) "zat has behaved badly. I am going to cut off his head; -zall it be, ladies, wiz blood or wizout?" (This was one of his strong -points.) - -Some people laughed, but the ladies hesitated to reply to this strange -question. - -"Without blood," a spectator said. Bosco then placed the pigeon's head -on the block and cut it off, being careful to press the neck, and -prevent the effusion of blood. - -"You zee, ladies," the operator said, "zat ze pizon does not bleed, as -you ordered." - -"With blood," suppose another spectator said. Then Bosco loosened the -artery, and let the blood run on a plate, which he handed round for -inspection. The head, after being cut off, was placed upright on one of -the blocks; and Bosco, taking advantage of a convulsive movement, which -caused the beak to open, made this barbarous jest: "Come, mossiou, bow -to zis amiable company--now once more. Ah, ah, zat is right." - -The public listened, but no longer laughed. - -The same operation was performed on a white pigeon without the slightest -variation, after which Bosco placed the bodies in two false-bottomed -boxes, being careful to put the black head with the white pigeon, and -the white head with the black one. Then he repeated his conjurations -over the boxes, and when he opened them, a black pigeon came with a -white head, and a white one with a black head. Each of the culprits, -according to Bosco, had been restored to life, and assumed its comrade's -head. - -"Well, what do you think of that?" Antonio's neighbor asked him, as he -clapped vociferously. - -"To tell you the truth," my friend replied, "I must say the trick is not -very wonderful. Besides, I should like it better were it performed with -less cruelty." - -"Ah, you have delicate nerves, I see," the neighbor said; "perhaps you -experience similar sensations when you see a fowl killed and put on the -spit?" - -"Allow me, sir, before answering you," my friend replied, sharply, "to -ask if I have come here to see a kitchen performance?" - -The discussion was growing warm, and was rather savage in its tone, when -a third party terminated the dispute by the following jest: - -"Hang it, sir," he said to Antonio, "if you do not like cruelty, at any -rate do not disgust other people with it." - -Bosco now returned on the stage with a canary in his hand. - -"Zentlemen," he said, "this is Piarot: he is very polite, and zall -zalute you. Come, Piarot, do your duty." And he pinched the bird's claws -with such force that the unfortunate tried to escape from this cruel -clutch. Overcome by pain, it bent down over the juggler's hand, uttering -cries of distress. - -"Zat is good; I am satisfied wiz you. You see, ladies, he not only -zalutes you, but he says 'Good-night.' Continue, Piarot, you zall be -rewarded." - -The same torture made the bird bow twice more, and to _reward_ it its -master placed it in the hands of a lady, begging her to keep it. But -during the passage the bird had ended its life, and reached the lady's -hand dead. Bosco had strangled it. - -"Oh, good Heavens, madam!" the conjurer exclaimed, "I believe you have -killed my Piarot--you zall have squeezed him too moch. Piarot--Piarot!" -he added, tossing the bird in the air, "Piarot, answer to me. Ah, -madam, he is dezidedly dead. What zall my wife say when she sees Bosco -arrive wizout his Piarot: quite zurely I zall be beaten by Madame -Bosco." (I must observe, here, that all I describe is literally true.) - -This bird was interred in a large box, whence, after fresh conjurations, -a living bird came out. This new victim was fated to suffer shorter -agony. It was thrust alive into the barrel of a large pistol, and Bosco, -holding a sword in his hand, begged a spectator to fire at the point of -the weapon he held out to him. The pistol was fired, and a third victim -was seen spitted on the point of the sword. - -Antonio rose. "Let us go," he said, "for I am turning sick." - -I have seen Bosco several times since then, and each time I studied him -carefully, not only to try and explain the cause of the great fashion he -enjoyed, but also to be able to compare the various opinions expressed -about this celebrated man. Here are some deductions drawn from my -observations. - -Bosco's performances generally please a large number, for the public -suppose that, through some inexplicable address, the bird-murders are -simply feigned, and, tranquil, on this point, they indulge in all the -pleasure caused by the talent of the conjurer and the originality of his -accent. - -Bosco has a quaint and full-sounding name, adapted to become popular, -and no one knows better than he how to take advantage of it. Neglecting -no opportunity for notoriety, he performs at any hour of the day, -whatever may be the quality and number of the spectators. In a coach, at -a table d'hôte, in cafés or shops, he never fails to give some specimen -of his skill, by juggling a coin, a ring, and so on. - -The witnesses of these little improvised performances consider -themselves bound to return Bosco's politeness, by attending his public -performance. They have formed the acquaintance of the celebrated -conjurer, and are obliged to sustain the reputation of their new friend. -Hence, they urge all their acquaintances to go also, puff off the -performance, and thus the room is always full. - -It must also be mentioned that numerous accomplices help Bosco's -popularity materially. Each of them, it is known, is instructed to hand -the magician a handkerchief, shawl, watch, &c., which he has in double. -This allows him to pass them with an appearance of magic or skill, into -a cabbage, a loaf, a box, or any other object. These accomplices, while -aiding in the conjurer's experiments, have a great interest in securing -their success: for their self-love finds its profit in the success of -the mystification. Besides, they have no objection to accept some of the -applause as their due: hence, the magician has as many admirers as -accomplices, and the influence a dozen intelligent prompters can exert -in a room is well known. - -Such were the influences which, joined to Bosco's talent, gained him a -great renown for many years. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - - A Reverse of Fortune--Cookery and Clockwork--The Artist's - Home--Invention of an Automaton--Voluntary Exile--A modest - Villa--The Inconveniences of a Speciality--Two August Visitors--The - Throat of a mechanical Nightingale--The Tiou and the - Rrrrrrrrouit--Seven Thousand Francs earned by making Filings. - - -In the meanwhile I worked indefatigably at my automata, hoping that when -these were completed, I should be able to establish myself permanently. -But, in spite of my activity, I advanced very slowly towards the -realization of my long-deferred hopes. - -Only an inventor can know the value of a day's work on the gloomy road -to success in combining automata. Numberless trials and deceptions of -every nature foil at any moment the best-conceived plans, and seem to -realize the pleasant story about reaching the end of a journey by making -two steps forward and three backward. - -I performed this wearisome progress during six months, and, at the end -of that time, though I had several specimens far advanced, it was still -impossible for me to fix the period when they would be quite finished. -In order not to defer my appearance before the public, I therefore -resolved to begin with my conjuring tricks and such automata as were -ready. I had arranged with an architect, who was to help me in finding a -suitable site for a theatre, but I had scarce taken my first steps, when -an unforeseen catastrophe ruined both my father-in-law and myself. - -This reverse of fortune threw me into a state of abject despondency, for -I saw, to my terror, the realization of my plans indefinitely postponed. -I could no longer think of inventing machines, but must work, day by -day, to support my large family. I had four children, all very young, -and this was a heavy burden on a man who had never yet thought of his -own interests. - -The vulgar truth, "Time dissipates the severest griefs," is not the less -true from being so often repeated; and it was the case with me. I was at -first as wretched as man could well be; then my despair gradually died -away, and made room for sorrow and resignation. At last, as it is not my -nature to keep up a melancholy character long, I ended by accepting the -situation. Then the future, which had appeared so gloomy, assumed a -different face, and, by a gradual process of reasoning, I began to -indulge in reflections whose consoling philosophy restored my courage. - -"Why should I despair?" I said to myself. "At my age, time itself is a -fortune, and I have a considerable reserve fund of that. Besides, who -knows whether Providence, by sending me this trial, has not wished to -delay an undertaking that was not yet quite assured of success?" - -In fact, what had I to offer the public that would overcome the -indifference a new performer always inspires?--improved conjuring -tricks! Those, I thought, would not prevent me failing, for I was -unaware at that period that, in order to please the public, an idea must -be, if not novel, at least completely transformed, so that it cannot be -recognized. Only in that way can an artiste escape a remark that always -fills him with dread--"I have seen that before." My automata and -mechanical curiosities would not have betrayed the hopes I built upon -them, but I had too few, and the specimens I had in hand still required -years of study and labor. - -These wise reflections restored my courage, and, resigned to my new -situation, I resolved to effect an utter reform in my budget. I had -nothing more to look for than what I earned with my own hands, so I -hired a modest lodging, at three hundred francs a year, in the Rue du -Temple. It consisted of a room, a cabinet and a stove in a cupboard, to -which my proprietor gave the name of kitchen. I converted the largest -room into our common sleeping apartment, the cabinet served as my -workshop, while the stove kitchen was used to prepare our modest meals. - -My wife, though in delicate health, undertook the household department. -Fortunately, this was not very laborious, as our meals were most modest; -and as our rooms were limited in number, there was not much moving about -required. The proximity of our mutual laboratories had also this double -advantage, that, whenever my housekeeper was absent, I could watch the -pot-au-feu or stir a ragoűt without leaving my levers, wheels and cogs. - -These vulgar occupations for an artiste will make many a reader smile, -but when a man cannot afford to keep a servant, and the quality of the -dinner, consisting of a single dish, depends on the care devoted to it, -it is better to pocket one's dignity and attend to the culinary -department, at any rate, without feeling false shame. However, it -appears that I performed my confidential mission admirably, for my -exactitude gained me abundant praise. Still, I must confess that I had -very slight talent for cooking, and this boasted exactitude was produced -by my fear of incurring the reproaches of my head cook. - -This humble existence was less painful to me than I had imagined. I had -always been moderate, and the privation of succulent dishes affected me -very little. My wife, surrounded by her children, to whom she devoted -her utmost care, seemed equally happy, while hoping for better times to -come. - -I had resumed my first trade, that of repairing watches and clocks. -Still, this was only to secure our hand-to-mouth existence, for all the -while I was repairing I was meditating a piece of clockwork, the success -of which restored some ease to our household. It was an alarum, which -was thus arranged: - -You placed it by your side when you went to bed, and, at the hour -desired, a peal aroused the sleeper, while, at the same time, a ready -lighted candle came out from a small box. I was the prouder of this -invention and its success, as it was the first of my ideas which -produced me any profit. - -This "alarum-light," as I christened it, was so popular that, in order -to satisfy the great demand for it, I was obliged to add a workshop to -my rooms and hire several workmen. Encouraged by such a favorable -result, I turned my attention afresh to inventions, and gave a free -scope to my imagination. I succeeded in making several more toys, among -which was one which my readers will probably remember to have seen in -the shop-windows. It was a glass dial, mounted on a column of the same -material. This "mysterious clock" (as I called it), although entirely -transparent, indicated the hour with the greatest exactness, and struck, -without any apparent mechanism to make it move. I also constructed -several automata, such as a conjurer playing with cups, a dancer on the -tight-rope, singing birds, &c. - -It may strike the reader that, with so many strings to my bow, and such -amusing toys to make, my situation would be considerably improved, but -it was not so. Each day, on the contrary, produced fresh trouble in my -trade as well as in my household, and I even saw a financial crisis -approaching which I found it impossible to prevent. - -The cause of this result was very simple. While engaged with the -mechanical toys I have just mentioned, I still worked at my theatrical -automata, for which my passion had been again aroused by my present -labors. Like the gambler, who throws his last farthing on the board, I -invested all my earnings in my theatrical preparations, hoping these -would soon repay me for my sacrifices with a hundred per cent. profit. - -But it was fated that I should no sooner see the realization of my -projects close at hand, than an unforseen event should remove it again -from my grasp. I had a sum of two thousand francs to pay at the end of -the month; I had not a penny to meet it, and I had only three days left -before the bill I had accepted became due. - -Never did an embarrassment arrive more inopportunely! I had just formed -the plan of an automaton in which I placed the greatest hopes. It was a -"writing and drawing automaton," answering in writing or emblematic -designs questions proposed by the spectators, and I intended to employ -this figure between the performances in my future theatre. - -Once more was I obliged to check the flight of my imagination to absorb -myself in the vulgar and difficult problem of meeting a bill when you -have no money. I might, it is true, have saved myself all trouble by -applying to my friends, but prudence and delicacy rendered it my duty -to pay it from my own resources. Providence, doubtlessly, recognized -the merit of my resolution, for she sent me a saving idea. - -I had sold several mechanical toys to M. G----, a rich curiosity dealer, -who had always treated me with marked kindness. I went to him, and gave -him an exact description of my new automaton, and necessity must have -rendered me eloquent, for M. G---- was so satisfied that he bought my -automaton on the spot, which I bound myself to deliver to him within -eighteen months. The price was arranged at five thousand francs, half of -which M. G---- agreed to pay me in advance, reserving to himself the -right, if I failed, in my promise, of recouping himself by purchasing -several of my automatic toys. - -Imagine my joy when I returned home, holding in my hands the money to -meet the bill! But the prospect of devoting myself for a long time to -the manufacture of an article satisfying my mechanical taste, rendered -me even happier. - -Still, the princely way in which M. G---- had concluded the bargain, -produced some serious thoughts as to the promise I had made him. I now -saw a thousand obstacles to prevent me keeping my word. I calculated -that, even if I devoted every moment to my work, I should lose much time -by causes I could not foresee or hinder. There were, first, friends, -customers, and bores; then a family dinner, an evening party, that could -not be declined, a visit that must be paid, and so on. These claims on -politeness, which I must respect, would inevitably cause me to break my -word: in vain I racked my brain in devising some scheme to gain time, or -at least not lose it; still, I could only succeed at the expense of my -good temper. I therefore formed a resolution which my relations and -friends declared to be madness, but from which they could not turn me, -and that was to exile myself voluntarily until my task was completed. - -Paris not appearing to me a secure place against annoyance, I chose the -suburbs as my retreat, and one fine day, despite the prayers and -supplications of my whole family, after entrusting my business to one of -my workmen, whose talent and probity I was convinced of, I proceeded to -Belleville, and installed myself in a little room in the Rue des Bois, -which I hired for twelve months, at a hundred francs. The only furniture -was a bed, a chest of drawers, a table, and a few chairs. - -This act of madness, as my friends called it, or this heroic -determination, as I called it, saved me from imminent ruin, and was my -first step on the ladder of success. From this moment an obstinate will -was aroused in me which enabled me to confront many obstacles and -difficulties. - -I am bound to confess that the first days of my retirement were painful, -and I bitterly deplored the harsh necessity that thus isolated me from -all I loved. The society of my wife and children had grown a necessity -to me; a kiss from these dear beings restored my courage in hours of -despondency, and now I was deprived of it. Surely I must have been -supported by an enormous strength of will not to turn back at the -prospect of this frightful vacuum. - -Many times I furtively wiped away a tear, but then I closed my eyes, and -straightway my automaton and the various combinations that were to -animate it appeared before me like a consoling vision; I passed in -review all the wheels I had created; I smiled upon them like so many -children of my own; and when I emerged from this restorative dream I -set to work again, filled with a courageous resignation. - -It had been arranged that my wife and children should spend every -Thursday evening with me, and I always dined at home on Sunday. These -few hours devoted to my family were the only amusements I allowed -myself. - -At my wife's request, the portress of the house had agreed to prepare my -meals; this excellent creature, an old _cordon bleu_, had left service -to marry a mason of the name of Monsieur Auguste. This gentleman, -judging by my modest existence in the house, thought me a poor devil who -found some difficulty in keeping himself: hence, he assumed an air of -generous protection, or kindly pity towards me. As he was a worthy man -at the bottom, I pardoned his ways, and only laughed at them. - -My new cook had received special instruction to treat me famously, but, -not wishing to increase my household expenses, I, on my side, made -stipulations which were kept with the greatest secresy. I arranged my -meals after the following fashion: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and -Thursdays I lived on an enormous dish, to which my chef gave the generic -name of _fricot_, but that made no difference to me. On Friday and -Saturday, for the sake of my health, I lived low; haricot beans, either -white or red, satisfied my hunger, and with them a composite soup, often -reminding me of the gastronomic tastes of an Auvergnat, and I dined as -well, perhaps better, than Brillat-Savarin himself. - -This mode of life offered me two advantages: I spent little, and -indigestion never troubled the clearness of my ideas. I required this, -however, for it must not be supposed that mechanical difficulties were -the only ones I had to contend against in making my automaton. My -readers may judge, from the following incident, which also proves the -truth of the proverb, "Willing is doing." - -At the commencement of my labor I had ordered from a wood-carver the -body, head, legs, and arms of my writer, and had applied to an artist, -particularly recommended to me as most skillful, and I had tried to make -him understand the importance I attached to my automaton having an -intelligent face. My Phidias had replied that I might trust to him. - -A month after, my sculptor made his appearance: he carefully removed the -wrapper, and showed me arms and legs splendidly carved, and ended by -handing me the head, with an air that seemed to signify, "What do you -think of that?" - -After what I had already seen I was prepared to admire a masterpiece, -but imagine my stupor on observing that the head belonged to a saint! -Quite astonished at this, I looked at my friend as if seeking an -explanation, but he did not seem to understand me and continued to point -out all the beauties of his work. I had no good reason to refuse it, -for, after its fashion, it was a very fine head, so I accepted it, -though it could be of no use to me. At any rate I wished to know the -motive that induced my sculptor to select such a type, and, by dint of -cross-examination, I learned that his special trade was carving saints, -and he could not emerge from his usual "groove." - -After this check I applied to another artist, being careful to inquire -of him previously whether he had been in the habit of carving heads of -saints. In spite of my precautions, I only got from this artist a head -bearing a strong family likeness to those Nuremberg dolls made to act as -lay figures in studios. - -I had not the courage to make a third trial; yet, my writer required a -head, and I regarded my chefs-d'oeuvre in turn. Neither could by -possibility suit me. A head with not the slightest expression spoiled my -automaton, while a holy Jerome on the body of a writer dressed in the -Louis XV. style would be a terrible anachronism. - -"And yet the face I want is engraved here," I said, striking my -forehead. "What a pity I cannot carve it--suppose I were to try!" - -It has always been my character to set about a scheme as soon as I had -formed it, whatever the difficulties might be. Hence I took a piece of -modeling wax, made it into a ball, in which I formed three holes, -representing mouth and eyes, then sticking on a patch for a nose, I -stopped to admire my handiwork. - -Have you ever noticed a toy belonging to earliest youth, representing -two blacksmiths at work on an anvil, which they are made to strike in -turn by pulling two parallel rods? Well, those mechanical combinations, -sold at one penny, I believe, are perfect marvels of art in comparison -with my first essay in modeling. - -Dissatisfied, disgusted, and almost angry, I threw my clumsy attempt -aside, and thought of some other plan to escape my difficulty. But I -have already said I am obstinate and persevering in all I undertake, and -the greater the difficulty seems, the more I feel myself pledged to -surmount it. The night passed in dreams which showed me my task -satisfactorily accomplished, and the next morning I took heart, and went -at it again. In fact, by passing a chisel over my ball--by taking away -from one side and adding to the other--I succeeded in making eyes, -mouth, and nose, which, if not regular, had at least the appearance of a -human form. - -The following days were spent in fresh studies and improvements, and -each time I noticed some progress in my work. Still, a moment arrived -when I was terribly embarrassed. The face was regular, but that was not -enough. I must give it some sort of character; but, as I had no model, -the task seemed beyond my strength. - -The idea struck me of looking in the glass, and judging from my own face -what features produce expression. Sitting down, then, as if writing, I -studied my full face and profile, and tried to imitate what I saw. I was -engaged at this task a long while, incessantly touching and retouching, -until one fine day I found my work finished, and I stopped to look at it -more attentively. Judge of my surprise on finding that I had -unconsciously produced an exact likeness of myself. Far from being vexed -at this unexpected result, I was pleased, for it was quite natural this -child of my imagination should have my features. I was not sorry to -place this family seal on a work to which I attached such importance. - -I had been now living for more than a year at Belleville, and I saw with -extreme pleasure the end of my task and of my exile drawing near. After -many doubts as to the success of my enterprise, the solemn moment -arrived when I should make the first trial of my writer. I had spent the -whole day in giving the last touches to the automaton, which sat before -me as if awaiting my orders, and prepared to answer the questions I -asked it. I had only to press the spring in order to enjoy the long -awaited result. My heart beat violently, and though I was alone, I -trembled with emotion at the mere thought of this imposing trial. - -I had just laid the first sheet of paper before my writer, and asked him -this question: - -"Who is the author of your being?" - -I pressed the spring, and the clockwork began acting. I dared hardly -breathe through fear of disturbing the operations. The automaton bowed -to me, and I could not refrain from smiling on it as my own son. But -when I saw the eyes fix an attentive glance on the paper--when the arm, -a few seconds before numb and lifeless, began to move and trace my -signature in a firm handwriting--the tears started to my eyes, and I -fervently thanked Heaven for granting me such success. And it was not -alone the satisfaction I experienced as inventor, but the certainty I -had of being able to restore some degree of comfort to my family, that -caused my deep feeling of gratitude. - -After making my Sosia repeat my signature a thousand times, I gave it -this next question: "What o'clock is it?" - -The automaton, acting in obedience to a clock, wrote: "It is two in the -morning." - -This was a very timely warning. I profited by it, and went straight to -bed. Against my expectations, I enjoyed a sleep I had not known for a -long time. - -There may be among those who read my book some who have also created -some successful work. They will know that next to the happiness of -enjoying one's own invention, nothing is so flattering as to offer it to -the notice of a third party. Moličre and J. J. Rousseau consulted their -servants, and, I must confess, it afforded me great pleasure the next -morning to invite my portress and her husband to be present at the first -performance of my writer. - -As it was Sunday, and M. Auguste had no work to do, I found him at -breakfast. He held a modest sardine with his thumb on a piece of bread, -while in the other hand he had a knife, the handle of which was fastened -to his waist by a lanyard. My invitation was graciously accepted, and -they came to my room to witness the aristocratic performance of a -nobleman of the age of Louis XV. The mason's wife chose this question: -"What is the emblem of fidelity?" The automaton replied by drawing a -pretty little greyhound lying on a cushion. Madame Auguste, quite -delighted, begged me to make her a present of the drawing, while her -husband, having by this time finished his breakfast, begged to see the -work, for, as he said, - -"I understand something about that sort of thing, for I have always to -grease the vane on the church steeple, and have even taken it down -twice. Ah! if I were to direct my attention to mechanics, I have no -doubt I should be very successful." - -Although, of course, he understood nothing of what he saw, the worthy -mason carefully examined the mechanical arrangements; then, as if -yielding to an impulsive frankness, he said, in a kindly protecting -tone, - -"If I was not afraid of vexing you, I would make an observation." - -"Pray do so, Monsieur Auguste, and be sure I shall treat it as it -deserves." - -"Well, in your place, I would have made the mechanism much more simple; -for then those who do not understand that sort of thing, would be able -to do so more easily." - -With some difficulty I maintained sufficient gravity to reply: - -"Your observation is very just, Monsieur Auguste; I had not thought of -that: but be assured I shall now profit by your suggestions, and -speedily remove half the machinery; there will be quite sufficient -left." - -"Oh, certainly," the mason said, believing in the sincerity of my -remarks, "there will be quite enough left then." - -At this moment the garden-bell rang, and M. Auguste, ever attentive to -his duties, ran to answer it, and as his wife also took her departure, I -was enabled to laugh at my ease. - -It is curious that an automaton which was visited by all Paris and -gained me such reputation--that the designer, which interested Louis -Philippe and his family so greatly, should at the outset only receive -the stupid criticism of a porter. Well, a man is no more a prophet in -his own house than in his own country. - -It was more extraordinary, though, that I had eventually to make an -alteration in the automaton for the following reasons: the public (I do -not mean the educated portion) generally understand nothing of the -mechanical effects by which an automaton is moved; but they are pleased -to see them, and often only value them by the multiplicity of their -parts. I had taken every care to render the mechanism of my writer as -perfect as possible, and had set great store on making the clockwork -noiseless. In doing this I wished to imitate nature, whose complicated -instruments act almost imperceptibly. - -Can it be credited that this very perfection, which I had worked so hard -to attain, was unfavorable to my automaton? On its first exhibition, I -frequently heard persons who only saw the outside, say: - -"That writer is first rate; but the mechanism is probably very simple. -It often requires such a trifle to produce great results." - -The idea then struck me of rendering the clock-work a little less -perfect, so that a whizzing sound should be heard, something like cotton -spinning. Then the worthy public formed a very different estimate of my -work, and the admiration increased in ratio to the intensity of the -noise. Such exclamations as these where continually heard: "How -ingenious! What complicated machinery! What talent such combination must -require!" - -In order to obtain this result, I had rendered my automaton less -perfect; and I was wrong. In this I followed the example of certain -actors who overdo their parts in order to produce a greater effect. They -raise a laugh, but they infringe the rules of art and are rarely ranked -among first-rate artists. Eventually, I got over my susceptibility, and -my machine was restored to its first condition. - -My writer thus finished, I could have ended my voluntary imprisonment if -I pleased; but I wished to finish another automaton, for which a -residence in the country would be requisite. Although this second -automaton was very complicated, it did not so fully occupy my time as -the first. It was a nightingale, which a rich merchant of St. Petersburg -had ordered, and I had agreed to produce a perfect imitation of the song -and actions of this delightful wood minstrel. - -This undertaking offered some serious difficulties; for though I had -already made several birds, their singing was quite arbitrary, and I had -only consulted my own taste in arranging it. The imitation of the -nightingale's pipe was much more delicate, for I had to copy notes and -sounds which were almost inimitable. - -Fortunately, we were in the season when this skillful songster utters -his delicious accents; hence, I could employ him as my teacher. I went -constantly to the wood of Romainville, the skirt of which almost joined -the street in which I lived, and, laying myself on a soft bed of moss in -the densest foliage, I challenged my master to give me lessons. (The -nightingale sings both by night and day in Continental Europe, and the -slightest whistle, in tune or not, makes him strike up directly.) - -I wanted to imprint on my memory the musical phrases with which the bird -composes its melodies. The following are the most striking among them; -_tiou-tiou-tiou_, _ut-ut-ut-ut-ut_, _tchit-chou_, _tchit-chou_, -_tchit-tchit_, _rrrrrrrrrrrrrouit_, _&c._ I had to analyse these strange -sounds, these numberless chirps, these impossible rrrrouits, and -recompose them by a musical process. Now, here was the difficulty. I -only knew so much of music as a natural taste had taught me, and my -knowledge of harmony was hence a very feeble resource. I must add that -in order to imitate this flexibility of throat, and produce these -harmonious modulations, I had a small copper tube, about the size and -length of a quill, in which a steel piston moving very freely, produced -the different sounds I required; this tube represented in some respects -the nightingale's throat. - -This instrument would have to work mechanically; clock work set in -motion the bellows, opened or closed a valve which produced the -twittering, the modulation, and the sliding notes, while it guided the -piston according to the different degrees of speed and depth I wanted to -reach. - -I had also to impart motion to the bird: it must move its beak in -accordance with the sounds it produced, flap its wings, leap from branch -to branch, &c. But this part of my task troubled me much less than the -other, as it was purely mechanical. - -I will not attempt to describe to the reader all the trials and -investigations I had to make; suffice it to say that, after repeated -experiments, I created a system, half musical, half mechanical, which -only required to be improved by fresh studies. Provided with this -instrument, I hurried off to the wood of Romainville, where I seated -myself under an oak, near which I had often heard a nightingale sing, -which I thought was the "star" among the virtuosi. I wound up the -clockwork, and it began playing in the midst of profound silence; but -the last notes had scarce died away ere a concert commenced from various -parts of the wood, which I was almost inclined to regard as a general -protest against my clumsy imitation. - -This collective lesson did not suit my purpose, for I wished to compare -and study, and could positively distinguish nothing. Fortunately for me, -all the musicians ceased, as if by word of command, and one of them -began a solo: it was doubtlessly the _premier sujet_, the Duprez of the -company--possibly the nightingale I have just mentioned. This tenor -indulged me with a succession of dulcet sounds and accents, which I -followed with all the attention of an industrious pupil. - -Thus I passed a portion of the night; my professor was indefatigable, -and, for my part, I was not weary of listening. At length we were -obliged to part, for, in spite of the pleasure I felt, I began to grow -chilly and sleepy. However, my lesson had done me so much good, that the -next morning I began making important corrections in my mechanism. After -five or six more visits to the wood, I attained the required result--the -nightingale's song was perfectly imitated. - -After eighteen months' stay at Belleville, I at length returned home to -enjoy the company of my wife and children; in my absence my business had -prospered, and I, by the manufacture of my two automata, had gained the -enormous sum of seven thousand francs. - -Seven thousand francs by making filings, as my father used to say. -Unfortunately, that excellent man could not enjoy the beginning of my -success--I had lost him a short time before the reverse of my fortune. -With his love for mechanical inventions, how proud he would have been of -my successes! - -Having thus regained a certain degree of comfort, I was now able to -enjoy some amusement, and visit my friends, among them Antonio, who -could not blame me for deserting him so long. In our long conversations -my friend never ceased to encourage me to realize the projects he had -suggested--I mean my theatrical schemes, of which he predicted the -certain success. - -While not neglecting my work, I had recommenced my conjuring exercises, -and began to make the acquaintance of several conjurers. I also wished -to see those ingenious personages who, not having a theatre to display -their talents in, visit the cafés. Such men as these are obliged to -employ an extraordinary degree of skill, for they have to deal with -people who are set upon detecting them. I met several interesting -specimens from whom I learned something; but a slight adventure soon -told me I must be on my guard in the choice of my acquaintances. - -A conjurer, whom I had formerly met at Roujol's, and to whom I had -rendered a service, introduced me one day to a person by the name of -D----. He was a young man of prepossessing appearance and very elegantly -dressed, while his manners evidenced the thorough gentleman. - -"My friend tells me, sir," he said, after the usual salutations, "that -you are in search of a person possessing a certain degree of address. -Although I have no wish to compliment myself, I may be able to show many -things you do not know." - -"I accept your offer willingly," I replied, "but I must tell you before -hand I am not a novice." - -This introduction took place in my study, and we sat down to a table on -which refreshments were served. This was a trap by which I intended to -make my visitor more communicative. I then took up a pack of cards, and -showed him my dexterity in _sauter la coupe_ and various other tricks. - -I was watching D---- to observe the impression I produced on him, and -after a few moments' careful following my hands, he gave his comrade a -gentle wink, of which I did not understand the meaning. I stopped for a -moment, and not wishing to ask a direct explanation, I opened a bottle -of Bordeaux, and filled his glass several times. This scheme was -successful, and the wine loosened his tongue, and he told me something -that surprised me. - -"I have a remark to make, M. Robert-Houdin," he said, emptying his -glass, and holding it out to be filled again: "I thought I had come here -to deal with what we call a 'pigeon;' I perceive it is quite otherwise, -and as I do not wish to expose the tricks by which I earn my livelihood, -I will content myself with the pleasure of having formed your -acquaintance." - -The technical terms seemed to me a startling contrast to my visitor's -elegant manners, still, as I did not wish to give in yet, I said, in a -tone of disappointment, - -"I hope, sir, you will recall your decision, and not leave me till you -have shown me how you handle the cards. You can do this without -prejudice, I think?" - -To my great satisfaction he at length consented. - -"Very well," he said, taking up a pack of cards; "but you will see our -modes of 'working' do not agree." - -It would be difficult for me to give a name to what he performed in my -presence. It was not, properly speaking, sleight-of-hand; but they were -tricks and processes applied to cards, and were so unexpected, that -they must deceive everybody. This manipulation was only an exhibition, -however, of certain principles I learned at a later date. - -Like singers who begin by being urged, and who, when they have once -started, cannot leave off, D----, animated both by the sincere praise I -offered him and the great number of glasses of Bordeaux he had -swallowed, said to me with that frankness common to drinkers, "And now, -sir, I will give you another hint. I am not a professor of -sleight-of-hand, but only perform a few tricks I show to amateurs. These -lessons, you can understand, would not suffice for my livelihood, and I -will tell you, then," he added, emptying his glass again, and holding it -out to be filled, as if he wished me to pay for his confidence, "I visit -in the evening houses where I have managed to gain an introduction, and -profit by some of the principles I have just shown you." - -"I suppose you give a performance?" D---- smiled slightly, and repeated -the wink he had once before given his comrade. - -"Performances!" he replied. "Never! or rather, I give them after my own -fashion; I will explain that to you presently, but I will first amuse -you by telling you how I manage to get a handsome prize for the lessons -I give my amateurs; after that I will return to my _performances_. - -"You can suppose, for reasons easy to understand that I only give -lessons to young men whose pockets I presume are well lined. On -beginning my explanations I tell my pupil that I leave my price to him, -and during the lesson I perform an interlude which must heighten his -generosity. - -"Drawing near my pigeon--pray pardon the word--" - -"I have already done so." - -"Ah, very good; I beg your pardon. I say, taking one of his buttons in -my hand, 'Here is a mould piercing the cloth, and you might lose it.' - -"At the same time I throw a Louis on the table; then I examine his -buttons, one after the other, and pretend to draw a gold piece from -each. As I only perform this trick as a harmless pleasantry, I pick up -my gold with the greatest indifference. I even push my indifference so -far as to leave one or two by mistake on the table, but only for a short -time, of course. - -"I continue my lesson, and, as I expected, my pupil pays but slight -attention to it, being fully engaged with the reflections I have so -skillfully suggested. Can he offer five francs to a man who appears to -have his pocket full of gold? Of course not; the least he can do is to -add one more piece to those I had displayed, and that always happens. - -"Like a modern Bias, then, I carry all my fortune about me; I am -sometimes tolerably rich, and then my pockets are well lined. Often -enough, too, I am reduced to a dozen of these 'yellow boys,' but them I -never touch, as they are the instruments by which I procure others. Many -times I have gone without my dinner, though having this small fortune in -my pocket, because I laid it down as a rule not to break into it." - -"The performances you give in society," I said to my narrator, in order -to bring him back to that point, "are of course more lucrative?" - -"They are so, but prudence prevents me giving them so often as I should -like." - -"I do not understand you." - -"I will explain my meaning. When I am in society I am a young man of -good family, and, like all young men, play. The only difference is, I -have my own way of playing, which is not that of all the world, but it -seems it is not bad, because it often renders chances favorable. You -shall judge." - -Here my narrator stopped to refresh himself, then, as if doing the most -legal or harmless thing in the world, he showed me several tricks, or -rather acts of swindling, which he executed with so much grace, skill, -and simplicity, that it would be impossible to detect him. - -In order to understand the effect these culpable confessions produced -upon me, my readers ought to know what it is to love a science of which -you seek to solve the mysteries. Far from feeling repugnance or even -disgust at this man with whom justice would have one day an account to -settle, I admired, I was stunned! The finesse and perfection of his -tricks made me forget their blameworthy application. - -At length my Greek left me, and so soon as he was gone the remembrance -of his confessions sent the blood to my cheeks. I was as ashamed of -myself as if I had been his accomplice. I even reproached myself -severely for the admiration I could not restrain, and the compliments it -extorted from me. In some measure to compound with my conscience, I -ordered my door to be closed against this man; but it was an unnecessary -precaution--I never heard of him again. - -Strangely enough, in consequence of my meeting with D----, and the -revelations he had made me, I was enabled, at a later period, to render -a service to society by unmasking a piece of swindling which the most -skillful experts could not detect. - -In 1849, M. B----, a magistrate belonging to the police office of the -Seine, begged me to examine and verify one hundred and fifty packs of -cards, seized in the possession of a man whose antecedents were far from -being as unblemished as his cards. The latter, indeed, were perfectly -white, and this peculiarity had hitherto foiled the most minute -investigation. It was impossible for the most practised eye to detect -the least alteration or the slightest mark, and they all seemed very -respectable packs of cards. - -I consented to examine the cards, as I hoped to detect a manoeuvre -which must be clever as it was so carefully concealed. I could only do -so after my performance was over, and so each night, before going to -bed, I sat down with a bright lamp, and remained at my task till sleep -or want of success routed me from my post. - -Thus I spent nearly a fortnight, examining, both with my eyes and a -strong magnifying-glass, the form and imperceptible varieties in the -cards composing the one hundred and fifty packs. I could detect nothing, -and, weary of the job, I began to agree in the opinion of the previous -experts. - -"I am sure there is nothing the matter with these cards," I said one -night, angrily, as I threw them across the table. - -Suddenly I fancied I noticed a pale spot on the glistening back of these -cards, and near one of the corners. I stepped forward, and it -disappeared, but, strangely enough, it reappeared as I fell back. - -"What a magnificent dodge!" I exclaimed, in my enthusiasm. "I have it: -that is a distinguishing mark." - -And following a certain principle which D---- had explained to me, I -assured myself that all the cards possessed a mark, which, according to -its position, indicated the value and color. - -For the last quarter of an hour I have been burning with a desire to -explain to my readers a most interesting process, but I am restrained by -the fear that this ingenious swindling may facilitate false play. Still, -it is an indubitable truth, "that to avoid a danger, it must be known." -Hence, if every player were initiated into the stratagems of the -card-swindlers, the latter would find it impossible to employ them. - -I am, therefore, inclined to make the communication I have stated, that -a single mark placed in a certain part of a card is sufficient to make -it known. To explain this, I must employ a diagram: - - - DIAGRAM 1. - - Ace. King. Queen. Knave. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. - +---------------------------------------------------------+ - | | - Hearts | | - | | - Diamonds | . | - | | - Clubs | | - | | - Spades | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - | | - +---------------------------------------------------------+ - -Suppose a card divided into eight parts vertically, and four -horizontally, as in diagram 1; the former will indicate the value of the -cards, the latter the suit. The mark is placed at the point where two -lines intersect. Such is the process: practice does the rest. - -As for the process employed in impressing the mysterious mark I have -mentioned, I may be excused from stating it, as my object is to expose -swindling, and not show the way to do it. Suffice it to say that, looked -at closely, this point is lost in the white of the card; but, at a -distance, the light renders the card brilliant, while the mark alone -remains dull. - -At the first blush, it will appear, perhaps, rather difficult to find -out the division to which the isolated dot on the back of the card -belongs. Still, by a little attention, it may be accurately detected by -a practised eye. Thus, on my diagram, the dot indicates the Queen of -Diamonds. - -It must be remembered that a Greek using these cards stakes, I will not -say his honor but, his liberty, against fortune, and that he has -carefully studied an art on which his livelihood depends. - -After the explanation I have given, I can easily imagine my reader -forming an heroic determination. - -"Since these things take place," he says to himself, "I will only play -with chequered cards, and so I shall be safe." - -Unfortunately, chequered cards are better adapted for swindling purposes -than the others, and to prove it, I must employ another diagram. Suppose -the chequer to be formed of dots or any other figures regularly -arranged, as is usually the case with fancy backed cards: - - DIAGRAM 2. - - +-----------------------------+ - | | - | * * * * | - | | - | . . . | - | | - | * * * * | - | | - | . . . | - | | - | . * * * * | - | | - | . . . | - | | - | * * * * | - | | - +-----------------------------+ - -the first dot, starting from the left-hand top of the card, as in the -previous diagram, will represent hearts; the second, downwards, -diamonds; the third, clubs; and the fourth, spades. If, now, another -small dot is placed by the side of one of these chequers, it will -indicate the value of the card. This dot must be placed in one of the -divisions marked in fig. 3 The topmost point indicates an ace; the next, -to the right, a king; the third, a queen; the fourth, a knave; and so -on. Of course, a single dot, as in fig. 2, when it is placed by the -third point or color, indicates the eight of clubs. - -[Illustration] - -There are many other arrangements, but they are more difficult to -explain than to understand. Thus I have had chequered cards given me to -inspect which had had no mark at all on them, but the pattern was more -or less altered by the way in which the cards were shaped, and this -simple peculiarity indicated them all. - -There are also the cards on the edge of which the Greek, when playing, -makes a mark with his thumb-nail, which he can detect as they pass -through his hands. If he is playing écarté, the kings are thus marked, -and when these pass through his fingers, he can, by a familiar trick, -leave them on the pack and deal the next card. This substitution can be -done so cleverly that it is impossible to detect it. I have also met -persons of such practised sight that, after playing two or three games -with a pack, they could recognize every card. - -Returning to the prepared cards, it may be asked how it is possible to -change the cards, for in all society where play goes on the cards are -only taken out of the paper just before beginning. - -Well! this is simple enough. The Greek finds out at what shop these -houses buy their cards: at first he will make some small purchases, so -that he may be regarded as a regular customer: then, on one fine day, he -says that a friend has commissioned him to buy a dozen packets of packs. -The next day these are brought back under the pretext that they are not -of the color required, and as the packets are still sealed, the -tradesman, full of confidence, changes them for others. - -But the Greek has spent the night in undoing the bands and sealing them -up again by a process known to conjurers; the cards have been all marked -and properly arranged, and as the tradesman has them now in his shop, -the trick is accomplished. Before long, they will reach the house where -they are wanted. - -All these swindling arts are very shocking, but there is another even -more so in the shape of "imperceptible telegraphy." Without the -slightest appearance of collusion, a Greek can tell his partner every -card his opponent holds in his hand by a system similar to that of my -"second sight." - -I could describe many other tricks, but I will stop here. 1 believe I -have said enough about card-sharpers and their swindling to induce a -person never to sit down but with persons whose honor is unimpeachable. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - - The Inventive Genius of a Sugar-baker--Philippe the Magician--His - Comic Adventures--Description of his Performance--Exposition of - 1844--The King and Royal Family visit my Automata. - - -The long looked-for change in my fortunes had at length arrived; my -automata had gained me a certain degree of reputation, and I was making -arrangements to commence my performances. Before describing these, I -must devote a few pages, however, to some account of my immediate -predecessor in the conjuring art, whose success in Paris at this period -was most brilliant: I mean Philippe, the renowned magician, sorcerer, -sleight-of-hand performer, and conjurer. - -Philippe Talon was born at Alais, near Nîmes; after having carried on -his sweet trade of confectioner for some time in Paris, his want of -success compelled him to expatriate himself. London, that _pays de -Cocagne_, the perspective El Dorado, was close at hand; so our tradesman -proceeded thither, and soon set up again in trade in the capital of the -United Kingdom. The French confectioner had fair chance of success, for -in addition to the English liking for sweet-stuff, French confectionary -has ever enjoyed a reputation in that country, only comparable with that -which _real_ English blacking has so long held in France. Still, despite -these advantages, it seems that fresh difficulties arose; the fogs of -the Thames, or, as some say, dangerous speculations, melted the fragile -wares; the comfitures suffered a decided discomfiture. - -Talon packed up a second time and went to Aberdeen, to ask shelter from -the Scotch mountaineers, to whom he offered in exchange his seductive -cates. Unfortunately, the Scotch of Aberdeen, differing greatly from the -mountaineers in _La Dame Blanche_, wear neither silk stockings nor -patent leather shoes, and consume very few jujubes and tarts. Thus, the -new shop would soon have undergone the fate of the other two, had not -Talon's inventive genius found an issue from this precarious position. - -The confectioner rightly thought that, in order to sell wares, they must -be known; and in order for them to be known, they must be made known. -Relying on this judicious reasoning, Talon soon compelled the -Aberdonians to eat his sugar-plums, and, better still, to pay for them. - -At this period, there was a company of actors at Aberdeen much in the -same condition as Talon's "goodies;" they were neglected, and no one -cared to try them. In vain had the manager prepared a pantomime full of -tricks and blue-fire, the public remained deaf to his repeated appeals. - -One fine day, Talon called on the Scotch impresario: "I have a proposal -to make to you, sir," he said, without further preface, "which, if -accepted, will fill your theatre, I am convinced." - -"Pray explain yourself, sir," the manager said, nibbling at the bait, -but putting little faith in a promise which he had good reasons for -believing difficult of realization. - -"It is simply," Talon continued, "to join to the attraction of your -performance a lottery, for which I will pay all the cost. This shall be -the arrangement: each spectator, on entering, must pay, in addition, -the sum of sixpence, giving him a claim-- - -"1. To a paper of mixed sugar-plums. - -"2. To a lottery-ticket, by which he may gain the first prize, of the -value of five pounds." - -Talon also promised a new performance, the secret of which he confided -to the manager under the seal of discretion. - -These proposals being accepted, the bargain was soon completed, and the -intelligent Talon had not deceived himself. The public attracted by the -bonbons, the pantomime, and the promised surprise, filled the theatre. - -The lottery was drawn; the prize made one person happy, and the other -twelve or fifteen hundred spectators, provided with their papers of -sugar-plums, consoled their disappointment by exchanging their -"goodies." Under such favorable circumstances the pantomime was found -charming. - -Still, this piece was drawing to its close, and the promised surprise -had not yet come off, when suddenly the dancers in the ballet arranged -themselves in a circle, a sharp cry was heard, and a magnificent Punch -bounded on to the stage. It was Talon disguised by two cotton humps and -the traditional costume. - -Our new artist performed Punch's eccentric dance with rare talent, and -was heartily applauded. To thank the audience for their kind reception, -the dancer tried to make a bow, but managed it so clumsily that he fell -over on his side and could not rise again. The performers hastened to -pick the wounded man up; he spoke in a faint voice, and complained of a -broken rib. He earnestly asked for a box of Morrison's pills, and a -servant hastened to bring him pills of an enormous size. - -The public, who till then had pitied poor Punch's pain, and remained -silent sympathisers, now began to scent a jest. First they smiled, and -then they laughed when the patient, taking one of the pills, pretended -to swallow it. Half a dozen having followed the same road, Punch found -himself perfectly recovered, so, making a polite bow, he retired amidst -shouts of laughter. - -Philippe had given his first performance--the confectioner had exchanged -the barley-sugar trick for the magician's wand. - -This burlesque scene met with extraordinary success, and the receipts -swelled day by day, until the confectioner had disposed of all his -wares. Then he set off to give a specimen of his new talent in other -towns. - -I do not know whence the new magician acquired his art, but it is -probable (historical gaps are always filled up with probabilities) that -Talon had learned conjuring, as he had Punch's dance, to amuse his -friends. One thing is certain, the performance he offered the worthy -Aberdonians was not first rate, and it was not till he left that town -that he made the great improvement to which he owed his future -reputation. - -Henceforth, laying aside his comfitures and Punch's garb and squeak, -Philippe (the name the conjurer assumed) traversed England, giving at -first very modest performances. Then, his repertory becoming gradually -increased by a certain number of tricks he picked up from conjurers of -the day, he attacked the large towns, and proceeded to Glasgow, where he -built a wooden theatre in which to give his performances. - -While the magic temple was building, Philippe noticed among the -bricklayer's lads a young fellow who seemed to have remarkable -intelligence, and he eventually engaged him to appear on the stage as -assistant magician. Macalister (as his assistant was called) had a -natural genius for tricks and models; he required no apprenticeship in -this mysterious art, and indeed soon invented some tricks which -attracted his master's attention. - -From this moment, either by Macalister's help or for some other reason, -success attended Philippe everywhere, and he began acting in theatres. -After a lengthened tour through England he crossed over to Dublin, where -he acquired two new tricks, which were the foundation of his future -reputation. - -Three Chinese, who had come to France to perform some very startling -tricks, attempted some performances at Paris, which, owing to their ill -success, caused a quarrel among the Celestials. In France as well as in -China, "horses fight when there is no hay in the manger," and, though -our jugglers did not have recourse to such extremities, they separated. -One of them proceeded to Dublin, where he taught Philippe the -"gold-fish" trick, as well as the "rings." On learning the first of -these tricks, Philippe was in great trouble about performing it, for he -wanted a robe. He could not assume a Chinese costume, as his face had -none of the distinguishing features of a mandarin, nor could he dream of -a dressing-gown, for however rich it might have been, the public would -not have endured such a slight. Hence Philippe extricated himself from -the difficulty by assuming the attire of a magician. It was a daring -innovation, for, till that period, no conjurer had ventured to take on -himself the responsibility of such a costume. - -Once possessed of these two tricks, Philippe formed the project of -returning to his ungrateful country; he, therefore, came to Paris in the -summer of 1841, and performed at the Salle Montesquieu. The gold-fish -and ring tricks, a brilliant costume, a magnificent pointed cap, and a -comfortably arranged room, soon attracted large audiences, among whom -was the manager of a Vienna theatre. Delighted with the performance, the -latter on the spot offered the conjurer an engagement at half profits, -which Philippe willingly accepted. As the Salle Montesquieu was used for -public balls during the winter, this engagement also allowed him time to -have a theatre constructed in readiness for his return to Paris. - -The opening of the room Bonne-Nouvelle created a sensation in Paris when -Philippe came back from his Austrian tour, and crowds went to see the -gold-fish trick, which the performances in the Salle Montesquieu had -made known. - -My reader will have the kindness to accompany me to the _Palais des -Prestiges_ (as the new temple of magic was christened), and we will -attend one of the magician's performances. - -On reaching the end of the first-floor passage in the Bonne-Nouvelle -Bazaar, you passed through a doorway, and were quite surprised to find -yourself in a room excellently adapted for this style of performance. -There were stalls, pit, gallery, and boxes; the decorations were most -elegant, and, above all, there was plenty of room to stretch your legs. - -An orchestra composed of six musicians of doubtful talent executed a -symphony to the accompaniment of the _mélophone_, a species of accordeon -recently invented by a man of the name of Leclerc, who undertook the -musical arrangements of the palace. - -The curtain rises. - -To the great surprise of the spectators the stage is in perfect -darkness. - -A gentleman dressed in black emerges from a side door and walks towards -us. It is Philippe: I recognise him by the Provençal twang of his -accent. All the other spectators take him for the manager, and fear they -are about to hear some painful intelligence, as this gentleman holds a -pistol in his hand. - -Their uncertainty is, however, soon dispelled, for Philippe introduces -himself. He states that he has been delayed in his preparations, but, in -order to save time, he will light the innumerable candles on his stage -by firing a pistol. Although a fire-arm is not required for the -experiment, and is only intended to throw powder in the spectators' -eyes, the candles are suddenly lighted at the sound of the detonation. - -The audience applaud vociferously, and deservedly so, for this trick is -remarkably striking. However much it may be applauded, the time it -requires for preparation, and the mortal terror it occasions the -performer, are beyond recompense. - -In fact, like all experiments in which static electricity plays the -chief part, this magic inflammation is not infallible. When this -misfortune occurs, the position of the operator is the more -embarrassing, as the phenomenon has been announced as the result of -magic. Now, a magician must be omnipotent, or, if he be not so, he most -avoid at all risks any failure which may lower his prestige in the eyes -of the audience. - -The stage once lighted, Philippe commenced his performance. The first -part, composed of very average tricks, was relieved by the manoeuvres -of some curious automata. For instance: - -The _Cossack_, which should have been called the _Grimacer_, so quaint -were the contortions in which it indulged. This Cossack was also a very -clever juggler, for it passed into its pocket with considerable skill -various articles of jewelry its master had borrowed from the spectators. - -The _magic peacock_, which uttered its unmelodious screech, expanded its -gorgeous plumes, fed from its master's hand, &c. - -And lastly, a _Harlequin_, like the one I repaired for Torrini. - -After the first part of the performance, the curtain fell to enable -preparations to be made for a scene called in the bills, "A Festival at -a Palace in Nankin." This was an attractive title for those who dealt in -that description of cloth, but was only chosen to call to the -spectator's memory the Chinese trick, which would end the performance. - -When the curtain rose again the stage was entirely transformed. The -tablecloths had been replaced by brocades glistening with gold and -precious stones (at least, they looked so at a distance); the candles, -although so numerous before, had been multiplied, and gave the stage the -appearance of a fiery furnace, the veritable abode of an ally of the -Evil One. - -The magician made his appearance in a costume which, in the public -admiration, it must have exhausted the riches of Golconda to buy, and -the _Festival of Nankin_ commenced with the very clever trick derived -from the Chinese. - -Philippe took up several rings about eight inches in diameter, and -intertwined them into chains and knots with the greatest possible ease. -Then suddenly, when it seemed impossible for him to unravel his -handiwork, he blew upon them, and the rings fell separately at his feet. -This trick produced a charming illusion. - -The one that succeeded it, and which I never saw performed by any one -else, was quite equal to the preceding one in interest. - -Macalister, the Scotch bricklayer (who on the stage was a negro of the -name of Domingo), brought in on a table two sugar-loaves still covered -with that horrible paper which the honest grocer sells at the price of -colonial wares. Philippe borrowed a dozen handkerchiefs (not from -accomplices), and after placing them in a blunderbuss, he fired at one -of the sugar-loaves chosen by the audience. He then broke it asunder -with an axe, and all the handkerchiefs were found in it. - -Next came _Fortunatus's hat_. Philippe, after producing from this hat, -which he had borrowed from a spectator, an innumerable number of -objects, at last pulled out enough feathers to make a bed. The most -amusing part of this trick consisted in the conjurer making a lad kneel -down, who was completely buried in this avalanche of feathers. - -Another striking trick was the one called "The Kitchen of -Parafaragarmus." At Philippe's request two schoolboys came on the stage, -whom he dressed, one as scullion, the other as professed cook. Thus -metamorphosed, the two young _cordons bleus_ underwent all sorts of -pleasantries and mystifications. (This was a trick of Castelli's -school.) - -The conjurer then proceeded to perform the trick; for this purpose he -suspended from a tripod an enormous copper caldron full of water, and -ordered the two lads to put in it dead pigeons, an assortment of -vegetables, and plenty of seasoning. Then he lit some spirits of wine -under the caldron, and pronounced some magical incantations. At his -voice, the pigeons, returning to life, flew out of the caldron; while -the water, vegetables, and seasoning had entirely disappeared. - -Philippe usually ended the evening's performance with the famous Chinese -trick, to which he had given the pompous name of "Neptune's Basins, or -the Gold-Fish." - -The magician, clothed in his brilliant costume, mounted on a sort of low -table, which isolated him from the stage. After a few manoeuvres to -prove he had nothing about him, he threw a shawl at his feet, and, on -lifting it up, he displayed a glass basin filled with water, in which -gold-fish swam about. This was thrice repeated, with the same result; -but, in his desire to improve on his brethren of the Celestial Empire, -the French conjurer had added a variation to their trick, which gave an -amusing termination to the performance. Throwing the shawl on the ground -for the fourth time, several animals, such as rabbits, ducks, chickens, -&c., emerged from it. This trick was performed, if not gracefully, at -least in a way to excite the lively admiration of the spectators. - -Generally, Philippe was very amusing in his entertainment. His -experiments were performed with a good deal of conscientiousness, skill, -and dash, and I have no hesitation in saying that the conjurer of the -Bonne-Nouvelle Bazaar might then be considered one of the best of the -day. Philippe quitted Paris the following year, and has since performed -entirely in foreign countries, or the provinces. - -Philippe's success would not have failed to rekindle my desire to -realize my theatrical schemes, had not, at this period, a misfortune -hurled me into a state of profound wretchedness. I lost my wife. - -Left with three young children, I was obliged to undertake their charge, -although so unskilled in household cares. Thus, at the end of five -years, robbed by some, deceived by others, I had almost lost all that my -labor had produced me, and was going to ruin. - -Forced by my intolerable position, I determined on reconstituting my -home, and I married again. I shall have so many occasions of speaking -of my new wife, that I shall refrain at present from praising her -according to her deserts; besides, I am not sorry to abridge these -domestic details, which, though personally important to me, only possess -a very slight interest in my story. - -The Exhibition of 1844 was about to open, so I asked and obtained leave -to exhibit some specimens of my skill. The site granted me, opposite the -door of honor, was undoubtedly one of the best in the hall, and I -erected a circular stand, on which I placed a specimen of all the -mechanical pieces I had as yet made. Among these my _Writer_ took the -first place, which M. G---- had been kind enough to lend me for the -occasion. I may say I enjoyed all the honor of the exhibition, for my -productions were constantly surrounded by a crowd of spectators, who -were all the more eager as the performance was gratis. - -Louis Philippe paid daily visits to the Palace of Industry, and as my -automata had been pointed out as deserving his attention, he evinced a -wish to see them, and gave me twenty hours' notice of his visit. I thus -had time enough to make all my arrangements. The king arrived, holding -the Comte de Paris by the hand, and I stood on his left hand to explain -my various articles. The Duchess of Orleans was by my side, and the -other members of the royal family formed a circle around his majesty, -while the crowd, kept back by the keepers of the palace and the police -agents, left an open space round my exhibition. - -The king was in a charming humor, and seemed to take a pleasure in all I -showed him. He frequently asked me questions, and missed no occasion to -show his excellent judgment. At the end of the _séance_, the party -stopped before my Writer. This automaton, it must be borne in mind, -wrote or drew according to the question asked. The king made the -following inquiry: "How many inhabitants does Paris contain?" The writer -raised its left hand as if to indicate that it required a sheet of -paper, on receiving which, it wrote very distinctly, "Paris contains -998,964 inhabitants." - -The paper passed from the king's hand into those of the royal family, -and all admired the beauty of the writing; but I saw that Louis Philippe -had a critique to offer, his smile proved that plainly enough. Hence I -was not surprised when, pointing to the paper which had come back to -him, he said: - -"Monsieur Robert-Houdin, you did not, perhaps, recollect that this -number will not agree with the new census, which is almost completed?" - -Contrary to my expectations, I felt quite at ease with my illustrious -visitors. - -"Sire!" I replied, with sufficient assurance for a man not much -accustomed to the society of crowned heads, "I hope at that period my -automaton will be intelligent enough to make any necessary corrections." - -The king appeared satisfied with this reply, and I took advantage of his -good humor to mention that my Writer was also a poet, and explained -that, if he would deign to offer an unfinished quatrain, the automaton -would fill up the rhyme in the fourth line. The king chose the -following: - - Lorsque dans le malheur, accablé de souffrance, - Abandonné de tous, l'homme va succomber, - Quel est l'ange divin qui vient le consoler? - C'est.... - -_L'Espérance_, the writer added to the fourth line. - -"That is really charming," the king said to me. "But, Monsieur -Robert-Houdin," he added, in a confidential tone, "you must have given -your writer instructions in the poetic art?" - -"Yes, sire, as far as my weak powers permitted." - -"Then my compliment is merited more by the master than the pupil." - -I bowed to thank the king as much for his compliment as for the delicate -manner in which it was conveyed. - -"Now then, Monsieur Robert-Houdin," Louis Philippe continued, "I see by -the notice attached to this automaton that it is a draughtsman, in -addition to its merits as a writer and poet. If it be so, come," he -said, addressing the Comte de Paris, "choose your own subject for a -drawing." - -Thinking to cause the prince an agreeable surprise, I had recourse to -palmistry to influence his decision, and he, consequently selected a -crown. The automaton began drawing the outline of this regal ornament -with great skill, and every one followed its movements with interest, -when, to my great disappointment, the point of the draughtsman's pencil -broke, and the crown could not be finished. I was going to recommence -the experiment, when the king declined, with thanks. - -"As you have learned to draw," he said to the Comte de Paris, "you can -finish this for yourself." - -This performance, besides being the prelude of the kindly interest the -Orleans family afterwards displayed towards me, probably exerted some -influence on the decision of the jury, which granted me a silver medal. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - - My proposed Reforms--I build a Theatre in the Palais - Royal--Formalities--General Rehearsal--Singular Effect of my - Performance--The Largest and Smallest Theatre in - Paris--Tribulation--My first Performance--Panic--Discouragement--A - Fallible Prophet--Recovery--Success. - - -It may seem strange that I thus pass from my mechanical labors to my -studies in sleight-of-hand; but if my readers will bear in mind that -these two sciences were to unite in producing my success, it will easily -be understood that I felt an equal degree of affection for them, and -that after mentioning one I must allude to the other. The Exhibition did -not drive from my thoughts my theatrical projects. - -The instruments intended for my future performances were on the point of -completion, for I had never stopped working at them. I was hence enabled -to commence operations as soon as an opportunity offered. In the mean -time, I determined on the changes I intended to introduce into the usual -routine of conjuring performances. - -Remembering Torrini's principles, I intended to have an elegant and -simple stage, unencumbered by all the paraphernalia of the ordinary -conjurer, which looks more like a toyshop than a serious performance. I -would have none of those enormous metal shades usually placed over -objects that are to disappear, and whose secret duties cannot escape -the notice of the simplest spectator. Apparatus of transparent or opaque -glass, according to circumstances, would suffice for all my operations. -In the performance of my tricks I also intended to abolish those -double-bottomed boxes of which some conjurers made such an abuse, as -well as all instruments designed to make up for the performer's want of -skill. Real sleight-of-hand must not be the tinman's work but the -artist's, and people do not visit the latter to see instruments perform. - -Of course, after the abuse I have showered upon the use of accomplices, -I quite did away with them. I have always regarded such trickery as -unworthy a real artist, as it raises doubts as to his skill. Besides, -having frequently acted as an accomplice, I remembered the unfavorable -impression this employment had left upon me as to the talent of my -partner. - -Jets of gas, covered by opaque globes, were to be substituted on my -stage for the thousands of candles, whose brilliancy is only intended to -dazzle the spectators and thus injure the effect of the experiments. - -Among the reforms I intended to introduce on the stage, the most -important was the abolition of those long tablecloths reaching to the -ground, beneath which an assistant is always suspected, and, generally -with some show of reason. For these immense chests of deception I -substituted consoles of gilt wood after the style of Louis XV. - -Of course, I abstained from any eccentric costume, and I never thought -of making any change in the attire civilized society has agreed to -accept for evening dress, for I was always of opinion that bizarre -accoutrements, far from giving the wearer any consideration, on the -contrary cast disfavor upon him. - -I had also traced out for my performances a line of conduct from which I -never diverged; that was to make no puns or play upon words, and never -to permit myself to be guilty of a mystification, even were I sure of -gaining the greatest success. - -Finally, I wished to offer new experiments divested of all charlatanism, -and possessing no other resources than those offered by skillful -manipulation, and the influence of illusions. - -This was, it will be seen, a complete regeneration in the art of -conjuring; my only fear was whether the public would accept these -important reforms and such elegant simplicity. It is true, Antonio, the -usual confidant of my plans and thoughts, strongly encouraged me. - -"Don't be alarmed about your success," he said; "you have precedents to -prove the good taste of the public and their willingness to accept -reforms based on reason. Remember Talma appearing suddenly at the -Thčâtre-Français clothed in the simple antique toga, at a time when -tragedies were performed in silk coats, powdered perukes, and red -heels." - -I accepted the reasoning, though I did not recognise the justice of the -comparison. In fact, Talma could impose his taste on the public by the -authority of his talent and reputation, while I, who as yet held no -brevet rank in the army of conjurers, trembled to see my innovations -badly received. - -We had now reached the month of December, 1844, and, having nothing -further to detain me, I decided on striking the grand blow--that is to -say, I went out one morning determined on finding a site for my theatre. -I passed the whole day in attempting to find a spot combining advantage -of situation, chance of receipts, and many other benefits. I stopped -through preference at the best spots and before the handsomest houses, -but found nothing that exactly suited me. - -Wearied with searching, I singularly lowered my pretentions and wants. -Here I found an enormous price asked for a room that only in part suited -me; there, proprietors who would not, for any consideration, have -performances in their houses; in short, obstacles and impossibilities on -all sides. - -Thus I ran about Paris for a fortnight, passing from the largest to the -smallest houses in turn, and ended by convincing myself that fate was -adverse to my plans. Antonio relieved me from my difficulty, for that -worthy friend, who aided me in the search, came to tell me he had found -a room in the Palais Royal which could be easily converted into a -theatre. I went straight to 164 in the Galerie de Valois, where I found, -in fact, all the conditions I had sought elsewhere, combined. - -The proprietor of this house had been dreaming for a long time in vain -about a benevolent tenant, who, while paying an exhorbitant price for -his room, would come in without expecting any repairs to be done. I was, -therefore, most welcome, when I not only agreed to pay the rent asked, -but endured passively every sort of imposition. Indeed, I would have -given much more, so afraid as I was lest this desirable house should -slip from me. - -When the bargain was concluded, I applied to an architect, who soon -brought me the plan of a charming room, which I jumped at. A few days -later he set to work, partitions were knocked down, the ground cleared, -and the carpenters began erecting my theatre, which was to contain from -180 to 200 persons. Though small, this room was all I wanted for my -style of performance; for supposing, according to my famous -calculations, that it was constantly full, it would be an excellent -affair for me. - -Antonio, ever filled with zeal for my interests, paid constant visits to -my workmen and stimulated their activity, but one day my friend was -struck by a sudden idea. - -"By the way," he said, "have you thought of asking permission from the -Prefect of Police to construct your theatre?" - -"Not yet," I replied, quietly. "It cannot be refused me, as this -construction makes no change in the architectural arrangements of the -house." - -"That is possible," Antonio added, "but in your place I would take this -step immediately, that no difficulty may occur when it is too late." - -I followed his advice, and we went together to M. X----'s office, who -then had the direction of theatrical affairs. After an hour waiting, we -were introduced to the head of the office, who, being at the moment -engaged in some interesting reading, did not seem even to notice our -presence. In ten minutes, however, M. X---- laid down his book, opened -and shut a few drawers, called his clerk, gave orders, lifted his -spectacles, and made us a sign that he was ready to hear a sentence -which I had already commenced twice or thrice without being able to end -it. This impertinent coolness made my blood boil; still I said, as -politely as my vexation would allow me, - -"I have come, sir, to ask your permission to open a room for -performances of magic and sleight-of-hand in the Palais Royal." - -"Sir," the head of the office replied, very dryly, "if you have chosen -the Palais Royal for your performance, I can tell you you will not -obtain permission." - -"Why so, sir?" I said, in consternation. - -"Because a ministerial decree forbids any new establishment being opened -there." - -"But pray consider, sir, that, not being aware of this decision, I have -taken a room on a long lease, and my theatre is at this moment being -built. The refusal of this permission will be my ruin. What can I do -now?" - -"That is not my business," the bureaucrat replied, disdainfully; "I am -not a theatrical agent." - -With these words M. X----, after the method employed by solicitors and -physicians to announce that a consultation is over, rose, led us to the -door, and, himself opening it, showed us clearly what we had to do. -Antonio and myself, equally in despair, remained for more than an hour -at the door of the Prefecture, vainly taxing our brains how to escape -from this difficulty. With all our reasoning, we always arrived at the -mournful conclusion that we could do no less than stop the building, and -compound with B---- to take the lease off my hands. It was my ruin, -Antonio understood as well as I, and he could offer me no consolation. - -"But, stay," he said suddenly, striking his forehead, "I have an idea. -Tell me, during the late exhibition, did you not sell a 'mysterious -clock' to M. Benjamin Delessert, a banker?" - -"Well, suppose I did, what has that to do with----" - -"What! do you not understand me? M. Delessert is brother of the Prefect -of Police. Go and see him; he is said to be good hearted, perhaps he -will give you good advice, or even better than that. If he would speak -to his brother on your behalf, we should be saved, for M. Gabriel -Delessert is omnipotent in theatrical matters." - -I adopted Antonio's advice with joy, and proceeded to carry it into -effect. M. B. Delessert received me kindly, complimented me on the -clock, with which he was quite satisfied, and made me inspect his -magnificent picture-gallery, in which it was put up. Emboldened by this -kind reception, I explained to him the embarrassment in which I was -placed. - -"Well, M. Robert-Houdin," he said to me, "console yourself; we may -possibly arrange this affair. I am going to give a large party next -Wednesday evening, to which my brother has promised to come. Do me the -pleasure to join us; you will give us a specimen of your talents, and -when M. le Préfet has learned to appreciate you, I will speak to him of -your matter." - -On Wednesday, I proceeded to the house of my new protector, who had the -kindness to present me to some of his guests, while confidentially -praising my sleight-of-hand talents. My performance came off, and, -judging by the applause I received, I may say it justified their -anticipated compliments. A week had scarce elapsed when I received a -summons to the office of Prefect of Police. I went there with all speed, -and M. Gabriel Delessert informed me that he had been able to induce the -minister to revoke his decision. "Hence you can now go," he added, "and -obtain your permission in M. X----'s office, where it has been sent for -some formalities." - -It was curious about my reception on this occasion, but M. X---- -displayed such extreme politeness towards me, that it largely made up -for the cavalier treatment he had offered me on the first occasion. Far -from leaving me standing, he would willingly have offered me two chairs -instead of one, and when I quitted his office, he overwhelmed me with -all the attention due to a man protected by a superior power. I was too -happy to bear M. X---- any malice; hence we separated quite reconciled. - -I will spare my readers the numberless tribulations which accompanied my -unending building; mistakes in time and money are so usual in such -matters, that I need not allude to them here. At length, all this was -over, and with the liveliest pleasure I saw the last workman depart not -to return again. - -We had now reached the end of June, and I hoped to commence at the -beginning of July. For this purpose I hastened my preparations, for each -day was an enormous loss, as I was spending much and earning nothing. - -I had already given some partial rehearsals, and I now decided on -holding one to precede the general rehearsal, but, as I was not quite -sure of the success of my experiments, I only invited half a dozen -intimate friends, pledged to give me their opinion with the greatest -severity. This performance was fixed for the 25th June, 1845, and on -that day I made my preparations with as much care as if I were going to -give my opening performance, for I had been suffering for nearly a month -from a regular panic, which I could attribute to no other cause than my -nervous and impressionable temperament. - -I could not get a wink of sleep, my appetite had left me, and I thought -of my performances with a species of dread. I, who had hitherto treated -so lightly the performances I gave to my friends--I, who had obtained -such success at Aubusson, trembled like a child. - -The reason was, that hitherto I had performed before spectators ever -smiling or ready to smile, and the success of my experiments made no -difference to me. Now, I was about to appear before a real audience, and -I trembled at the thought of "the right they purchased at the door." - -On the appointed evening, at eight precisely, my friends having duly -arrived, the curtain rose, and I appeared on the stage. Half a dozen -smiles greeted my appearance, which rekindled my courage and even gave -me a species of coolness. The first of my experiments was performed very -decently, and yet my address was very badly repeated. I recited it like -a schoolboy who tries to remember his lesson, but the good favor of my -spectators once acquired, I continued famously. - -To explain what follows, I must mention that, during the whole day, -heavy clouds had hung over Paris; and the evening, far from bringing any -relief, wafted into the room puffs of heated air, which seemed to issue -from a stove. - -Well, I had scarcely reached the middle of the first part, when two of -my spectators had yielded to the soporific influences of the weather and -my "patter." I could excuse them, however, for my own eye-lids were -beginning to droop. Not being accustomed to sleep standing, however, I -held my own. - -But it is well known that nothing is so contagious as sleep, hence the -epidemic made rapid progress. At the end of a few moments the last of -the survivors let his head fall on his chest and completed the sextet, -whose snoring, continually _crescendo_, at length drowned my voice. My -situation was disagreeable, and though I tried to arouse my audience by -speaking in a louder key, I only succeeded in causing one or two -eye-lids to open, which, after a few insane winks, closed again. - -At length the first part of the performance was over and the curtain -fell, and with much pleasure I stretched myself in an arm-chair to enjoy -a few minutes' rest! Five minutes would be enough, and I was asleep -before I could repel the invader. My son, who helped me on the stage, -had not waited so long; he had laid himself on the ground and was -sleeping like a top, while my wife, a busy, courageous woman, though -struggling against the common foe, watched near me, and, in her tender -care, did not disturb a sleep I required so much. Besides, she had -peeped through the hole in the curtain, and our spectators seemed so -happy, that she had not the heart to disturb them. But, insensibly, her -strength betrayed her courage, and unable to resist the temptation of a -nap, she fell asleep too. - -The pianist, who represented my orchestra, having seen the curtain fall, -and hearing no movement on the stage, thought my performance was over, -and determined on going. As the porter had orders to turn off the gas at -the main when he saw my pianist go out, and was most anxious to be exact -at the beginning of his engagement, he hastened to obey my orders, and -plunged the room into utter darkness. - -We had been enjoying this delightful sleep for about two hours, when I -was aroused by a confused sound of voices and shouts. I rubbed my eyes -and wondered where I was, but seeing nothing, I grew quite alarmed. "Can -I possibly have gone blind?" I exclaimed; "I can see nothing!" - -"Hang it, no more can we see anything!" said a voice, which I recognized -as Antonio's. "For goodness' sake, give us a light!" - -"Yes, yes, a light!" my five other spectators repeated in chorus. - -We were soon on our feet; the curtain was raised, and then, having -lighted some candles, we saw our five sleepers rubbing their eyes, and -trying to find out where they were; while Antonio was growling away -under the stalls, where he had fallen asleep. - -All was then explained; we had a hearty laugh at the adventure, and -separated with the promise of meeting again. - -There were only four days to the 1st of July, and to any one acquainted -with the preparations for a first performance, and, far more important -still, for opening a theatre, this lapse of time will appear very short, -for there is always so much to be done at the last moment. Thus, the 1st -of July arrived, and I was not prepared, and the opening did not take -place till three days later. - -On this day, by a strange coincidence, the Hippodrome and the "fantastic -soirées" of Robert-Houdin, the largest and smallest stage in Paris, were -opened to the public. The 3d of July, 1845, saw two bills placarded on -the walls of Paris; one enormous, belonging to the Hippodrome, while the -other, of far more modest proportions, announced my performances. Still, -as in the fable of the reed and the oak, the large theatre, in spite of -the skill of the managers, has undergone many changes of fortune; while -the smaller one has continually enjoyed the public favor. - -I have sacredly kept a proof of my first bill, the form and color of -which has always remained the same since that date. I copy it word for -word here, both to furnish an idea of its simplicity, and to display the -programme of the experiments I then offered to the public: - - +----------------------------------------------------------------+ - | TO-DAY, THURSDAY, JULY 3, 1845. | - | | - | FIRST REPRESENTATION | - | | - | OF | - | | - | THE FANTASTIC SOIRÉES | - | | - | OF | - | | - | ROBERT-HOUDIN. | - | | - | AUTOMATA, SLEIGHT-OF-HAND, MAGIC. | - | | - | The Performance will be composed of entirely novel Experiments| - | invented by M. ROBERT-HOUDIN. | - | | - | AMONG THEM BEING: | - | | - | THE CABALISTIC CLOCK. | - | AURIOL AND DEBUREAU. | - | THE ORANGE-TREE. | - | THE MYSTERIOUS BOUQUET. | - | THE HANDKERCHIEF. | - | PIERROT IN THE EGG. | - | OBEDIENT CARDS. | - | THE MIRACULOUS FISH. | - | THE FASCINATING OWL. | - | THE PASTRYCOOK OF THE PALAIS ROYAL. | - | | - | TO COMMENCE AT EIGHT O'CLOCK. | - | | - | Box-office open at Half-past Seven. | - | | - |Price of places: Upper Boxes, 1 fr. 50 c.; Stalls, 3 fr.; Boxes,| - | 4 fr.; Dress Circle, 5 fr. | - +----------------------------------------------------------------+ - -The day of my first representation had at length arrived. To say how I -spent it is impossible; all I remember is, that, at the end of a -feverish and sleepless night, occasioned by the multiplicity of my -tasks, I had to organise and foresee everything, for I was at once -manager, machinist, author and actor. What a terrible responsibility for -a poor artist, whose life had hitherto been spent among his tools! - -At seven in the evening, a thousand things had still to be done, but I -was in a state of febrile excitement which doubled my strength and -energy, and I got through them all. - -Eight o'clock struck and echoed through my heart like the peal that -summons the culprit to execution; never in my life did I experience such -emotion and torture. Ah! if I could only draw back! Had it been possible -to fly and abandon this position I had so long desired, with what -happiness would I have returned to my peaceful avocations! And yet, why -did I feel this mad terror? I know not, for three-fourths of the room -were filled with persons on whose indulgence I could rely. - -I made a final attack on my pusillanimity. - -"Come!" I said to myself, "courage! I have my name, my future, my -children's fortune at stake; courage!" - -This thought restored me; I passed my hand several times over my -agitated features, ordered the curtain to be raised, and without further -reflection I walked boldly on the stage. - -My friends, aware of my sufferings, received me with some encouraging -applause; this kind reception restored my confidence, and, like a gentle -dew, refreshed my mind and senses. I began. - -To assert that I acquitted myself fairly would be a proof of vanity, and -yet it would be excusable, for I received repeated signs of applause -from my audience. But how to distinguish between the applause of the -friendly and the paying public? I was glad to deceive myself, and my -experiments gained by it. - -The first part was over, and the curtain fell. My wife came directly to -embrace me, to encourage me, and thank me for my courageous efforts. I -may now confess it: I believed that I had been alone severe to myself, -and that it was possible all this applause was sterling coin. This -belief did me an enormous good; and why should I conceal it, tears of -joy stood in my eyes, which I hastened to wipe away lest my feelings -might prevent my preparations for the second part. - -The curtain rose again, and I approached my audience with a smile on my -lips. I judged of this change in my face by those of my spectators, for -they began all at once to share my good humor. - -How many times since have I tried this imitative faculty on the part of -the public? If you are anxious, ill-disposed, or vexed, or should your -face bear the stamp of any annoying impression, your audience, -straightway imitating the contraction of your features, begins to frown, -grows serious, and ill-disposed to be favorable to you. If, however, you -appear on the stage with a cheerful face, the most sombre brows -unwrinkle, and every one seems to say to the artist: "How d'ye do, old -fellow, your face pleases me, I only want an opportunity to applaud -you." Such seemed to be the case with my public at this moment. - -It was more easy for me to feel at my ease as I was beginning my -favorite experiment, "the surprising pocket-handkerchief," a medley of -clever deceptions. After borrowing a handkerchief, I produced from it a -multitude of objects of every description, such as sugar-plums, feathers -of every size up to a drum-major's, fans, comic journals, and, as a -_finale_, an enormous basket of flowers, which I distributed to the -ladies. This trick was perfectly successful, but, to tell the truth, I -had it at my fingers' ends. - -The next performance was the "orange-tree," and I had every reason to -calculate on this trick, for, in my private rehearsals, it was the one I -always did best. I began with a few juggling tricks as introduction, -which were perfectly successful, and I had every reason to believe I was -getting through it capitally, when a sudden thought crossed my mind and -paralyzed me. I was assailed by a panic which must have been felt to be -understood, and I will try to explain it by an illustration. - -When you are learning to swim, the teacher begins by giving you this -important piece of advice; "Have confidence, and all will be well." If -you follow his advice, you can easily keep yourself up on the water, and -it seems perfectly natural; thus you learn to swim. But it often happens -that a sudden thought crosses your mind like lightning: "Suppose my -strength failed me!" From that time you hurry your movements, you -redouble your speed, the water no longer sustains you, you flounder -about, and, if a helping hand were not by, you would be lost. - -Such was my situation on the stage; the thought had suddenly struck me: -"Suppose I were to fail!" And immediately I began to talk quick, hurried -on in my anxiety to finish, felt confused, and, like the tired swimmer, -I floundered about without being able to emerge from the chaos of my -ideas. - -Oh! then I experienced a torture, an agony which I could not describe, -but which might easily become mortal were it prolonged. - -The real public were cold and silent, my friends were foolish enough to -applaud, but the rest remained quiet. I scarcely dared to look round the -room, and my experiment ended I know not how. - -I proceeded to the next, but my nervous system had reached such a degree -of irritation that I no longer knew what I said or did. I only felt that -I was speaking with extraordinary volubility, so that the four last -tricks of my performance were done in a few minutes. - -The curtain fell very opportunely; my strength was exhausted; but a -little longer and I should have had to crave the indulgence of my -audience. - -In my life I never passed so frightful a night as the one following my -first performance. I had a fever, I am quite certain, but that was as -nothing in comparison with my moral sufferings. I had no desire left or -courage to appear on the stage. I wished to sell, give up, or give away, -if necessary, an establishment which taxed my strength too severely. - -"No," I said to myself, "I am not born for this life of emotion. I will -quit the parching atmosphere of a theatre. I will, even at the expense -of a brilliant fortune, return to my gentle and calm employment." - -The next morning, incapable of rising, and, indeed, firmly resolved to -give up my representations, I had the bill taken down that announced my -performance for that evening. I had made up my mind as to all the -consequences of this resolution. Thus, the sacrifice accomplished, I -found myself far more calm, and even yielded to the imperious claims of -a sleep I had for a long time denied myself. - -I have now arrived at a moment when I shall quit for ever the mournful -and wearisome details of the numerous misfortunes that preceded my -representations; but my readers will notice with some surprise to what a -futile circumstance I owed my release from this state of discouragement, -which I fancied would last for ever. - -The repose I had taken during the day and the following night had -refreshed my blood and my ideas. I regarded my situation under a very -different aspect, and I had already made up my mind not to give up my -theatre, when one of my friends--or, who called himself so--came to pay -me a visit. - -After expressing his regret at the unhappy result of my first -performance, at which he had been present, he said: - -"I called in to see you because I noticed your room was closed, and I -had a wish to express my feelings to you on the subject. I must say, -then, to speak frankly" (I have noticed that this phrase is always -followed by some bad compliment, which is meant to pass under the guise -of friendly frankness), "that you are perfectly right to quit a -profession beyond your strength, and that you have acted wisely by -anticipating with good grace a decision to which you would have been -forced sooner or later. However," he added, with a self-sufficient air, -"I foretold it. I always thought you were committing an act of madness, -and that your theatre would no sooner be opened than you would be -obliged to close it." - -These cruel compliments, addressed under the cloak of apocryphal -frankness, wounded me deeply. I could easily detect that this offerer of -advice, sacrificing to his vanity the slight affection he felt for me, -had only come to see me in order to parade his perspicacity and the -justice of his previsions, of which he had never mentioned a syllable to -me. Well, this infallible prophet, who foresaw events so truly, was far -from suspecting the change he was producing in me. The more he talked, -the more he confirmed me in the resolution of continuing my -performances. - -"Who told you my room was closed?" I said, in a tone that had nothing -affectionate about it. "If I did not perform yesterday, it was because, -worn out by the fatigue I have undergone for some time, I wished to rest -for at least one day. Your foreboding will, therefore, be disappointed, -when I tell you that I shall perform this very evening. I hope, in my -second representation, to take my revenge on the public; and this time -they will judge me less severely than you have done. I am quite -convinced of it." - -The conversation having taken this turn, could not be continued much -longer. My offerer of advice, dissatisfied at my reception of him, -quitted me, and I have never seen him since. Yet, I bear him no malice; -on the contrary, if he reads my Memoirs, I beg to offer him in this -place my thanks for the happy revolution he produced in me by wounding -my vanity to the quick. - -Bills were immediately posted to announce my performance for that -evening, and I made my preparations calmly, while thinking over those -parts of my performance in which it would be advisable to introduce a -change. - -This second representation went on much better than I had hoped, and my -audience appeared satisfied. Unfortunately, that audience was small, and -my receipts, consequently, were the same. Still, I accepted it all -philosophically, for the success I had obtained gave me confidence in -the future. - -However, I soon had real causes for consolation. The celebrities of the -press came to my representations, and described my performance in the -most flattering terms. Some contributors to the comic papers also made -very pleasant allusions to my performances and myself. Among others, the -present editor of the _Charivari_ wrote an article full of fun and dash -about my performances, which he terminated with some lines, expressive -of his decided opinion that I belonged to the family of Robert le Diable -and Robert Macaire. - -Finally, the _Illustration_, desirous of evincing its sympathy, engaged -Eugčne Forey to draw a sketch of my theatre. Such publicity soon -attracted the attention of the first Parisian circles: people came to -see my performances: they appointed to meet at my room, and from this -moment commenced that reputation which has never left me since. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - - New Studies--A Comic Journal--Invention of Second Sight--Curious - Experiments--An enthusiastic Spectator--Danger of being a - Sorcerer--A Philter or your Life--Way to get rid of Bores--An - Electric Touch--I perform at the Vaudeville--Struggles with the - Incredulous--Interesting Details. - - -Fontenelle says, somewhere or other, "There is no success, however -merited, in which luck does not have a share;" and, although I was of -the same opinion as the illustrious Academician, I determined by sheer -toil to diminish as much as in me lay the share luck could claim in _my_ -success. In the first place, I redoubled my efforts to improve the -execution of my tricks, and when I believed I had attained that result, -I tried to correct a fault which, I felt, must injure my performance. -This was speaking too rapidly; and my "patter," recited in a schoolboy -tone, thus lost much of its effect. I was drawn in this false direction -by my natural vivacity, and I had great trouble in correcting it; -however, by resolutely attacking my enemy, I managed to conquer it. - -This victory was doubly profitable to me: I performed with much less -fatigue, and had the pleasure of noticing, in the calmness of my -audience, that I had realized the scenic truth, "the more slowly a story -is told, the shorter it seems." In fact, if you pronounce slowly, the -public, judging from your calmness that you take an interest in what you -are saying, yield to your influence and listen to you with sustained -attention. If, on the contrary, your words reveal a desire to finish -quickly, your auditors gradually submit to the influence of this -restlessness, and they are as anxious as yourself to hear the end of -your story. - -I have said that people of the first rank came to my theatre, but I -noticed, on the other hand, to my regret, that my pit was scantily -filled. As I was ambitious to have my room thronged, I thought I could -not effect this more easily than by making my theatre better known than -I had hitherto done. - -From time immemorial it has been the custom, at conjuring performances, -to distribute small presents to the audience, in order to "maintain -their friendship." Toys were generally selected, which spectators of all -ages contended for; and this often made Comte say at the moment of -distribution, "Here are toys for great children and small." These toys -had a very ephemeral existence, and as nothing indicated their origin, -they could attract no attention to the giver. While, then, I was as -liberal as my predecessors, I wished that my little presents should keep -up for a longer period the remembrance of my name and experiments. -Instead of dolls and other similar objects, I distributed to my -spectators, under the form of presents produced by magic, illustrated -comic journals, elegant fans, albums, and rebuses, all accompanied by -bouquets and excellent bonbons. Each article bore, not only the -inscription "Recollections of Robert-Houdin's fantastic soirées," but -also details of my performances, according to the nature of the article. -These were generally presented in the shape of verses. The thing that -caused me the most trouble was my comic journal, the "Cagliostro," which -I was forced to edit at the expense of my night's rest. The audience -were amused by my jests, and the perusal of the paper between the acts -gave me a little time to make my preparations. - -The experiment, however, to which I owed my reputation was one inspired -by that fantastic god to whom Pascal attributes all the discoveries of -this sublunary world: chance led me straight to the invention of _second -sight_. - -My two children were playing one day in the drawing-room at a game they -had invented for their own amusement. The younger had bandaged his elder -brother's eyes, and made him guess the objects he touched, and when the -latter happened to guess right, they changed places. This simple game -suggested to me the most complicated idea that ever crossed my mind. - -Pursued by the notion, I ran and shut myself up in my workroom, and was -fortunately in that happy state when the mind follows easily the -combinations traced by fancy. I rested my head in my hands, and, in my -excitement, laid down the first principles of second sight. - -It would require a whole volume to describe the numberless combinations -of this experiment; but this description, far too serious for these -memoirs, will find a place in a special work, which will also contain -the explanation of my theatrical tricks. Still, I cannot resist the -desire of cursorily explaining some of the preliminary experiments to -which I had recourse before I could make the trick perfect. - -My readers will remember the experiment suggested to me formerly by the -pianist's dexterity, and the strange faculty I succeeded in attaining: I -could read while juggling with four balls. Thinking seriously of this, I -fancied that this "perception by appreciation" might be susceptible of -equal development, if I applied its principles to the memory and the -mind. - -I resolved, therefore, on making some experiments with my son Emile, -and, in order to make my young assistant understand the nature of the -exercise we were going to learn, I took a domino, the cinq-quatre for -instance, and laid it before him. Instead of letting him count the -points of the two numbers, I requested the boy to tell me the total at -once. - -"Nine," he said. - -Then I added another domino, the quarter-tray. - -"That makes sixteen," he said, without any hesitation. - -I stopped the first lesson here; the next day we succeeded in counting -at a single glance four dominoes, the day after six, and thus we at -length were enabled to give instantaneously the product of a dozen -dominoes. - -This result obtained, we applied ourselves to a far more difficult task, -over which we spent a month. My son and I passed rapidly before a -toy-shop, or any other displaying a variety of wares, and cast an -attentive glance upon it. A few steps further on we drew paper and -pencil from our pockets, and tried which could describe the greater -number of objects seen in passing. I must own that my son reached a -perfection far greater than mine, for he could often write down forty -objects, while I could scarce reach thirty. Often feeling vexed at this -defeat, I would return to the shop and verify his statement, but he -rarely made a mistake. - -My male readers will certainly understand the possibility of this, but -they will recognize the difficulty. As for my lady readers, I am -convinced beforehand they will not be of the same opinion, for they -daily perform far more astounding feats. Thus, for instance, I can -safely assert that a lady seeing another pass at full speed in a -carriage, will have had time to analyze her toilette from her bonnet to -her shoes, and be able to describe not only the fashion and quality of -the stuffs, but also say if the lace be real, or only machine made. I -have known ladies do this. - -This natural, or acquired, faculty among ladies, but which my son and I -had only gained by constant practice, was of great service in my -performances, for while I was executing my tricks, I could see -everything that passed around me, and thus prepare to foil any -difficulties presented me. This exercise had given me, so to speak, the -power of following two ideas simultaneously, and nothing is more -favorable in conjuring than to be able to think at the same time both of -what you are saying and of what you are doing. I eventually acquired -such a knack in this, that I frequently invented new tricks while going -through my performances. One day, even, I made a bet I would solve a -problem in mechanics while taking my part in conversation. We were -talking of the pleasure of a country life, and I calculated during this -time the quantity of wheels and pinions, as well as the necessary cogs, -to produce certain revolutions required, without once failing in my -reply. - -This slight explanation will be sufficient to show what is the essential -basis of second sight, and I will add that a secret and unnoticeable -correspondence existed between my son and myself, by which I could -announce to him the name, nature, and bulk of objects handed me by -spectators. - -As none understood my mode of action, they were tempted to believe in -something extraordinary, and, indeed, my son Emile, then aged twelve, -possessed all the essential qualities to produce this opinion, for his -pale, intellectual, and ever thoughtful face represented the type of a -boy gifted with some supernatural power. - -Two months were incessantly employed in erecting the scaffolding of our -tricks, and when we were quite confident of being able to contend -against the difficulties of such an undertaking, we announced the first -representation of second sight. On the 12th of February, 1846, I printed -in the centre of my bill the following singular announcement: - -"_In this performance M. Robert-Houdin's son, who is gifted with a -marvellous second sight, after his eyes have been covered with a thick -bandage, will designate every object presented to him by the audience_." - -I cannot say whether this announcement attracted any spectators, for my -room was constantly crowded, still I may affirm, what may seem very -extraordinary, that the experiment of second sight, which afterwards -became so fashionable, produced no effect on the first performance. I am -inclined to believe that the spectators fancied themselves the dupes of -accomplices, but I was much annoyed by the result, as I had built on the -surprise I should produce; still, having no reason to doubt its ultimate -success, I was tempted to make a second trial, which turned out well. - -The next evening I noticed in my room several persons who had been -present on the previous night, and I felt they had come a second time to -assure themselves of the reality of the experiment. It seems they were -convinced, for my success was complete, and amply compensated for my -former disappointment. - -I especially remember a mark of singular approval with which one of my -pit audience favored me. My son had named to him several objects he -offered in succession; but not feeling satisfied, my incredulous -friend, rising, as if to give more importance to the difficulty he was -about to present, handed me an instrument peculiar to cloth merchants, -and employed to count the number of threads. Acquiescing in his wish, I -said to my boy, "What do I hold in my hand?" - -"It is an instrument to judge the fineness of cloth, and called a thread -counter." - -"By Jove!" my spectator said, energetically, "it is marvellous. If I had -paid ten francs to see it, I should not begrudge them." - -From this moment my room was much too small, and was crowded every -evening. - -Still, success is not entirely rose-colored, and I could easily narrate -many disagreeable scenes produced by the reputation I had of being a -sorcerer; but I will only mention one, which forms a résumé of all I -pass over: - -A young lady of elegant manners paid me a visit one day, and although -her face was hidden by a thick veil, my practised eyes perfectly -distinguished her features. She was very pretty. - -My incognita would not consent to sit down till she was assured we were -alone, and that I was the real Robert-Houdin. I also seated myself, and -assuming the attitude of a man prepared to listen, I bent slightly to my -visitor, as if awaiting her pleasure to explain to me the object of her -mysterious visit. To my great surprise, the young lady, whose manner -betrayed extreme emotion, maintained the most profound silence, and I -began to find the visit very strange, and was on the point of forcing an -explanation, at any hazard, when the fair unknown timidly ventured these -words: - -"Good Heavens! sir, I know not how you will interpret my visit." - -Here she stopped, and let her eyes sink with a very embarrassed air; -then, making a violent effort, she continued: - -"What I have to ask of you, sir, is very difficult to explain." - -"Speak, madam, I beg," I said, politely, "and I will try to guess what -you cannot explain to me." - -And I began asking myself what this reserve meant. - -"In the first place," the young lady said, in a low voice, and looking -round her, "I must tell you confidentially that I loved, my love was -returned, and I--I am betrayed." - -At the last word the lady raised her head, overcame the timidity she -felt, and said, in a firm and assured voice, - -"Yes, sir--yes, I am betrayed, and for that reason I have come to you." - -"Really, madam," I said, much surprised at this strange confession, "I -do not see how I can help you in such a matter." - -"Oh, sir, I entreat you," said my fair visitor, clasping her hands--"I -implore you not to abandon me!" - -I had great difficulty in keeping my countenance, and yet I felt an -extreme curiosity to know the history concealed behind this mystery. - -"Calm yourself, madam," I remarked, in a tone of tender sympathy; "tell -me what you would of me, and if it be in my power----" - -"If it be in your power!" the young lady said, quickly; "why, nothing is -more easy, sir." - -"Explain yourself, madam." - -"Well, sir, I wish to be avenged." - -"In what way?" - -"How, you know better than I, sir; must I teach you? You have in your -power means to----" - -"I, madam?" - -"Yes, sir, you! for you are a sorcerer, and cannot deny it." - -At this word sorcerer, I was much inclined to laugh; but I was -restrained by the incognita's evident emotion. Still, wishing to put an -end to a scene which was growing ridiculous, I said, in a politely -ironical tone: - -"Unfortunately, madam, you give me a title I never possessed." - -"How, sir!" the young woman exclaimed, in a quick tone, "you will not -allow you are----" - -"A sorcerer, madam? Oh no, I will not." - -"You will not?" - -"No, a thousand times no, madam." - -At these words my visitor rose hastily, muttered a few incoherent words, -appeared suffering from terrible emotion, and then drawing near me with -flaming eyes and passionate gestures, repeated: - -"Ah, you will not! Very good; I now know what I have to do." - -Stupefied by such an outbreak, I looked at her fixedly, and began to -suspect the cause of her extraordinary conduct. - -"There are two modes of acting," she said, with terrible volubility, -"towards people who devote themselves to magic arts--entreaty and -menaces. You would not yield to the first of these means, hence, I must -employ the second. Stay," she added, "perhaps this will induce you to -speak." - -And, lifting up her cloak, she laid her hand on the hilt of a dagger -passed through her girdle. At the same time she suddenly threw back her -veil, and displayed features in which all the signs of rage and madness -could be traced. No longer having a doubt as to the person I had to deal -with, my first movement was to rise and stand on my guard; but this -first feeling overcome, I repented the thought of a struggle with the -unhappy woman, and determined on employing a method almost always -successful with those deprived of reason. I pretended to accede to her -wishes. - -"If it be so, madam, I yield to your request. Tell me what you require." - -"I have told you, sir; I wish for vengeance, and there is only one -method to----" - -Here there was a fresh interruption, and the young lady, calmed by my -apparent submission, as well as embarrassed by the request she had to -make of me, became again timid and confused. - -"Well, madam?" - -"Well, sir, I know not how to tell you--how to explain to you--but I -fancy there are certain means--certain spells--which render it -impossible--impossible for a man to be--unfaithful." - -"I now understand what you wish, madam. It is a certain magic practice -employed in the middle ages. Nothing is easier, and I will satisfy you." - -Decided on playing the farce to the end, I took down the largest book I -could find in my library, turned over the leaves, stopped at a page -which I pretended to scan with profound attention, and then addressing -the lady, who followed all my movements anxiously, - -"Madam," I said, confidentially, "the spell I am going to perform -renders it necessary for me to know the name of the person; have the -kindness, then, to tell it me." - -"Julian!" she said, in a faint voice. - -With all the gravity of a real sorcerer, I solemnly thrust a pin through -a lighted candle, and pronounced some cabalistic words. After which, -blowing out the candle, and turning to the poor creature, I said: - -"Madam, it is done; your wish is accomplished." - -"Oh, thank you, sir," she replied, with the expression of the -profoundest gratitude; and at the same moment she laid a purse on the -table and rushed away. I ordered my servant to follow her to her house, -and obtain all the information he could about her, and I learned she had -been a widow for a short time, and that the loss of an adored husband -had disturbed her reason. The next day I visited her relatives, and, -returning them the purse, I told them the scene the details of which the -reader has just perused. - -This scene, with some others that preceded and followed it, compelled me -to take measures to guard myself against bores of every description. I -could not dream, as formerly, of exiling myself in the country, but I -employed a similar resource: this was to shut myself up in my workroom, -and organize around me a system of defence against those whom I called, -in my ill-temper, thieves of time. - -I daily received visits from persons who were utter strangers to me; -some were worth knowing, but the majority, gaining an introduction under -the most futile pretexts, only came to kill a portion of their leisure -time with me. It was necessary to distinguish the tares from the wheat, -and this is the arrangement I made: - -When one of these gentlemen rang at my door, an electric communication -struck a bell in my workroom; I was thus warned and put on my guard. My -servant opened the door, and, as is customary, inquired the visitor's -name, while I, for my part, laid my ear to a tube, arranged for the -purpose, which conveyed to me every word. If, according to his reply, I -thought it as well not to receive him, I pressed a button, and a white -mark that appeared in a certain part of the hall announced I was not at -home to him. My servant then stated I was out, and begged the visitor to -apply to the manager. - -Sometimes it happened that I erred in my judgment, and regretted having -granted an audience; but I had another mode of shortening a bore's -visit. I had placed behind the sofa on which I set an electric spring, -communicating with a bell my servant could hear. In case of need, and -while talking, I threw my arm carelessly over the back of the sofa, -touching the spring, and the bell rang. Then my servant, playing a -little farce, opened the front door, rang the bell, which could be heard -from the room where I sat, and came to tell me that M. X---- (a name -invented for the occasion) wished to speak to me. I ordered M. X---- to -be shown into an adjoining room, and it was very rare that my bore did -not raise the siege. No one can form an idea how much time I gained by -this happy arrangement, or how many times I blessed my imagination and -the celebrated savant to whom the discovery of galvanism is due! - -This feeling can be easily explained, for my time was of inestimable -value. I husbanded it like a treasure, and never sacrificed it, unless -the sacrifice might help me to discover new experiments destined to -stimulate public curiosity. - -To support my determination in making my researches, I had ever before -me this maxim: - -IT IS MORE DIFFICULT TO SUPPORT ADMIRATION THAN TO EXCITE IT. - -And this other, an apparent corollary of the preceding: - -THE FASHION AN ARTISTE ENJOYS CAN ONLY LAST AS HIS TALENT DAILY -INCREASES. - -Nothing increases a professional man's merit so much as the possession -of an independent fortune; this truth may be coarse, but it is -indubitable. Not only was I convinced of these principles of high -economy, but I also knew that a man must strive to profit by the fickle -favor of the public, which equally descends if it does not rise. Hence I -worked my reputation as much as I could. In spite of my numerous -engagements, I found means to give performances in all the principal -theatres, though great difficulties frequently arose, as my performance -did not end till half-past ten, and I could only fulfil my other -engagements after that hour. - -Eleven o'clock was generally the hour fixed for my appearance on a -strange stage, and my readers may judge of the speed required to proceed -to the theatre in so short a time and make my preparations. It is true -that the moments were as well counted as employed, and my curtain had -hardly fallen than, rushing towards the stairs, I got before my -audience, and jumped into a vehicle that bore me off at full speed. - -But this fatigue was as nothing compared to the emotion occasionally -produced by an error in the time that was to elapse between my two -performances. I remember that, one night, having to wind up the -performances at the Vaudeville, the stage-manager miscalculated the time -the pieces would take in performing, and found himself much in advance. -He sent off an express to warn me that the curtain had fallen, and I was -anxiously expected. Can my readers comprehend my wretchedness? My -experiments, of which I could omit none, would occupy another quarter -of an hour; but instead of indulging in useless recriminations, I -resigned myself and continued my performance, though I was a prey to -frightful anxiety. While speaking, I fancied I could hear that cadenced -yell of the public to which the famous song, "_Des lampions, des -lampions_," was set. Thus, either through preoccupation, or a desire to -end sooner, I found when my performance was over I had gained five -minutes out of the quarter of an hour. Assuredly, it might be called the -quarter of an hour's grace. - -To jump into a carriage and drive to the Place de la Bourse was the -affair of an instant; still, twenty minutes had elapsed since the -curtain fell, and that was an enormous time. My son Emile and I -proceeded up the actors' stairs at full speed, but on the first step, we -had heard the cries, whistling, and stamping of the impatient audience. -What a prospect! I knew that frequently, either right or wrong, the -public treated an artiste, no matter whom, very harshly, to remind him -of punctuality. That sovereign always appears to have on its lips the -words of another monarch: "I was obliged to wait." However, we hurried -up the steps leading to the stage. - -The stage-manager, who had been watching, on hearing our hurried steps, -cried from the landing: - -"Is that you, M. Houdin?" - -"Yes, sir--yes." - -"Raise the curtain!" the same voice shouted. - -"Wait, wait, it is imp----" - -My breath would not allow me to finish my objection; I fell on a chair, -unable to move. - -"Come, M. Houdin," the manager said, "_do_ go on the stage, the curtain -is up, and the public are so impatient." - -The door at the back of the stage was open, but I could not pass through -it, fatigue and emotion nailed me to the spot. Still, an idea occurred -to me, which saved me from the popular wrath. - -"Go on to the stage, my boy," I said to my son, "and prepare all that is -wanting for the second-sight trick." - -The public allowed themselves to be disarmed by this youth, whose face -inspired a sympathizing interest; and my son, after gravely bowing to -the audience, quietly made his slight preparations, that is to say, he -carried an ottoman to the front of the stage, and placed on a -neighboring table a slate, some chalk, a pack of cards, and a bandage. - -This slight delay enabled me to recover my breath and calm my nerves, -and I advanced in my turn with an attempt to assume the stereotyped -smile, in which I signally failed, as I was so agitated. The audience at -first remained silent, then their faces gradually unwrinkled, and soon, -one or two claps having been ventured, they were carried away and peace -was made. I was well rewarded, however, for this terrible ordeal, as my -"second-sight" never gained a more brilliant triumph. - -An incident greatly enlivened the termination of my performance. - -A spectator, who had evidently come on purpose to embarrass us, had -tried in vain for some minutes to baffle my son's clairvoyance, when -turning to me, he said, laying marked stress on his words: - -"As your son is a soothsayer, of course he can guess the number of my -stall?" - -The importunate spectator doubtlessly hoped to force us into a -confession of our impotence, for he covered his number and the adjacent -seats being occupied, it was apparently impossible to read the numbers. -But I was on my guard against all surprises, and my reply was ready. -Still, in order to profit as much as possible by the situation, I -feigned to draw back. - -"You know, sir," I said, feigning an embarrassed air, "that my son is -neither sorcerer nor diviner; he reads through my eyes, and hence I have -given this experiment the name of second-sight. As I cannot see the -number of your stall, and the seats close to you are occupied, my son -cannot tell it you." - -"Ah! I was certain of it," my persecutor said, in triumph, and turning -to his neighbors: "I told you I would pin him." - -"Oh, sir! you are not generous in your victory," I said, in my turn, in -a tone of mockery. "Take care; if you pique my son's vanity too sharply, -he may solve your problem, though it is so difficult." - -"I defy him," said the spectator, leaning firmly against the back of his -seat, to hide the number better--"yes, yes--I defy him!" - -"You believe it to be difficult, then?" - -"I will grant more: it is impossible." - -"Well, then, sir, that is a stronger reason for us to try it. You will -not be angry if we triumph in our turn?" I added, with a petulant smile. - -"Come, sir; we understand evasions of that sort. I repeat it--I -challenge you both." - -The public found great amusement in this debate, and patiently awaited -its issue. - -"Emile," I said to my son, "prove to this gentleman that nothing can -escape your second sight." - -"It is number sixty-nine," the boy answered, immediately. - -Noisy and hearty applause rose from every part of the theatre, in which -our opponent joined, for, confessing his defeat, he exclaimed, as he -clapped his hands, "It is astounding--magnificent!" - -The way I succeeded in finding out the number of the stall was this: I -knew beforehand that in all theatres where the stalls are divided down -the centre by a passage, the uneven numbers are on the right, and the -even on the left. As at the Vaudeville each row was composed of ten -stalls, it followed that on the right hand the several rows must begin -with one, twenty-one, forty-one, and so on, increasing by twenty each. -Guided by this, I had no difficulty in discovering that my opponent was -seated in number sixty-nine, representing the fifth stall in the fourth -row. I had prolonged the conversation for the double purpose of giving -more brilliancy to my experiment, and gaining time to make my -researches. Thus I applied my process of two simultaneous thoughts, to -which I have already alluded. - -As I am now explaining matters, I may as well tell my readers some of -the artifices that added material brilliancy to the second sight. I have -already said this experiment was the result of a material communication -between myself and my son, which no one could detect. Its combinations -enabled us to describe any conceivable object; but, though this was a -splendid result, I saw that I should soon encounter unheard-of -difficulties in executing it. - -The experiment of second sight always formed the termination of my -performance. Each evening I saw unbelievers arrive with all sorts of -articles to triumph over a secret which they could not unravel. Before -going to see Robert-Houdin's son a council was held, in which an object -that must embarrass the father was chosen. Among these were -half-effaced antique medals, minerals, books printed in characters of -every description (living and dead languages), coats-of-arms, -microscopic objects, &c. - -But what caused me the greatest difficulty was in finding out the -contents of parcels, often tied with a string, or even sealed up. But I -had managed to contend successfully against all these attempts to -embarrass me. I opened boxes, purses, pocket-books, &c., with great -ease, and unnoticed, while appearing to be engaged on something quite -different. Were a sealed parcel offered me, I cut a small slit in the -paper with the nail of my left thumb, which I always purposely kept very -long and sharp, and thus discovered what it contained. One essential -condition was excellent sight, and that I possessed to perfection. I -owed it originally to my old trade, and practice daily improved it. An -equally indispensable necessity was to know the name of every object -offered me. It was not enough to say, for instance, "It is a coin;" but -my son must give its technical name, its value, the country in which it -was current, and the year in which it was struck. Thus, for instance, if -an English crown were handed me, my son was expected to state that it -was struck in the reign of George IV., and had an intrinsic value of six -francs eighteen centimes. - -Aided by an excellent memory, we had managed to classify in our heads -the name and value of all foreign money. We could also describe a -coat-of-arms in heraldic terms. Thus, on the arms of the house of X---- -being handed me, my son would reply: "Field gules, with two croziers -argent in pale." This knowledge was very useful to us in the _salons_ of -the Faubourg Saint Germain, where we were frequently summoned. - -I had also learned the characters--though unable to translate a -word--of an infinity of languages, such as Chinese, Russian, Turkish, -Greek, Hebrew, &c. We knew, too, the names of all surgical instruments, -so that a surgical pocket-book, however complicated it might be, could -not embarrass us. Lastly, I had a very sufficient knowledge of -mineralogy, precious stones, antiquities, and curiosities; but I had at -my command every possible resource for acquiring these studies, as one -of my dearest and best friends, Aristide le Carpentier, a learned -antiquary, and uncle of the talented composer of the same name, had, and -still has, a cabinet of antique curiosities, which makes the keepers of -the imperial museums fierce with envy. My son and I spent many long days -in learning here names and dates, of which we afterwards made a learned -display. Le Carpentier taught me many things, and, among others, he -described various signs by which to recognise old coins when the die is -worn off. Thus, a Trajan, a Tiberius, or a Marcus Aurelius became as -familiar to me as a five-franc piece. - -Owing to my old trade, I could open a watch with ease, and do it with -one hand, so as to be able to read the maker's name without the public -suspecting it: then I shut up the watch again and the trick was ready; -my son managed the rest of the business. - -But that power of memory which my son possessed in an eminent degree -certainly did us the greatest service. When we went to private houses, -he needed only a very rapid inspection, in order to know all the objects -in a room, as well as the various ornaments worn by the spectators, such -as châtelaines, pins, eye-glasses, fans, brooches, rings, bouquets, &c. -He thus could describe these objects with the greatest ease, when I -pointed them out to him by our secret communication. Here is an -instance: - -One evening, at a house in the Chaussée d'Antin, and at the end of a -performance which had been as successful as it was loudly applauded, I -remembered that, while passing through the next room to the one we were -now in, I had begged my son to cast a glance at a library and remember -the titles of some of the books, as well as the order they were arranged -in. No one had noticed this rapid examination. - -"To end the second sight experiment, sir," I said to the master of the -house, "I will prove to you that my son can read through a wall. Will -you lend me a book?" - -I was naturally conducted to the library in question, which I pretended -now to see for the first time, and I laid my finger on a book. - -"Emile," I said to my son, "What is the name of this work?" - -"It is Buffon," he replied, quickly. - -"And the one by its side?" an incredulous spectator hastened to ask. - -"On the right or left?" my son asked. - -"On the right," the speaker said, having a good reason for choosing this -book, for the lettering was very small. - -"The Travels of Anacharsis the Younger," the boy replied. "But," he -added, "had you asked the name of the book on the left, sir, I should -have said Lamartine's Poetry. A little to the right of this row, I see -Crébillon's works; below, two volumes of Fleury's Memoirs;" and my son -thus named a dozen books before he stopped. - -The spectators had not said a word during this description, as they felt -so amazed; but when the experiment had ended, all complimented us by -clapping their hands. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - - Seductions of a Theatrical Agent--How to gain One Hundred Thousand - Francs--I start for Brussels--A lucky Two-Sou Piece--Miseries of - professional Travelling--The Park Theatre--Tyranny of a - Porter--Full House--Small Receipts--Deceptions--Return to Paris. - - -Had it not been for my constant toil and the inconveniences attached to -it, I should have been quite happy and satisfied with the daily profit -my performances brought me in. But one fine day the demon of seduction -presented himself before me in the obsequious form of a theatrical -agent. - -"Monsieur Robert-Houdin," he said, with a smile on his lips, as if we -were old friends, "I am commissioned by M. X----, manager of the royal -theatres of Brussels, to offer you an engagement for the summer season." - -My first answer was a refusal, which I based on excellent reasons. As I -was very successful, it would not be prudent to break the vein, while I -saw no occasion to go a long distance in search of advantages I could -secure at home. This reasoning would have settled any one but a -theatrical agent; but nothing, it is well known, can shake off the grip -of these skillful crimps. - -"Permit me, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, not to be quite of your opinion. I -allow, of course, that with your talents you are always secure of good -receipts, but you should bear in mind that the dog-days are approaching, -and your room is stifling in summer. This consideration might induce -the Parisian public to defer till autumn the pleasure of witnessing your -performances, while, by going to Brussels, where the theatres are large -and airy, you would have no reason to fear such a result. Come," the -plenipotentiary continued, in a most candid tone, "I must tell you, -without wishing to flatter you the least in the world, that everybody is -talking about you in Belgium; I may add, even, that the manager has been -urged to make you offers by a great number of his subscribers." - -This flattering insinuation began to shake my decision, and I offered in -my defence reasons whose weakness only attested to my indecision. My -clever touter noticed this, and thinking the moment arrived to strike -his great blow, said: - -"Do you know, sir, the probable proceeds of my offer?" - -"No, sir." - -"Well, make an estimate." - -"It is impossible." - -"Then, approximate." - -"I must decline; for I understand nothing of such calculations." - -"Well, then, I understand them, and am rarely mistaken," said the agent, -stroking his chin, "and I tell you it is an affair to you" (here my -seducer stopped, as if to make a most accurate calculation)--"an affair -of one hundred thousand francs." - -"One hundred thousand francs!" I exclaimed, dazzled at such a prospect, -"you cannot mean it." - -"It is precisely because I mean it that I tell you, and repeat it again: -you will clear one hundred thousand francs by your trip. Add to this, -the advantage of having seen a splendid country, and being received with -all the attention due to an artist of your merit. You will then return -to your impatient spectators, whose curiosity, heightened by their long -privation, will produce you receipts far more brilliant than any you -might have expected by remaining in Paris." - -Being little conversant at that period with theatrical matters, and -having no reason to doubt the honesty of my eloquent "humbugger," I -easily believed his fine promises. The chink of one hundred thousand -francs still ringing in my ears fascinated me; and I gave way -unconsciously to the same mode of reasoning the inkstand inventor had -employed. - -"And, really," I said to myself, "supposing, for instance, that----" -And, leaping from supposition to supposition, my calculations exceeded -those of the agent. But, in order to be reasonable, I concluded, like my -friend the inventor, in this way: "Well, to prevent any -misunderstanding, suppose we say only fifty thousand francs--surely -nobody can accuse me with exaggeration." - -Though dazzled by this brilliant calculation, I strove to conceal my -desire of accepting the offer. - -"It is all very well," I said, in my turn, after the style of a perfect -man of business, "but what are the conditions?" - -"Oh, most simple!" the crafty fellow said; "the same as are made with -all distinguished artists. Monsieur X---- will pay all the expenses, but -to cover those, he will deduct three hundred francs from the gross -receipts, exclusive of the claim of the poor, and the rest will be -fairly divided between him and yourself." - -"Still, I should like to know how much the sum to be divided will amount -to?" - -"How is it possible to say?" the agent exclaimed, with an aspect of the -greatest sincerity. "With such success as awaits you, it will be -enormous." - -In spite of my pressing, the agent always entrenched himself in his -exclamations, and the impossibility of making such an estimate. Tired of -the struggle, I at length formed my decision. - -"I will go to Brussels," I said, in a resolute tone. - -The theatrical agent immediately drew from his pocket a printed form, -which he had brought in case of our coming to terms, and we had only to -add the stipulations to it. - -"Tell me, sir," the manager's representative said, in a conscientious -tone, "will you have any objection to a forfeit of six thousand francs? -As the engagement is reciprocal, you must find this but fair." - -I only saw in the agent's request a very natural desire to defend his -employer's interests; and I drew this conclusion from it: if the -agreement was advantageous for the manager, it must be equally so for -me, as we were to share the receipts. I consented to the clause, and -affixed my signature. The agent could not repress his satisfaction, but -he cleverly ascribed it to the interest he felt in me. - -"I congratulate you sincerely on the engagement you have just made," he -said, as he offered me his hand; "you will soon be able to tell me of -the results you will draw from it. By the way," he added, in a friendly -tone, after a pause, "will you now permit me to give you a piece of -advice?" - -"Certainly, sir--certainly." - -"I would recommend you, then, to take a collection of showy bills and -posters with you to Belgium. They do not know how to get them up in -Brussels, and they will produce a prodigious effect. It would be also as -well to have a handsome lithograph, representing your stage; it can be -put up in the various picture-shops, and you will obtain increased -publicity." - -These counsels, and the familiar, almost protecting, tone in which they -were given, appeared to me strange; and I could not refrain from -expressing my surprise to the man of business. - -"What need of all these precautions? I fancied I understood you -that----" - -"Good gracious me! all professionals are alike," the giver of advice -interrupted me; "absorbed in their art, they understand nothing of -business. But tell me, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, would you feel annoyed at -netting one hundred and fifty thousand francs, instead of the one -hundred thousand I promised you?" - -"On my word, no," I said, with a smile; "and I confess that, far from -feeling vexed, I should be very pleased at it." - -"Well, then, the more you make yourself known, the more you will add to -the amount I stated." - -"But I thought that notoriety was generally the business of managers." - -"Certainly, ordinary publicity, but not extraordinary. You must see that -is unlikely, as it will be all for your advantage." - -Though little conversant with business, as the agent had just remarked, -I saw that his arguments were not always in accordance with logic. -However, I consented to the posters and the lithograph, in consideration -of the promised results. - -"That is right," the agent said, his familiarity sensibly increasing -since the signature of the contract--"that is right: that is what I call -managing things properly." - -And my man left me, after complimenting me once more on the arrangement -I had made. - -When left to myself, I indulged at my ease in daydreams about the -magnificent result promised me, and this anticipated joy was probably -all I tasted from the moment of signing this engagement to its -termination. The first unpleasantness it occasioned me was a slight -discussion with my cashier, that is to say, my wife, who, in -consideration of her employment, had a deliberative voice in all -theatrical matters. I could not certainly have found an employée of -greater probity, or a more devoted clerk, but I am bound to say that -this clerk, probably through her intimate connexion with her employer, -sometimes ventured to contradict him. Thus I feared when I described to -that functionary the brilliant perspective of my agreement. - -Although I finished my statement with this harmonious phrase, on every -word of which I laid a heavy stress, in order to give it more value, -"and we shall return to France with one--hundred--thousand--francs clear -profit," my wife, or rather my cashier, coolly said to me: - -"Well, in your place, I should not have made such a bargain." - -"But why not?" I said, piqued by this unexpected opposition. - -"Why? because nothing guarantees you the promised profits, while you are -perfectly certain as to your expenses." - -Wishing to cut short a discussion from which I did not see my way out -with honor: - -"Women are all alike," I said, employing the phrase of the theatrical -agent; "understanding nothing of business, they oppose one out of -obstinacy. But," I added, tossing my head, "we shall soon see which of -us is in the right." - -I confess that in this instance I allowed myself too easily to be led -astray by flattering illusions; but I must add, that it was for the last -time; for, thenceforth, I was so skeptical as regarded calculations, -that my modest expectations always remained below the reality. - -The period for starting soon arrived, and we made our preparations with -incredible activity, for I desired to lose as little time as possible -between the closing of my performances at Paris and their commencement -in Brussels. - -The Great Northern line not being open at that period, I was obliged to -content myself with a post-chaise. Consequently, I hired from a builder -of public conveyances, for two hundred francs a month, a diligence which -had formerly been used in the environs of Paris; it was composed of a -coupé and a vast rotonde, over which was an impériale for the luggage. -On the 25th of May, the day fixed for our departure, my carriage was -loaded with an immense number of chests, containing my apparatus, and -after we had taken our places, the postillion's whip cracked, and we -started. - -We took with us on this trip, besides my two boys who performed with me, -a manager, a workman, also acting as servant, and my wife's mother, who -came partly for pleasure, and partly to help her daughter in her -theatrical details. Galloping through Paris, we soon left the Faubourg -and the Barričre St. Denis behind us. The weather was splendid--a -perfect spring evening; my wife and I, with the children, were -comfortably established in the coupé, and as it was Madame -Robert-Houdin's first journey, she was so delighted with it, that I -believe, if I had then offered her the calculation of my presumed -profits, she would probably have herself augmented it. For my own part, -I was plunged in a delicious reverie. I recalled my journey with -Torrini, and while giving a thought of regret to that excellent friend, -I compared his carriage with my brilliant equipage, his modest claims on -fortune with the magnificent prospects promised me; and I could not help -yielding to a feeling of noble pride when I remembered I owed this -position solely to my labor and to my energy. Then, finding myself freed -from the annoyance of any theatrical administration, and my inventive -ideas abandoned, I experienced an undefinable comfort, and were it not -for the fear of making a pun, I would add, at this moment I was really -transported. - -What would I have given to see myself thus bowling along in my own -carriage! I fancied that the very passers-by regarded us with a certain -degree of satisfaction; and in this infantile illusion I smiled upon -them most benignantly. - -At some distance from the barrier we stopped. - -"Will you please to get out and have your carriage weighed? Here is the -office." - -"Before proceeding to weigh," the receiver of the toll said, approaching -me, "I warn you that I shall summons you for carrying a heavier weight -than the law allows." - -I could not appeal to my ignorance of this, for no one ought to be -ignorant of the law; I therefore submitted philosophically enough to the -threatened summons, and we soon recommenced our journey, laughing -heartily at the incident. The shades of night began to cover the country -when we reached the environs of Senlis. An old beggar, seeing us -approaching, held out his hat; I understood this expressive gesture, and -had the satisfaction of doing a clever trick and a good action at the -same time; for I threw out a penny, which fell in his hat. - -I had hardly executed this adroit manoeuvre, when cries of "Stop! -stop!" reached my ear; and at the same time I saw the old man running -panting after the carriage, and shouting. The postillion at length -stopped the horses, and he was just in time--a few paces further on, and -our heavy carriage would have been upset. The worthy beggar had -perceived that one of our wheels was on the point of losing its tire, -and as the old man in his haste had lost his coin, and was beginning to -look for it, I spared him this trouble by giving him a five-franc piece. - -How true it is that an act of kindness is never lost: to a simple penny -we owed our escape from an accident, the consequences of which would -have been incalculable. A neighboring cartwright soon came up and told -us it was necessary to have the two wheels of the carriage repaired; and -he gave us the following explanation of the accident that had occurred: - -The diligence had been standing for a long time in a damp coach-house, -and the felloes had swollen. The heat produced by our rapid locomotion -had dried them, and they had caught fire under the tire. The operation -lasted four hours, and cost me forty francs; this was, perhaps, twenty -more than it was worth, but what could I do but pay, as I should have -lost precious time by appealing to the law? - -I was beginning to understand that travelling impressions in a diligence -are not at all of a nature to enrich a traveller; but the reflection -came too late, and I could only continue my journey. I, therefore, did -so, not very gaily, perhaps, but at any rate with a degree of careless -resignation. - -I will pass over the details of a thousand petty miseries we had to -undergo, like so many pin-pricks echeloned on our passage to prepare us -for more bitter deceptions. We at length reached Quiévrain, the frontier -town of Belgium, where we were to give up our horses and put our -carriage on the railway running to Brussels; beforehand, however, we had -to endure the formalities of the custom-house. - -I hoped, as the theatrical agent had informed me, to pass all my traps -summarily, by declaring the nature of my apparatus, and hence I went to -the office and made my declaration. - -"There is only one way of passing your luggage, sir," a clerk said to -me, very politely. (Belgian officials are generally very gentle and -civil--at least, I always found them so.) - -"Then," I replied, in the same tone, "will you have the kindness, sir, -to tell me the way, that I may profit by it as speedily as possible?" - -"You must unpack your instruments, put an _ad valorem_ duty on them, -which the comptroller will verify, and pay 25 per cent. on the amount, -after which you can start as soon as you please." - -"But, sir, that is not possible," I said, greatly annoyed at this -_contretemps_. - -"And why not?" - -"Because my instruments are not merchandise." - -I then explained to my clerk that I was going to Brussels to give some -performances, after which I intended to return to France with the same -luggage. According to the information the official gave me, it seems I -had neglected to fulfil a simple formality, through the want of which -the office at Quiévrain would not let me go on without payment. To pass -my instruments duty free, I ought to have applied to the Belgian -Minister, who would willingly have granted me the permission. I could -certainly do so still, but I could not receive an answer under a week, -and that was just three days after the period fixed for my commencing at -Brussels. - -Hence I found myself between the horns of a dilemma. I must either, -after paying a heavy duty, lose precious time in packing, valuing and -unpacking my instruments, or forfeit six thousand francs to my manager -while awaiting a ministerial reply. Although I made all sorts of -supplications to the different custom officials, I could only obtain -this answer, dictated by their inflexible orders, "We can do nothing." - -I was in despair; in vain, conforming to the maxim, "It is better to -address the king than his officials," I pursued the director himself -with my entreaties; he would not hear a word. He was a stout, -good-looking man, of some fifty years of age, dressed in an enormous -paletot, much resembling in cut the one I have described as my costume -when learning my sleight-of-hand tricks at Tours. - -We were both standing at the door of the custom-house, near the high -road, where my chests had been deposited. Wearied with listening to my -eternal remonstrances, the director began talking to me about -indifferent matters; but I always led the conversation back to the same -subject. - -"You are a prestidigitator, then?" my stout Belgian said to me, laying a -stress on this word, to prove to me that he knew the pompous title by -which the juggler is distinguished. - -"Yes, sir, that is my profession." - -"Ah, ah! very good; I know several celebrities in that art. I have even -witnessed their performances with a great deal of pleasure." - -While my amateur was thus talking, an idea occurred to me, which I -immediately put in execution, for I trusted the result of it would -powerfully aid in favoring my entreaties. - -"What are your most striking tricks?" the stout man added, in the tone -of a perfect connoisseur. - -"I really cannot describe them to you, it would be too difficult. There -is one which can only be appreciated when seen; but I can easily give -you a specimen." - -"I should much like it, if you would," the official said, not sorry thus -to console himself for the trouble I had caused him. My son, at this -moment, was playing some distance off on the high road, and kicking a -pebble about. - -"Emile!" I cried, hailing him, "can you tell us what this gentleman has -in his pocket?" - -"Certainly!" the boy replied, without leaving off his game; "he has a -blue-striped handkerchief." - -"Oh, oh!" the stout gentleman said, with an air of astonishment. Then he -recovered, and putting his hands in both pockets to conceal their -contents, - -"That's all very good!" he added, with an air of doubt; "but chance may -have aided that discovery." - -After a slight pause, during which he seemed considerably bothered, he -continued! - -"Can he tell me, though, what is under the handkerchief?" - -"The gentleman asks what is under the handkerchief?" I shouted to my -son. - -"There is," he replied, in the same loud voice, "a green morocco -spectacle case, without the spectacles." - -"That's really curious--very curious!" said the man of the paletot. -"But," he added, shrugging his shoulders, "I should much like him to -mention the article under the spectacle case." - -And my incredulous friend shoved his hands in his pockets. I drew a -good omen from this last exclamation, and so, desirous to ensure my -success, I took my precautions that my son should answer correctly, and -I transmitted him the question just asked me. - -Emile, who had not left off his game for a moment, exclaimed, as if -anxious to get rid of us, "It is a piece of sugar which the gentleman -saved from his cup of coffee." - -"Ah! that is too fine!" the director exclaimed, in a tone of admiration; -"the lad is a sorcerer." - -My second-sight performance was at an end; still I saw with pleasure -that it produced a lively impression on the director of the customs, -who, after some moments' reflection, himself returned to the subject we -had left. - -"Come, sir," he remarked, "I will infringe my regulations for your sake. -We will not open your chests; I will rely on your statement of their -contents and value, and you will pay the duty according to the tariff. -When you have reached Brussels, and have obtained the ministerial -authority to introduce your instruments duty free, I will return you the -money you have paid." - -I thanked my new protector, and, a few hours later, personnel and -luggage had reached the station at Brussels. - -Before leaving Quiévrain for ever, I will give my reader an idea of the -conjuring trick which enabled me to produce those startling instances of -second sight to which I owed my deliverance. - -I have already said that the director wore a paletot, with large -pockets, so, profiting by the art by which I had so cleverly emptied -Comte's pockets some time before, I found out what he had in them, and -my son consequently learned it from me. As for the piece of sugar, it -was easy enough to perceive by its regular shape that it had come from -a café--besides, I could have no doubt that a lump of sugar, taken from -the pocket of a man of fifty, and, above all, a Belgian, must be saved -from his after-dinner coffee. - -At the Brussels station, a postillion who had three horses out of work, -offered to take our heavy carriage to the Tirlemont Hotel, and I -consented, for I really knew not what hotel to go to. After driving -through the city at full speed, we entered a winding street, in the -midst of which our driver began smacking his whip loudly to announce our -arrival, and with the skill of a practised driver, he turned into an -archway that opened on to the hotel yard. We made a princely entrée -here, which reminded me of our departure from Paris, for the master of -the hotel, his wife, and the servants, were all at their posts ready to -receive us worthily. We had gone safely through about half the narrow -entry, when our vehicle suddenly stopped, as if riveted to the pavement: -blows fell like hail on the unhappy steeds, but these, though -accompanied by vigorous oaths and stimulants of every description, could -not conquer the unknown obstacle. - -Being quite convinced that the road was clear on either side, our -postillion decided on trying a final effort; so he got down rapidly from -his seat, took the horses by the bit, and drew them forward sharply. The -carriage appeared to yield to this powerful attraction, and began to -move slowly. All at once a sound of breaking was heard, while at the -same moment cries of alarm issued from both compartments of the -carriage. - -The doors were hurriedly opened, women and children emerged, and the -last of our party was still on the step, when the impériale gave way, -and the numerous heavy trunks crashed into the centre of the carriage. -In the emotion produced by such danger, I looked round my party, and -thanks to Heaven, we were all safe and sound. - -My wife and children were carefully attended to, while I, though not -entirely recovered from my terror, sought the cause of this unforeseen -catastrophe. I soon discovered that our carriage, being too highly -loaded, had caught in the projecting sides of the archway, and that this -gradual and powerful pressure had forced the mouldering framework of our -old vehicle to give way. - -In comparison with the misfortune from which we had so miraculously -escaped, the injury to the carriage was an accident of no importance--a -loss which would be quickly forgotten in the success that awaited us. -The carriage was sent to be repaired, and the accident was soon a thing -of the past, as we sought to recover from the fatigue of our long and -wearying journey. - -My first walk in Brussels led me straight to the manager, who appeared -delighted at my keeping my word, and gave me a most polite reception: -thence, I proceeded to the Park Theatre, where I was to give my -performances. - -This building, lately destroyed by fire, was situated on one of the most -agreeable sites in the city, for it formed the angle of a magnificent -park, which is to Brussels what the Tuilleries are to Paris. - -During the summer no theatrical performance took place, and it was to -fill up this gap that the engagement had been formed with me. - -This theatre was city property, and I learned the fact in the following -way. The porter, whom the manager ought to have recommended to give me -all necessary information, stated to me that he was attached to the -theatre, both as keeper and head machinist. He also told me, with -pedantic gravity, that I could not drive in a nail, form an opening in -the stage, or, in a word, make the slightest change, until he, as -responsible official, had referred the point to the city architect. - -"Such supervision is not possible," I said to this important personage. -"How do you manage, then, when the theatrical performances are on?" - -"Ah, that is different. As the architect places confidence in me, he -allows me to do whatever I think proper, and I am responsible for -everything." - -"If that is all, I can take the responsibility on myself, and the matter -can be settled at once." - -"If you think so," the porter replied, in an ironical tone, "you can -apply to the city authorities; the council will take it into -consideration, and you will receive permission in a fortnight." - -I saw that the crafty gentleman wished to force himself upon me, but I -soon destroyed his hopes by making him understand I would allow no -stranger to be initiated into my mysterious arrangements. - -This conversation had taken place on the stage, by the light of a candle -which the conservator of the royal theatre held in his hand, but so soon -as I had intimated my intention of doing without him, he turned on his -heel and retired to his den, leaving us in perfect darkness. - -"Wait a moment, sir," I cried to him; "we cannot be groping about in -this way; so, open the windows." - -"Windows!" the machinist said, with a laugh; "who ever heard of windows -in a theatre? What use would they be when the rehearsals always take -place by candle-light?" - -"Excellently reasoned, my worthy man," I replied, checking my -inclination to laugh; "I always thought like you that windows could be -done without if you had lights, but when you have no lights----" - -"Why, then, you do as I do, you go money in hand to the grocer's and -buy candles; I see no difficulty in that." - -And, while making this reply, the porter and his candle were gradually -eclipsed. I had no time to lose in arguing, and besides, this man, whom -I would have gladly brought to his senses under other circumstances, -might play me some trick that might prevent me performing _mine_. My -instruments would remain, so to speak, at his mercy during the night, -and he would have all possible facility to do me some injury, which he -could deny in safety. Hence, I sent my servant straight to the grocer's, -that natural providence of any one who wants a light. - -All my readers have probably read descriptions of theatrical interiors, -and they are all much alike, although their cleanliness and arrangement -vary according to the intelligence of the stage-manager. Nor is the same -luxury of decorations and accessories visible in all theatres; some are -literally encumbered with them, while others are almost entirely wanting -in these qualities. - -I remember that, when giving a dozen performances at Chester, I found -the theatrical decorations charmingly original. Properly speaking, there -was only one scene; but, as it would have been impossible to produce the -scenic effect with this, the machinist had very cleverly painted a -forest on the back, and the scene moved on a pivot, which my friend -turned by the aid of a winch, and thus could display a hall or a forest -at will. - -With such feeble resources, the scenic illusion was often compromised, -but, according to the machinist, the actors corrected any glaring -anachronisms of place by ingenious new readings, and sometimes, too, by -the _expression of their faces_. - -This machinist was like his scenery, for he filled many parts; he was in -turn porter, painter, wig-maker, property man, tailor, and -ticket-taker; but with so many strings to his bow, this worthy man found -himself out of work during three parts of the year, for during that -period there were no performances at Chester. - -But to return to the porter, machinist, and keeper of the Park Theatre. -This man could never forgive my refusal of his services, and his -impertinence and ill-will pursued me to the close, and occasioned me -continual annoyance; and although I complained to the manager, I could -obtain no redress. The porter, being paid by government, claimed the -right, like his brethren the porters of Paris, of making his tenants -feel his power and his independence. - -I have performed in many royal theatres, but I never had to deal with -any but most polite machinists and managers, who could flatter -themselves they were masters in their own house. - -However, I managed to surmount difficulties of every description, and -the day of my first representation arrived. - -On this very day was opened that fiery furnace which was called "the -summer of 1846;" and the heat was astounding. Still, the theatre was -full, and the success of my experiments was as great as I could desire. -The second sight, especially, produced an enthusiasm which the generally -cold inhabitants of Brussels expressed by noisy bravos. - -I was proud and happy, for, in addition to the satisfaction success -always produces, I foresaw the realization of the theatrical agent's -brilliant promises. Thus, to take a slight revenge for my cashier's -obstinacy, I never failed, each time I left the stage, to say to her in -a tone of triumph: - -"Well! do you believe in the one hundred thousand francs now? That's how -I like business." - -And I returned on the stage with a smiling and animated face. - -The performance over, the curtain fell on the illusions I had produced, -as well as on those I had nursed as to my receipts. They were equally -ephemeral in either case, for I had scarcely left the stage when I saw -my manager coming towards me in the attitude once assumed by the steeds -of Hippolytus, according to Theramene's recital. He, so joyous at the -commencement of the performance, - - L'oeil morne maintenant et la tęte baissée, - Semblait se conformer ŕ sa triste pensée. - -"Here, sir," he said, pointing to a small rouleau, "is your share." - -"What! my share?" I exclaimed, in a tone of indescribable -disappointment; "and the rest?" - -"The rest, sir, has gone in the expenses, and the poor-rate." - -"But the rest," I still insisted--"the rest, what has become of it?" - -"Well, sir," my manager replied, in a lamentable tone, "the cashier -states that the greater part of the audience received free admissions." - -Irritated by such an explanation, I hurried to the office, and opened -and closed the door violently. The employé turned towards me, and -without being affected by my abruptness, he bowed to me politely -(another instance of Belgian courtesy). - -"How is it," I said, without replying to his bow, "that so many free -admissions were given without my sanction?" - -"They were given, sir, by the manager's orders," the man replied, with a -calmness that made me believe he was used to such scenes, "and you must -be aware," he added, in a conciliatory tone, "that there are numerous -claims on the first night of a new performance at a royal theatre. Thus -we have, for instance, the authorities, the city architect, the manager -of the gas company, the newspaper writers, the manager's relations and -friends, the police inspector, who has a right to a box; and all these -gentlemen, as you may suppose, bring their families with them. We have, -again----" - -"Oh, sir," I replied, ironically, "for goodness' sake, stop, for if you -go on at that rate I shall begin to fear you had not a seat left for the -paying public. To-morrow, I presume, I shall have to hand you back the -modest sum you have just sent me. However, I shall certainly insist on -an explanation with the manager." - -The next day I proceeded to call on M. X----, with the firm intention of -evincing to him my dissatisfaction; but he was so ready with his -explanations that I could not be angry, and we ended by agreeing that, -henceforth, all free admissions should have my signature, and that they -should not be dispensed quite so liberally. - -This measure, perhaps, checked some new abuses, but was not enough to -suppress them all, for though the theatre grew more and more crowded, my -strong-box did not follow the same progression. - -Far from netting the fabulous sum which had so dazzled me, I only -brought back from my trip to Brussels an illusion dispelled and -experience, while, as my cashier had predicted, my expenses rather more -than balanced my receipts. - -I have great reason for believing that, during my stay at the Park -Theatre, I was cheated out of my proper share. It was my first affair of -the kind, and I was obliged to study at my own expense; but, from that -period, I was on my guard, and evaded every attempt at fraud. I will -add, too, that at a later date I had the satisfaction of dealing only -with managers of well-known probity, to whom I gave my entire confidence -without ever having any reason to regret it. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - - Reopening of my Fantastic Soirées--Minor Miseries of Good - Luck--Inconvenience of a small Theatre--My Room taken by Storm--A - gratuitous Performance--A conscientious Audience--Pleasant Story - about a Black Silk Cap--I perform at the Château of St. - Cloud--Cagliostro's Casket--Holidays. - - -The recommencement of the performances on my own stage largely -recompensed me for my bitter _impressions de voyage_. My room was taken -a week beforehand for my first performance, as well as for the -following, and I had to send away four times as many persons as I could -receive. - -This success had been foreseen by the theatrical agent, and I owed it as -much to my absence from the capital as to the attraction my experiments -held out. My repertory was still a novelty to the Parisian public, as I -had started for Brussels at the height of my success. This did not -prevent me, however, from offering some new tricks, one of which more -especially produced a striking effect. - -After my son had mounted on a very small table, I covered him with an -enormous stuffed cone, which concealed him from sight, and then, at the -sound of a pistol, the cone was thrown over, and at the same instant the -lad appeared at my side. Afterwards, in large theatres, and especially -in London, this trick was improved upon, and seemed more marvellous -still. Instead of appearing by my side, the boy was instantaneously -transported to a box at a long distance from the stage, where every body -could easily see him. - -It is a well-known fact that a man cannot enjoy perfect happiness in -this world, and that the greatest prosperity has its disagreeable side; -this is what is called "the minor evils of good luck." One of my special -annoyances was having a room much too small, which disabled me from -satisfying all the demands made for places, and, though I racked my -brain, I could hit on no expedient to remedy this inconvenience. - -As I have already said, my room was often taken beforehand; in that case -the office was not opened, and a placard on the door announced it was -useless for any non-holders of tickets to apply. But it daily happened -that persons, annoyed at being unable to enjoy a promised treat, took no -heed of the notice and went straight to the pay place. On being refused -admission, they abused the money-taker, and still more the management. - -These complaints were generally absurd, and of the following -description: - -"Such an abuse is most improper," one of these disappointed persons -said, with great simplicity; "I will certainly go to-morrow and complain -to the prefect of police, and we shall see whether Monsieur -Robert-Houdin has a right to have too small a theatre." - -When these recriminations went no further, I confess I laughed at them, -but they did not always end in such a pacific manner. My employés were -sometimes personally attacked, and on one occasion my theatre was taken -by storm. The story is worth telling: - -One evening a dozen young men, after heating their brains by an -excellent dinner, presented themselves at the door of my theatre; the -notice they read only appeared to them an excellent jest. Consequently, -paying no attention to the observations made to them, they collected -round the door, and to employ the usual expression in such cases, they -began to form "the head of the tail." Other visitors, encouraged by -their example, collected, and gradually a considerable crowd assembled -in front of the theatre. - -The manager, informed of what was happening, came forward, and prepared -to address the crowd from the head of the stairs, after coughing to -render his voice clearer. But he had scarce commenced his address, when -his voice was drowned by derisive laughter and shouts, which compelled -his silence. In his despair, he came to tell me the dilemma, and ask -what he had better do. - -"Do not disturb yourself," I said; "all will end better than you expect. -Stay," I added, looking at my watch; "it is now half-past seven, and the -ticket-holders will begin to arrive; so, open the doors, and, as soon as -the room is full the public outside will be compelled to abandon the -ground." - -I had scarcely uttered the words, when a servant came in all haste to -tell me that the crowd had broken down the barrier, and rushed into the -room. I hastened on to the stage, and through the hole in the curtain, -could assure myself of the truth of the statement: the room was full. - -I confess I was much embarrassed as to what I should do. To have the -room cleared by the neighboring guard was a scandal I wished to avoid, -and I could not calculate the consequences. Besides, if the police -interfered, I should have to attend at the court, and thus lose precious -time. Lastly, the Prefecture, which had hitherto imposed but a single -sentry on me, would not fail to send a corporal's guard, at least, to -the great increase of my daily expenses. - -I immediately formed a decision. - -"Have the doors closed," I said to my manager, "and put up a notice -that, owing to a sudden indisposition, the evening's performance is -postponed till to-morrow. As this measure applies to the ticket-holders, -be in readiness to return the money to those who will not exchange their -tickets. As for me," I continued, "I have made up my mind. I will give a -gratis performance, and my revenge will consist in compelling the public -to be ashamed of the schoolboy trick they have played." - -This plan arranged, I prepared to do the honors of my house properly, -and the curtain soon rose. - -When I appeared on the stage, I noticed that the greater number of the -spectators evinced considerable embarrassment; still, I soon put them at -their ease by the nonchalant air I assumed, as if ignorant of what had -occurred. I did even more. I performed with an unusual amount of dash; -and when the time arrived to offer my small presents, I was so liberal -with them that not a single spectator was overlooked. - -I need not say that I was heartily applauded. The public vied with me in -"reciprocating" compliments, and thus hoped to compensate me for the -annoyance they fancied they had caused me. - -An original and extremely comic scene was performed when my audience -lingeringly departed. - -Nearly all the persons present had only seen in this assault on my room -a means to obtain places, and each intended to pay for his seat after -having occupied it. - -But, for my part, I determined on maintaining the original character of -my gratuitous performance, even if my pocket suffered. Thus, foreseeing -this feeling of delicacy, I had ordered all my attendants to leave -before the performance was over, and they had obeyed me so well, that -manager, money-taker, and box-openers had disappeared. - -I then posted myself where I could see everything without being noticed. -The spectators looked for the office; searched all around to find some -official; thrust their hands in their pockets, and collected in small -groups, until, worn out, they went away. - -Still, the public would not allow themselves to be beaten, and for -several days I had a regular procession of people coming to pay their -debt. Some persons added their apologies, and I also received by post a -note for 100 fr., with the following letter: - - "SIR,--Having been dragged into your room last night by a party of - thoughtless young men, I tried in vain, after the performance, to - pay for the seat I had occupied. - - "I do not wish, however, to quit France without paying the debt I - have contracted. In consequence, estimating the price of my stall - by the pleasure you caused me, I send you a hundred-franc note, - which I beg you to accept in payment of the debt I involuntarily - contracted. - - "Still, I should not consider myself out of your debt were I not - also to offer you my compliments for your interesting performance, - and beg you to accept, sir, the assurance of my consideration." - -As the loss entailed on me by the assault on my room was light, I had no -cause to repent the decision I had formed. On the other hand, the -adventure became known, and added still more to my credit, as it is -notorious the public prefer going to theatres where they are certain of -finding no room. - -As a general rule, family parties came to see me, but it was not unusual -for a number of persons to form a rendezvous at my theatre. The -following incident will offer an instance: - -The ingenious author of those eccentric caricatures, which delight -everybody who is not himself attacked, Dantan the younger, came one day -to my box-office. - -"Madam," he said to the lady in command, "how many stalls have you to -let?" - -"I will consult my book," the lady replied. "Do you wish them for -to-night?" - -"No, madam, for this day week." - -"Oh, in that case, you can have as many as you like." - -"How, as many as I like? Why, your room must be made of india-rubber." - -"No, sir, I merely mean to say that of fifty stalls I have at my -disposal, you can take as many as you please." - -"Very good, madam, I now understand," Dantan continued, laughingly; -"then, if I can have as many as I please, have the goodness to keep me -sixty." - -The lady, much embarrassed to solve this problem, sent for me, and I -easily arranged the affair by converting the first pit row into stalls. - -The reason why the sculptor required so many seats was as follows: - -Dantan, junior, has an enormous number of friends, and the original idea -had occurred to him of inviting a certain number of them to -Robert-Houdin's performance, and for that purpose he had engaged these -sixty seats. - -I have mentioned this incident, because it both proves the renown my -theatre enjoyed at that time, and reminds me of the commencement of one -of the most agreeable acquaintances I ever made in my life. From this -moment I became, and have always remained, one of the intimate friends -of the celebrated sculptor. - -Before knowing him personally, like the majority of his admirers, I was -unacquainted with his serious works, but when I was admitted to his -studio, I could appreciate the full extent of his talent. - -Dantan has in this room, arranged on enormous shelves, the most perfect -collection of busts of contemporary celebrities. I do not think a single -illustrious person of the age is missing. Each is properly classified -and arranged as in a museum; monarchs and statesmen, less numerous than -the others, are collected on one shelf; then come authors, musicians, -singers, composers, physicians, warriors, dramatic artists--in a word -great men of every description and country. But the most interesting -thing in the gallery is that every bust is accompanied by its -caricature, so that, after admiring the original, you laugh heartily at -noticing all the comic details of the other. - -On seeing these numberless heads, it is difficult to imagine that one -man's life could suffice for such a toil. Dantan, however, has a -remarkable talent in catching the characteristic features of a face, and -often enough he need only see a person once in order to produce an -extraordinary likeness. Witness the following fact, which I will cite as -much for its singularity as because it bears an affinity, in some -degree, to sleight-of-hand: - -The son of Lieutenant-General Baron D---- came one day to Dantan, -begging him to make a bust of his father. "I will not hide from you," he -said to the artist, "that you will encounter an almost insurmountable -difficulty in performing your task. Not only would the general never -consent to sit to you, but you cannot even be introduced to him at home. -As my father has been ill for many years, he sees no other persons than -his servants, and he keeps almost always alone. Hence, you will have to -manage to catch a glimpse at him unawares, but I do not know how." - -"Does your father never go out?" the sculptor asked. - -"Oh yes, sir; every afternoon at four my father takes the 'bus and goes -to read the papers at a room in the Place de la Madeleine, after which -he comes back and shuts himself up again." - -"I require no more," the artist said. "I will begin making my -observations to-day, and set to work to-morrow." - -In fact, at four o'clock precisely, Dantan posted himself before a house -forming the corner of the Boulevards and the Rue Louis-le-Grand, and -soon saw the general come out and walk to an omnibus. The sculptor -followed his model and entered the vehicle with him, but, unfortunately, -the only two seats vacant were on the same side, and the artist could -only make profile studies, being very careful not to attract attention. - -At last the 'bus stopped before the Madeleine church; pursuer and -pursued went in together to the same reading-room, where each took up -his favorite paper, and was soon lost in the perusal. - -Dantan had taken a seat opposite the general, and, while apparently -absorbed in a leader, took stealthy glances at his model. - -All was going on favorably, and the artist continued his studies quietly -for some moments, until the general, already surprised that his -fellow-passenger should come to the same reading-room, caught his eye -fixed upon himself. - -Annoyed by this impertinent curiosity, for which he could assign no -reason, he attempted to foil it by forming a rampart of his enormous -paper. - -The face of the old baron disappeared, but the top of his head was still -visible, and Dantan would have been able to continue his task -satisfactorily, had it not been for a frightful silk cap he wore. - -Many a conjurer, even the most famous, would have been checked by such a -difficulty; but Dantan did not long rack his brains, which renders his -trick only the more striking. - -He went up to the lady at the counter, spoke with her for a few moments, -and then quietly returned to his post of observation. - -It is necessary to state that the reading-room, heated by a large stove, -was already quite warm enough; but suddenly an insupportable degree of -heat filled the room, and drops of perspiration stood on the foreheads -of several persons. - -The general, who at this moment held the _Gazette des Tribunaux_ in his -hand, and was doubtlessly amusing himself with some lugubrious drama, -was one of the last to notice the heightened temperature. Even he, -though, at length found it necessary to remove his silk cap, and put it -in his pocket, growling, "Confound it, how hot the room is!" - -The trick was done. - -The reader has already guessed that the clever sculptor was the cause of -this vapor-bath, which he induced the lady to produce by explaining to -her his important mission. - -This result once obtained, Dantan hastily made his phrenological studies -on the venerable head of the old warrior; then, rising from the table, -he cast a final glance over his features, photographed him, so to speak, -in his mind, and ran off to set to work. - -A short time after, the sculptor sent the general's family the most -perfect bust possibly ever produced by his chisel. - -Here I will close the parenthesis I commenced with reference to the -evils the smallness of my theatre entailed on me; and I will now begin -another about the pleasures my success procured me. - -At the beginning of November, I received a "command" to St. Cloud, to -give a performance before Louis Philippe and his family. I accepted the -invitation with the greatest pleasure; for as I had never yet performed -before a crowned head, this was an important event for me. - -I had six days before me to make my preparations, and I took all -possible pains, even arranging a trick for the occasion, from which I -had reason to expect an excellent result. - -On the day fixed for my performance, a fourgon came at an early hour to -fetch me and my apparatus, and we were conveyed to the château. A -theatre had been put up in a large hall selected by the king for the -representation, and in order that I might not be disturbed in my -preparations, a guard was placed at one of the doors leading into the -corridor. I also noticed three other doors in this apartment; one, -composed of glass, opened on to the garden opposite a passage filled -with splendid orange-trees; the two others, to the right and left, -communicated with the apartments of the king and the Duchess of Orleans. - -I was busy arranging my apparatus, when I heard one of the doors I have -just mentioned open quietly, and directly a voice made the following -inquiry in the most affable manner: - -"Monsieur Robert-Houdin, may I be permitted to come in?" - -I turned my head in the direction, and recognized the king, who, having -asked this question merely as a form of introduction, had not waited for -my reply to walk towards me. - -I bowed respectfully. - -"Have you all you require for your preparations?" the king asked me. - -"Yes, sire; the steward of the château supplied me with skilled workmen, -who speedily put up this little stage." - -My tables, consoles and tabourets, as well as the various instruments -for my performance, symmetrically arranged on the stage, already -presented an elegant appearance. - -"This is all very pretty," the king said to me, drawing near the stage, -and casting a stealthy glance on some of my apparatus; "I see with -pleasure that the artist of 1846 will justify the good opinion produced -by the mechanician of 1844." - -"Sire," I replied, "on this day I will strive, as I did two years ago, -to render myself worthy of the great favor your majesty deigns to bestow -on me, by witnessing my performance." - -"Your son's second-sight is said to be very surprising," the king -continued: "but I warn you, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, to be on your guard, -for we intend to cause you considerable difficulties." - -"Sire," I replied, boldly, "I have every reason for believing that my -son will surmount them." - -"I should be vexed were it otherwise," the king said, with a tinge of -incredulity, as he retired. "Monsieur Robert-Houdin," he added, as he -closed the door after him, "I shall feel obliged by your punctuality." - -At four o'clock precisely, when the royal family and the numerous guests -were assembled, the curtains that concealed me opened, and I appeared on -the stage. Owing to my repeated performances, I had fortunately acquired -an imperturbable assurance and a confidence in myself which the success -of my experiments fully justified. - -I began in the most profound silence, for the party evidently wished to -see and judge before giving me any encouragement. But, insensibly, they -became excited, and I heard several exclamations of surprise, which were -soon followed by still more expressive demonstrations. - -All my tricks were very favorably received, and the one I had invented -for the occasion gained me unbounded applause. - -I will give a description of it: - -I borrowed from my noble spectators several handkerchiefs, which I made -into a parcel, and laid on the table. Then, at my request, different -persons wrote on the cards the names of places whither they desired -their handkerchiefs to be invisibly transported. - -When this had been done, I begged the king to take three of the cards at -hazard, and choose from them the place he might consider most suitable. - -"Let us see," Louis Philippe said, "what this one says: 'I desire the -handkerchiefs to be found beneath one of the candelabra on the -mantelpiece.' That is too easy for a sorcerer; so we will pass to the -next card: 'The handkerchiefs are to be transported to the dome of the -Invalides.' That would suit me, but it is much too far, not for the -handkerchiefs, but for us. Ah, ah!" the king added, looking at the last -card, "I am afraid, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, I am about to embarrass you. -Do you know what this card proposes?" - -"Will your majesty deign to inform me?" - -"It is desired that you should send the handkerchiefs into the chest of -the last orange-tree on the right of the avenue." - -"Only that, sire? Deign to order, and I will obey." - -"Very good, then; I should like to see such a magic act: I, therefore, -choose the orange-tree chest." - -The king gave some orders in a low voice, and I directly saw several -persons run to the orange-tree, in order to watch it and prevent any -fraud. - -I was delighted at this precaution, which must add to the effect of my -experiment, for the trick was already arranged, and the precaution hence -too late. - -I had now to send the handkerchiefs on their travels, so I placed them -beneath a bell of opaque glass, and, taking my wand, I ordered my -invisible travellers to proceed to the spot the king had chosen. - -I raised the bell; the little parcel was no longer there, and a white -turtle-dove had taken its place. - -The king then walked quickly to the door, whence he looked in the -direction of the orange-tree, to assure himself that the guards were at -their post; when this was done, he began to smile and shrug his -shoulders. - -"Ah! Monsieur Robert-Houdin," he said, somewhat ironically, "I much fear -for the virtue of your magic staff." Then he added, as he returned to -the end of the room, where several servants were standing, "Tell William -to open immediately the last chest at the end of the avenue, and bring -me carefully what he finds there--if he _does_ find anything." - -William soon proceeded to the orange-tree, and though much astonished at -the orders given him, he began to carry them out. - -He carefully removed one of the sides of the chest, thrust his hand in, -and almost touched the roots of the tree before he found anything. All -at once he uttered a cry of surprise, as he drew out a small iron coffer -eaten by rust. - -This curious "find," after having been cleaned from the mould, was -brought in and placed on a small ottoman by the king's side. - -"Well, Monsieur Robert-Houdin," Louis Philippe said to me, with a -movement of impatient curiosity, "here is a box; am I to conclude it -contains the handkerchiefs?" - -"Yes, sire," I replied, with assurance, "and they have been there, too, -for a long period." - -"How can that be? the handkerchiefs were lent you scarce a quarter of an -hour ago." - -"I cannot deny it, sire; but what would my magic powers avail me if I -could not perform incomprehensible tricks? Your majesty will doubtlessly -be still more surprised, when I prove to your satisfaction that this -coffer, as well as its contents, was deposited in the chest of the -orange-tree sixty years ago." - -"I should like to believe your statement," the king replied, with a -smile; "but that is impossible, and I must, therefore, ask for proofs of -your assertion." - -"If your majesty will be kind enough to open this casket they will be -supplied." - -"Certainly; but I shall require a key for that." - -"It only depends on yourself, sire, to have one. Deign to remove it from -the neck of this turtle-dove, which has just brought it you." - -Louis Philippe unfastened a ribbon that held a small rusty key, with -which he hastened to unlock the coffer. - -The first thing that caught the king's eye was a parchment, on which he -read the following statement: - - THIS DAY, THE 6TH JUNE, 1786, - THIS IRON BOX, CONTAINING SIX HANDKERCHIEFS, WAS PLACED AMONG THE - ROOTS OF AN ORANGE-TREE BY ME, BALSAMO, COUNT OF CAGLIOSTRO, TO - SERVE IN PERFORMING AN ACT OF MAGIC, WHICH WILL BE EXECUTED ON THE - SAME DAY SIXTY YEARS HENCE BEFORE LOUIS PHILIPPE OF ORLEANS AND HIS - FAMILY. - -"There is decidedly witchcraft about this," the king said, more and more -amazed. "Nothing is wanting, for the seal and signature of the -celebrated sorcerer are placed at the foot of this statement, which, -Heaven pardon me, smells strongly of sulphur." - -At this jest, the audience began to laugh. - -"But," the king added, taking out of the box a carefully sealed packet, -"can the handkerchiefs by possibility be in this?" - -"Indeed, sire, they are; but, before opening the parcel, I would request -your majesty to notice that it also bears the impression of Cagliostro's -seal." - -This seal once rendered so famous by being placed on the celebrated -alchemist's bottles of elixir and liquid gold, I had obtained from -Torrini, who had been an old friend of Cagliostro's. - -"It is certainly the same," my royal spectator answered, after comparing -the two seals. Still, in his impatience to learn the contents of the -parcel, the king quickly tore open the envelope, and soon displayed -before the astonished spectators the six handkerchiefs which, a few -moments before, were still on my table. - -This trick gained me lively applause, but in my second sight, which was -to terminate the performance, I had really to sustain a terrible -struggle, as the king had warned me. - -Among the objects handed me, there was, I remember, a medal, which it -was expected would embarrass me. Still, I had no sooner taken it in my -hand than my son described it in the following terms: - -"It is," he said, confidently, "a Greek medal of bronze, on which is a -word composed of six letters, which I will spell: _lamba_, _epsilon_, -_mu_, _nu_, _omicron_, _sigma_, which makes _Lemnos_." - -My son knew the Greek alphabet; hence, he could read the word Lemnos, -although he could not possibly have translated it. - -This was in itself a severe trial for so young a lad; but it did not -satisfy the royal family. - -I was handed a small Chinese coin with a hole through the centre, and -its name and value were immediately indicated; and, lastly, a -difficulty, from which I managed to escape successfully, was the -brilliant finale of my performance. - -I had been surprised to see the Duchess of Orleans, who took a lively -interest in the second sight, retire to her apartments; but she soon -returned, and handed me a small case, the contents of which she wished -my son to describe, but I must be careful not to open it. - -I had foreseen this prohibition; so, while the princess was speaking to -me, I opened the case with one hand, and, by a rapid glance, satisfied -myself as to its contents. Still, I pretended for a moment to be -startled by the proposal, in order to produce a greater effect. - -"Your highness," I remarked, as I returned the case, "will allow me to -appeal against such a proposal, for you must have remarked that, until -now, I required to see the object before my son could name it." - -"Yet you have surmounted greater difficulties," the amiable duchess -retorted. "However, if it is not possible, let us say no more about it, -for I should be grieved to cause you any embarrassment." - -"What your highness wishes is, I repeat, impossible; and yet my son, -feeling anxious to justify the confidence you place in his clairvoyance, -will attempt to see through the case, and describe its contents. - -"Can he do so even through my hands?" the duchess continued, trying to -conceal the case. - -"Yes, madam, and even if your highness were in the next room, my son -would be able to see it." - -The duchess, declining the new trial I proposed, satisfied herself by -questioning my son with her own lips. - -The boy, who had long received his instructions, replied, without -hesitation, "There is in the case a diamond pin, the stone being -surrounded by a garter of sky-blue enamel." - -"That is perfectly correct," the duchess said, as she showed the -ornament to the king. "Judge for yourself, sire;" then, turning to me, -she added, with infinite grace, "Monsieur Robert-Houdin, will you accept -this pin in remembrance of your visit to St. Cloud?" - -I thanked her highness sincerely, as I assured her of my gratitude. - -The performance was over: the curtain fell, and, in my turn, I was -enabled to enjoy a curious scene at my ease; it was to look through a -small hole at my audience, who had assembled in groups, and were talking -about the impression I had produced. - -Before leaving the château, the king and queen again sent me the most -flattering messages by the person charged to hand me a souvenir of their -munificence. - -This representation could not increase my reputation--that was not -possible--but it helped powerfully to maintain it. My performance at St. -Cloud, more especially, created a sensation among the aristocracy, who, -until that moment, had hesitated about visiting my small room. Their -curiosity overcame other considerations, and they came in their turn to -assure themselves of the reality of the marvels attributed to me. - -The summer heats were, however, beginning to be felt: we had reached the -commencement of July, and I had to think about closing my theatre. -However, instead of running after fortune, as in the previous year, I -occupied myself with changing and improving my performance. The task was -heavy; for I was filled with bold emulation, as I could not conceal from -myself that my success imposed certain duties on me, and that, in order -to keep it up, I must be constantly deserving of it. - -The most painful part of my inquiries was, that my inventions must be -completed by a certain day and hour, for the reopening of my theatre was -fixed for the first of the next September, and, for many reasons, I -determined on being punctual. - -For two months I worked with great ardor, granting myself no rest or -pleasure. Sometimes, however, after dinner on Sunday, I allowed myself a -recreation which may seem strange to many of my readers: I went to the -fairs round Paris, and studied the mountebanks. There I amused myself, I -may say, as much as any of the spectators around me; though the pleasure -I felt was not of the same nature as that of my neighbors. I amused -myself by seeing their amusement, and nothing more; for any one who has -seen this style of spectacle must have noticed that the mountebank gives -his public very little for their money. The best part of the sight is -often seen outside. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - - New Experiments--Aërial Suspension, &c.--A Performance at the - Odéon--A Friend in Need--1848--The Theatre deserted--I leave Paris - for London--Manager Mitchell--Publicity in England--The Great - Wizard--A Butter-mould used as a Puff--Singular Bills--A Prize for - the best Pun. - - -Instead of being able to recommence my performances on the 1st of -September, as I had hoped, my compulsory holidays, which might be called -my "penal servitude," were prolonged another month, and it was not till -the 1st of October that I was prepared to offer my new experiments to -the public. - -My pecuniary interests were much affected by this delay, but I trusted, -correctly enough, to the zeal of the public to visit me, as a -compensation. - -My new repertory contained the _Crystal Box_, the _Fantastic Portfolio_, -the _Trepčze Tumbler_, the _Garde Française_, the _Origin of Flowers_, -the _Crystal Balls_, the _Inexhaustible Bottle_, the _Ethereal -Suspension_, &c. - -I had devoted especial care to the last experiment, on which I built -great hopes. Surgery had supplied me with the first idea of it. - -It will be remembered that in 1847 the insensibility produced by -inhaling ether began to be applied in surgical operations; all the world -talked about the marvellous effect of this anćsthetic, and its -extraordinary results. In the eyes of many people it seemed much akin to -magic. - -Seeing that the surgeons had invaded my domain, I asked myself if this -did not allow me to make reprisals. I did so by inventing my _ethereal -suspension_, which, I believe, was far more surprising than any result -obtained by my surgical brethren. - -The subject I intended to operate on was my younger son, and I could not -have selected one better suited for the experiment. He was a stout lad -of about six years of age, and his plump and rosy face was the picture -of health. In spite of his youth, he displayed the greatest intelligence -in learning his part, and played it with such perfection, that the most -incredulous were duped. - -This trick was very much applauded, and I am bound to say that my -arrangements were excellently made: this was the first time I tried to -direct the surprise of my spectators by gradually heightening it up to -the moment when, so to speak, it exploded. - -I divided my experiment into three parts, each more surprising than the -former. - -Thus, when I removed the stool from beneath the child's feet, the -public, who had smiled during the preparations for the suspension, -became thoughtful. - -When I next removed one of the canes, exclamations of surprise and fear -were heard. - -Lastly, at the moment when I raised my son to an horizontal position, -the spectators, at this unexpected result, crowned the experiment with -hearty applause. - -Still, it sometimes happened that sensitive persons, regarding the -etherization too seriously, protested in their hearts against the -applause, and wrote me letters in which they severely upbraided the -unnatural father who sacrificed the health of his poor child to the -pleasures of the public. Some went so far as to threaten me with the -terrors of the law if I did not give up my inhuman performance. - -The anonymous writers of such accusations did not suspect the pleasure -they caused me. After amusing the family circle, I kept the letters -preciously as proofs of the illusion I had produced. - -The fashion this performance raised could not surpass that of the -previous year: I could not expect any other result than filling my -theatre, and that occurred every evening. - -The royal family also wished to see my new experiments; and for this -purpose the whole room was taken for the afternoon, so that my evening -performances were not interrupted. - -This performance, which the Queen of the Belgians witnessed with her -family, was only so far peculiar, that my little room was filled with -exalted personages. All the seats were occupied, for their majesties -were accompanied by their respective courts, and a great number of -ambassadors and royal dignitaries. - -As I had reason to hope, my noble spectators were satisfied, and deigned -to thank me in person. - -In the midst of this gentle satisfaction, I had every reason to believe -that I possessed the favor of the public; I learned, though, at a heavy -penalty, that even if the favor of that sovereign may appear secured, a -trifle will cause it almost to expire. - -On the 18th of February, 1848, Madame Dorval took her benefit at the -Odéon, and I promised that eminent actress to perform some of my tricks -as an interlude. - -I was punctual to my appointment across the water; half-past eleven -struck, when the curtain fell just prior to my performance. As I had -been ready to begin for some time, ten minutes were sufficient to give a -final glance to my preparations. - -My first care, on taking possession of the stage, had been to conceal my -operations from indiscreet eyes; hence, I had dismissed everybody. -Unfortunately, I had not even made an exception in favor of the -stage-manager, and the sorrowful effects of this measure will now be -seen. - -In most excellent humor, I ordered my servant to give the three usual -taps, and the orchestra began playing while I walked to the side-scene, -prior to making my appearance. But at the moment the curtain rose, I -remembered I had forgotten one of my "accessories," and I ran to my -dressing-room to fetch it. Unfortunately, in my hurry, I did not notice -that the machinist had inadvertently left a small trap open, and my leg -slipped into it up to the knee. - -The pain drew from me a sharp cry of distress; my servant ran up, and he -could only release me with some difficulty. But I was in a sad state, -for my trouser was torn completely up, exposing my bleeding and -lacerated leg. - -In this unhappy condition, I could not possibly return to the stage; -hence I looked around in search of some one to announce to the public -the accident that had happened to me, but I could only see two firemen. -They would not do for so delicate a mission, and although I had my -servant, this worthy lad was a negro with woolly head, blubber lips, and -an ebony skin, whose simple language would not have failed to raise a -laugh at my painful position. - -The stage-manager alone could undertake the mission; but where should I -find him? - -These reflections, prompt as lightning, were interrupted by the -commencement of a storm in the theatre; the public summoned me, for it -must be remembered the curtain had risen, and in the eyes of the public -I had missed my entrance; this was disrespect, and, therefore, -unpardonable! - -My negro, without caring for what was passing elsewhere, tore up his -handkerchief and mine, and bound my wound with considerable skill. This -did not prevent me suffering severe pain, but I soon experienced a -torture a thousand-fold greater when I heard a violent storm burst out -in the house. The public, who had begun by stamping, were now hissing, -shouting, and yelling in all the discordant tones of dissatisfaction. - -Overcoming my pain, I changed my trousers in haste, and decided on going -myself to describe my accident. I therefore walked slowly to the door of -the stage, and I was just going to open it, when a frightful noise -turned me cold with terror, and checked me. My heart failed me. Still, I -put a stop to this. "Courage," I said to myself, with a supreme -effort--"courage!" and straight-way throwing open the folding doors, I -walked on the stage. - -I shall never forget my reception. On one hand, cries, hisses, yells; on -the other, clapping of hands and applause, enough to wake the dead. The -two parties were apparently attempting to conquer each other in making a -noise. - -Pale and trembling at such a rough reception, I waited patiently for a -moment when the combatants, wearied with the contest, would allow me to -explain my delay. This moment at length arrived, and I was enabled to -describe my painful adventure. My paleness testified to the truth of my -words. The public allowed themselves to be disarmed, and hisses were no -longer mingled with the applause which greeted my explanation. - -Any one who knows the relief and comfort bravos and hearty applause -arouse in the heart of an actor, will understand the sudden change they -produced in me. The blood rushed to my cheeks and restored my color, my -strength returned, and, possessed by fresh energy, I stated to the -public that I found myself so much recovered that I would go on with my -performance. I did so; and such was the power of my excitement, that I -scarce felt the pain produced by my wound. - -I have said that, on my appearance, I was saluted by demonstrations of a -very different nature. Although many of my spectators hissed, others -applauded me. Truth extorts a confession from me. I was supported on -this evening by an omnipotent protector. - -This requires an explanation. Hence, that my readers may solve the -enigma, I am obliged to narrate a slight anecdote: - -At the period when I invented my experiment of second sight, several -Parisian managers proposed to me to perform, as an interlude, in their -theatres, but I had refused, because, as I was tired by my own -performances, I did not wish to prolong them. My determination on this -point was quite formed, when I received a visit from an actress of the -Palais Royal, Madame M----, who performed the part of duennas. - -"I have not the honor of your acquaintance, sir," she said, with a -certain degree of hesitation, "hence I am almost afraid to ask you to -render me a great service. These are the circumstances of the case: our -excellent manager, Dormeuil, has offered me a benefit, the profits of -which are intended to release my son from the conscription. It only -depends on you, sir, to ensure the success of the performance by giving -me your assistance." And the poor mother, deriving her eloquence from -her love for her son, painted in such lively colors the distress she -would feel from a failure, that, touched by her grief, I rescinded my -determination, and consented to add my performance of the "second sight" -to her bill. - -I dare not form the flattering idea that my name had any share in the -success of the performance; still, the house was crowded, and the -receipts more than covered the price of a substitute. - -The next day the happy mother called to tell me of her good fortune, and -thank me. She was accompanied by a gentleman I did not know, but who, so -soon as Madame M---- had ceased speaking, told me in his turn the object -of his visit. - -"I have taken the liberty of accompanying Madame M---- to compliment you -on what you have done for her. It is a good action, for which all her -theatrical friends owe you abundant thanks; and, for my part, I hope, -sooner or later, to evidence my gratitude in my own way." - -While flattered at my visitor's remarks, I was much puzzled as to the -sense of his last sentence. He noticed it, and, giving me no time to -reply, continued: - -"Ah! I forgot to tell you who I am, and I ought to have begun with that. -My name is Duhart, and I manage theatrical successes at the Palais -Royal. By the way," he added, "were you satisfied with the reception you -had last night?" - -This confession, I grant, robbed me of a sweet illusion. I had fancied I -owed my reception to my own merits, and I now could not guess what share -of the applause legitimately belonged to me. Still, I thanked M. Duhart -for his kindness, both past and to come. Three months later, I had -almost forgotten this incident, when one day, as I was going to give a -performance at the Porte Saint-Martin, my friend Duhart called on me. - -"Only one word, Monsieur Houdin," he said, without taking the trouble to -sit down. "I read in the bills that you are going to perform for -Raucourt's benefit, and I have recommended you to P----, who will 'take -care of you.'" - -I was in fact, "taken care of," for when I appeared on the stage, I was -greeted by a reception worthy of the highest artistic celebrities. It -was easy to recognize an ovation warmly recommended, but I was glad to -notice that the public "followed suit," and that the bravos emanating -from the pit radiated through the whole house. - -A few months later, when about to perform at the Gymnase, came another -visit from Duhart, the same recommendation to his comrade, and a similar -result. In short, I rarely quitted my own stage but my grateful -protector interested himself in my success. - -I am forced to say that I let him do so, and saw no harm in it; far from -that, these encouragements were a stimulant for me, and I always -redoubled my efforts to deserve them. - -I have taken a pride in relating this incident, for it admirably depicts -the character of a man capable of being so long grateful for a slight -service rendered to a friend. However, the performance at the Odéon was -the last in which the worthy Duhart went out of his way for me, as the -revolution of February arrived a few days later. - -It will be remembered that this event was an utter "smasher" for all the -theatres. - -After exhausting all the attractive baits of their repertory, the -managers, finding all their attractions fail, vainly formed a congress -to relieve them from such a disastrous situation. - -I was invited to the meeting, but, though I put in an appearance, it was -merely through politeness, as I was in a position very different from -that of my brethren. - -This position depended simply on the fact that my establishment, instead -of having the name of a theatre, was called a "spectacle." Through this -slight difference of title I enjoyed rights infinitely more extended. - -Thus, while the theatres could only have bills of a size arranged by a -police decree, I was at liberty, as the manager of a spectacle, to -announce my performances in unbounded proportions. - -I could also lessen or increase the number of my performances at my -pleasure, which was not one of the slightest advantages of my -management. - -Lastly, I had a right, whenever I thought proper, to put the key of my -room in my pocket, dismiss my staff, and walk about at my leisure in -expectation of better times. - -All these advantages, to which I will add that of being burdened with -very slight expenses compared with my brethren, offered me no other -result than that of not losing my money. However I might try, the public -remained deaf to my appeal as to theirs. - -I am mistaken though; for some days I received very polite letters from -the Provisional Government, in the shape of "free passes," which begged -me to find room in my hall for the students of the Polytechnic and St. -Cyr schools, accompanied by their tutors. - -I was enchanted, it is true, by this amiable act of politeness, which -augmented the number of my scanty spectators; for I performed, at -least, before a well-filled room, and I had no longer the annoyance of -seeing those unlucky benches empty--a sight which usually paralyzes the -most philosophic performers. - -This illusion was, in truth, very ephemeral, for each evening, after the -performance, my cashier assumed a very gloomy face on approaching me. - -What disenchantment! What bitter reprisals on the part of the blind -goddess who, for some time, had granted me such sweet favors! - -Still, in these moments of distress, I may say with perfect sincerity -deceptions and torment were not confined to the profit and loss account; -and though a manager does not take money, he desires to conceal his -misery. In order to produce a deception, he tries to furnish his -theatre, and he gives free admissions. I had recourse to this measure; -but, what will appear strange, these tickets, which, a month earlier, -would have been regarded as an immense favor, were viewed with -considerable indifference, and it often happened that people did not -take the trouble to accept my invitation. - -Having become a philosopher through necessity, I ended by resigning -myself to seeing my room nearly empty, and I sent out no more -invitations. Besides, I had enjoyed an opportunity of studying the "free -admissions," and I had remarked that this class of spectators is, or -pretends to be, quite indifferent to the performance. In fact, the "free -admission," when he believes the theatre short of spectators, imagines -he is doing an act of kindness by accepting the invitation offered him. -If he find the house full, he fancies all the places are occupied by -gratis tickets (and he is sometimes correct), and he concludes from it -that the performance cannot be very amusing. If he happen to be -mistaken, he does not applaud, in his fear of being taken for a -gratuitous visitor, and pass for an accomplice paying for his seat in -applause. - -I was in the thick of my managerial troubles when, one morning, I -received a visit from the manager of the French theatre in London. -Mitchell (that is his name), far from seeking to delude me by false -promises, like my Brussels theatrical agent, merely made me the -following simple proposal: - -"Monsieur Robert-Houdin," he said to me, "you are well known in London; -come and perform at the St. James' Theatre, and I have every reason to -believe you will be successful. Besides, we shall be equally interested, -for we will share the gross receipts, and I will pay all the expenses. -You will perform alternately with my Opéra Comique, that is to say, on -Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and you will begin, if you please, on -the 7th of May next, or a month from to-day." - -These conditions appearing to me very acceptable, I may add, most -advantageous, I agreed to them most readily. Mitchell, then, offered me -his hand, I gave him mine, and this friendly sanction was the only -agreement we made for this important affair. Though there was no forfeit -on either side, no arrangement or signature, never was a bargain better -cemented. - -From that time, during all my long connection with Mitchell, I had many -occasions of appreciating all the value of his word. I may say loudly -that he is one of the most conscientious managers I ever had dealings -with. In addition, Mitchell adds an extreme affability, and a remarkable -degree of generosity and disinterestedness to the merit of keeping his -word. Under all circumstances, he will be found to act as a perfect -gentleman, and one of the most brilliant qualities he possesses as -manager, is his courteous behavior to his performers. The following -instance will serve as a proof: - -Jenny Lind was singing at Her Majesty's Theatre on the same evenings I -performed at St. James's, so that, despite all the wish I felt to go and -hear her, I could not make up my mind to sacrifice a performance for -this attractive pleasure. However, in consequence of a circumstance too -lengthy to detail here, I happened to find myself free on one of the -nights when Jenny Lind sang. I must add that, besides managing the St. -James's Theatre, Mitchell had hired a certain number of boxes at Her -Majesty's by the year, and, according to the English custom, let them -out to the highest bidders. It happened at times that all the tickets -were not sold, and in that case Mitchell gave them to a few privileged -friends. I was aware of this circumstance, and intended to ask him a -similar favor for this evening. - -At the moment I was going out to seek my manager, he came into my room. - -"By Jove, my dear Mitchell," I said to him, "I was just going to prefer -a request to you." - -"Whatever it may be, my dear friend," he replied, politely, "be assured -it will be willingly heard." - -And when I explained to him what I wanted, - -"Good Heavens! Houdin," he said, in a tone of real annoyance, "how -unlucky you should ask that of me." - -"Why so?" I replied, in the same tone; "if it is not possible, my dear -friend, pray let me withdraw my request." - -"On the contrary, my dear Houdin--on the contrary, it is very easy; I am -only vexed at missing the surprise I intended to offer you: I was going -to give you an excellent box for to-night: here it is." - -A more delicate and amiable way of behaving could hardly be suggested. - -A fortnight had scarce elapsed since my interview with Mitchell, when, -after a most successful passage, I disembarked at London. On the moment -of my arrival, my manager led me to a delightful lodging close to the -theatre, and showed me all the rooms. On reaching the sleeping -apartment, he said: - -"You have a celebrated bed before you: it is the one in which Rachel, -Déjazet, Jenny Colon, and many other artistic celebrities, rested after -the emotion produced by their successes. You cannot but enjoy the ideas -which the remembrance of these illustrious guests will summon up in your -dreams. To any other than you, my dear Houdin, I would say that these -celebrated predecessors must bring good luck; but your success depends -on the virtue of your magic staff." - -Mitchell, feeling desirous to add all desirable attraction to my -performances, had ordered a scene in the Louis XV. style, as well as a -curtain, on which was painted, in letters of gold, the title adopted for -my Paris theatre, "_Soirées Fantastiques de_ ROBERT-HOUDIN;" -consequently, I could not begin my arrangements till all these -preparations had been completed. - -In the meanwhile, having nothing better to do, I walked about daily in -the magnificent parks, and collected my strength, in preparation for the -fatigues I was about to undergo in my performances. - -At this word "fatigues," my reader will be doubtlessly surprised, for he -has every reason to suppose that my stay in London would be in some -degree a period of rest, as, instead of playing seven times a week, as -in Paris, I was only to give three performances in the same period. - -To explain this apparent contradiction, it will be enough for me to -state that the work and fatigue are less in the performance than its -preparation. As at St. James's Theatre I had to perform alternately with -the Comic Opera, I was obliged, lest I might impede these artists in -their studies, to give them all necessary time for their rehearsals, -which, as is well known, occupy the greater portion of the day. -Consequently, I had promised to clear the stage so soon as my -performance was over, and not occupy it again till the middle of the day -on which I performed. Add to this, that in my labor of preparing and -removing, the master's eye was not sufficient, but I had for various -reasons to set to work myself, and it may be easily understood that this -caused me enormous fatigue. - -It caused me at the outset a species of comical regret to find that my -performances would not owe their success entirely to my own merits. In -England it is almost impossible to gain the ear of the public unless -every possible form of notoriety be resorted to, and the change from my -peaceful retirement in Paris was very startling. Whenever I took my -walks abroad, my name in gigantic letters stared me in the face, while -enormous posters, on which my various tricks were represented, covered -the walls of London, and, according to the English fashion, were -promenaded about the streets, by the help of a vehicle like those we -employ in Paris for removing furniture. - -But, however great this publicity might be, it was quite modest when -compared to that opposed to us by a rival, who may be justly regarded as -the most ingenious and skillful puffer in England. - -On my arrival in England, a conjurer of the name of Anderson, who -assumed the title of _Great Wizard of the North_, had been performing -for a long period at the little Strand Theatre. - -This artist, fearing, doubtlessly, that public attention might be -divided, tried to crush the publicity of my performances; hence, he sent -out on London streets a cavalcade thus organized: - -Four enormous carriages, covered with posters and pictures representing -all sorts of witchcraft, opened the procession. Then followed -four-and-twenty merry men, each bearing a banner, on which was painted a -letter a yard in height. - -At each cross-road the four carriages stopped side by side and presented -a bill some twenty-five yards in length, while all the men, I should say -letters, on receiving the word of command, drew themselves up in a line, -like the vehicles. - -Seen in front, the letters formed this phrase: - - THE CELEBRATED ANDERSON!!! - - while, on the other side of the banners could be read: - - THE GREAT WIZARD OF THE NORTH. - -Unfortunately for the Wizard, his performances were attacked by a mortal -disease; too long a stay in London had ended by producing satiety. -Besides, his repertory was out of date, and could not contend against -the new tricks I was about to offer. What could he present to the public -in opposition to the second sight, the suspension, and the inexhaustible -bottle? Hence, he was obliged to close his theatre and start for the -provinces, where he managed, as usual, to make excellent receipts, owing -to his powerful means of notoriety. - -I have met many "puffers" in my life, but I may say I never saw one who -attained the elevation Anderson reached. The instance I have quoted will -give some idea of his manner, but I will add a few others, to supply a -perfect idea of the man. - -Whenever his performances are going to be given in a large town, though -they are announced with extreme publicity, Anderson contrives to bring -his wonders to the notice even of those who never read the newspapers or -posters. - -For this purpose, he sends to all the buttermen in the town moulds on -which his name, title, and the hour of his performance are engraved, -begging them to imprint his stamp on their butter-pats, in lieu of the -cow ordinarily represented. As every family in England eats butter at -breakfast, it follows that each receives, at no expense to the conjurer, -an invitation to pay a visit to the illustrious Wizard of the North. - -Again, too, Anderson sends out into the streets, before daybreak, a -dozen men, carrying those open frames, by means of which, and with a -brush and lamp-black, the walls of Paris have been so long covered with -puffs. These people print the announcement of the Wizard's performance -on the pavement, which is always kept remarkably clean in England. In -spite of himself, every tradesman on opening his shop, and every -inhabitant proceeding to business, cannot but read the name of Anderson, -and the announcement of his performance. It is true that a few hours -later these puffs are effaced by the footsteps of the passers-by, but -thousands of persons have read them, and the Wizard requires no more. - -His posters are equally original, and I was shown one of a gigantic size -put out on the occasion of his return to London after a lengthened -absence in the provinces. It was a caricature imitation of the famous -picture "Napoleon's Return from Elba." - -In the foreground Anderson was seen affecting the attitude of the great -man; above his head fluttered an enormous banner, bearing the words "The -Wonder of the World;" while, behind him, and somewhat lost in the shade, -the Emperor of Russia and several other monarchs stood in a respectful -posture. As in the original picture, the fanatic admirers of the Wizard -embraced his knees, while an immense crowd received him triumphantly. In -the distance could be seen the equestrian statue of the Iron Duke, who, -hat in hand, bowed before him, the Great Wizard; and, lastly, the very -dome of St. Paul's bent towards him most humbly. - -At the bottom was the inscription, - - "RETURN OF THE NAPOLEON OF NECROMANCY." - -Regarded seriously, this picture would be found a puff in very bad -taste; but, as a caricature, it is excessively comic. Besides, it had -the double result of making the London public laugh, and bringing a -great number of shillings into the skillful puffer's pockets. - -When Anderson is about to leave a town where he has exhausted all his -resources, and has nothing more to hope, he still contrives to make one -more enormous haul. - -He orders from the first jeweller in the town a silver vase, worth -twenty or twenty-five pounds; he hires, for one evening only, the -largest theatre or room in the town, and announces that in the Wizard's -parting performance the spectators will compete to make the best pun. - -The silver vase is to be the prize of the victor. - -A jury is chosen among the chief people of the town to decide with the -public on the merits of each pun. - -It is agreed that they will applaud if they think a pun good; they will -say nothing to a passable one, but groan at a bad one. - -The room is always crowded, for people come less to see the performance, -which they know by heart, than to display their wit publicly. Each makes -his jest, and receives a greeting more or less favorable; and, lastly, -the vase is decreed to the cleverest among them. - -Any other than Anderson would be satisfied with the enormous receipts -his performance produces; but the Great Wizard of the North has not -finished yet. Before the audience leaves the house he states that a -short-hand writer had been hired by him to take down all the puns, and -that they will be published as a Miscellany. - -As each spectator who has made a joke likes to see it in print, he -purchases a copy of the book for a shilling. An idea of the number of -these copies may be formed from the number of puns they contain. I have -one of these books in my possession, printed at Glasgow in 1850, in -which there are 1091 of these facetić. - -The charlatan style of Anderson's bills is most amusing--at least I -regard it as such; for it is not presumable that Anderson ever intended -sincerely to praise himself in such an outrageous way. If I am mistaken, -it would be more than vanity on his part, when I take into consideration -his conjuring talent. Hence I believe him to be very modest at heart. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - - The St. James's Theatre--Invasion of England by French - Performers--A Fęte patronised by the Queen--The Diplomatist and the - Sleight-of-Hand Man--Three Thousand Pounds taken at one Haul--I - perform at Manchester--The Spectators in the Pillory--What capital - Curaçoa!--A Torrent of Wine--A Catastrophe--Performance at - Buckingham Palace--A Wizard's Repast. - - -But it is time to return to St. James's: the machinists, painters, and -decorators have finished their work, for the 2nd of May has arrived, the -day fixed for my stage being handed over to me. - -In fact, every one was admirably punctual: the new scenery was in its -place at an early hour, and as, at Mitchell's request, the rehearsals -were suspended for that day, the theatre was entirely at my service; -hence I could devote myself quietly to the preparations for my -performance. However, all had been so well arranged beforehand, that I -was in perfect readiness when the audience began entering the house. - -It may be supposed I had taken every possible precaution to insure -success, for an experiment which must excite astonishment if it succeed, -in the event of failure is ruin to the operator. Hence I sincerely pity -those sorcerers whose supernatural power hangs on a thread. - -It is true that a skillful conjurer ought always to be able to escape -any difficulty that may occur to him; still, this sort of repairs very -rarely meets with success, for, after all, it is only a patching -together, in which the cracks are only too visible. - -I had a mode of escape always at hand in any emergency, but I confess I -was much vexed when compelled to have recourse to these secondary means, -which, by prolonging the experiment, render it far less striking. - -When a failure happens in tricks of skill an escape is impossible, for a -conjurer ought no more to fail in these than a good musician play a -false note. Whenever he makes a mistake in such a case, it results from -his want of adroitness, which only time can correct; but in our -experiments accidents at times happen which the most careful man cannot -foresee. In such an event, you can only trust to the expedients which -presence of mind suggests. - -Thus, one day, I happened to break the glass of a watch lent me for a -trick. My position was awkward, for it is a very clumsy termination to a -trick to return an object lent you in any way injured. - -I quietly walked up to the gentleman who had lent me the watch, and -offered it to him, while being very careful to keep the face downwards; -but, at the moment he was going to take it, I drew it back. - -"This is your watch?" I said, confidently. - -"Yes, sir, it is." - -"Well, I merely wished to prove the fact; will you, sir," I added, -sinking my voice, to a whisper, "lend it to me for another trick which I -intend to perform presently?" - -"Willingly," the obliging spectator replied. - -I then carried the watch on the stage, and, handing it secretly to my -servant, I bade him go at full speed to a watchmaker's, and have a new -glass put in. - -Half an hour later, I returned the watch to its owner, saying: - -"I have just noticed to my regret that the lateness of the hour will -preclude me from performing the trick I promised you; but as I hope to -have the pleasure of seeing you again at my performances, please to -remind me the first time you come, and I shall then be able to perform -the interesting trick." - -I was saved. - - * * * * * - -In the meanwhile, the public were entering the theatre, but so quietly -that, although my dressing-room was close to the stage, I heard scarcely -any noise in the house. I was frightened at this, for such a quiet entry -is in France a sure prognostic of bad receipts for the manager, and -sinister foreboding of a failure to the performer. - -When I was able to proceed on the stage, I ran to the curtain-hole, and -I saw with as much surprise as pleasure the house completely filled, and -presenting, in addition, the most charming company I had ever yet -performed before. - -I must say, too, that the St. James's Theatre is a splendid -establishment, for it is in some degree the gathering-place of the -flower of the English aristocracy, who visit it not merely to enjoy the -performances, but also to improve their pronunciation of French. - -One fact will give an idea of the elegance and fashion of my spectators; -no lady is allowed to keep on her bonnet, however elegant it may be; she -is obliged to leave it in the saloon. This is, indeed, a thorough -English fashion, for the ladies come to the theatre in evening costume, -with their hair beautifully arranged, and low-necked dresses, while the -gentlemen are attired in black, with white neck-handkerchiefs and -gloves. - -At St. James's, the pit only exists traditionally; it is driven under -the boxes, and its presence is scarcely noticed. All the body of the -house is filled with stalls, or rather elegant arm-chairs, to which -ladies are admitted. - -The price of the seats is in proportion to the comfort they offer; each -stall costs seven shillings, and you can enter the modest pit for three -shillings; but this is no dearer than at the Opera. - -While I was surveying this elegant assembly with delight, I felt a -gentle tap on my shoulder. It was Mitchell, who came to give me a -delicate hint about some invitations he had thought it advisable to send -out. - -"Well, Houdin," he said to me, "how do you like your examination? does -the audience please you?" - -"It is delightful, my dear Mitchell; I may add, it is the first time I -ever performed in a theatre to such a brilliant audience." - -"Brilliant is the very word, my friend, for you must know that, among -your admirers" (pardon me this word of praise, but I am quoting -Mitchell), "is the whole of the English Press, which possesses a -numerous staff. We shall also have as spectators some gentlemen whose -opinion exercises a very great influence in London drawing-rooms. And -lastly, a great number of places are occupied by artistic celebrities, -who will justly appreciate the Robert-Houdin whom, to employ the -champagne phrase, we have made 'sparkle' as he deserves." - -It may be imagined that, after this explanation, my performance seemed -to me a solemnity, and that I employed the utmost care and zeal in -executing my tricks. I am justified in stating that I obtained a -legitimate success. - -Shall I now speak of the kindness and encouragement I received from the -audience of St. James's Theatre? I will appeal to the celebrated -artistes who have performed on this stage before me: Rachel, Roger, -Samson, Regnier, Duplessis, Déjazet, Bouffé, Levassor, &c.; have they -ever found in Europe spectators comparable to those of St. James's? Here -there are no paid clappers; they would be superfluous, for the audience -take upon themselves to encourage the performers. The gentlemen are not -afraid of bursting their gloves, while the ladies make as much noise -with their tiny hands as their strength allows. - -But I must stop, for I should fear, were I to continue, drifting into -the style of the Great Wizard. - -My performances went on at St. James's, and amply consoled me for my -losses in Paris. Although I only performed three times a week, their -produce exceeded that of my best days at home. My readers might imagine -that such unequivocal success ought to have satisfied me, but, as I have -said before, I am naturally ambitious, and I longed for one decisive -triumph--I wished to have my performance honored by the presence of the -Queen. Under happier auspices I doubt not that the honor would have -fallen to my share, but at the moment there was a peculiar difficulty, -which I saw no mode of overcoming. I will describe it in as summary a -manner as I can. - -After the revolution, the French theatres, as I have already said, found -their receipts reduced to worthless free tickets; hence they sought in -neighboring countries, just as I had done myself, a public less engaged -with politics, and consequently more apt to yield to the attraction of -amusement. - -England was the only country that had made no change in its habits of -luxury and pleasure, and hence many managers turned their longing eyes -towards this El Dorado. - -The Palais Royal Theatre, which, by the way, was not the worst off, was -one of the first to draw a bill at sight upon the rich metropolis of -England. - -Dormeuil, its skillful manager, divided his company into two parts, one -remaining at Paris, while the other came to the St. James's Theatre in -the place of the Opéra Comique, which had ended its engagement with -Mitchell. Levassor, Grassot, Ravel, M'lle Scrivaneck, &c., received a -brilliant reception from our mutual audience. - -This success became known in Paris, and turned the head of M. H----, -manager of the Historic Theatre. - -After making arrangements with the proprietors of a London theatre -(Covent Garden, I think), the impresario also came across with a portion -of his company to perform his play of _Monte Christo_, which lasted two -evenings. - -The arrival of these performers, all of great merit generally, disturbed -the peace of the English managers, who, fearing with some reason the -entire loss of their audiences, resolved to oppose this dangerous -invasion. - -"The French and Italian theatres in London," they said in their attacks, -"can play on their boards whatever pieces they like; they are privileged -to do so, and we respect their right. But we will not permit all our -theatres to be thus invaded, or Shakspeare be dethroned by foreign -playwrights." - -The question of theatrical rivalry soon assumed the character of a -national one. The papers took up the cause of the theatres, while the -public adopted the opinion of the press writers, and formed an army to -fight against the new comers. - -M. H---- attempted, however, to perform Alexandre Dumas's master-piece; -but it was impossible to hear a word, so great were the noise and -confusion in the house during the whole time the performance lasted. -Although the manager persevered in his enterprise, he was at length -obliged to yield to this imposing protest, which threatened to -degenerate into a collision, and he decided on closing the theatre. - -Mitchell held out his hand to the unlucky manager, and offered him the -hospitality of his theatre, that he might at least play his double piece -once before he left London. For this purpose he granted him one night of -the Palais Royal performances, and promised to arrange with me for the -next night. - -I could refuse Mitchell nothing, and the drama was represented in its -entirety, after which the company returned to France. - -I granted this favor with the greatest pleasure, as it obliged many -amiable performers, and I will add that, were a similar occasion offered -me to oblige M. H---- again, I would gladly accept it, if only to remind -him about thanking me for the first service I did him. - -Fortunately for my hopes, an occasion was offered me for performing -before her Majesty, of which I gladly availed myself, as it enabled me, -at the same time to do some slight service in the cause of charity. The -occasion I will here describe, as it affords a pleasing trait of English -manners and customs. - -A benevolent fęte, the object of which was to open baths for the poor, -had been organized by the first ladies in the land, and it was to be -held at a delicious villa at Fulham, belonging to Sir Arthur Webster, -who had kindly placed it at the disposal of the lady patronesses. - -This graceful swarm of sisters of charity was composed of ten duchesses, -fifteen marchioness, and some thirty countesses, viscountesses and -baronesses, at the head of whom was the Queen, who intended to honor -the fęte by her presence. This was more than sufficient to dispose of -the tickets, however high the price might be. Still, the ladies -conscientiously desired to add some attraction, which would occupy the -afternoon agreeably. The first idea was to arrange a concert, and, of -course, the chief singers in the metropolis must be invited to join, as -the company was so select; hence the committee turned their eyes to Her -Majesty's Theatre. - -But there a difficulty arose: they must ask each artiste to display his -talent gratuitously, and as this was begging a favor, the embassy placed -the fair promoters in a delicate position which they hesitated to -accept. - -Fortunately for them, these ladies had taken care to enlist the services -of my manager, whose intelligent advice would be most useful in -arranging the fęte. - -Mitchell was requested to call on the artistes, and he soon drew up a -most remarkable list: it contained Madame Grisi, Madame Castellan, -Madame Alboni, Mario, Roger (then engaged at Her Majesty's Theatre), -Tamburini, and Lablache. - -After the concert a divertissement was to take place which must excite -the public curiosity. A large number of ladies, dressed in costumes -selected from all parts of the world, had promised to form fancy -quadrilles on the lawn, in which they would perform character dances, -and for this purpose elegant and spacious tents were erected. - -But this spectacle could only last an hour, and there were still two to -be filled up, in which the guests could only be offered the pleasure of -walking about. It was evident this was not enough, especially when we -remember the price of the tickets was two pounds. Hence the committee -naturally thought of my performance. - -Mitchell had expected this, so he took on himself, owing to our friendly -connexion, to obtain my consent. He did more, for wishing in his turn to -offer his alms to the poor, he offered to build, at his own expense, a -theatre in the ground, and transfer to it the scenery I had at the -theatre. This was, in some respects, removing St. James's Theatre to -Fulham. - -Mitchell told me of this lucky event, from which he expected the best -results, and I may say at once that his expectations were realized. As -soon as it was known that the Queen would deign to be present at one of -my performances, many members of the aristocracy, who had not yet -visited the St. James's Theatre, sent to order boxes. - -On the day fixed for the Fulham festival, I started after breakfast for -Sir Arthur Webster's residence. My manager, with the machinist of the -theatre, had been at work there from an early hour, so that, when I -arrived I found the theatre quite in readiness for me. Scenery, drops, -and curtain, everything, in short, was there, excepting the foot-lights, -for which the sun was an admirable substitute. - -The public were to be admitted at one, and though I was not to give my -performance till nearly four o'clock, all my preparations were made by -the time the doors opened. The lady patronesses were already at their -posts to receive the Queen and the royal family, and were assisted by -stewards selected from the highest members of the aristocracy; among -them being the Duke of Beaufort, the Marquis of Abercorn, the Marquis of -Douglas, &c. - -While waiting my turn to act, I thought I might as well take part in the -fęte as a simple spectator; hence I went first to the entrance gates. - -I had scarce reached them when I saw the Duke of Wellington get out of -his carriage, the popular hero before whom gentle and simple bowed with -respectful deference. - -A few moments later appeared the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, -accompanied by his Highness Prince Frederick William of Hesse, and in a -group immediately following these high personages, the Duchess of Kent, -the Duchess Bernhard of Saxe Weimar, and the Princesses Anne and Amelia -were pointed out to me. - -These illustrious visitors were received by the lady patronesses with -the honors due to their rank, while the band of the Royal Horse Guards -played national airs. - -Outside could be heard the noisy and animated crowd, pressing forward, -at the risk of their lives, to see the carriages with the powdered and -gorgeous footmen whose heads are taxed so highly by the government. - -The numerous subscribers flocked in: all wished to be punctual, for it -was known the Queen would grace the fęte by her presence, and an -Englishman, great or small, would not at any price miss the pleasure of -seeing once again the features of her most gracious Majesty. - -The place I had selected was most favorable for observing the new -arrivals and not missing a single person. Still, whatever attraction -this brilliant panorama might offer me, I was equally anxious to see the -interior of the fairy palace, and I was just turning away, after -directing a parting glance to the entrance gates. I was glad I did so, -for at this moment arrived, close after each other, Prince Louis -Napoleon, our present Emperor; Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar; Prince -Loewenstein, and several other great personages whose names have -escaped my memory. - -The gardens, the conservatories, and apartments, were already crowded by -all the rank and fashion of London, and it was a hard matter to move -about at one's ease. At each moment a formidable swarm of marchionesses -and ladies stopped the way, and forced me to yield the road to them, in -my fear of crushing the most dazzling dresses I had ever seen. This was -difficult enough, for whatever way I might turn in my politeness, I ran -the risk of finding myself in the same dilemma, so numerous and compact -was the assemblage at Fulham. - -At half-past two the Queen had not yet arrived, and there was a -hesitation about waiting any longer, when frenzied hurrahs, rending the -air for the length of a mile, announced her Majesty's speedy arrival. - -The church-bells immediately began ringing, the band struck up "God save -the Queen," while the youngest and fairest ladies formed a double avenue -along her Majesty's route. - -These preparations were scarce made ere the Queen left her carriage, and -moving along an immense avenue, covered with red cloth, and sheltered -overhead by a gay awning, she walked towards the room where her arrival -was only awaited to commence the concert. - -On reaching the room, the Queen took her place in the midst of a circle -formed by the lady patronesses, and the concert began. - -I should have gladly listened to the dulcet sounds, but, unfortunately, -the hall, in spite of its vast proportions, could not contain all the -spectators, and the crush was so great that it was not only crowded, but -the approaches were invaded to the point where the vibration of the -voices finally died away. - -Hence, I was obliged to content myself with hearing outside the repeated -applause bestowed on the talented singers. Roger, especially, obtained a -real triumph by his aria from Lucia di Lammermoor, and the exquisite -way in which he sings it is well known. The Queen herself commanded an -encore. - -The concert was scarcely over when, in accordance with the programme, -the Queen proceeded to see the quadrilles, in which magnificently -attired ladies were to take part. - -I should have gladly witnessed this graceful sight, but I thought it -advisable to cast a final glance on my stage. - -Hence, I proceeded towards the theatre, where a private entrance had -been prepared for me, and I was just going up the few steps leading to -it, when some one seized my arm. - -"Ah! Monsieur Robert-Houdin," a gentleman said to me, with a smile, as -he prepared to follow me up the stairs, "that is capital--we will go in -together." - -"Where, sir?" I asked, much surprised at this proposal. - -"Why, on your stage," the unknown said, with an air of authority; "and I -trust you will not refuse me that pleasure." - -"I am vexed to deny you, sir; but that is impossible," I said politely, -knowing that in these grounds I could only meet persons who must be -treated with respect. - -"Why so?" the gentleman continued, most pressingly. "I find, on the -contrary, nothing easier. If we cannot go in side by side, we can follow -each other." - -"Pardon me, sir, if I refuse your request; but no stranger is allowed on -my stage." - -"Very good," my assailant then said, pleasantly; "if that is the case, I -will tell you my name, so that I may be no longer a 'stranger' to you. I -am Baron Brunnow, the Russian ambassador, as great an admirer of your -mysteries as I am desirous to find them out." And he continued his -ascent, while striving to force the barrier. "What, Monsieur -Robert-Houdin," he added, "do you still refuse me this? I only ask one -or two explanations, nothing more." - -"I must persist in my refusal, Monsieur le Baron, for several reasons, -and, more especially, for this one----" - -"What?" - -"Your perspicuity and talent are so universally recognized, that I would -not deprive you of the pleasure of yourself detecting these secrets, -which are hardly worthy your powerful intellect." - -"Ah! ah!" the Baron replied, with a laugh, "how diplomatic we are. Do -you wish to follow in my track?" - -"I am unworthy to do so, Monsieur le Baron." - -"Very good, very good. In the meanwhile, I am repulsed with loss, and -forced to take my place among the spectators. I yield; but tell me, -Monsieur Robert-Houdin, have you ever been in Russia?" - -"No, sir, never." - -"Then give me your card." - -And the ambassador wrote his name below mine. - -"Here," he said, handing it me back, "if you ever feel an inclination to -visit our country, that card will be very useful to you; and, if I -happen to be at St. Petersburg at the time, come and see me, and I will -procure you the honor of performing before his Majesty the Emperor -Nicholas." - -I thanked Baron Brunnow, and he left me. - -During this conversation, the quadrilles were being danced, and, before -their termination, the crowd had occupied all the seats for my -performance, save those reserved for the royal family and the court. The -Queen herself soon arrived, and I immediately received orders to begin. - -Would that I had a more skillful pen with which to depict in its true -colors the picture which revealed itself to my dazzled gaze at this -moment! At any rate, I will attempt to describe it. - -Imagine a large lawn rising before me in an amphitheatrical shape, and -arranged like the pit of a theatre. It would have been impossible to say -whether the ground was covered with grass or gravel, so thronged was it -with ladies, who were alone allowed to sit down. - -In the first row and nearest my theatre, the Queen, having her royal -husband on her right, was surrounded by her young and graceful family. A -little in the rear the ladies in waiting and the lady patronesses formed -the royal escort. At a respectful distance behind, the wives and -daughters of the subscribers took their places, while the gentlemen -formed symmetrical groups round this vast space. - -The sight was truly magnificent; all the ladies, dazzling with youth and -beauty, covered with diamonds and flowers, and rivalling each other in -good taste and brilliancy, resembled a vast enameled prairie, on which -the richest flowers of spring were displayed, while the black coats of -the gentlemen who enframed this smiling picture, far from dulling it, -only heightened the effect. - -On either side of the lawn, old oak-trees lent their refreshing shade to -this improvised theatre. - -I felt a noble pride at that moment, when I thought I held, as it were -at my fingers' ends, the witching eyes of duchesses, at times so -haughty, but now so gracious, and which seemed at every moment to gain -fresh brilliancy at the sight of the surprises I offered them. - -In this unique performance the time passed so rapidly, that I was quite -astonished when I found myself performing my last trick. - -Before leaving her seat, the Queen, although she had several times -evinced her satisfaction, sent me her compliments through an -aide-de-camp, who also expressed her Majesty's desire to have a -performance at Buckingham Palace at a later date. - -I had made every arrangement to start for town immediately my -performance was over, lest I might be delayed by the carriages waiting -at the park gates. An idea of the number of my audience can be formed, -when I say it took me more than a quarter of an hour to pass through the -carriages drawn up in double file along the road. The receipts of the -festival will supply a better proof: they amounted to 2500_l._! - -The next day the royal arms appeared at the head of my bills, and below, -the following passage, as a species of baptismal certificate: - - "_Robert-Houdin, who has had the honor of performing before her - most gracious Majesty the Queen, Prince Albert, the Royal Family, - and the Nobility of the United Kingdom,_" &c. - -My fashion only become the greater at St. James's. - -We had now reached the middle of July, and no one but an Englishman can -understand the possibility of obtaining a theatrical success during the -dog-day heats. I must say, then, that among our brethren beyond the -Channel, where all our customs are inverted, the season for concerts is -from May to the end of August. In September the aristocracy retire to -their estates, where they remain the other six months of the year. - -I followed the example of my audience: I quitted London at the beginning -of September, not like them to take rest, but, on the contrary, to -commence a life even more agitated than the one I was leaving. I went -to the Manchester Theatre, where Knowles, the manager, had made an -engagement with me for fifteen performances. - -The theatre in this city is immense; like the vast _arenć_ of ancient -Rome, it can hold an entire people. To give an idea of its size, I need -only say that twelve hundred spectators scarcely filled the pit. - -When I took possession of the stage, I was startled at its huge -proportions; for I feared I should be lost upon it, and my voice be -unheard. - -The reasons for the erection of this immense building were explained to -me afterwards. - -Manchester, as an eminent manufacturing city, counts its workmen by -thousands. Well, these hardy artisans are all fond of the stage, and in -their hand-to-mouth existence they often give up one or two nights a -week to this style of amusement; hence a large space was required to -house them all. - -Judging by the size of the house, I saw that many of the tricks I -performed at St. James's were unsuited for the Manchester Theatre; -hence, I was obliged to draw up a programme containing merely tricks -that could be seen from a distance, and whose effect would strike the -masses. - -So soon as my performances were announced, the "hands" flocked in in -shoals, and the pit, their favorite place, was literally crammed; while -the rest of the house was nearly empty. This is, however, generally the -case at a first performance in England; for many people wait for the -newspaper critiques, which are sure to appear on the following day, ere -they make up their mind. - -The audience entered the house with a noise unexampled in any French -theatre, except at those gratuitous performances given in Paris on grand -occasions. Before the curtain was raised, I was obliged to wait, and -give my noisy public time to cool down, and order and silence being -gradually established, I began my performance. - -Instead of the fashionable world, the elegant toilettes, and those -spectators who seemed to spread an aristocratic perfume over the St. -James's Theatre, I now found myself in the presence of simple workmen, -modestly and uniformly attired, rough in their manner, and eager for -amusement. - -But this change, far from displeasing me, stimulated my energies and -dash, and I was soon at my ease with my new spectators, when I saw that -they took a lively interest in my experiments. Still, an accident at the -outset nearly aroused the popular dissatisfaction. - -The Manchester artisans, far from coming to my performances to improve -their French accent, were greatly surprised at hearing themselves -addressed in any language but their own. Protests were put in on every -side, and soon shouts were heard of "Speak English!" - -As for my complying with the request, it was simply impossible; for -though I had been six months in London, as I was always among my own -countrymen, or persons who talked French, I had no occasion to apply -myself to the English language. Still, I tried to satisfy a claim that -appeared to me legitimate, and make up for my deficiencies by boldness -and good-will. I began by pronouncing the few English words I knew; when -my vocabulary was at fault, and I was about to run short, I invented -expressions which, owing to their strange shape, greatly amused my -audience. Often, too, when in a difficulty, I boldly asked them to come -to my aid, and it was my turn to feel a great inclination to laugh. - -"How do you call it?" I said, with a serio-comic air, as I held up the -article whose name I wished to know; and straightway a hundred voices -responded to my appeal. Nothing could be more pleasant than a lesson -thus taken, when my teachers, contrary to the usual fashion, paid for -the privilege of giving it. - -Through my condescension I succeeded in making peace with my audience, -who warmly cemented it on several occasions by their hearty applause. -The last trick especially created a tremendous excitement--I mean the -_inexhaustible bottle_, produced with scenery and decorations never -before witnessed on any stage. - -The picture presented by this trick is indescribable, and a skillful -pencil could alone reproduce its numerous details. Here, however, is a -sketch as accurate as possible: - -I have already said that although the spectators were few and far -between in some parts of the house, the pit was crowded, and it -consequently contained more than twelve hundred persons. - -I own it was a really curious sight to see all these heads issuing -invariably from dark-colored waistcoats, heightened by that ruddiness of -face which can be only produced by the beef and porter of Great Britain. - -In order that I might communicate more freely with my numerous -spectators, the machinist had put up a plank running from the stage to -the end of the pit, and as I also wished to address persons at the -sides, two other "practicables," much shorter than the centre one, ran -across to the boxes. The latter did not occupy room like the first, for -they were just over a passage, while those who entered by it had to -stoop down to reach their seats; but what was that slight inconvenience -to the pleasure they promised themselves in seeing the "French -conjurer?" - -The public were still entering the pit after my performance had -commenced, and so many persons were allowed to come in that there was -soon no room for the laggards. - -Several of them had the courage to remain bent under the "practicables," -and, looking out right and left in turn, they could follow my tricks. -But one of these bold spectators, doubtlessly fatigued by the -inconvenient posture he was obliged to keep, ingeniously passed his head -through the narrow space between the "practicable" and the boxes. He -managed it very cleverly, and his action was precisely that of a button -going into its corresponding hole. - -This innovation was, it may be easily supposed, gaily and noisily -welcomed by the audience, and the unfortunate man had to endure the fate -reserved for all innovators--he was laughed at and "chaffed" -tremendously. But he did not trouble himself about that, and his -coolness disarmed his opponents. - -Encouraged by his example, a neighbor tried the button-hole manoeuvre, -then a second and a third, and thus, by the middle of the performance, -half a dozen heads without bodies were symmetrically arranged on either -side the pit, looking for all the world like skittle-pins waiting to be -knocked down. - -I had arrived at the bottle trick, which consists in producing from an -empty bottle every liquor that may be asked for, no matter the number of -drinkers. - -The reputation of this famous bottle was already established in -Manchester, for the London papers had fully described the experiment. -Hence, a general hurrah was heard when I appeared armed with my -marvellous bottle; for, in addition to the merit of the trick itself, -the workmen also counted on the pleasure of drinking a glass of brandy, -or any other liquor. - -Flattered by this reception, I proceeded to the centre of the pit, -followed by my servant, who carried an enormous tray of wine-glasses. -But I had scarce arrived there when a thousand voices began exclaiming, -"Brandy, whisky, gin, curaçoa, shrub, rum," &c. - -It was impossible to satisfy all at once; hence, I wished to proceed in -rotation, and, after filling a glass, I offered it to the man who I -thought had made the first claim; but the gentleman was utterly -disappointed. Twenty hands were stretched out to dispute the precious -liquor, and the glass was speedily upset. The spectators, suffering the -punishment of Tantalus, shouted for the liquid, which was not fated to -reach their lips. I filled a second glass--it shared the fate of the -previous one, and was fought for so obstinately that the glass was -broken. - -Further on, the same request was made; I complied, and none could profit -by it. - -Without troubling myself as to the result, I poured out the liquor -profusely, and left my audience to fight for its possession. - -Soon all the glasses had disappeared, and in vain I asked for them back -to continue my bounty; not a trace of them was to be found. My -experiment was, therefore, in danger of sudden termination, when a -clever spectator held out his hand in the shape of a cup. - -The process was as simple as it was ingenious; it was the egg of -Christopher Columbus. The astonishment his neighbors felt permitted the -inventor to profit by his discovery, which is unfortunately a rarity. - -This improvised cup was unanimously accepted, but the imitators saw -their piracy suffer the same fate, minus the breakage, as the glasses. - -Quite tired, I was about to withdraw, when a new improvement was -introduced by a spectator, as thirsty as he was obstinate; throwing back -his head and opening an enormous mouth, he made me signs to pour in -curaçoa. Finding the idea original, I immediately complied. - -"What capital curaçoa," the man said, as he licked his lips. - -This seductive exclamation was scarce heard ere every mouth was open and -heads thrown back; it was enough to make me fly in terror. Still, not to -leave so curious a scene incomplete, I took a watering tour, holding the -mouth of the bottle as straight as I could. At times, the bottle being -pushed by the neighbors, sent the liquor over a man's coat, but, save -this slight inconvenience, all went on famously, and I fancied I had -fulfilled the rude task of quenching the thirst of my audience. Still, I -heard a few more appeals; and a glass of whisky was earnestly implored -by one of the men who had thrust his head between the plank and the -boxes, and seemed in a perfect state of collapse. - -My son, who helped me on the stage, and was one of the first to hear -this request, understood all the longing the poor suppliant felt; hence -he ran on the stage for a glass, which I filled, and he carried to the -man. - -But a difficulty suddenly arose; the claimant and his comrades were shut -up in their pillory, side by side, and could not raise their arms. My -son, unthinkingly, offered the glass, and seeing no one take it, was -about to carry it back on the stage; but a groan made him turn round, -and, by the patient's air, he understood he was begging him to stoop -down and place the glass to his lips. - -This delicate operation was performed with considerable skill on both -sides, and, despite the laughter of the public, each of the pilloried -men asked the same service in turn. - -This little scene appeared to have calmed the ardor of the public; and I -thought it possible to terminate my trick in the usual way. When my -bottle appears exhausted, I end by filling an enormous glass with -liquor, but a scene then began which I had been far from expecting. - -Many writers have described the saturnalia produced by the frightful -distribution of food and wine at the Restoration. Well, these orgies -were respectable meals compared with the assault attempted to reach the -glass I held in my hand. - -A human avalanche suddenly rose before me, and from this living pyramid -emerged two hundred hands to dispute their prey, while a hundred mouths -were opened to swallow it. - -I thought it high time to beat a retreat, in the fear of being buried -beneath this shapeless mass. It was impossible; behind me a file of -thirsty drinkers barred my passage. - -The danger was pressing, for the pyramid was bending forward to reach -me, and might lose its balance at any moment; the cries of the unhappy -beings supporting its weight explained the dangerous position in which I -might soon find myself; hence, I rushed with my head down through the -mass, and reached the stage in time to notice the curious sight of a -falling mountain. - -I will not attempt to describe the cries, shouts, and applauses that -accompanied this fall, while the victims were loud in their abuse, and -found no way of getting up, save by stepping on their companions in -misfortune. The noise was atrocious. - -The curtain fell on this strange scene, but shouts and clapping were -immediately heard: "The conjurer!" Houdin must come out to be -complimented. - -I obeyed this order, and when I made my appearance, either because I had -been too liberal with my bottle, or because, as I would sooner think, my -spectators were satisfied with my performance, the shouts and applause -broke out in such a formidable manner that I was quite stupefied, while -feeling acutely the pleasure they produced me. For I must say that the -noise of the hands struck together, though so trying in itself, has -nothing to shock the ear of a performer; on the contrary, the more -deafening it becomes, the more harmonious it appears to the recipient. - -The following performances were far from being so tumultuous as the -first, and the reason is very simple. The merchants and traders, who -form the aristocracy of Manchester, having heard of my performances, -came with the families to witness them, and their presence contributed -to keep the workmen in order. The house assumed a different aspect, and -henceforth I could only praise the quietness of the pit. - -Fifteen consecutive performances had not exhausted the curiosity of the -inhabitants, and I could certainly have given fifteen more, at least, -when, to my great regret, I was obliged to make way for two -celebrities--Jenny Lind and Roger--whom Knowles had engaged to follow my -performance. - -Though I felt vexed at throwing such a chance away, on the other hand I -was glad to escape as soon as possible from that heavy and smoky -atmosphere, which makes the industrial capital of England resemble a -city of chimney-sweeps. I could not accustom my lungs to inhale, instead -of air, the flakes of soot constantly floating about. I fell into a -state of melancholy almost akin to spleen, which did not abandon me till -I reached the gay city of Liverpool, where I intended to remain several -weeks. - -I was at that time at the height of my fashion; my performance began -with applause and ended with famous receipts. I need only add, that, -after performing in turn at the theatres of Liverpool, Birmingham, -Worcester, Cheltenham, Bristol, and Exeter, I returned to London to give -fifteen performances ere I started for France. - -A few days after my return to St. James's Theatre, the Queen, bearing in -mind the desire she had expressed at Fulham, commanded a performance at -Buckingham Palace. - -This invitation being most agreeable, I willingly accepted it. - -At eight in the morning of the appointed day, I proceeded to the royal -residence, and the steward of the palace, to whom I was directed, led me -to the place selected for my performance. It was a long and magnificent -picture gallery, and a theatre had been put up, on which the scenery -represented a saloon in the Louis Quinze style, white and gold, much -resembling the one I had at St. James's Theatre. - -My guide then showed me an adjoining dining-room, belonging, he said, to -the ladies of honor, and he begged me to state at what hour I should -like to breakfast. - -I was too busy to think about eating, for I had my performance to -prepare; however, I ordered the meal for one o'clock at any risk, and -set to work directly. - -Aided by my secretary (a species of factotum) and my two boys, who -helped me as well as their strength permitted, I managed to overcome all -the difficulties produced by the provisional arrangement of the stage. -But I had not finished all my preparations till two o'clock, and I was -almost dying of inanition, for, less fortunate than my companions, I had -eaten nothing the whole day. Hence it was with real joy I led the route -to the dining-room. - -As the performance was not to take place till three, I had just an hour -to recruit my strength. - -I had scarce walked a dozen steps, when I heard some one calling me. It -was a palace official who wanted to speak to me. - -"There will be a ball, sir, in this gallery," he said, in excellent -French, "after your performance, and consequently preparations will have -to be made which may take more time than has been allowed for them. -Hence, the Queen requests you to begin your performance an hour sooner; -she is quite ready, and will be here directly." - -"I am very sorry I cannot obey her Majesty's commands," I replied; "my -preparations are not yet ended, and I must add, that----" - -"Monsieur Robert-Houdin," the officer replied, politely, but with all -the coolness of a Briton, "such are her Majesty's orders, and I can say -no more." And without awaiting any explanation, he bowed to me and -retired. - -"We shall still have time to take a hasty snack," I said to my -secretary, "so off to the dining-room as quickly as you please." - -I had not finished the sentence, when the Queen, Prince Albert and the -royal family entered the gallery, followed by a numerous suit. - -At this sight I had not the courage to go further; I returned, and armed -myself with resignation. Protected by the curtain that concealed me from -the spectators, I hastily made my few remaining preparations, and five -minutes later I received the order to begin. - -When the curtain rose, I was dazzled at the sight that met my gaze. - -Her Majesty, the Prince Consort, the Queen Dowager, the Duke of -Cambridge and the royal children occupied the first rank. Behind them -were a portion of the Orleans family; while in the rear sat the highest -functionaries, among whom I recognized ambassadors dressed in their -national costumes, and general officers covered with brilliant -decorations. All the ladies were in ball toilette, and richly adorned -with jewels. - -A wonderful change came over me when I began my performance: all my -languor had been suddenly dispelled, and I felt in excellent spirits. - -Still this change can be easily explained. It is well known that a -performer feels no suffering while on the stage; a species of exaltation -suspends all feelings foreign to his part, and hunger, thirst, cold, or -heat, even illness itself, is forced to retreat in the presence of this -excitement, though it takes its revenge afterwards. - -This slight digression was necessary to explain the spirits I felt in -when I appeared before my noble audience. - -Never, I believe, did I throw such dash and boldness into the -performance of my experiments; never, either, had I an audience which -appreciated them so kindly. - -The Queen deigned to encourage me several times by flattering remarks, -while Prince Albert, ever so kind to professionals, heartily clapped his -hands. - -I had prepared a trick, called the _Bouquet ŕ la Reine_. This is what -the _Court Journal_ says of it when describing my performance: - - * * * * * - -"The Queen evinced an extreme pleasure in these experiments; but the one -which seemed to strike her most was the _Bouquet ŕ la Reine_, a very -graceful surprise, and charmingly ŕpropos. Her Majesty having lent her -glove to M. Robert-Houdin, the latter immediately produced from it a -bouquet, which soon grew so large that it could be scarcely held in both -hands. Finally, this bouquet, after being placed in a vase, and bedewed -with magic water, was transformed into a garland, in which the flowers -formed the word VICTORIA. - -"The Queen was equally astonished at the surprising lucidity of M. -Robert-Houdin's son, in the experiment of the second-sight. The most -complicated objects had been prepared in order to embarrass and foil the -sagacity of the father and the marvellous faculty of the son. Both -emerged victoriously from this intellectual combat, and defeated every -scheme." - -After the performance, the same officer with whom I had already spoken -came to offer me the thanks of the Queen and Prince Albert. The Duchess -of Orleans had also been kind enough to add her compliments and those of -her family. - -So soon as the curtain had fallen, and I was no longer supported by the -presence of my audience, I felt ready to drop. I had taken a seat, and -could hardly rise to go and enjoy the meal which I stood in such need -of. - -Still, I was about to do so, when I was roused from my exhaustion by the -appearance of a large body of workmen, who had come to take down the -theatre in all speed and prepare the gallery for the ball. - -My readers can judge of my embarrassment and trouble when I found I must -pack up all my machinery at once, lest it might be broken. - -I tried to protest and defer the execution of the task, but it was all -in vain: orders had been given, and they must be obeyed. Hence, I was -obliged to summon up fresh energy to finish my packing, which took me an -hour and a half. - -Six o'clock struck when all was finished. I had taken no food for -exactly four-and-twenty hours. - -Leaning on my manager who had taken the precaution of ordering up the -dinner, I dragged myself as far as the dining-room. - -Twilight had commenced, and the room was not yet lighted, and it was -with some difficulty we could distinguish a table. I fell rather than -sat down upon a chair I found near me, and while my son was ringing for -lights, I commenced a second-sight performance of my own. I succeeded -famously; I laid my hand on a fork, and pricking at whatever might be -before me, found something attached to the instrument. I prudently -raised the object to my nose, and, satisfied with this inspection, I -took a triumphant bite. - -It was delicious; and I fancied I could recognize a _salmi_ of -partridge. - -I made a second exploring tour to assure myself of the truth, and, after -a few mouthfuls, I convinced myself I was not mistaken. My manager and -boys followed my example, and set to work manfully. - -It seems that the attendance must be slow in royal houses, for before -the lights arrived we had plenty of time to grow used to the darkness. - -However, this meal, through its originality, became a delightful -amusement, and I had seized a bottle to pour out some wine, when the -door of the room suddenly opened, and two servants came in bearing -candelabra. On seeing us thus seated at table and eating in the coolest -way, they nearly fell backwards in surprise. I am persuaded they took us -at the moment for real sorcerers, for we had great difficulty in -inducing them to remain in the room and wait on us. - -We then took our ease. The table was well served, the wines were -excellent, and we could rest from the fatigues and emotions of the day. -At the end of the dinner the palace steward paid us a visit, and on -hearing of my misfortunes, he expressed his deep regret. The Queen, he -assured me, would be the more vexed, if she heard of it, because she had -given the strictest orders that I should want for nothing in her palace. - -I replied, that I was amply repaid for a few moments of pain by the -satisfaction I felt at having been called to perform before his gracious -sovereign. And this was, indeed, the truth. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - - An Optimist Manager--Three Spectators in a Room--A Magical - Collation--The Colchester Public and the Nuts--I return to - France--I give up my Theatre--A Farewell Tour--I retire to St. - Gervais--An Academician's Predictions. - - -A short time after this performance my engagement with Mitchell -terminated. - -Instead of returning to France, as I should much have desired after so -lengthened an absence, I thought it better to continue my excursions in -the English provinces till the end of September, when I hoped to reopen -my theatre at Paris. - -Consequently, I drew up an itinerary, in which the first station would -be Cambridge, celebrated for its university; and set out. - -Possibly the reader may feel no inclination to follow me on this tour, -but he may be assured I will not drag him after me, especially as my -second passage through England presents hardly any details worth -mentioning here. I will content myself with recounting a few incidents, -and among them a small adventure that happened to me, as it may serve -for a lesson for all professionals, that it is dangerous both to their -self-esteem and interests to drain public curiosity too deep in the -various places whither the hope of good receipts attracts them. - -I intended to go straight from London to Cambridge, but, half way, I -took a fancy to stop and give a few performances at Hertford, a town -containing some ten thousand people. - -My two first performances were most successful, but on the third, seeing -that the number of spectators had greatly fallen off, I decided on -giving no more. - -My manager argued against this resolution, and offered me reasons which -certainly had some value. - -"I assure you, sir," he said, "that nothing is spoken of in the town but -your performance. Every one is asking if you are going to perform -to-morrow, and two young gentlemen have already begged me to keep them -places if you intend to remain for to-morrow." - -Génet, my manager, was certainly the best fellow in the world; but I -ought to have distrusted his counsels, knowing, as I did, his -disposition to look at the bright side of everything. He was the -incarnation of optimism, and the calculations he made about this -performance went far beyond those of the inkstand inventor. To hear him -talk, we should have to double the price of places, and increase our -staff to keep back the crowd that would rush to see me. - -While jesting Génet on his exaggerated ideas, I still allowed him to -send out the bills for the performance he so much desired. - -The next evening, at half-past seven, I went, according to my usual -custom, to order the box-office to be opened, and the public allowed -admission. The performance would commence at eight precisely. - -I found my manager quite alone--not a soul had arrived yet. Still, that -did not prevent him greeting me with a radiant air--though that was his -normal condition. - -"No one has yet come to the theatre," he said, rubbing his hands, as if -giving me first-rate intelligence; "but that is a good sign." - -"The deuce it is! Come, my dear Génet, I must have that proved." - -"It is easy enough to understand. You must have noticed, sir, that at -our former performances we only had the country gentry." - -"Nothing proves it was so; still, I will allow it. Now go on." - -"Well, it is very simple. The tradespeople have not come to see you yet, -and I expect them to-night. They are always so busy, that they usually -defer a pleasure till the last moment. Have patience, and you will soon -see the rush we shall have to contend against." - -And he looked towards the entrance door like a man perfectly convinced -that his predictions would be fulfilled. - -We had still half an hour--more than sufficient to fill the room--so I -waited. But this half-hour passed in vain expectation. Not a soul came -to the box-office. - -"It is now eight," I said, drawing out my watch, "and no spectators have -arrived. What do you say to that, Génet?" - -"Oh, sir! your watch is too fast--I am sure of it for----" - -My manager was about to support his allegation by some proof drawn from -his brain, when the town-hall clock struck. Génet, finding his reasons -exhausted, contented himself with silence, while casting a despairing -glance towards the door. - -At length, I saw his face grow purple with delight. - -"Ah! I said so," he exclaimed, pointing to two young men coming towards -us. "The public are beginning to arrive. They doubtlessly mistook the -hour. Come, every man to his post!" - -Génet's joy did not last long, for he soon recognized in these visitors -the two young gentlemen who had taken their places the previous day. - -"You have kept our seats?" they said to the optimist, as they hurried -in. - -"Yes, gentlemen, yes; you can go in," Génet replied, making an -imperceptible grimace. And he led them in complacently, while striving -to explain the emptiness of the room by saying it was only momentary. He -had hardly returned to the box-office, when a gentleman of a certain age -hurried up the steps, and rushed towards the pay place with a haste my -previous success probably justified. - -"Is there any room left?" he asked, in a panting voice. - -My poor Génet did not know how to reply to this question, which seemed a -jest; he, therefore, merely muttered one of those common-place phrases -usually employed to gain time. - -"Well, sir, to tell you the truth--I should say----" - -"I know--I know: there are no places left. I expected it. But be kind -enough to let me go in, and I will find some corner to stand in." - -"But, sir, allow me to tell you----" - -"No matter." - -"But if, on the contrary----" - -"All the better. There, give me a stall-ticket, and I will see if I can -find room in the passage." - -Being at the end of his arguments, Génet supplied the ticket. - -You can imagine the surprise of the eager visitor when, on entering the -house, he found that he formed in his own person exactly a third of the -audience. - -For my own part, I soon made up my mind. After compounding with my -conscience, by granting the usual quarter of an hour's grace to the -laggards, and seeing no one come, I informed my three spectators that, -being only anxious to be agreeable to them, I would perform. - -This unexpected news produced a triple hurrah in the house in the shape -of thanks. - -My orchestra consisted of eight amateurs of the town; and these -gentlemen, as a compliment to my French origin, always played as -overture the "Girondins" and the "Marseillaise," with the assistance of -the big drum, and never failed to terminate the performance with "God -save the Queen." - -The patriotic introduction over, I began my performance. - -My audience were collected on the first row of stalls, so that, in order -to address my explanations to them, I should have had to keep my head -constantly down, which would have eventually become troublesome. Hence I -determined to look round the house, and address the benches just as if -they were well covered. - -For their part, my audience made all possible row to prove their -satisfaction. They stamped, applauded, shouted, so as almost to make me -believe the house full. - -The whole performance was a mutual exchange of compliments, and the -spectators saw the last of my tricks arrive with considerable regret. -This, however, was not announced on my bills, for I reserved it as the -best of my surprises. - -"Gentlemen," I said to my audience, "as I require three persons to -assist me in performing this trick, will any gentlemen present have the -kindness to come on the stage?" - -At this comic invitation the public rose _en masse_, and obligingly -placed themselves at my disposal. - -After my three assistants had promised to stand at the front of the -stage and not look round, I gave each an empty glass, announcing that it -would be filled with excellent punch so soon as they expressed the wish, -and I added that to facilitate the performance, they must repeat after -me a few cabalistic words borrowed from the enchanter Merlin. - -This jest was only proposed in order to gain time, for while we were -performing it with bursts of laughter, a change was being carried out -behind my kind assistants. The table on which I did my tricks had been -removed, and another brought forward on which an excellent supper was -spread, and a bowl of punch crackled in the centre. - -Génet, clothed in black and a white cravat, and armed with a spoon, was -stimulating a spectral flame, and when my assistants expressed a wish to -see their glasses filled with punch, he said, in his most solemn voice, - -"Turn round, and your wishes will be accomplished." - -My musicians had been spectators of this little scene, so I begged them -to join us and try the virtues of my inexhaustible bowl. This invitation -was joyfully accepted, the table was surrounded, the glasses were filled -and emptied, and we passed two agreeable hours in performing this -experiment. - -Owing to the prodigality of my "inexhaustible bowl of punch," my guests -were all affected by a tender expansion. They almost embraced on -parting; however, they contented themselves with shaking hands and -vowing an undying friendship. - -The instruction to be drawn from this anecdote is that, in offering a -farewell to the public, you should not wait till there are none left to -receive it. - -On leaving Hertford, I went to Cambridge, thence to Bury St. Edmunds, -Ipswich and Colchester, always taking receipts proportionate to the -importance of the towns. I have only three souvenirs of those five -towns: the failure at Hertford, the enthusiastic reception from the -Cambridge students, and the nuts at Colchester. - -But, it will be asked, what connexion can there be between nuts and a -magical performance. A word will explain the fact to the reader, and all -the tribulations this fruit caused me. - -It is the custom at Colchester that when a body goes to the theatre he -fills his pockets with nuts. These are cracked and eaten during the -performance as a species of refreshment. Men and women both suffer from -this cracking mania, so that a rolling fire is kept up through the -house, often powerful enough to drown the voice. - -Nothing affected my nerves so much as this incessant cracking; my first -performance suffered from it, and despite my efforts to master myself, I -went through the whole performance in a state of irritation. I -consented, however, to perform a second time, but the manager could not -induce me to promise a third. Although he assured me that his actors had -grown quite accustomed to this strange music, and that even a minor -actor might often be seen on the stage calmly cracking a nut while -awaiting the reply, I could not stand it any longer, and left the town. - -Most assuredly, the theatres in the smaller English towns are not equal -to those in the cities. - -At Colchester my tour was to end, and I was about starting for France, -when Knowles, the Manchester director, remembering my success at his -theatre, proposed to me to take a trip with him through Ireland and -Scotland. We had then reached the month of June, 1849, when Paris was -more than ever agitated by political questions; and theatres only -existed in France as memorials of the past. I did not waste much time in -forming a decision; I started with my English manager. - -Our excursion lasted no less than four months, and I did not step on -French soil again till the end of October. - -Need I describe the delight with which I presented myself once more -before a Parisian audience, whose kind patronage I had not forgotten? -Those professional men who, like myself, have been long absent from -Paris, will understand it, for they know nothing is so sweet to the -heart as the applause given by a man's fellow-citizens. - -Unfortunately, when I recommenced my performances, I noticed with sorrow -the change which had taken place in my health: the performances which I -formerly went through with no fatigue, now caused me a painful state of -exhaustion. - -It was easy to find a reason for this disagreeable change; fatigue, the -incessant thought connected with my performances, and still more the -foggy atmosphere of England, had exhausted my strength. My life had been -in some degree used up during my emigration. I should require a -lengthened rest to restore it, and I could not think of it at this -period, the best part of the season. I could only take precautions for -the future, in case I should find myself suddenly compelled by my health -to stop; so I decided on educating a pupil to take my place in case of -need, and whose labor might assist me in the meanwhile. - -A young man of pleasing exterior, and whose talent I was acquainted -with, seemed to offer the conditions I required. My proposals suited -him, and he immediately joined me. The future sleight-of-hand professor -evinced great aptitude and zeal in learning my lessons. I employed him -in a short time to prepare my experiments, then he aided me in the -management of my theatre, and when the summer of 1850 arrived, instead -of closing my rooms as usual, I continued to send out my bills; the only -change was that Hamilton's name was substituted for mine. - -Considering his short period of study, my provisional substitute could -not be yet very expert; still, he pleased, and the public were -satisfied. During this period I enjoyed in the country a repose that had -been long desired. - -A man who has made a long journey never feels the fatigue so acutely as -when he proposes to continue his journey after a few moments of rest. -This was what I experienced when, my holiday being ended, I was obliged -to leave the country to begin again the feverish existence of a theatre. -I never felt such lassitude; never had I a greater desire to enjoy -perfect liberty, to renounce those fatigues of an appointed hour, which -may be justly called the collar of misery. - -At this word, I see many of my readers start. "Why," they will say, -"thus call a labor whose object is to astonish an audience, and the -result to gain honor and profit?" - -I find myself compelled to prove the justice of the expression. - -The reader will easily understand that the fatigue, preoccupation and -responsibility attached to a magical performance do not prevent the -conjurer being subjected to the ordinary sufferings of humanity. Now, -whatever may be the nature of his sufferings or his grief, he must, at -an appointed hour each night, hide them in his bosom, and assume the -mask of happiness and health. - -This is, in itself, a painful task, but, believe me, reader, it is not -all; he must--and this is applicable to all professionals--under penalty -of ruin, enliven, animate and excite the public, or, in other words, -give them pleasure for their money. - -Can this be always equally easy? In truth, the position artists hold -would be intolerable, did not they find in the sympathy and applause of -the public a gentle recompense which makes them forget the minor -miseries of life. - -I may say it with pride, to the last moment of my artist life I only met -with sympathy and kindness; but the more I strove to render myself ever -worthy of them, the more I felt my strength failing me, and the more, -too, increased my desire to live in retirement and freedom. - -At last, in January, 1852, judging Hamilton fit to succeed me, I decided -on giving up my establishment to him, and in order that my theatre, the -fruit of my labors, might remain in the family, two contracts were -signed; and on the same day my pupil became my brother-in-law and my -successor. - -Still, however desirous an actor may be of retiring into private life, -he very rarely renounces at once and for ever the applause which has -become an agreeable stimulant for him. Hence, no surprise will be felt -on learning that, after a few months' rest, I proposed to give a few -more performances, as a final parting from the public. - -As I had not yet visited Germany, I proceeded to the banks of the Rhine. -Desiring no unnecessary fatigue, I resolved to reserve to myself the -choice of the places where I would perform. I therefore stopped, in -preference, at those festal places called "Baths," and visited in turn -Baden, Wiesbaden, Homburg, Aix-la-Chapelle, and Spa. Nearly each of my -performances was honored by the presence of one or more of the princes -regnant of the Germanic Confederation. - -It was my intention to return to France after my performances at Spa, -but, at the request of M. Engel, manager of a theatre at Berlin, I -retraced my steps, and started for the capital of Prussia. - -I had made a six weeks' engagement with M. Engel; but my success, and -the excellent terms on which I stood with my manager, induced me to -prolong it for three months. I could not have taken a more brilliant -leave of the public: for, probably, I never saw greater crowds run after -my performances. Thus the reception I obtained from the Berliner will -ever remain one of my pleasantest reminiscences. - -From Berlin I proceeded straight to the neighborhood of Blois, to the -retreat I had selected. - -Whatever might be my satisfaction in enjoying the freedom I had so long -desired, it would soon have undergone the fate common to all our -pleasures, and have grown flat by the mere effect of enjoyment, had I -not reserved for these blessed hours of leisure studies in which I hoped -to find a perennial source of amusement. After gaining a fortune by -labors unjustly regarded as futile, I was about to devote myself to -serious researches, as I had been formerly advised by a member of the -Institute. - -The circumstances to which I allude date back to the Exposition of 1844, -when I submitted my automata and mechanical curiosities. - -The jury entrusted with the examination of mechanical instruments, and -designs had come to my productions, and I had repeated the little -performance I had given a few days previously in the presence of Louis -Philippe. - -After listening with interest to the details of the numerous -difficulties I had to overcome in making my automata, one of the members -of the jury said to me: - -"It is a great pity, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, that you did not apply the -talent you have evinced in fancy objects to serious labors." - -This criticism wounded me the more, because at that period I considered -nothing superior to my works, and in my fairest dreams of the future I -desired no greater glory than that of the skillful inventor of the -"automaton duck." - -"Sir," I replied, in a tone that betrayed my pique, "I know no works -more serious than those which give a man an honest livelihood. Still, I -am ready to change my views, if you give me the same advice after you -have heard me. - -"At the period when I devoted myself to chronometers, I hardly earned -enough to live upon; at present, I have four workmen to help me in -making my automata; and as the least skillful among them earns six -francs a day, you can easily form an idea what I earn myself. - -"Now, sir, I ask you, if I ought to return to my old trade?" - -My critic was silent, but another member of the jury coming up to me, -said, in a low voice, - -"Go on, Monsieur Robert-Houdin--go on; I am convinced that your -ingenious works, after leading you to success, will conduct you straight -to useful discoveries." - -"Monsieur le Baron Séguier," I replied, in the same key, "I thank you -for your encouraging prediction, and will do my best to prove its -correctness."[E] - -I have followed the advice of the illustrious savant, and find myself -all the better for it. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - - Travels in Algeria--Convocation of the Chieftains--Performances - before the Arabs--A Kabyle rendered powerless--Invulnerability--A - Moor disappears--Panic and Flight of the - Audience--Reconciliation--The Sect of Aďssaoua--Their pretended - Miracles. - - -I have, then, reached the object of all my hopes: I have bidden an -eternal farewell to professional life, and from my retirement I wave my -hand in parting salutation to my kind and obliging patrons. Henceforth I -shall know no care or anxiety; free and tranquil, I am about to devote -myself to my peaceful studies, and enjoy the pleasantest existence man -ever had on earth. - -I was busily forming my plans of happiness, when, one day, I received a -letter from Colonel de Neveu, head of the political office at Algiers. -This distinguished functionary begged me to proceed to our colony, and -give my performances before the principal chieftains of the Arab tribes. - -This invitation reached me in the full of my honeymoon, if I may employ -the expression. Scarce recovered from the fatigues of my journey, I was -imbibing deep draughts of happiness, and it would have been a heavy -sacrifice to dispel the charm so soon. Hence, I expressed to Colonel de -Neveu my regret at not being able to accept his invitation. - -The colonel noted down my excuses, and, the following year, reminded me -of them. It was in 1855; but I had presented at the Universal -Exhibition several new applications of electricity to mechanism, and -having learned that the jury considered me worthy a reward, I would not -quit Paris till I had received it. Such was, at least, the motive on -which I based a new refusal, accompanied by my regret. - -But the colonel kept these excuses still in mind, and in June, 1856, he -presented them to me like a bill to be met. This time I had exhausted my -excuses, and though it cost me much to quit my retreat and brave the -caprices of the Mediterranean in the worst month of the year, I decided -on going. - -It was settled that I should reach Algiers by the next 27th of -September, the day on which the great fętes annually offered by the -capital of Algeria to the Arabs would commence. - -I must say that I was much influenced in my determination by the -knowledge that my mission to Algeria had a quasi-political character. I, -a simple conjurer, was proud of being able to render my country a -service. - -It is known that the majority of revolts which have to be suppressed in -Algeria are excited by intriguers, who say they are inspired by the -Prophet, and are regarded by the Arabs as envoys of God on earth to -deliver them from the oppression of the _Roumi_ (Christians). - -These false prophets and holy Marabouts, who are no more sorcerers than -I am, and indeed even less so, still contrive to influence the -fanaticism of their co-religionists by tricks as primitive as are the -spectators before whom they are performed. - -The government was, therefore, anxious to destroy their pernicious -influence, and reckoned on me to do so. They hoped, with reason, by the -aid of my experiments, to prove to the Arabs that the tricks of their -Marabouts were mere child's play, and owing to their simplicity could -not be done by an envoy from Heaven, which also led us very naturally to -show them that we are their superiors in everything, and, as for -sorcerers, there are none like the French. - -Presently I will show the success obtained by these skillful tactics. - -Three months were to elapse between the day of my acceptance and that of -my departure, which I employed in arranging a complete arsenal of my -best tricks, and left St. Gervais on the 10th of September. - -I will give no account of my passage, further than to say no sooner was -I at sea than I wished I had arrived, and, after thirty-six hours' -navigation, I greeted the capital of our colony with indescribable -delight. - -I was expected; an officer came off in an elegant boat and took me to -the Hôtel d'Orient, where a handsome suite of rooms was retained for me. - -The government had behaved nobly, for I was lodged like a prince. From -the window of my sitting-room I could survey the roads of Algiers, and -the prospect was only bounded by the horizon. The sea is always lovely -when seen from a window; thus each morning I admired it, and pardoned -its past slight insults. - -From my hotel I also gazed on the magnificent Government-square, planted -with orange trees, such as cannot be seen in France. They were at this -season laden with flowers and perfectly ripe fruit. - -Mme. Robert-Houdin and myself delighted in sitting beneath their shade -at nightfall and eating an ice before the doorway of an Algerian -Tortoni, while inhaling the perfumed breeze borne to us from the sea. -Next to this pleasure, nothing interested us so much as observing the -immense variety of persons moving around us. - -The five quarters of the world had sent their representatives to -Algeria: there were French, Spainards, Maltese, Italians, Germans, -Swiss, Prussians, Belgians, Portuguese, Poles, Russians, English and -Americans, all forming a portion of the population of Algeria. Add to -these the different Arabic types, such as Moors, Kabyles, Koulougly, -Biskri, Mozabites, Negroes, Arab Jews, &c., and an idea may be formed of -the sight unrolled before our eyes. - -When I arrived at Algiers, M. de Neveu told me that as a portion of -Kabylia had revolted, the marshal-governor had started with an -expeditionary corps to suppress it. In consequence of this, the fętes to -which the Arab chiefs were to be invited were deferred for a month, and -my performances put off for the same period. - -"I have now to ask you," the colonel added, "if you will sign this new -engagement?" - -"Mon colonel!" I replied, in a jocular tone, "I consider myself in -military employ. As I depend on the governor, I will be faithful to my -post, whatever may happen." - -"Very good, M. Robert-Houdin," the colonel said with a laugh; "you -behave like a true French soldier, and the colony will owe you thanks -for it. At the same time, we will try to make your service in Algeria as -light as possible. We have given orders at your hotel that madame and -yourself may have no cause to regret the comfort you left to come here." -(I have forgotten to say that, in signing my engagement, I stipulated -that Mme. Houdin should accompany me.) "If, while awaiting your official -performances, you might like to employ your leisure evenings at the town -theatre, the governor places it at your service thrice a week, the -other days belonging to the operatic company." - -This proposition suited me admirably, and I saw three advantages in it: -the first, to get my hand in, for I had left the stage for two years; -the second, to try the effect of my experiments on the town Arabs; the -third, to pocket a very welcome sum of money. I accepted; but when I -offered my thanks to M. de Neveu, he said, - -"It is our place to thank you, for, by giving performances at Algiers -during the Kabylian expedition, you render us a great service." - -"How, colonel?" - -"By employing the minds of the Algerines, we prevent them speculating on -the eventualities of the campaign, which might be very injurious to the -government." - -"That being so, I will set to work at once." - -The colonel started the next day to join the marshal, having previously -handed me over to the civil authorities; that is to say, he had -introduced me to M. de Guiroye, mayor of the town, who displayed extreme -kindness in facilitating the arrangements for my performances. - -It might be reasonably supposed that, owing to the high patronage that -supported me, I need only follow a path bestrewn with flowers, to use -the language of the poets. But it was not so: I had to endure many -annoyances, which might have vexed me greatly, had I not possessed a -stock of philosophy beyond ordinary mortals. - -M. D----, privileged manager of the Bab-Azoun Theatre, had commenced the -season with an operatic company, and, fearing lest the success of a -stranger on his stage might injure his own prospects, he complained -about it to the authorities. - -The mayor could offer him no other consolation than saying the -government ordered it. M. D---- protested, and even threatened to throw -up the management, but the mayor adhered to his inflexible decision. - -The city of Algiers thus suddenly saw itself exposed to a total -managerial eclipse, when, through a spirit of conciliation, I offered to -perform only twice a week, and defer beginning till the operatic début -was over. - -This concession slightly calmed the impresario, though it did not gain -me his good graces. M. D---- ever maintained a coldness towards me, -which evidenced his dissatisfaction, but I held an independent position, -and this coolness did not render me wretched. - -I also managed to escape from the annoyances aroused by certain -subalterns of the stage, and, being determined that my voyage to Algiers -should be a real pleasure-trip, I laughed at these puny attacks. -Besides, my attention was directed to a matter far more interesting to -me. - -The journals had announced my performances, and this statement -immediately aroused a paper warfare in the Algerian press, the -strangeness of which contributed no little to give increased publicity -to my representations. - -"Robert-Houdin," one paper said, "cannot be at Algiers, for we see daily -announced in the Paris papers, '_Robert-Houdin every evening at eight -o'clock_.'" - -"And why," another journal asked, pleasantly, "should not Robert-Houdin -perform in Algiers and yet remain all the while in Paris? Do we not know -that this sorcerer possesses the gift of ubiquity, and that he often -gives performances at Paris, Rome, and Moscow on the same evening?" - -The discussion went on thus, for several days, some denying my presence, -others affirming it. - -The public of Algiers were willing to accept this fact as one of those -pleasantries generally denominated _canards_, but they also wished to be -sure of not being victims of a delusion if they came to the theatre. - -At length the matter was taken up seriously, and the editors explained -that Mr. Hamilton, on succeeding his brother-in-law, had kept up the old -title; so that _Robert-Houdin_ was a term equally applicable to the -performer and to the style of performance. - -This curious discussion, the annoyances occasioned by M. D----, and, as -I hope I may believe, the attraction of my performance, brought me an -enormous audience. All the tickets were bought beforehand, and the house -was stiflingly hot, for the centigrade thermometer denoted 35 deg., and -we were in the middle of September. - -Poor spectators, how I pitied them! To judge from my own sensations, -they must all have been mummified on the spot. I feared that the -enthusiasm, as is the general rule, would be in an inverse ratio to the -temperature; but I had no cause to complain of my reception, and I drew -from this success a happy omen for the future. - -In order not to deprive my "official representations," as M. de Neveu -termed them, of the interest the reader will expect from them, I will -give no details of those which preceded them, and were so many -trial-balloons. I may say the Arabs who came were very few; for these -men, with their indolent and sensual temper, consider the happiness of -lying on a mat and smoking far above a spectacle. - -Hence the governor, guided by the profound knowledge he had of their -character, never invited them to a fęte: he sent them a military -summons. This occurred for my representations. - -As M. de Neveu had announced to me, the expeditionary corps returned to -Algiers on the 20th of October, and the fętes, suspended by the -campaign, were fixed for the 27th. Messengers were sent off to all parts -of the colony, and on the appointed day the chiefs of the tribes, -accompanied by a numerous suite, found themselves in the presence of the -marshal-governor. - -These autumnal fętes, the most brilliant held in Algeria, and probably -unrivalled in any country of the world, present a picturesque and really -remarkable scene. - -I should like to be able to paint here the strange aspect the capital -assumed on the arrival of the _goums_ of the Tell and the South. The -native camp, an inextricable pell-mell of huts for men and horses, -offering a thousand contrasts, strange as they were fascinating; the -brilliant cortége of the governor-general, in the midst of which the -Arab chiefs, with their stern faces, attracted the eye by the luxury of -their costumes, the beauty of their horses, and the brilliancy of their -gold-broidered trappings; and the marvellous hippodrome, situated -between the sea, the smiling hill of Mustapha, and the plain of -Hussein-Dey, over which gloomy mountains cast a sombre shade. But I will -say nothing about all this. Nor will I describe those military exercises -called a Fantasia, in which twelve hundred Arabs, mounted on splendid -steeds, and uttering wild cries as if on the battle-field, displayed the -utmost vigor, skill, and intelligence men can possess. Nor will I speak -of the admirable exhibition of Arab stallions, each exciting the most -lively satisfaction as it passed; for all this has been already -described, and I am longing to reach my own performances, which, I may -say, formed not the least interesting part of this fęte. I will only -allude to one circumstance, which struck me peculiarly. - -I saw a horseman, mounted on a magnificent Arab steed, beat all the -winners in a final heat. This horseman was twelve years of age, and -could pass under his horse without stooping. - -The races lasted three days, and I was to give my performances at the -end of the second and third. - -Before beginning, I will say a word about the Algiers theatre. - -It is a very neat house, in the style of the Variétés at Paris, and -decorated with considerable taste. It is situated at the extremity of -the Rue Bab-Azoun, on the _place_ bearing that name, and the façade is -peculiarly elegant. - -On first seeing this immense edifice, it would be assumed that the -interior was enormous: but it is nothing of the sort. The architect has -sacrificed everything to the claims of public order and ventilation, -while the stairs, passages, and green-room occupy as much space as the -house itself. Perhaps the architect took into consideration the limited -number of theatre-going people in Algiers, and thought that a small -house would offer performers a better chance of success. - -On the 28th of October, the day appointed for my first performance -before the Arabs, I reached my post at an early hour, and could enjoy -the sight of their entrance into the theatre. - -Each _goum_, drawn up in companies, was introduced separately, and led -in perfect order to the places chosen for it in advance. Then came the -turn of the chiefs, who seated themselves with all the gravity becoming -their character. - -Their introduction lasted some time, for these sons of nature could not -understand that they were boxed up thus, side by side, to enjoy a -spectacle, and our comfortable seats, far from seeming so to them, -bothered them strangely. I saw them fidgeting about for some time, and -trying to tuck their legs under them, after the fashion of European -tailors. - -Marshal Randon, with his family and suite, occupied the two stage-boxes -to the right of the stage, while the prefect and other civilian -authorities sat exactly facing him. As for Colonel de Neveu, he was -everywhere, as the arranger of the festival. - -The caďds, agas, bash-agas, and other titled Arabs, held the places of -honor, for they occupied the orchestra-stalls and the dress-circle. - -In the midst of them were several privileged officers, and, lastly, the -interpreters were mingled among the spectators, to translate my remarks -to them. - -I was also told that several curious people, having been unable to -procure tickets, had assumed the Arab burnous, and, binding the -camel's-hair cord round their foreheads, had slipped in among their new -co-religionists. - -This strange medley of spectators was indeed a most curious sight. The -dress-circle, more especially, presented an appearence as grand as it -was imposing. Some sixty Arab chiefs, clothed in their red mantles (the -symbol of their submission to France), on which one or more decorations -glistened, gravely awaited my performance with majestic dignity. - -I have performed before many brilliant assemblies, but never before one -which struck me so much as this. However, the impression I felt on the -rise of the curtain, far from paralyzing me, on the contrary inspired me -with a lively sympathy for the spectators, whose faces seemed so well -prepared to accept the marvels promised them. As soon as I walked on the -stage, I felt quite at my ease, and enjoyed, in anticipation, the sight -I was going to amuse myself with. - -I felt, I confess, rather inclined to laugh at myself and my audience, -for I stepped forth, wand in hand, with all the gravity of a real -sorcerer. Still, I did not give way, for I was here not merely to amuse -a curious and kind public, I must produce a startling effect upon coarse -minds and prejudices, for I was enacting the part of a French Marabout. - -Compared with the simple tricks of their pretended sorcerers, my -experiments must appear perfect miracles to the Arabs. - -I commenced my performance in the most profound, I might almost say -religious, silence, and the attention of the spectators was so great -that they seemed petrified. Their fingers alone moving nervously, played -with the beads of their rosaries, while they were, doubtlessly, invoking -the protection of the Most High. - -This apathetic condition did not suit me, for I had not come to Algeria -to visit a waxwork exhibition. I wanted movement, animation, life in -fact, around me. - -I changed my batteries, and, instead of generalizing my remarks, I -addressed them more especially to some of the Arabs, whom I stimulated -by my words, and still more by my actions. The astonishment then gave -way to a more expressive feeling, which was soon evinced by noisy -outbursts. - -This was especially the case when I produced cannonballs from a hat, for -my spectators, laying aside their gravity, expressed their delighted -admiration by the strangest and most energetic gestures. - -Then came--greeted by the same success--the bouquet of flowers, produced -instantaneously from a hat; the _cornucopia_, supplying a multitude of -objects, which I distributed though unable to satisfy the repeated -demands made on all sides, and still more by those who had their hands -full already; the _five-franc pieces_, sent across the theatre into a -crystal box suspended above the spectators. - -One trick I should much have liked to perform was the _inexhaustible -bottle_, so appreciated by the Parisians and the Manchester "hands;" but -I could not employ it in this performance, for it is well known the -followers of Mohammed drink no fermented liquor--at least not publicly. -Hence, I substituted the following with considerable advantage. - -I took a silver cup, like those called "punch bowls" in the Parisians -cafés. I unscrewed the foot, and passing my wand through it showed that -the vessel contained nothing; then, having refitted the two parts, I -went to the centre of the pit, when, at my command, the bowl was -_magically_ filled with sweetmeats, which were found excellent. - -The sweetmeats exhausted, I turned the bowl over, and proposed to fill -it with excellent coffee; so, gravely passing my hand thrice over the -bowl, a dense vapor immediately issued from it, and announced the -presence of the precious liquid. The bowl was full of boiling coffee, -which I poured into cups, and offered to my astounded spectators. - -The first cups were only accepted, so to speak, under protest; for not -an Arab would consent to moisten his lips with a beverage which he -thought came straight from Shaitan's kitchen; but, insensibly seduced by -the perfume of their favorite liquor, and urged by the interpreters, -some of the boldest decided on tasting the magic liquor, and all soon -followed their example. - -The vessel, rapidly emptied, was repeatedly filled again with equal -rapidity; and it satisfied all demands, like my inexhaustible bottle, -and was borne back to the stage still full. - -But it was not enough to amuse my spectators; I must also, in order to -fulfil the object of my mission, startle and even terrify them by the -display of a supernatural power. - -My arrangements had all been made for this purpose, and I had reserved -for the end of my performances three tricks, which must complete my -reputation as a sorcerer. - -Many of my readers will remember having seen at my performances a small -but solidly-built box, which, being handed to the spectators, becomes -heavy or light at my order; a child might raise it with ease, and yet -the most powerful man could not move it from its place. - -I advanced with my box in my hand, to the centre of the "practicable," -communicating from the stage to the pit; then, addressing the Arabs, I -said to them: - -"From what you have witnessed, you will attribute a supernatural power -to me, and you are right. I will give you a new proof of my marvellous -authority, by showing that I can deprive the most powerful man of his -strength and restore it at my will. Any one who thinks himself strong -enough to try the experiment may draw near me." (I spoke slowly, in -order to give the interpreter time to translate my words.) - -An Arab of middle height, but well built and muscular, like many of the -Arabs are, came to my side with sufficient assurance. - -"Are you very strong?" I said to him, measuring him from head to foot. - -"Oh yes!" he replied carelessly. - -"Are you sure you will always remain so?" - -"Quite sure." - -"You are mistaken, for in an instant I will rob you of your strength, -and you shall become as a little child." - -The Arab smiled disdainfully as a sign of his incredulity. - -"Stay," I continued; "lift up this box." - -The Arab stooped, lifted up the box, and said to me, coldly, "Is that -all?" - -"Wait----!" I replied. - -Then, with all possible gravity, I made an imposing gesture, and -solemnly pronounced the words: - -"Behold! you are weaker than a woman; now, try to lift the box." - -The Hercules, quite cool as to my conjuration, seized the box once again -by the handle, and gave it a violent tug, but this time the box -resisted, and, spite of his most vigorous attacks, would not budge an -inch. - -The Arab vainly expended on this unlucky box a strength which would have -raised an enormous weight, until, at length, exhausted, panting, and red -with anger, he stopped, became thoughtful, and began to comprehend the -influences of magic. - -He was on the point of withdrawing; but that would be allowing his -weakness, and that he, hitherto respected for his vigor, had become as a -little child. This thought rendered him almost mad. - -Deriving fresh strength from the encouragements his friends offered him -by word and deed, he turned a glance round them, which seemed to say: -"You will see what a son of the desert can do." - -He bent once again over the box: his nervous hands twined round the -handle, and his legs, placed on either side like two bronze columns, -served as a support for the final effort. - -But, wonder of wonders! this Hercules, a moment since so strong and -proud, now bows his head; his arms, riveted to the box, undergo a -violent muscular contraction; his legs give way, and he falls on his -knees with a yell of agony! - -An electric shock, produced by an inductive apparatus, had been passed, -on a signal from me, from the further end of the stage into the handle -of the box. Hence the contortions of the poor Arab! - -It would have been cruelty to prolong this scene. - -I gave a second signal, and the electric current was immediately -intercepted. My athlete, disengaged from his terrible bondage, raised -his hands over his head. - -"Allah! Allah!" he exclaimed, full of terror; then wrapping himself up -quickly in the folds of his burnous, as if to hide his disgrace, he -rushed through the ranks of the spectators and gained the front -entrance. - -With the exception of my stage boxes and the privileged spectators who -appeared to take great pleasure in this experiment, my audience had -become grave and silent, and I heard the words "Shaitan!" "Djenoum!" -passing in a murmur round the circle of credulous men, who, while gazing -on me, seemed astonished that I possessed none of the physical qualities -attributed to the angel of darkness. - -I allowed my public a few moments to recover from the emotion produced -by my experiment and the flight of the herculean Arab. - -One of the means employed by the Marabouts to gain influence in the eyes -of the Arabs is by causing a belief in their invulnerability. - -One of them, for instance, ordered a gun to be loaded and fired at him -from a short distance, but in vain did the flint produce a shower of -sparks; the Marabout pronounced some cabalistic words, and the gun did -not explode. - -The mystery was simple enough; the gun did not go off because the -Marabout had skillfully stopped up the vent. - -Colonel de Neveu explained to me the importance of discrediting such a -miracle by opposing to it a sleight-of-hand trick far superior to it, -and I had the very article. - -I informed the Arabs that I possessed a talisman rendering me -invulnerable, and I defied the best marksman in Algeria to hit me. - -I had hardly uttered the words, when an Arab, who had attracted my -notice by the attention he had paid to my tricks, jumped over four rows -of seats, and disdaining the use of the "practicable," crossed the -orchestra, upsetting flutes, clarionets, and violins, escaladed the -stage, while burning himself at the foot-lights, and then said, in -excellent French, - -"I will kill you!" - -An immense burst of laughter greeted both the Arab's picturesque ascent -and his murderous intentions, while an interpreter who stood near me -told me I had to deal with a Marabout. - -"You wish to kill me!" I replied, imitating his accent and the -inflection of his voice. "Well, I reply, that though you are a sorcerer, -I am still a greater one, and you will not kill me." - -I held a cavalry pistol in my hand, which I presented to him. - -"Here, take this weapon, and assure yourself it has undergone no -preparation." - -The Arab breathed several times down the barrel, then through the -nipple, to assure himself there was a communication between them, and -after carefully examining the pistol, said: - -"The weapon is good, and I will kill you." - -"As you are determined, and for more certainty, put in a double charge -of powder, and a wad on the top." - -"It is done." - -"Now, here is a leaden ball; mark it with your knife, so as to be able -to recognize it, and put it in the pistol, with a second wad." - -"It is done." - -"Now that you are quite sure your pistol is loaded, and that it will -explode, tell me, do you feel no remorse, no scruple about killing me -thus, although I authorize you to do so?" - -"No, for I wish to kill you," the Arab repeated, coldly. - -Without replying, I put an apple on the point of a knife, and, standing -a few yards from the Marabout, ordered him to fire. - -"Aim straight at the heart," I said to him. - -My opponent aimed immediately, without the slightest hesitation. - -The pistol exploded, and the bullet lodged in the centre of the apple. - -I carried the talisman to the Marabout, who recognized the ball he had -marked. - -I could not say that this trick produced greater stupefaction than the -ones preceding it: at any rate, my spectators, palsied by surprise and -terror, looked round in silence, seeming to think, "Where the deuce have -we got to here!" - -A pleasant scene, however, soon unwrinkled many of their faces. The -Marabout, though stupefied by his defeat, had not lost his wits; so, -profiting by the moment when he returned me the pistol, he seized the -apple, thrust it into his waist-belt, and could not be induced to return -it, persuaded as he was that he possessed in it an incomparable -talisman. - -For the last trick in my performance I required the assistance of an -Arab. - -At the request of several interpreters, a young Moor, about twenty years -of age, tall, well built, and richly dressed, consented to come on the -stage. Bolder and more civilized, doubtlessly, than his comrades of the -plains, he walked firmly up to me. - -I drew him towards the table that was in the centre of the stage, and -pointed out to him and to the other spectators that it was slightly -built and perfectly isolated. After which, without further preface, I -told him to mount upon it, and covered him with an enormous cloth cone, -open at the top. - -Then, drawing the cone and its contents on to a plank, the ends of which -were held by my servant and myself, we walked to the foot-lights with -our heavy burden, and upset it. The Moor had disappeared--the cone was -perfectly empty! - -Immediately there began a spectacle which I shall never forget. - -The Arabs were so affected by this last trick, that, impelled by an -irresistible feeling of terror, they rose in all parts of the house, and -yielded to the influence of a general panic. To tell the truth, the -crowd of fugitives was densest at the door of the dress circle, and it -could be seen, from the agility and confusion of these high dignitaries, -that they were the first to wish to leave the house. - -Vainly did one of them, the Caďd of the Beni-Salah, more courageous than -his colleagues, try to restrain them by his words: - -"Stay! stay! we cannot thus lose one of our co-religionists. Surely we -must know what has become of him, or what has been done to him. Stay! -stay!" - -But the co-religionists only ran away the faster, and soon the -courageous caďd, led away by their example, followed them. - -They little knew what awaited them at the door of the theatre; but they -had scarce gone down the steps when they found themselves face to face -with the "resuscitated Moor." - -The first movement of terror overcome, they surrounded the man, felt and -cross-questioned him; but, annoyed by these repeated questions, he had -no better resource than to escape at full speed. - -The next evening the second performance took place, and produced nearly -the same effect as the previous one. - - * * * * * - -The blow was struck: henceforth the interpreters and all those who had -dealings with the Arabs received orders to make them understand that my -pretended miracles were only the result of skill, inspired and guided by -an art called _prestidigitation_, in no way connected with sorcery. - -The Arabs doubtlessly yielded to these arguments, for henceforth I was -on the most friendly terms with them. Each time a chief saw me, he never -failed to come up and press my hand. And, even more, these men whom I -had so terrified, when they became my friends, gave me a precious -testimony of their esteem--I may say, too, of their admiration, for that -is their own expression. - -Three days had elapsed since my last performance, when I received a -despatch from the governor, ordering me to be at the palace by twelve -o'clock, _military time_. - -Of course I kept the appointment, and the last stroke of twelve was -still striking by the clock of the neighboring mosque when I sent in my -name at the palace. A staff officer immediately came to me. - -"Come with me, M. Robert-Houdin," he said, with a half mysterious air. -"I am ordered to conduct you." - -I followed my conductor, and, as the door of a magnificent room was open -at the end of a gallery we crossed, I saw a strange sight. Some thirty -of the most important Arab chiefs were arranged in a circle, of which I -naturally formed the centre when I entered the room. - -"Salâm aleikoum!" they said, in a grave and almost solemn voice, as they -laid their hands on their hearts. - -I first returned this salutation by bowing in the French fashion, and -then by several hand-shakings, beginning with those chiefs whose -acquaintance I had already formed. - -At the head was the Bash-Aga Bou-Allem, the African Rothschild, in whose -tent I had drunk my coffee at the Arab camp during the races. - -Next came the Caďd Assa, with a wooden leg, who had also offered me -pipes and coffee in the same encampment. As this chief did not -understand a word of French, my friend Boukandoura was enabled, during a -visit we paid him, to tell me the history of the wooden leg in his -presence. - -"Assa," my friend said, "having had his leg shattered in an affair -against the French, owed his escape to the speed of his horse. Once in a -place of safety, he himself cut off his leg above the knee, and then, in -his wild energy, thrust the mutilated stump into a vessel full of -boiling pitch, in order to stop the hemorrhage." - -Wishing to return the salutations I had received, I went round the -group, offering my hand to each in turn. But my task was remarkably -abridged, for the ranks thinned at my approach, as many of the company -had not the courage to take the hand of a man they had seriously -regarded as a sorcerer or the demon in person. - -This incident, however, did not disturb the ceremony in any way. After a -laugh at the pusillanimity of the fugitives, each re-assumed that -gravity which is the normal condition of the Arab countenance. - -Then the most aged chief in the assembly advanced towards me, and -unrolled an enormous MS. It was an address, written in verse, a perfect -masterpiece of native caligraphy, and adorned with graceful arabesques -drawn by hand. - -The worthy Arab, who was at least seventy years of age, then read, in a -loud voice, the piece of Mussulman poetry, which was perfectly -unintelligible to me, as I knew only three words of Arabic. - -When the reading was ended, the orator drew from his belt the signet of -his tribe, and solemnly placed it at the bottom of the page. The -principal Arab chiefs and dignitaries followed his example, and when all -the seals had been affixed, my old friend took the paper, and after -assuring himself the imprints were quite dry, he rolled it up and -presented it to me, saying, in excellent French, and in a tone that -revealed his sincerity: - -"To a merchant, gold is given; to a warrior, arms are offered; to thee, -Robert-Houdin, we present a testimony of our admiration, which thou -canst hand down to thy children." And, translating a verse he had just -read in Arabic, he added, "Pardon us for presenting thee with such a -trifle, but is it fitting to offer mother-o'-pearl to the man who -possesses the real jewel?" - -I avow very frankly that never in my life did I experience such sweet -emotion--never had my success penetrated so fully to my heart; and, -moved more than I can express, I turned to wipe away a tear of sympathy. - -These details, as well as the following, certainly wound my modesty a -little, but I cannot make up my mind to pass them over in silence; -hence, I must beg the reader to accept them as a mere picture of -manners. - -I declare, too, that the thought never entered my mind of having -deserved such praise, and yet I cannot refrain from feeling as much -flattered as grateful for this homage, and regarding it as the most -precious souvenir of my professional career. - -This declaration made, I will furnish a translation of the address, in -the words used by the caligrapher himself: - - "Homage offered to Robert-Houdin, by the chiefs of the Arab tribes, - after his performances given at Algiers on the 28th and 29th of - October, 1856. - - "GLORY TO GOD, - - who teaches us what we know not, and enables us to express the - treasures of the mind by the flowers of eloquence and the signs of - writing. - - "Generous-handed destiny has sent down from above, in the midst of - lightning and thunder, like a powerful and fertilizing rain, the - marvel of the moment and the age, him who cultivates the surprising - arts and marvellous sciences--the _Sid_-Robert-Houdin. - - "Our century has seen no one comparable with him. The splendor of - his talent surpasses the most brilliant productions of past ages. - Our age is the more illustrious because it has possessed him. - - "He has known how to stir our hearts and astonish our minds, by - displaying to us the surprising facts of his marvellous science. - Our eyes were never before fascinated by such prodigies. What he - accomplishes cannot be described. We owe him our gratitude for all - the things by which he has delighted our eyes and our minds; hence, - our friendship for him has sunk into our hearts like a perfumed - shower, and our bosoms preciously conceal it. - - "We shall in vain attempt to raise our praises to the height of his - merit; we must lower our brows before him and pay him homage, so - long as the benevolent shower fertilizes the soil, so long as the - moon illuminates the night, so long as the clouds come to temper - the heat of the sun. - -"Written by the slave of God, -"ALI-BEN-EL-HADJI MOUSSA. - - "Pardon us for presenting thee with," &c. &c. - - Then follow the seals and signatures of the chiefs of the tribes. - -After the ceremony was over, and the Arabs had left us, the -marshal-governor, whom I had not seen since my performances, being -desirous to give me an idea of the effect they had produced on the minds -of the natives, quoted the following incident: - -A Kabyle chief, who had come to Algiers to make his submission, was -taken to my first performance. - -The next day, at an early hour, he went to the palace, and asked to -speak with the governor. - -"I have," he said to the marshal, "to ask your permission to return -immediately to my tribe." - -"You must be aware," the marshal replied, "that the forms are not yet -filled up, and the papers will not be in order for three days; you will, -therefore, remain for that period." - -"Allah is great," the Arab said, "and if it pleaseth Him I shall go away -before, you will not be able to stop me." - -"You will not go, I feel certain, if I forbid it. But tell me, why are -you in such a hurry to leave?" - -"After what I saw yesterday I don't wish to stay in Algiers; a -misfortune would happen to me." - -"Did you regard the miracles as real?" - -The Kabyle surveyed the marshal with an air of astonishment, and, -without replying directly to the question addressed him, said: - -"Instead of killing your soldiers in conquering the Kabyles, send your -French Marabout to the most rebel tribes, and before a fortnight he will -bring them all to you." - -The Kabyle did _not_ leave, for the interpreters managed to remove his -fears; still he was one of those who kept furthest aloof from me during -the ceremony I have described. - -Another Arab also said, on leaving one of my performances: - -"Our Marabouts must now do very great miracles to astonish us." - -These statements from the governor's own lips were very agreeable to me, -for up to that moment I had felt rather uneasy; and although I was -certain I had produced a startling impression by my performances, I was -enchanted at learning that the object of my mission had been carried out -according to the wishes of government. In addition, before I started for -France, the marshal was kind enough to assure me once again that my -performances in Algeria had produced the happiest effect in the minds of -the natives. - -Although my performances were ended, I was in no hurry to return to -France. I was curious, in my turn, to witness a conjuring performance of -the Marabouts, or other native jugglers. I had also promised several -Arab chiefs to visit them in their _douars_, and I wished to enjoy this -double pleasure. - -There are few Frenchmen who, after a short stay in Algeria, have not -heard of the Aďssaoua and their marvels. The stories I had been told of -the experiments performed by the followers of Sid-Aďssa had inspired me -with the liveliest desire to see them, and I was persuaded that all -their miracles were only more or less ingenious tricks, which I should -be able to detect. - -As M. le Colonel Neveu had promised me the opportunity of seeing them, -he kept his word. - -On a day chosen by the Mokaddem, the usual president of this sort of -meeting, we went, accompanied by several staff officers and their wives, -to an Arab house, and proceeded through a low archway into the inner -court, where the ceremony was to take place. Lights artistically fixed -on the walls, and carpets spread on the pavement, awaited the arrival of -the brothers, while a cushion was reserved for the Mokaddem. - -We all took our seats where we should not disturb the performance, and -our ladies went up to a gallery on the first floor, and thus represented -our dress-boxes. - -But I will let Colonel Neveu himself describe this scene, by copying -_verbatim_ from his interesting work "The Religious Orders among the -Mussulmans of Algeria:" - -"The Aďssaoua entered, formed a circle in the courtyard, and soon began -their chants. These were at first slow and solemn chants, and lasted a -long time; then came the praises of Sidi-Muhammad-Ben-Aďssa, founder of -the order; after which the Brethren and the Mokaddem, taking up cymbals -and tambourines, gradually increased the speed of the chanting. - -"After about two hours the songs had become wild cries, and the gestures -of the Brethren had followed the same impulse. Suddenly some of them -rose and formed a line, dancing, and pronouncing as gutturally as they -could, and with all the vigor of their energetic lungs, the sacred name -of Allah. This word, issuing from the mouths of the Aďssaoua, seemed -rather a savage growl than an invocation addressed to the Supreme Being. -Soon the noise increased, the most extravagant gestures began, while -turbans fell off and exposed their shorn heads, which look like those of -vultures; the long folds of their red sashes became unfastened, -embarrassing their movements and increasing their disorder. - -"Then the Aďssaoua moved about on their hands and knees, imitating the -movements of wild animals. They seemed to be acting under the influence -of some muscular force, and they forgot they were men. - -"When the excitement had reached its height, and the perspiration was -running down their bodies, the Aďssaoua began their juggling. They -called the Mokaddem their father, and asked him for food; he gave to -some pieces of glass, which they champed between their teeth; he placed -nails in the mouths of others, but, instead of swallowing them, they -carefully hid their heads in the folds of the Mokaddem's burnous, in -order not to let the audience see them remove them. Some devoured thorns -and thistles; others passed their tongues over a red-hot iron and took -them in their hands without burning themselves. One man struck his left -arm with his right hand: the flesh appeared to open, and the blood -poured forth abundantly; then he passed his hand over his arm, the wound -closed, and the blood disappeared. Another leaped on to the edge of a -sabre held by two men, and did not cut his feet, while others produced -from small leathern sacks scorpions and serpents, which they boldly -placed in their mouths." - -I had concealed myself behind a pillar, whence I could survey everything -without being noticed. I insisted on not being the dupe of these -mysterious tricks: hence I paid the closest attention. - -Both through the remarks I made on the scene of action, and the ulterior -researches I undertook, I am now in a position to give a satisfactory -explanation of the miracles of the Aďssaoua. But, not to interrupt my -narrative, I will refer the reader who is anxious for these details to -the end of this volume, and the special chapter I have christened A -CHAPTER OF MIRACLES. - -I believe myself the more competent to supply these explanations, as -some of the tricks belong to conjuring proper, and others are based on -phenomena drawn from the physical sciences. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - - Excursion in the Interior of Africa--The Abode of a Bash-Aga--A - comical Repast--A Soirée of Arab Dignitaries--A Marabout - mystified--Tent-life in Algeria--I return to France--A terrible - Storm--Conclusion. - - -Once possessed of the secret of the juggling performed by the Aďssaoua, -I was able to start for the interior of Africa. I therefore set out, -provided with letters from Colonel de Neveu, to several heads of the -Arab department, his subordinates, and I took with me Mme. -Robert-Houdin, who was quite delighted at the thought of making this -excursion. - -We were going to visit the Arab beneath his tent or in his house; eat -his "couscoussou," which we only knew by name; study for ourselves the -domestic manners and customs of Africa: this was certainly enough to -inflame our imagination. So much was this the case, that I hardly ever -thought that the month in which we should re-embark for France would be -the one in which the Mediterranean is so stormy. - -Among the Arabs who had invited me to visit them, Bou-Allem-Ben-Sherifa, -Bash-Aga of the D'jendel, had pressed me so strongly that I determined -on commencing my round of visits with him. - -Our journey from Algiers to Médéah was most prosaic, for a diligence -conveyed us there in two days. - -Apart from the interest inspired in us by the peculiar vegetation of -Algeria, as well as the famous peak of the Mouzaďa, which we passed at a -gallop, the incidents of the journey were the same as on any French high -road. The hotels were kept by Frenchmen, and you dined at the table -d'hôte on the same fare, at the same price, and with the same -attendance. This bagman's existence was not what we had anticipated on -leaving Algiers. Hence, we were delighted to get out at Médéah, as the -diligence did not follow the same road as ourselves beyond this point. - -Captain Ritter, head of the Arab office at Médéah, to whom I went, had -seen my performances at Algiers: hence, I had no occasion to hand him -the letter of recommendation addressed to him by M. de Neveu. He -received me with great affability, and Mme. Ritter joined her entreaties -to her husband's that we should visit the town. I indeed regretted being -obliged to leave such agreeable persons the next morning; but I was -obliged to hurry my tour over before the autumnal rains set in, which -render the roads impracticable, and often, indeed, very dangerous. - -The captain acceded to my wishes; he lent us two horses from his stable, -and gave us as a guide to Bou-Allem's a caďd who spoke French -excellently. - -This Arab had been caught when quite a youth in a hut which Abd-ul-Khadr -had been forced to abandon after one of his numerous defeats. The -government sent the lad to the Louis-le Grand College, where he got on -excellently in his studies. But, constantly pursued by the remembrance -of his African sky, and the national "couscoussou" our bachelor of arts -asked the favor of being sent back to Algeria. Owing to his education he -was made caďd of a small tribe, whose name I have forgotten, but which -lay on the route we were going to take. - -My guide--whom I will call Muhammad, because I have forgotten his name -also (for Arab names are difficult to remember by those who have not -lived some time in Algeria)--Muhammad, then, was accompanied by four -Arabs of his tribe: two of them were to carry our baggage, and the other -two wait upon us. All were mounted, and proceeded before us. - -We started at eight in the morning, as our first stage was not to be -long, for Muhammad assured me that, if it pleased God (a formula a true -believer never omits in speaking of the future), we should arrive at his -house in time for breakfast. In fact, about three hours after we had set -out, our little caravan reached Muhammad's modest _douar_, and we -dismounted in front of a villa, entirely composed of branches, of which -the roof was hardly of man's height. This was the caďd's reception-room. - -The door was opened, and our guide showed us the way by walking in -first. Only one piece of furniture ornamented the interior; it was a -small wooden stool, which my wife converted into a seat. Muhammad and I -seated ourselves on a carpet, which an Arab had spread at our feet, and -breakfast was soon served up. Muhammad, who, I fancy, wished to gain our -pardon for a grave crime he was about to commit, treated us sumptuously, -and almost in the French style. A rich soup, roast fowls, various -ragoűts, which I cannot describe, as my culinary studies have been very -limited, and pastry, which Félix himself would not have disowned, were -placed before us in turn. More than that, my wife and I had been handed -an iron knife, fork and spoon--an unheard of thing at an Arab's. - -The meal had been brought from an adjacent _gourbi_, where the caďd's -mother resided. This lady had lived in Algiers for a long time, where -she had acquired the skill of which she had just offered us a specimen. - -As for Muhammad, he had resumed the fashions of his ancestors, with the -Mussulman costume, and lived on dates and "couscoussou," save when he -had any guests, which was extremely rare. - -Our breakfast over, the host advised to set out again, if we wished to -reach Bou-Allem's before nightfall; and we followed his advice. - -From Médéah to Muhammad's _douar_ we had followed a tolerable road, but -on leaving his house we entered on a barren and desert country, where we -saw no other signs of a road than those left by ourselves. The sun -poured its most torrid beams upon our heads, and we found no shade along -our route to protect us from it. Frequently, too, our progress became -very laborious, for we came to ravines, into which we had to descend at -the risk of our horses' knees and our own necks. To restore our -patience, our guide told us we should soon reach more even ground, and -we continued our journey. - -About two hours after leaving our first halt, Muhammad quitted us at -full gallop, saying he would soon return, and disappeared behind a -mound. - -We never saw our caďd again. - -I learned, afterwards, that in his jealousy of Bou-Allem's wealth, he -preferred incurring a punishment sooner than pay a visit to his rival. - -This flight rendered my wife and myself very uncomfortable, and we -exchanged our ideas on the subject, with no fear of being understood by -our guides. We were alarmed by the bad example given by Muhammad. -Suppose the four Arabs were to imitate their chief, and also abandon us! -What would become of us in a country where, even if we were to meet -anybody, we could not make him understand our wishes? - -But we escaped with the fear. Our worthy guides remained faithful to us, -and were even very polite and attentive during the journey. Besides, as -Muhammad had told us, we soon reached a road leading us straight to the -abode of Bou-Allem. - -Compared with the caďd's house, the bash-aga's might be considered a -princely residence, less, however, through the architectural beauty of -the buildings than through their extent. As in all Arab houses, only -walls could be seen from without; all the windows looked on court-yards -or gardens. - -Bou-Allem and his son, warned of our arrival, came to meet us, and paid -us in Arabic compliments I did not understand, but which I supposed to -be the usual salâmalecks, that is to say: - -"Be ye welcome, oh ye invited of Deity!" - -Such, however, was my confidence, that, whatever might have been said to -me, I should have accepted it as a compliment. - -We dismounted, and sat down upon a stone bench, where coffee was soon -served up to us. In Algeria people drink coffee and smoke the whole day -long. It is true that this beverage is not made so strong as in France, -and the cups are very small. - -Bou-Allem, after lighting a pipe, handed it to me: it was an honor he -did me to let me smoke after him, and I could not decline it, though I -might have preferred it to be just the "other way about." - -As I have already stated, I only knew three or four words of Arabic, and -with such a poor vocabulary it was difficult to talk with my hosts. -Still, they evidenced great joy at my arrival, for every moment they -renewed their protestations, while laying their hands on their hearts. -I replied by similar signs, and hence had not to draw on my imagination -to keep up the conversation. - -Later, however, urged by an appetite whose prompt satisfaction I did not -calculate on, I ventured on a new pantomime. Laying my hand on the pit -of my stomach, and assuming a suffering air, I tried to make Bou-Allem -comprehend that we required more substantial food than civil -compliments. The intelligent Arab understood me, and gave orders for the -meal to be hastened on. - -In the meanwhile, and to keep us quiet, he offered, by gestures, to show -us his apartments. - -We ascended a small stone staircase, and, on arriving at the first -floor, our guide opened a door, which offered this peculiarity, that, to -pass through it, you were obliged to lower your head and lift your foot -simultaneously. In other words, this door was so low, that a man of -ordinary height could not pass through it without stooping, and, as the -floor was raised, you were obliged to step up on it. - -This chamber was the bash-aga's reception-room; the walls were covered -with red arabesques relieved with gold, and the ground strewn with -magnificent Turkey carpets. Four divans, covered with rich silk stuffs, -completed the entire furniture, with a small mahogany table, on which -were spread pipes, porcelain coffee cups, and other objects especially -used by Mussulmen. Among them, Bou-Allem took up a flask filled with -rose-water, and poured it on our hands. The perfume was delicate; -unfortunately, our host wished to do things grandly, and in order to -show the esteem he held us in, employed the rest of the bottle in -literally sprinkling us from head to foot. - -We visited two other large rooms, more simply decorated than the first, -and in one of them was an enormous divan. Bou-Allem made us comprehend -that was where he slept. - -These details would have been very interesting at any other moment, but -we were dying of hunger, and, according to the proverb, "a starving -belly has neither eyes nor ears." I was just going to recommence my -famous pantomime, when, in passing through a small room, in which the -only furniture was a carpet, our cicerone opened his mouth, pointed with -his finger that something was to be placed in it, and thus made us -understand we were in the dining-room. I laid my hand on my heart to -express all the pleasure I experienced. - -By Bou-Allem's invitation we sat down on the carpet, round a large -waiter put down in place of a table. - -Once seated, two Arabs came in to wait on us. - -In France, servants wait with their heads uncovered; in Algeria, they -keep on their head-covering; but, in return, as a mark of respect, they -leave their shoes at the door, and serve barefooted. Between our -servants and those of the Arabs the only difference is from head to -foot. - -We were the only guests seated with Bou-Allem, for the son had not the -honor of dining with his father, who always ate alone. - -A species of salad-bowl, filled with something like pumpkin soup, was -brought in, and I am very fond of that dish. - -"What a fortunate thing," I said to my wife, "Bou-Allem has guessed my -taste; how I will do honor to his cook." - -My host, doubtlessly, understood the meaning of my remark, for, after -offering us each a clumsy wooden spoon, he begged us to follow his -example, and plunged his weapon in up to the wrist. We imitated him. - -I soon took out an enormous spoonful, which I hastily lifted to my -mouth; but I had scarce tasted it ere I exclaimed with a horrible -grimace: - -"Pouah! what can that be? My mouth is on fire." - -My wife withdrew the spoonful she had raised to her lips, but either her -appetite or her curiosity induced her to taste it. She did so, but soon -joined me in coughing. It was a regular pepper-pot. - -While apparently vexed at this contretemps, our host swallowed enormous -spoonfuls of the soup, and each time he stretched out his arm with an -air of beatitude, intended to convey to us, "And yet how good it is." - -The soup-tureen was taken away almost empty. - -"Bueno! bueno!" Bou-Allem exclaimed, pointing to a dish just placed -before us. - -Bueno is Spanish, and the worthy bash-aga, knowing two or three words of -that language, was not vexed to display his learning to us. - -This famous dish was a species of ragoűt, bearing some affinity to -haricot mutton. When I lived at Belleville, this was the masterpiece of -Mme. Auguste, and I always gave it a very good reception. Hence, in -remembrance of my good old cook, I was about to fall on the ragoűt; but -I looked around in vain for a fork, a knife, or even the wooden spoon -handed us for the soup. - -Bou-Allem released me from the dilemma; he showed me, by himself -plunging his fingers into the dish, that a fork was a very useless -instrument. - -As hunger tormented us, we overcame our repugnance, and my wife, to -encourage me, delicately fished up a small piece of mutton. The sauce -was very highly spiced, but still, by eating very little meat and a -great deal of bread, we were enabled to render the poison innocuous. - -That I might be agreeable to my host, I unfortunately repeated the -Spanish words he had taught me. This compliment, which he believed -sincere, caused him extreme pleasure, and he drew out from the dish a -bone with meat hanging to it, and after tearing off some pieces with his -nails, offered them politely to my wife. - -I wondered how Madame Houdin would get rid of this singular present; but -she did so much more cleverly than I expected. Bou-Allem having turned -his head to give an order, the piece of meat was restored to the dish -with astounding craft, and we were much inclined to laugh when our host, -unsuspectingly, took this very piece of mutton for his own -gratification. - -We welcomed with great satisfaction a roast fowl served after the -ragoűt; I took on myself to carve it, or, in other words, to tear it -asunder with my fingers, and I did so most delicately. We found it so -much to our taste that not a particle was left. - -Then came other dishes, which we tasted with due care, among them being -the famous "couscoussou," which I found detestable, and the meal -terminated with sweetmeats. - -Our hands were in a deplorable condition, and an Arab brought us each a -basin and soap to wash them. - -Bou-Allem, after performing the operation, and washing his beard with -the greatest care, took a handful of soapsuds and rinsed his mouth. This -was the only liquor served at table. - -After dinner we proceeded to another room, and, on the road were joined -by a young Arab whom Bou-Allem had sent for. This man had been for a -long time servant at Algiers, and spoke French excellently; hence he -would serve as our interpreter. - -We entered a small room very elegantly decorated, in which were two -divans. - -"This," our host said, "is the room reserved for guests of distinction; -you can go to bed when you like, but if you are not tired, I would ask -your leave to present to you several chief men of my tribe, who, having -heard of you, wish to see you." - -"Let them come in," I said, after consulting Madame Houdin, "we will -receive them with pleasure." - -The interpreter went out, and soon brought in a dozen old men, among -whom were a Marabout and several talebs, whom the bash-aga appeared to -hold in great deference. - -They sat down in a circle on carpets and kept up a very lively -conversation about my performances at Algiers. This learned society -discussed the probability of the marvels related by the chief of the -tribe, who took great pleasure in depicting his impressions and those of -his co-religionists at the sight of the _miracles_ I had performed. - -Each lent an attentive ear to these stories, and regarded me with a -species of veneration; the Marabout alone displayed a degree of -scepticism, and asserted that the spectators had been duped by what he -called a vision. - -Jealous of my reputation as a French sorcerer, I thought I must perform -before the unbeliever a few tricks as a specimen of my late performance. -I had the pleasure of astounding my audience, but the Marabout continued -to offer me a systematic opposition, by which his neighbors were visibly -annoyed; the poor fellow did not suspect, though, what I had in store -for him. - -My antagonist wore in his sash a watch, the chain of which hung outside. - -I believe I have already mentioned a certain talent I possess of -filching a watch, a pin, a pocket-book, &c., with a skill by which -several of my friends have been victimized. - -I was fortunately born with an honest and upright heart, or this -peculiar talent might have led me too far. When I felt inclined for a -joke of this nature, I turned it to profit in a conjuring trick, or -waited till my friend took leave of me, and then recalled him: "Stay," I -would say, handing him the stolen article, "let this serve as a lesson -to put you on your guard against persons less honest than myself." - -But to return to our Marabout. I had stolen his watch as I passed near -him and slipped into its place a five-franc piece. - -To prevent his detecting it, and while waiting till I could profit by my -larceny, I improvised a trick. After juggling away Bou-Allem's rosary, I -made it pass into one of the numerous slippers left at the door by the -guests; this shoe was next found to be full of coins, and to end this -little scene comically, I made five-franc pieces come out of the noses -of the spectators. They took such pleasure in this trick that I fancied -I should never terminate it. "_Douros! douros!_" they shouted, as they -twitched their noses. I willingly acceded to their request, and the -_douros_ issued at command. - -The delight was so great that several Arabs rolled on the ground; this -coarsely expressed joy on the part of Mohammedans was worth frenzied -applause to me. - -I pretended to keep aloof from the Marabout, who, as I expected, -remained serious and impassive. - -When calm was restored, my rival began speaking hurriedly to his -neighbors, as if striving to dispel their illusion, and, not succeeding, -he addressed me through the interpreter: - -"You will not deceive me in that way," he said, with a crafty look. - -"Why so?" - -"Because I don't believe in your power." - -"Ah, indeed! Well, then, if you do not believe in my power, I will -compel you to believe in my skill." - -"Neither in one nor the other." - -I was at this moment the whole length of the room from the Marabout. - -"Stay," I said to him; "you see this five-franc piece." - -"Yes." - -"Close your hand firmly, for the piece will go into it in spite of -yourself." - -"I am ready," the Arab said, in an incredulous voice, as he held out his -tightly closed fist. - -I took the piece at the end of my fingers, so that the assembly might -all see it, then, feigning to throw it at the Marabout, it disappeared -at the word "Pass!" - -My man opened his hand, and, finding nothing in it, shrugged his -shoulders, as if to say, "You see, I told you so." - -I was well aware the piece was not there, but it was important to draw -the Marabout's attention momentarily from the sash, and for this purpose -I employed the feint. - -"That does not surprise me," I replied, "for I threw the piece with such -strength that it went right through your hand, and has fallen into your -sash. Being afraid I might break your watch by the blow, I called it to -me: here it is!" And I showed him the watch in my hand. - -The Marabout quickly put his hand in his waist-belt, to assure himself -of the truth, and was quite stupefied at finding the five-franc piece. - -The spectators were astounded. Some among them began telling their -beads with a vivacity evidencing a certain agitation of mind; but the -Marabout frowned without saying a word, and I saw he was spelling over -some evil design. - -"I now believe in your supernatural power," he said; "you are a real -sorcerer; hence, I hope you will not fear to repeat here a trick you -performed in your theatre;" and offering me two pistols he held -concealed beneath his burnous, he added, "Come, choose one of these -pistols; we will load it, and I will fire at you. You have nothing to -fear, as you can ward off all blows." - -I confess I was for a moment staggered; I sought a subterfuge and found -none. All eyes were fixed upon me, and a reply was anxiously awaited. - -The Marabout was triumphant. - -Bou-Allem, being aware that my tricks were only the result of skill, was -angry that his guest should be so pestered; hence he began reproaching -the Marabout. I stopped him, however, for an idea had occurred to me -which would save me from my dilemma, at least temporarily; then, -addressing my adversary: - -"You are aware," I said, with assurance, "that I require a talisman in -order to be invulnerable, and, unfortunately, I have left mine at -Algiers." - -The Marabout began laughing with an incredulous air. - -"Still," I continued, "I can, by remaining six hours at prayers, do -without the talisman, and defy your weapon. To-morrow morning, at eight -o'clock, I will allow you to fire at me in the presence of these Arabs, -who were witnesses of your challenge." - -Bou-Allem, astonished at such a promise, asked me once again if this -offer were serious, and if he should invite the company for the -appointed hour. On my affirmative, they agreed to meet before the stone -bench I have already alluded to. - -I did not spend my night at prayers, as may be supposed, but I employed -about two hours in ensuring my invulnerability; then, satisfied with the -result, I slept soundly, for I was terribly tired. - -By eight the next morning we had breakfasted, our horses were saddled, -and our escort was awaiting the signal for our departure, which would -take place after the famous experiment. - -None of the guests were absent, and, indeed, a great number of Arabs -came in to swell the crowd. - -The pistols were handed me; I called attention to the fact that the -vents were clear, and the Marabout put in a fair charge of powder and -drove the wad home. Among the bullets produced, I chose one which I -openly put in the pistol, and which was then also covered with paper. - -The Arab watched all these movements, for his honor was at stake. - -We went through the same process with the second pistol and the solemn -moment arrived. - -Solemn, indeed, it seemed to everybody--to the spectators who were -uncertain of the issue, to Madame Houdin, who had in vain besought me to -give up this trick, for she feared the result--and solemn also to me, -for as my new trick did not depend on any of the arrangements made at -Algiers, I feared an error, an act of treachery--I knew not what. - -Still I posted myself at fifteen paces from the sheik, without evincing -the slightest emotion. - -The Marabout immediately seized one of the pistols, and, on my giving -the signal, took a deliberate aim at me. The pistol went off, and the -ball appeared between my teeth. - -More angry than ever, my rival tried to seize the other pistol, but I -succeeded in reaching it before him. - -"You could not injure me," I said to him, "but you shall now see that my -aim is more dangerous than yours. Look at that wall." - -I pulled the trigger, and on the newly whitewashed wall appeared a large -patch of blood, exactly at the spot where I had aimed. - -The Marabout went up to it, dipped his finger in the blood, and, raising -it to his mouth, convinced himself of the reality. When he acquired this -certainty, his arms fell, and his head was bowed on his chest, as if he -were annihilated. - -It was evident that for the moment he doubted everything, even the -Prophet. - -The spectators raised their eyes to heaven, muttered prayers, and -regarded me with a species of terror. - -This scene was a triumphant termination to my performance. I therefore -retired, leaving the audience under the impression I had produced. We -took leave of Bou-Allem and his son, and set off at a gallop. - -The trick I have just described, though so curious, is easily prepared. -I will give a description of it, while explaining the trouble it took -me. - -As soon as I was alone in my room, I took out of my pistol-case--without -which I never travel--a bullet mould. - -I took a card, bent up the four edges, and thus made a sort of trough, -in which I placed a piece of wax taken from one of the candles. When it -was melted, I mixed with it a little lamp-black I had obtained by -putting the blade of a knife over the candle, and then ran this -composition in the bullet-mould. - -Had I allowed the liquid to get quite cold, the ball would have been -full and solid; but in about ten seconds I turned the mould over, and -the portions of the wax not yet set ran out, leaving a hollow ball in -the mould. This operation is the same as that used in making tapers, the -thickness of the outside depending on the time the liquid has been left -in the mould. - -I wanted a second ball, which I made rather more solid than the other; -and this I filled with blood, and covered the orifice with a lump of -wax. An Irishman had once taught me the way to draw blood from the -thumb, without feeling any pain, and I employed it on this occasion to -fill my bullet. - -Bullets thus prepared bear an extraordinary resemblance to lead, and are -easily mistaken for that metal when seen at a short distance off. - -With this explanation, the trick will be easily understood. After -showing the leaden bullet to the spectators, I changed it for my hollow -ball, and openly put the latter into the pistol. By pressing the wad -tightly down, the wax broke into small pieces, and could not touch me at -the distance I stood. - -At the moment the pistol was fired, I opened my mouth to display the -lead bullet I held between my teeth, while the other pistol contained -the bullet filled with blood, which bursting against the wall, left its -imprint, though the wax had flown to atoms. - -After a pleasant journey, we reached Milianah at four in the afternoon. -The head of the Arab office, Captain Bourseret, received us most kindly, -and begged us to regard his house as our own during the whole time of -our stay. - -M. Bourseret resided with his mother, and that excellent lady showed -Madame Robert-Houdin all those delicate attentions which only a friend -of long standing could have claimed. - -Our trip across the D'jendel had fatigued us, hence we passed the -greater portion of the next day in resting ourselves. - -At night, the captain gave a grand dinner, to which the general -commanding, the lieutenant-colonel, and some notabilities of the town -were invited. After the repast, I thought I could not better repay my -polite reception than by giving a small performance, in which I -displayed all my skill. As I had told M. Bourseret, during the day, of -my intention, he had invited a large evening party; and I must suppose -my experiments pleased, if I may judge by the greeting they received. -Besides, my public were so favorably disposed towards me, that they -often applauded on trust, as they could not all see very well. - -Milianah was the end of my journey. I could only remain three days, if I -wished to return to Algiers in time for the steamer that would convey us -to France. - -M. Bourseret arranged an excursion for the second day of my stay at his -house to visit the Beni-Menasseh, a nomadic tribe at that time encamped -a few leagues from Milianah. - -At six in the morning we took horse, accompanied by some of the -captain's friends, and went down the mountain on which the town is -built. - -We were escorted by a dozen Arabs attached to the office, all clothed in -red mantles, and armed with guns. - -Orders had certainly been given beforehand, for, on reaching the plain, -at the first _goum_ we passed through, ten Arabs mounted their horses -and formed our escort. A little further on another troop joined the -first, and our band, acting like a rolling snow-ball, ended by attaining -considerable proportions. It was composed of about two hundred Arabs. - -After two hours' march, we quitted the high road, and entered a plain -that extended an immense distance in front of us. - -Suddenly, the Arabs who accompanied us, probably in obedience to a -signal from the chief, started off at a gallop, and proceeded five or -six hundred yards ahead. There the troop divided, formed four deep, and -the men of the first file rushed upon us, uttering frenzied cries as -they held their guns to their shoulders and prepared to fire. - -Our little band happened to be in front at this moment. The Arabs rushed -upon us with the velocity of a steam-engine, and in a few seconds we -should have suffered a collision that must have crushed us all. - -A sound of firing was heard: all the horsemen had discharged their guns -with admirable precision over our heads. Their horses plunged, turned on -their hind legs, and started off at full speed to join the troop. - -The Arab might have been taken for a perfect Centaur, when we saw him, -while riding at this frantic speed, load his gun, and perform with it -all the tricks peculiar to the drum-major. - -The first file of horsemen had scarce retired when the second came -forward, and went through a similar performance, which was repeated at -least twenty times. Our captain had arranged for us the surprise of a -fantasia. - -At the noise of the firing some of our horses had started, but, the -first moment of surprise passed, they remained perfectly quiet. My -wife's horse was an animal of approved docility, hence it was far less -affected than its rider; still, every one did my wife the justice of -stating that, after the first shock was over, she remained as calm as -the boldest warrior among us. - -The fantasia terminated, the Arabs took their place in the escort -again, and within an hour we reached the tents of the Beni-Menasseh. - -The Aga Ben-Amara was awaiting us. On our arrival he advanced towards -us, and humbly kissed the captain's hand, while other men of his tribe, -in order to do honor to our visit, discharged their guns almost under -our horses' noses. But men and beasts were case-hardened, and there was -not the slightest movement in our ranks. - -Ben-Amara conducted us into his tent, where each sat down at his ease on -a large carpet. - -Our arrival caused a sensation in the tribe, for while we were smoking -and drinking coffee a large number of Arabs, impelled by curiosity, -ranged themselves in a circle round us, and in their immobility -resembled an avenue of bronze statues. - -We devoted about an hour to the pleasures of conversation, waiting for -the _diffa_ (meal), which we were impatiently desiring. We even began to -find the time very long, when we saw a procession approaching, with -banners at its head. - -These banners puzzled me, and seemed very strange, for they were folded -up. All at once the ranks of our peaceable spectators opened, and my -surprise was great on finding what I took for banners were only sheep -roasted whole and spitted on long poles. - -Two of these sheep-bearers marched in front. They were followed by some -twenty men, ranged in line, each of whom bore one of the dishes intended -to compose our _diffa_. - -These consisted of ragoűts and roasts of every description, the -inevitable "couscoussou," and, lastly, a dozen dishes of dessert, the -handiwork of Ben-Amara's wives. - -This perambulating dinner was a delicious sight, especially for people -whose appetites had been singularly sharpened by the fresh air and the -emotions produced by the fantasia. - -The head cook marched in front, and, like M. Malbroug's officer, carried -nothing; but, so soon as he joined us, he set to work actively. Seizing -one of the sheep, he unspitted it, and laid it before us on a lordly -dish. - -To my companions, nearly all Algerian veterans, this gigantic roast was -no novelty; as for my wife and myself, the sight of such food would have -been enough to pacify our hunger under other circumstances, but now we -hastened to join the circle round this gigantic dish, which was worthy -of Gargantua. - -We were obliged, as at Bou-Allem's, to pull the animal piece-meal with -our fingers; each tore up a strip at will--I must confess, at starting, -with some repugnance. Then, impelled by a ferocious appetite, we fell on -the sheep like wolves, and I know not whether it was owing to the sauce -we all had, but the guests unanimously declared they had never eaten -anything so good as this roast mutton. - -When we had selected the most delicate pieces, our cook proposed to -produce the other animal, but, on our refusal, he served up roast fowls, -to which we did our manly devoir. Then, turning up our noses at the -pepper-pot and "couscoussou," which smelled strongly of rancid butter, -we made up for the want of bread during the meal by nibbling excellent -little cakes. - -There was something really princely about the aga's reception, so, to -thank him, I proposed to give a small performance before my numerous -spectators, who, in their passionate admiration, could not leave the -ground. By their chief's orders they drew nearer and formed a circle -round me. The captain was kind enough to act as my interpreter, and -thanks to him, I was enabled to perform a dozen of my best tricks. The -effect produced was such that I could not possibly continue, for every -one fled at my approach. Ben-Amara assured us they took me for Shaitan -himself, but, had I worn the Mohammedan costume, they would have cast -themselves at my feet as an envoy from Heaven. - -On our return to Milianah, the captain, to crown this delicious day of -pleasure, gave us the spectacle of a chase, in which the Arabs, -galloping at full speed, caught hares and partridges without once -firing. - -The following day we took leave of M. Bourseret and his excellent -mother, and proceeded towards Algiers, but not by a cross-road, for we -had had enough of them in traversing the D'jendel. This sort of party of -pleasure, in reality a party of pain, may be agreeable for once, for it -serves to revive in our inconstant minds the remembrance of the comfort -we have voluntarily given up. Hence we took the diligence to Algiers, -and on this occasion fully appreciated all the advantage of this mode of -transport. - -The _Alexander_ steamer, which had brought us from France, was to start -within two days, and this was all the time I had to take leave and thank -all those who had shown me so much kindness. - -On quitting Algiers I had the satisfaction of being conducted on board -the vessel by two officers of high rank, whose kindness I can never -repay. M. Palin du Parc, Colonel of the Marine Staff, and Colonel de -Neveu did not leave me until the wheels had begun to turn, and those -gentlemen were the last whose hands I pressed on the African coast. - -Were I to describe all my travelling incidents, I should have a great -deal to narrate before I reached my hermitage at St. Gervais; but I -will adhere to my expressed intention of only alluding to events -connected with my professional life. - -A frightful storm at sea--a tornado at the summit of the Pyrenees--death -staring us in the face twenty times--are events as terrible as they are -interesting to relate. But these moving episodes, which affect all -alike, have been already described by far more skillful pens than mine, -hence my description would offer no novelty; I will content myself, -therefore, with giving a summary of this terrible return to France. - -A tempest, assailed us in the Gulf of Lyons, and our engines were -disabled. Our vessel, after being tossed about for nine days by the -winds, at length reached the coast of Spain, and we managed to make the -port of Barcelona, where the authorities would not allow us to land, as -we had no passports for Spain. We coasted this inhospitable country -during a frightful storm, and at length reached the little port of -Rosas, where we intended to ride out the tempest. - -Here I landed, and crossed the Pyrenees in an open carriage, a -hurricane, the result of the tempest at sea, threatening to hurl us into -an abyss at every moment. At last we safely reached France, and -Marseilles, where I was obliged to fulfil a promise made to the managers -of the Grand Theatre on my former passage through the town. - -I was, indeed, famously recompensed for the fatigues and dangers of my -journey; for the Marseillais displayed towards me such unexampled -kindness, that these last performances will ever remain on my mind as -those in which I received the greatest applause. I could not take my -leave of the public in a more solemn way, and I hastened my return to -St. Gervais. - - -CONCLUSION. - -I can, in ending this work, repeat what I said at the beginning of my -penultimate chapter: "I have reached the object of my every hope." But -this time, if it pleases God, as my guide Muhammad would say, no -temptation will again come to modify my plans of happiness. I hope still -for a long time (always if it pleases God) to enjoy that gentle and -peaceful existence which I had scarce tasted when ambition and curiosity -took me to Algiers. - -On returning home, I arranged round my study my performing instruments, -my faithful comrades, I may almost say, my dear friends; henceforth I -intended to devote myself to my darling study, the application of -electricity to mechanism. - -It must not be believed that, for that purpose, I disown the art to -which I owe so much pleasure. The thought is far from me; I am more than -ever proud of having cultivated it, as to it alone I owe the happiness -of devoting myself to my new studies. Besides, I diverge from it less -than my readers might be inclined to suppose, for I have, during a long -period, applied electricity to mechanism, and I must confess--if my -readers have not already guessed it--that electricity played an -important part in many of my experiments. In reality, my labors of -to-day only differ from the old ones in the form; but they are still -experiments. - -A lingering love for my old clockmaking trade has made me choose -chronometro-electrical works as the objects of my study. I have adopted -as my motto, "_to popularize electric clocks by making them as simple -and exact as possible_." And as art always supposes an ideal which the -artist seeks to realize, I already dream of the day when the electric -wires, issuing from a single regulator, will radiate through the whole -of France, and bear the precise time to the largest towns and the most -modest villages. - -In the meanwhile, devoted to the sacred cause of progress, I labor -incessantly in the hope that my humble discoveries will be of some -service in the solution of this important problem. - -My performance is ended (I must remind my readers that I offered them my -narrative under this title); but I live in hope to begin it again soon, -for I have still so many mysteries, great and small, to unveil. -Sleight-of-hand is an immense quarry on which public curiosity can work -for a long time; hence I do not take leave of my audience, or rather of -my readers, for in the second form of performance I have adopted, my -farewell will not be definitive, until I have exhausted all that may be -said about SLEIGHT-OF-HAND AND ITS PROFESSORS. These two words will -serve as the title of the supplemental part of my Memoirs.[F] - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -A COURSE OF MIRACLES. - - -It has been said of the augurs, that they could not look at each other -without a laugh; it would be the same with the Aďssaoua, if Mussulman -blood did not flow in their veins. At any rate, there is not one among -them who is deceived as to the pretended miracles performed by his -brethren, but all lend a hand to execute them successfully, like a -company of mountebanks, at the head of whom is the Mokaddem. - -Even supposing that their pretended miracles could not be explained, a -simple reflection would destroy their prestige. The Aďssaoua call -themselves invulnerable--then, let them ask one of the audience to place -the red-hot iron on their cheeks, or some other part of their persons; -they assert they are invulnerable--then, let them invite some Zouaves to -pass their sabres through them. After such a spectacle, the most -incredulous would bow before them. - -Were I incombustible and invulnerable, I should find a pleasure in -offering undoubted proofs. I would put myself on a spit before a -scorching fire, and while roasting, would amuse myself with eating a -salad of pounded glass, seasoned with oil of vitriol. Such a sight would -attract the whole world, and I should become a prophet. - -But the Aďssaoua have reason to be prudent in the performances of these -tricks, as I will prove. The principal miracles are as follows: - - 1. Running a dagger into the cheek. - - 2. Eating the leaves of the prickly pear. - - 3. Laying the stomach on the edge of a sabre. - - 4. Playing with serpents. - - 5. Striking the arm, causing the blood to flow, and stopping it - instantaneously. - - 6. Eating pounded glass. - - 7. Swallowing pebbles, bottle-heels, &c. - - 8. Walking on red-hot iron, or passing the tongue over a white-hot - plate of iron. - -Let us begin with the most simple trick, that of thrusting a dagger into -the cheek. - -The Arab who performed this trick turned his back on me; hence I could -get very near him and watch his movements. He placed against his cheek -the point of a dagger, which was round and blunt as that of a -paper-knife. The flesh, instead of being pierced, went in for about two -inches between the molars, which were kept apart, exactly as a cake of -india-rubber would do. - -This trick is best performed by thin and aged persons, because the flesh -of their cheeks is peculiarly elastic. Now, the Aďssaoua fulfilled these -conditions in every respect. - -The Arab who ate the prickly pear leaves gave us no opportunity of -inspecting them, and I am inclined to believe that the leaves had been -prepared so as to do him no injury, otherwise he would not have -neglected this important point, which would have doubled the merit of -the miracle. But even had he shown them to us, this man went through so -many unneccessary manoeuvres, that he could very easily have changed -them for harmless leaves. In that case, it would be a fifteenth-rate -trick of conjuring. - -In the following experiment, two Arabs held a sabre, one by the hilt, -the other by the point; a third then came forward, and after raising his -clothes so as to leave the abdomen quite bare, laid himself flat on the -edge of the blade, while a fourth mounted on his back, and seemed to -press the whole weight of his body on him. - -This trick may be easily explained. - -Nothing proves to the audience that the sabre is really sharpened, or -that the edge is more cutting than the back, although the Arab who holds -it by the point is careful to wrap it up in a handkerchief; in this -imitating the jugglers who pretend they have cut their finger with one -of the daggers they use in their tricks. - -Besides, in performing this trick, the _invulnerable_ turned his back on -the audience. He knew the advantage to be derived from this -circumstance; hence, at the moment when about to lay himself on the -sabre, he very adroitly pulled back over his stomach that portion of his -clothing he had raised. Lastly, when the fourth actor mounted on his -back, he rested his hands on the shoulders of the Arabs who held the -sabre. The latter apparently maintained his balance, but, in reality, -they supported the whole weight of his body. Hence, the only requirement -for this trick is to have the stomach more or less pressed in, and I -will explain presently that this can be effected without any injury or -danger. - -As for the Aďssaoua, who place their hands in a bag filled with -serpents, and play with those reptiles, I will rely on Colonel de -Neveu's judgment. This is what he says in his work already quoted: - -"We often pushed our incredulity and curiosity so far as to order the -Aďssaoua to come to our house with their menagerie. All the animals they -stated to us were vipers (_lifâ_), were only innocent lizards -(_hanech_), and when we offered to put our hand in the bag holding their -reptiles, they hastily retired, convinced that we were not duped by -their tricks." - -I will add that these serpents, even had they been of a dangerous -character, could have had their teeth pulled out, so as to be harmless. -In support of this assertion, I noticed that these reptiles left no -wound where they bit. - -I did not see the trick performed of striking the arm and making the -blood issue; but it seems to me that a small sponge filled with ruddle -and concealed in the striking hand, would be enough to accomplish the -prodigy. On wiping the arm, the wound is necessarily cured. - -When I was a boy, I often made wine come out of a knife or of my finger, -by pressing a small sponge full of the liquor which I concealed in my -hand. - -I have often seen men champ wine-glasses between their teeth, and not -hurt themselves; but not one of them swallowed the fragments. Hence, it -was difficult for me to explain this trick of the Aďssaoua, till, by the -assistance offered me by a physician, I found in the _Dictionnaire des -Sciences Médicales_ for 1810, No. 1143, a paper written by Dr. Lesauvage -on the harmlessness of powdered glass. - -This gentleman, after quoting various instances of people he had seen -eat glass, thus describes various experiments he made on animals: - -"After placing a great number of dogs, cats and rats on a dietary of -pounded glass, the fragments being two to three lines in length, not one -of the animals was ill, and on opening some of them no injury could be -detected all along the alimentary canal. Being convinced, too, of the -harmlessness of swallowing glass, I determined to take some myself in -the presence of my colleague, M. Cagel, of Professor Lallemand, and -several other persons. I repeated this experiment several times, and -experienced not the slightest feeling of pain." - -These authentic statements ought to have satisfied me; still, I wished -to witness this singular phenomenon with my own eyes. Hence, I gave one -of my house cats an enormous ball of meat seasoned with pounded glass. -The animal swallowed it with the greatest pleasure, and seemed even to -regret the end of this succulent meal. My family thought the cat booked -for death, and began deploring my barbarity, but the next day the animal -was perfectly well, and sniffed the spot where on the previous day it -had enjoyed the meal. - -Since that period, whenever I want to indulge a friend with this sight, -I regale my three cats, in turn, so as not to excite any jealousy among -them. - -It took me some time, I confess, before I could decide on performing Dr. -Lesauvage's experiment on myself, and, indeed, I saw no necessity for -it. Still, one day, in the presence of a friend, I performed this -bravado, if it be so; I also swallowed my bolus, though I was careful to -pound my glass much finer than what I gave to my cats. I know not -whether it was the effect of imagination, but I fancied I enjoyed my -dinner much more than usual: did I owe this to the pounded glass? At any -rate, it would be a strange way of arousing the appetite. - -When the trick of swallowing bottle-heels and pebbles was to be done, -the Aďssaoua really put them in his mouth, but I believe, I may say -certainly, that he removed them at the moment when he placed his head in -the folds of the Mokaddem's burnous. However, had he swallowed them, -there would have been nothing wonderful about this, when we compare it -with what was done some thirty years back in France by a mountebank -called "the sabre swallower." - -This man who performed in the streets, threw back his head so as to form -a straight line with his throat, and really thrust down his gullet a -sabre, of which only the hilt remained outside the mouth. - -He also swallowed an egg without cracking it, or even nails and pebbles, -which he caused to resound, by striking his stomach with his fist. - -These tricks were the result of a peculiar formation in the mountebank's -throat, but, if he had lived among the Aďssaoua, he would assuredly have -been the leading man of the company. - -Or what would the Arabs have said had they seen the conjurer who passed -a sword right through his body, and when thus spitted, also thrust a -knife into either nostril up to the handle? I witnessed this feat, and -others have probably done the same. - -This trick was, in reality, so terrifying, that the public would implore -the man to leave off; but without troubling himself about their cries, -he would reply, speaking frightfully through his nose, "that it did hib -no harb," and sing in this singular voice the "_Fleuve du Tage_," which -he accompanied on a guitar. - -I could not endure the sight of this trick, and would turn my head away -in horror when the troubadour drew out the sword, and begged us to -notice that it was stained with blood. - -Still, on reflection, I was certain the man could not really pierce his -stomach thus, and that there must be some trick concealed. - -My love of the marvellous made me desire to know it; hence, I applied to -the _invulnerable_, and on condition of a certain sum, and promises not -to use it, he sold me his secret. - -I may, in my turn, communicate it to the public without asking from them -the same promise. The trick is, however, rather ingenious. - -The performer was very thin--an indispensable quality for the success of -the trick. He pressed in his stomach very tightly with a waist-belt, and -produced the following result: the vertebral column being unable to -bend, served as a support, and the intestines gave way and fell in about -half the space they originally occupied. The mountebank then substituted -for the suppressed part a card-board stomach which restored him to his -original condition, and the whole being concealed beneath a -flesh-colored _tricot_, appeared to form part of his body. On either -side, above the hips, two ribbon rosettes hid the apertures by which the -sword-point would go in and out, these openings being connected by a -leathern scabbard which led the weapon securely from one end to the -other, while, in order to produce the blood, a sponge filled with a red -liquid was placed in the middle of the sheath. The knives in the -nostrils were a reality. The _invulnerable_ was very pug-nosed, which -allowed him to draw the cartilage of the nose up prior to the -introduction of the knives. - -I possessed the necessary physical qualifications for the sabre trick, -but none for that of the knives. I did not attempt the first, much less -the second. - -By the way, I may remark that, when a lad, I used to perform two -_miracles_, which might be useful to the Aďssaoua, if they were ever -told of them. I will explain them here. - -The corn-curer who taught me to juggle, also showed me a very curious -trick, consisting in thrusting a small nail into the right eye, which is -then made to pass into the left eye, thence into the mouth, and end by -returning into the right eye. - -It may be imagined how I burned with the fire of necromancy, since I had -the courage to practise this trick, which I found charming. A very -disagreeable circumstance, however, deprived me of my faith in the -effect produced by it. - -I sometimes spent the evening at a lady's house who had two daughters. I -thought I could not select a better place for my first performance and -asked leave to do the trick. Of course this permission was granted, and -a circle was formed round me. - -"Ladies," I said, with a certain degree of emphasis, "I am invulnerable. -To furnish you with a proof, I could easily stab myself with a dagger, a -knife, or any other sharp instrument; but I fear lest the sight of blood -might produce too agitating an effect on you. Hence, I will offer you -another proof of my supernatural powers." And I performed my famous -trick of "the nail in the eye." - -The effect of this scene was most unexpected, for the performance was -scarce over ere one of the young ladies was taken ill and fainted. The -evening's amusement was disturbed, as may be supposed, and fearing some -recriminations, I bolted without saying a word, declaring that I would -never be caught again at such tricks. - -This, however, is the explanation of the trick: - -A small lead or silver pin may be introduced, without the slightest -feeling of pain, in the corner of the eye, near the lacrymal duct, -between the lower eyelid and the pupil; and, strangely enough, this -piece of metal once introduced, you do not in the least notice its -presence. To bring it out again, you need only press it with the finger. - -If desirous to perform the trick I have alluded to, you proceed in the -following way: - -After secretly placing one of these small nails in the left eye, and -another in the mouth, you commence as follows: - -You openly thrust a nail into your right eye, then, pressing the skin -with the end of the finger, you pretend to pass it through the nose into -the left eye, whence you withdraw the one put in beforehand. This you -return again to the eye, and the nail appears to pass into the mouth, -whence you produce the one already hidden there, and thence into the -right eye, whence you withdraw the one originally inserted. - -When this is done, you go on one side and remove the nail still -remaining in the left eye. - -But, to return to the last trick of the Aďssaoua, which consists in -walking over hot iron, and passing the tongue over incandescent plates -of the same metal. - -The Aďssaoua who walks over hot iron does nothing extraordinary, if we -consider the conditions under which the trick is performed. - -He quickly glides his heel along the iron; but the lower-class Arabs, -who all walk with naked feet, have the lower part of the foot as hard as -a horse's hoof, hence, this horny part burns without occasioning the -slightest pain. - -And, besides, may not chance have taught the Aďssaoua certain -precautions known to more than one European juggler, before Dr. -Sementrici proved their use and explained them to the public? - -Let us quote some performances of our own mountebanks, and we shall -find that the followers of the Aďssa as miracle-mongers are a long way -behindhand in their pretended marvels. - -In February, 1677, an Englishman, of the name of Richardson, came to -Paris, and gave some very curious performances, which proved, according -to his statement, his incombustibility. - -He was seen to roast a piece of meat on his tongue, light a piece of -charcoal in his mouth by means of a pair of bellows, seize a bar of -red-hot iron in his hand, or hold it between his teeth. - -This Englishman's servant published his master's secret, which may be -found in the _Journal des Sciences_.[G] - -In 1809, a Spaniard, of the name of Leonetto, gave performances at -Paris. He also handled a bar of red-hot iron with impunity, passed it -through his hair, or stepped upon it; drank boiling oil, plunged his -fingers into melted lead, put some on his tongue, and ended his -performance by licking a piece of red-hot iron. - -This extraordinary man attracted the attention of Professor Sementrici, -who began carefully watching him. - -The professor remarked that the tongue of the _incombustible_ was -covered with a grey layer, and this discovery led him to try some -experiments on himself. He discovered that rubbing in a solution of -alum, evaporated to a spongy state, rendered the skin insensible to the -action of red-hot iron. He also rubbed himself with soap, and found that -even the hair did not burn when in that state. - -Satisfied with these investigations, the physician rubbed his tongue -with soap and a solution of alum, and the red-hot iron produced no -sensation on him. - -The tongue, when thus prepared, could also receive boiling oil, which -grew cold, and could then be swallowed. - -M. Sementrici also detected that the melted lead Leonetto employed was -only Arcet's metal, fusible at the temperature of boiling water. (For -further details consult the historic notice of M. Julia de Fontenelle, -in Roret's _Manuel des Sorciers_, page 181.) - -These explanations may appear sufficient to disprove the pretended -incombustibility of the Aďssaoua; still, I will add a personal fact, -whence the conclusion can be drawn that a man need not be inspired by -Allah or Aďssa to play with red-hot metals. - -Reading one day the _Comus_, a scientific review, I found a critique of -a work called _Study on Bodies in a Spheroidal Shape_, by M. Boutigny -(d'Evreux). The editor of the review, the Abbé Moigno, quotes several of -the most interesting passages, among them being the following: - -"We passed our fingers through jets of red-hot metal" (M. Boutigny is -speaking). "We plunged our hands into moulds and crucibles filled with -metal that had just run from a Wilkinson, and of which the radiation was -insupportable, even at a long distance. We carried on these experiments -for more than two hours, and Madame Coulet, who was present, allowed her -daughter, a child of from eight to ten years, to put her hand in a -crucible of red-hot metal, which caused not the slightest injury." - -Knowing the character of the learned abbé, as well as that of the -celebrated naturalist and author of the work, it was not possible to -doubt: still, I must say, this fact appeared to me so impossible, that -my mind refused to accept it, and I wished to see, that I might believe. - -I decided on calling on M. Boutigny, and expressed to him my wish to see -so interesting an experiment, while carefully avoiding any expression -of doubt on the subject. - -This gentleman received me kindly, and proposed to repeat the experiment -before me, when I might have an opportunity to wash my hands in molten -metal. - -The proposition was attractive, scientifically speaking; but, on the -other hand, I had some fears, which the reader will appreciate, I think. -In the event of a mistake I should reduce my hands to charcoal, and I -was bound to take the greater care of them as they had been such -precious instruments to me. Hence I hesitated with my reply. - -"Do you not place confidence in me?" M. Boutigny asked. - -"Oh, certainly, sir, I have plenty of confidence, but--" - -"But you are afraid--out with it!" the doctor interrupted me, with a -laugh. "Well, to ease your mind, I will try the temperature of the -liquid before you place your hands in it." - -"And what is about the temperature of molten metal?" - -"Close on one thousand six hundred degrees." - -"One thousand six hundred degrees?" I exclaimed. "Oh! the experiment -must be splendid: I consent." - -On the day appointed by M. Boutigny, we proceeded to Mr. Davidson's -foundry at La Villette, after he had granted us permission to make the -experiment. - -I was strangely affected on entering this vast establishment; the -deafening noise produced by the immense blasts, the flames escaping from -the furnaces, the sparkling jets transported by powerful machines and -running into gigantic moulds, the wiry, muscular workmen, blackened by -smoke and dust,--all this medley of men and things produced a strange -and rather solemn effect upon me. - -The manager came up to us and pointed out the furnace to which we were -to proceed for our experiment. - -While waiting for a jet of metal to run, we remained for a few moments -in silence near the furnace; then we commenced the following -conversation, which was certainly not of a nature to encourage me: - -"I would only repeat this experiment, which I am not fond of, for your -sake," M. Boutigny said; "I confess that, though I am morally sure of -the result, I always feel an emotion which I cannot dispel." - -"If that be the case," I replied, "suppose we go? I will believe your -word." - -"No, no; I am bound to show you this curious phenomenon. But, by the -way," the learned doctor added, "let me see your hands." - -He took them in his. - -"Hang it," he went on, "they are very dry for our experiment." - -"You think so?" - -"Certainly." - -"Then it is dangerous?" - -"It might be so." - -"In that case, we will go," I said, turning to the door. - -"That would be a pity," my companion replied, holding me back; "stay, -dip your hands in this bucket of water, dry them well, and they will be -sufficiently damp." - -I must mention that to insure the success of this marvellous experiment -no other condition is requisite than to have the hands slightly damp. I -regret I can offer no explanations as to the principle of the -phenomenon, for this would require many a long chapter; hence I will -refer my readers to M. Boutigny's work. It will be enough to state that -the metal, when in a state of fusion, is kept at a distance from the -skin by a repulsive force, which opposes an insurmountable barrier. - -I had scarce finished wiping my hands when the furnace was opened, and a -jet of molten metal, about the thickness of my arm, burst forth. Sparks -flew in every direction, as if it were a firework performance. - -"Wait a few minutes," M. Boutigny said, "till the metal is cleansed, for -it would be dangerous to try our experiment at this moment." - -Five minutes later the stream of liquid fire left off bubbling and -emitting scorić; it became, indeed, so limpid and brilliant, that it -scorched our eyes at a few yards off. - -All at once my companion walked up to the furnace, and calmly began -washing his hands in the metal as if it had been lukewarm water. - -I make no pretence to bravery; I confess at this moment my heart beat as -if it would burst, and yet, when M. Boutigny ended his strange -ablutions, I walked forward in my turn with a determination that proved -a certain strength of will. I imitated my professor's movements, I -literally dabbled in the burning liquid, and, in my joy, inspired by -this marvellous operation, I took a handful of the metal and threw it in -the air, and it fell back in a fire-shower on the ground. - -The impression I felt in touching this molten iron can only be compared -to what I should have experienced in handling liquid velvet, if I may -express myself so. - -I now ask what are the red-hot bars of the Aďssaoua, in comparison to -the enormous temperature to which my hands had been exposed? - -The old and new miracles of the incombustibles are, therefore, explained -by the experiments of a skillful naturalist, who, while making no -pretence to trickery, only appreciates such phenomena in their relation -to the immutable laws by virtue of which they are accomplished. - - - - -INDEX. - - -A. - -Academician's, predictions, 370. - -Accident at the Odéon, 315. - -Accomplice, a kind, 135. - -Acrobatic canaries, 39. - -Africa, life in, 373. - -Aďssaoua, miracles of the sect of, 396. - -Alarum, a novel, 37. - -Alarum-light, the, 195. - -Albertus Magnus and his brazen man, 157. - -Alboni, Madame, 337. - -Algeria, journey to, 372; - reception in, 373. - -Ali-Ben-el-Hadji Moussa, "the slave of God," 393. - -Ambassador, Houdin as, 372. - -Amputation extraordinary, 390. - -Anderson, "Professor," his flagrant puffery, 326. - -Angers, journey to, 58; - arrival at, 61; - Fair at, 61. - -Anthon, Mr., buys Automaton Chess-player, 171. - -Antonia, story of, 114; - at Constantinople, 125; - death of, 130. - -Antonio, the nurse, 56; - his confession, 73; - in Paris, 180; - his wife, 184. - -Arab address to Houdin, 391. - -Arab chiefs convoked, 378. - -Arcet's metal, 432. - -Artificial man, the, 157. - -Artist's home, the, 194. - -Asp, automaton, 161. - -Athlete, an Arabian, 383. - -Aubusson, accident at, 87. - -Audience, studying an, 142; - a sleepy, 243; - an indignant, 267. - -Auguste, the caterer, 203. - -Auriol, Houdin's automaton clown, 179. - -Author's overture, 13. - -Automata: Brazen fly, 156; - by Vaucanson, 159; - Houdin's--the pastry cook, 179; - Auriol and Debureau, _ibid_; - orange-tree, _ib._; - time-dial, _ib._ - -Automaton, Houdin's first, 36; - Harlequin flute-player, 158; - tambourine-player, 159; - artificial duck, 159; - discovery of its trick, 160; - chess-player, 162; - history of, 162. - -Autumnal fętes at Algiers, 378. - -Avalanche, the human, 351. - -Aviary, a wonderful, 39. - - -B. - -Bab-Azoun Theatre in Algiers, 375. - -Bacon, Roger, makes a brazen head, 156. - -Balls, juggling with the, 49. - -Baths of Germany, 368. - -Belgium, Houdin's visit to, 201. - -Belleville, retreat to, 198. - -Benefactor, a public, 29. - -Berlin, three months in, 369. - -Bernard, Colonel gives lessons to Houdin, 191. - -Berthoud on Clock-making, 43. - -Black-silk cap, story of, 301. - -Blois:--birth-place of Houdin, 17; - Houdin retires to, 369. - -Bores, how to get rid of, 264. - -Bosco, the conjurer, 184. - -Botany, lessons in, 37. - -Bottle-trick at Manchester, 349. - -Bou-Allem's house, 402. - -Bought and sold, 31. - -Bouquet ŕ la Reine, 355. - -Boutigny, with red hot metal, 432. - -Box, the mysterious, 383. - -Brazen automaton fly, 156. - -Brazen head, Bacon and Bungey's, 156. - -Brčguet, the Cardinal's, 110. - -Broken-English, Houdin's, 346. - -Broken watch, the, 109. - -Brother and sister, 116; - before the Sultan, 125. - -Brunnow, the Baron, 341. - -Brussels Theatre, engagement at, 276; - journey to, 279; - troubles _en route_, 281; - arrives at, 287; - success, 290; - but no money, 291; - cheated on all sides, 292. - -Buckingham Palace, Houdin at, 353; - short commons at, 357. - -Bungey, Thomas, makes a brazen head, 156. - -Bush-Aga, abode of a, 402. - -Bust-making, extraordinary, 301. - - -C. - -Cagliostro at Rome, 105. - -_Cagliostro_, the Houdin's comic journal, 254. - -Cagliostro's casket, 309; - his seal, 308. - -Cambridge, Houdin at, 359. - -Canard, a real, 160. - -Canaries, the cage of, 38. - -Candle-lighting, 227. - -Caravan, a conjurer's, 56. - -Card-rook, a, 211. - -Cards, a duel with, 85. - -Cardinal's watch, 106; - broken, 109; - melted down, 111; - restored whole, 112. - -Carlosbach, Dr., the conjurer, 27. - -Carpentier, Aristide le, the antiquarian, 271. - -Carriage smashed, 286. - -Castellan, Madame, 337. - -Castelli, Signor, eats a man alive, 69. - -Catherine II. plays with the automaton chess-player, 169; - attempts to cheat, 170; - wants to buy the figure, 171. - -Celestial Empire, the, 236. - -Challenge to Houdin, 268. - -_Charivari_, the, 252. - -Charlatan bills, Anderson's, 329. - -Charles V., iron fly presented to, 155. - -Chaussée d'Antin, scene in, 272. - -Cheat, punishment of a, 83. - -Cheating cards, diagrams of, 216. - -Chess-player, history of the automaton (see _Kempelen_), 162-172. - -Chester Theatre, England, 289. - -Chinese and their conjuring tricks, 225. - -Choosing a Profession, 26. - -Cleopatra's asp, 161. - -Clipping the coin, 51. - -Clock, the mysterious, 195. - -Clockmaking, treatise on, 43. - -Clowns, Houdin's automaton, 179. - -Coffee, the conjurer's, 382. - -Collation, a magical, 364. - -Colchester, audience and the nuts, 365. - -Componium, the, 172; - repaired by Houdin, 175. - -Comte, the magician, 141; - his tricks, 143; - his café, 144; - performs at the Tuilleries, 146; - his King of Hearts, 147; - hat-trick, 148; - his ventriloquism, 149; - visits Houdin, 150. - -Comus, the conjurer, 83. - -Conjuring bullets, 413. - -Conscientious audience, 298. - -Constantinople, conjuring at, 121. - -Convocation of Arab chiefs, 378. - -Cookery and clockwork, 194. - -Cossack, the automaton, 227. - -Course of miracles, a, 422. - -_Court Journal_, 355. - -Cousin Robert, 421. - -Covent Garden Theatre, 335. - -Critic, a severe, 204. - -Cronier, the mechanician, 161. - -Crystal Balls, the, 312. - -Curaçoa from the bottle, 350. - -Curious discussion, 377. - -Custom at Colchester, 365. - - -D. - -Dantan, junior, the caricaturist, 299; - makes a bust, 301. - -D'Avaray, Duc, 37. - -Dazzling picture, a, 343. - -De Paris, the Count, 231. - -Deception, a rival's, 99. - -Delay at Algiers, 375. - -Delirium, influence of, 53. - -Dial, Houdin's magic, 179. - -Diagrams of cheating cards, 216 and 218. - -Diamond cut diamond, 150. - -Diplomatist and conjurer, 341. - -Director of the Belgian Customs, 283; - tricks upon, 284. - -Doctor, a strange, 55. - -Domingo, the negro, 229. - -Dormeuil, theatrical manager, 336. - -Dorval, Madame, benefit of, 314. - -Doubtful applause, 75. - -Dreams, phantasmagoria of, 54. - -Debureau, Houdin's automaton clown, 179. - -Duhart, chief of the claquers, 318. - -Dumas' Monte Christo, 336. - - -E. - -Electric shock, 385. - -Electric touch, an, 264. - -Electric clocks, future of, 421. - -Electricity applied to mechanism by Houdin, 370. - -Emile-Houdin, 256; - performances by, 258. - -England invaded by French performers, 334. - -English theatrical costume, 332. - -Escamoteur, the, 153. - -Etherial suspension, 312. - -Exhibition of 1844, 231; - medal voted to Houdin, 233. - -Expedient, an, 331. - -Experiments, curious, 256. - -Eye and hand, practice of, 49. - - -F. - -Failure, an utter, 247. - -Fair-Unknown, a, 258. - -Family tickets, 143. - -Fancy Fair, Sir A. Webster's, 337. - -Fantasia by Arabs, 378. - -Fantastic portfolio, 312. - -Fantastic Soirées, Houdin's, 244. - -Farewell tour, Houdin's, 368. - -Father Roujol, 152. - -Faubourg St. Germain, 270. - -Festival of Nankin, 228. - -Filings, how to make, 42. - -Financial crisis, a, 197. - -First bill, Houdin's, 245. - -First fruits of labor, 135. - -First game played by Automaton chess-player, 163; - the Turk beats the Doctor, 164. - -First magician in France, 181. - -First performance at Paris by Houdin, 246. - -First public performance, Torrini's, 97. - -Five-franc pieces, the magical, 408. - -Flowers, the birth of, 145. - -Flute-player, automaton, 159. - -Forey, Eugčne, his drawing of Houdin's theatre, 252. - -Fortune, a reverse of, 192. - -Fortunatus's hat, 229. - -Four balls, juggling with, 49. - -Free admissions, 320. - -French towns, how lighted, 46. - -_Fricot_, a dish of, 199. - -Future experiments, Houdin's, 420. - - -G. - -Galerie de Valois, 237. - -Garde Française, 312. - -Génet, an optimist manager, 360. - -German-flute-player, automaton, 159. - -Germany, Houdin's tour through, 368. - -Giovanni Torrini, 127. - -Glove, Victoria's, 355. - -Gold-fish trick, 225. - -Grand Turk, the, 122. - -Gratuitous performance, 297. - -Great personages, 339. - -Great Wizard of the North, his frightful puffery, 326. - -Greek, a modern, 213. - -Grindstone, a nose on the, 43. - -Grisi, the Count Edmond de, 90. - -Grisi, Madame, 337. - -Gun-trick, a tragic, 129. - -Gymnastic machinery, 211. - -Gymnas, performance of, 319. - - -H. - -Hamilton, successor to Houdin, 367; - becomes his brother-in-law, 368. - -Happy moment, a, 203. - -Harem, the Sultan's, 124. - -Harlequin automata, 77; - Philippe's, 228. - -Hat, the spoiled, 134. - -Hearts, the King of, 147. - -Her Majesty's Theatre, 323. - -Hertford, Houdin at, 360. - -Hints for sharpers, 219. - -Hippodrome of Paris, 244. - -Hired applause, 319. - -Historic Theatre of Paris, 336. - -Home, return to, 136. - -Homicide by imprudence, 130. - -Houdin, Mademoiselle, 140; - the conjurer marries her, 141. - -Houdin, M., the mechanical artist, 141. - -Houdin-Robert, birth and parentage, 17; - adventures, _passion_. - -Human avalanche, 351. - - -I. - -Idler, a country, 26. - -_Illustration_, the, 252. - -Incantation, the, 263. - -Inexhaustible bottle, 312. - -Ingot, the magic, 112. - -Inkstand, to make a fortune by, 177. - -Inquisition at Rome, 104. - -Interior of Africa, Houdin in the, 398. - -Inventor, calculations of an, 177. - -Invulnerability, 385; - secret of, 428. - -Ireland, Houdin in, 366. - -Iron automaton fly, 155. - -Italian conjurer, 157. - -Italy, conjuring in, 90-119. - - -J. - -Jenny Lind, 323. - -Judicious puffing, 325. - -Jules de Rovčre, the conjurer, 153. - - -K. - -Kabyle rendered powerless, 384. - -Kabylia, revolt in, 374. - -Kitchen of Parafaragarmus, 229. - -Kempelen, M. de, Viennese mechanician, 162; - visits Dr. Osloff at Riga, 163; - invents the automaton chess-player, 163; - travels with it to Russia, 168; - baffles the Czarina, 171; - visits England, 171. - -Knowles, the manager, 345. - -Koppen exhibits the Componium, 172. - - -L. - -Lablache, the singer, 337. - -Ladies, pleasing the, 145. - -Lamp, the stolen, 46. - -Larivičre, the Abbé, head of Orleans College, 23. - -Lawyer's office, Houdin in, 35. - -Le Carpentier, Aristide, 271. - -Leclerc invents the Mélephone, 226. - -Lemnos, 309. - -Lenoir, the dancing master, 64. - -Leonetto with red hot iron, 431. - -Lesprit, the conjurer, 187. - -Life, most important event of, 45. - -Linnćus, study of, 38. - -Lottery, M. Philippe's, 223. - -Louis Napoleon at Fulham, 339. - -Louis Philippe at the Palace of Industry, 231; - and the automaton writer, 238; - at St. Cloud, 303. - -Louis XVIII. and Comte, 146. - - -M. - -Macalister, the magician, 225; - in Paris, 229. - -Mâcon, the fair of, 148. - -Maëlzel owns the automaton chess-player, and takes it to America, 172. - -Magic ingot, 112. - -Malice, a conjurer through, 101. - -Manchester, a city of chimneysweeps, 352. - -Manchester Theatre, Houdin at, 345. - -Manipulation, practice makes skill in, 49. - -Marabout, shot by one, 387. - -Marabout, mystification of one, 408. - -Marquis deceived, 117. - -Mario, the singer, 337. - -Marseilles, Torrini at, 126; Houdin at, 419. - -Mechanical snuff-box, 35. - -Mechanician's shop on wheels, 78. - -Mélephone, the, 226. - -Miette, the conjurer, 187. - -Minor miseries, 295. - -Miracles, a course of, 422. - -Mitchell, London manager, 322; - Jenny Lind's box, 323. - -Modest living, 199. - -Molten metal, washing the hands in, 433. - -Monte Christo, at Covent Garden, 335; - at St. James's Theatre, 336. - -Moor, disappearance of a, 388. - -Morrison's pills, 223. - -Mountebanks in Paris, 311. - -Mouse-power to raise water, 21. - -Muhammad, the Arab guide, breakfast with, 400; - he deserts, 401. - -Murderer's confession, 59. - -Music-master, the, 182. - -Musky compliments, 151. - -Mystification, 151. - -Mystification extraordinary, 117. - -Mystifier mystified, 150. - - -N. - -Nail in the eye, 429. - -Nankin, festival of the Court of, 228. - -Naples, the King of, 100. - -Napoleon of Necromancy, 328. - -Napoleon III. in England, 339. - -Necromancy in Rome, 105. - -Need, a friend in, 285. - -Neptune's basins, 229. - -Nevers, ventriloquism at, 148. - -Neveu, Colonel de, 371; - his work on Algiers, 396. - -New Joe Miller, a, 329. - -New studies, Houdin's, 253. - -Nightingale, mechanical, its song, 207. - -Nomadic life, 78. - -Noriet, watchmaker and sculptor, 50. - -Novel lottery, a, 223. - -Number sixty-nine, 268. - -Nuremburg dolls, 200. - -Nuts at Colchester, 365. - - -O. - -Odéon, performance at the, 314. - -Olivier, the conjurer, 126. - -Omelette accident, 133. - -Omen, an, 231. - -Open-air studies, 311. - -Optimist manager, 360. - -Orange-tree, Houdin's mysterious, 179. - -Origin of flowers, 312. - -Orleans, Houdin at College of, 20. - -Orleans, Duchess of, 281; - at St. Cloud, 309. - -Orleans family in London, 355. - -Osloff, Dr., saves Worousky's life, 162; - plays first game with automaton chess-player, 163. - - -P. - -Page, sawing asunder of one, 123. - -Palais Royal Theatre, 335. - -Panic, Houdin's, 249; - of an Arab audience, 389. - -Papin, Denis, inventor of steam engine, 17. - -Parafaragarmus, kitchen of, 229. - -Paris, Robert-Houdin goes to, 141; - return to, from Brussels, 292; - from England, 366; - retires from, 368. - -Park Theatre, Brussels, 287. - -Pastry-cook, Houdin's automaton, 179. - -Peacock, the magic, 228. - -Perambulating house, 61. - -Perrault's fairies, 157. - -Philippe Talon, the conjurer, 221; - visits London, _ib._; - at Aberdeen, 222; - his lottery, 223; - in Paris, 227. - -Philter, a lady wants a, 262. - -Piarot, Bosco's pigeon, 189. - -Pigeon-trick, Bosco's, 187; - his work, 191. - -Piller of the State, a, 223. - -Pillory, spectators on the, 350. - -Pinetti, Chevalier, 92; - treachery of, 94. - -Pirlemont Hotel, Brussels, 286. - -Pistol-trick in Africa, 412. - -Piquet, a blind man's game at, 64; - the game of, 81; - a duel at, 85. - -Pius VII. and the conjurer, 107. - -Pocket, _sauter la coupe_ in the, 50. - -Poison in the dish, 52. - -Police, the Prefect of, 238. - -Poor Piarot, 189. - -Pope, conjuring before the, 107. - -Porter, tyranny of, 288. - -Porter's power, machine of, 38. - -_Pot-au-feu_, 194. - -Powdered glass, an appetiser, 425. - -Prepared playing cards, 214. - -Press, the English, 333. - -Prestidigitateur, title first assumed by Jules de Rovčre, 154. - -Prodigal son, 136. - -Prophet, a fallible, 250. - -Protector, a powerful, 318. - -Punch's doings, 223. - -Punch bowl, the magic, 382. - - -R. - -Race for time, 265. - -Ragoűt, the poisoned, 52. - -Rat, the captured, 21. - -Rat-trap, a novel, 23. - -Randon, Marshal, 380. - -Recollections of the soirées, 254. - -Red-hot metal, feats with, 432. - -Reforms in conjuring, 235. - -Rehearsal, Houdin's first, 241. - -Repast, a wizard's, 357. - -Retirement from Paris, 368. - -Revenge, a conjurer's, 102. - -Revolution of 1848, 320. - -Reysolius, his artificial man, 157. - -Richardson's incombustibility, 431. - -Rings' trick, 225. - -Ritter, Captain, 399. - -Rival, a dangerous, 66. - -Robert, the elder, father of Robert-Houdin, his skill, 17; - death of, 208. - -Roger, M., an honest lawyer, 37. - -Roger, the singer, 337. - -Romainville, music studies in the wood of, 207. - -Rose-colored tickets, 143. - -Royal patronage, 344. - -Royalty, insult to, 101. - -Rrrrrrrrouit, the nightingale's, 207. - - -S. - -Sabre-swallower, the French, 427. - -Saint's head, a, 200. - -Sand-bag and stirrup trick, 33. - -_Sauter de coupe_, 84. - -Scheme of revenge, 103. - -School, Houdin at, 21. - -Sciences, Royal Academy of, 158. - -Scientific amusements, 44. - -Scotland, Houdin in, 366. - -Second-sight, invention of the, 255. - -Seductions of a theatrical agent, 273. - -Selim III., the Sultan, visits Torrini, 122. - -Sementrici's feats with hot metal, 431. - -Seven thousand francs made by filings, 208. - -Sharpers, hints for, 219. - -Skill, a duel of, 102. - -Skillful manager, a, 143. - -Sleight-of-hand, principle of, 48; - first practice in, 49. - -Soirées Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin in London, 324. - -Sorcerer, how a man becomes one, 46. - -Spectators in the pillory, 348. - -St. Cloud, Houdin at Palace of, 303. - -St. James's Theatre, London, 322; - Houdin at, 330; - Dormeuil at, 335. - -St. Thomas Aquinas breaks the brazen man, 157. - -Stirrup-trick, 33. - -Storm at sea, 419. - -Strange audience, 381. - -Strange banners, 417. - -Strasburg, tragedy at, 129. - -Sugar-baker, the conjuring, 221. - -Sultan, wives of the, 122. - - -T. - -Taken by storm, 295. - -Talisman, a, 387. - -Talon, Philippe, the magician, 221. - -Tambourine-player, an automaton, 159. - -Tambourine, the singer, 337. - -Tent-life in Algiers, 416. - -Theatre, Houdin's, in the Palais Royal, 237. - -Theatricals, 139. - -Theatrical agent, seductions of, 273. - -Theatrical bed, a, 324. - -Three people make an audience, 361. - -Time, a race for, 265. - -Tiou, the nightingale's, 207. - -Too small a theatre, 295. - -Tools, Houdin's early love of, 19. - -Torrini, the conjurer, 57; - relates his history, 90 _et seq._; - death of, 181. - -Tours, journey to, 53; - ventriloquism at, 148. - -Toys, conjurer's distribution of, 254. - -Trepčze tumbler, the, 312. - -Trick, a fatal, 129. - -Trick, Houdin's first, 47. - -Tricks of the Aďssaoua, 423. - -Tuilleries, Comte at the, 146. - -Turks, performances to the, 121. - -Twelve hundred francs spent on a trick, 113. - -Two sous-piece, a lucky, 281. - - -U. - -Universal Exhibition of 1855, medal from, 370. - - -V. - -Vatican, conjuring in the, 107. - -Vaucanson, Jacques de, automaton maker, 160; - some account of, 161; - asp of Cleopatra, 161. - -Vaudeville, Houdin at the, 165. - -Vermifuge balsam, 31. - -Ventriloquism by Comte, 148. - -Verdigris, a ragoűt of, 52. - -Virgilius, his brazen fly, 156. - -Visitors in Africa, 407. - -Victoria, Queen, 340; - patronizes Houdin, 344. - - -W. - -Watchmaking, first lessons in, 41. - -Watch, the Cardinal's, 106; - broken, 109; - melted down, 111; - found whole, in the Pope's pocket, 112. - -Webster, Sir Arthur, his fęte at Fulham, 336; - Houdin performs at, 343. - -Welcome rest, a, 367. - -Whiskey, Houdin's glass of, 350. - -White magic before the Pope, 108. - -William Tell and his son, 127. - -Win, the way to, 217. - -Wine, a torrent of, 351. - -Wizard's repast, 357. - -Wood-carver, the, 200. - -Wood-cutting, 201. - -Worousky, the rebel, his life saved by Dr. Osloff, 162; - a great chess-player, 163; - plays the automaton, 165; - at Toula, 166; - plays Catherine II., 169; - visits England, 171. - -Writing and drawing automaton, 196; - its completion, 204. - - -Z. - -Zilbermann, the gambler, 81. - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[A] It will be remembered that in those days French towns were lighted -by a lamp suspended in the centre of the highway from a cord attached to -two poles.--(ED.) - -[B] After Vaucanson's death, his works were dispersed and lost, with -the exception of the duck, which, after remaining for a long time in a -garret at Berlin, saw light again in 1840, and was purchased by a M. -George Tiets, who spent four years in repairing it. - -[C] The automaton chess-player always used the left hand--a defect -falsely attributed to the carelessness of the constructor. - -[D] Since this period Bosco has changed his stage decorations: his -cloths have altered their colors, his candles are shorter, but the -death's-head, the ball, the costume, and the tricks, have ever remained -the same. - -[E] This slight incident did not prevent the jury granting me a silver -medal for my automata. Eleven years later, at the Universal Exhibition -of 1855, I received a medal of the first class for new applications of -electricity to mechanism. - -[F] It is possible that M. Robert-Houdin intends to take this revenge, -owing to the unfair way in which he was treated during his professional -career. In 1850, a man who had been seven years in his service, and -in whom he placed entire confidence, allowed himself to be seduced by -the brilliant offers an amateur made him, and sold the secret of some -of his Master's tricks at a high price. Justice was appealed to and -stopped this disgraceful traffic: the seller was awarded two years' -imprisonment, but the buyer could not be touched, and thus many of M. -Houdin's tricks passed into strange hands. - -[G] 1677, first edition, page 41, and second edition, 1680, pp. 24, 147, -252. - - * * * * * - -Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: - -Robert-Houdin, sa vie, ses oeuvres, son théätre=> Robert-Houdin, sa -vie, ses oeuvres, son théâtre {pg 5} - -prestidigitatuer=> prestidigitateur {pg 9 & 136} - -recal my reminiscences=> recall my reminiscences {pg 55} - -my suprise was increased=> my surprise was increased {pg 56} - -A day had elasped=> A day had elapsed {pg 57} - -supported by trestels=> supported by trestles {pg 61} - -same degree of skill=> some degree of skill {pg 66} - -so much petulence=> so much petulance {pg 80} - -a jury should decided=> a jury should decide {pg 84} - -had concealed for any unforseen=> had concealed for any unforeseen {pg -90} - -I was enenchanted=> I was enchanted {pg 93} - -One repesentation the less=> One representation the less {pg 94} - -celebrated Bréguet=> celebrated Brčguet {pg 106} - -for the occassion> for the occasion {pg 108} - -prove its superority=> prove its superiority {pg 109} - -my experiperiment=> my experiment {pg 111} - -A brass motar=> A brass mortar {pg 111} - -Do yo not recognize Antonio Torrini=> Do you not recognize Antonio -Torrini {pg 118} - -The only precaution neccessary=> The only precaution necessary {pg 129} - -her mornful handmaids=> her mournful handmaids {pg 131} - -contented himsely with=> contented himself with {pg 141} - -occassion=> occasion {pg 146 & 264} - -In fact, the the=> In fact, the {pg 147} - -there was the ball-headed gentlemen=> there was the ball-headed -gentleman {pg 147} - -such a talened sorcerer=> such a talented sorcerer {pg 147} - -In it will he found=> In it will be found {pg 158} - -convalesence=> convalescence {pg 163} - -the brilliancy of their dčbut=> the brilliancy of their début {pg 166} - -to enable to enable=> to enable {pg 167} - -this flatttering explanation=> this flattering explanation {pg 169} - -I have forgotton=> I have forgotten {pg 173} - -I was quite annihileted=> I was quite annihilated {pg 174} - -playing čcartč=> playing écarté {pg 219} - -on a table two sugar-loves=> on a table two sugar-loaves {pg 229} - -sextett=> sextet {pg 242} - -the next day we sucseeded=> the next day we suceeded {pg 256} - -I know not how your will interpret=> I know not how you will interpret -{pg 259} - -was to elaspe between=> was to elapse between {pg 265} - -had elasped since the curtain=> had elapsed since the curtain {pg 266} - -an affair of one hundred thousand france=> an affair of one hundred -thousand francs {pg 274} - -I had sarcely uttered the words=> I had scarcely uttered the words {pg -296} - -I should like too see=> I should like too see {pg 306} - -During this conversatian=> During this conversation {pg 342} - -the the other six months=> the other six months {pg 344} - -be scarely held in both hands=> be scarcely held in both hands {pg 356} - -the incarnation of opitimism=> the incarnation of optimism {pg 360} - -"Yes, gentlemen, yes; you can go in," Gčnet replied=> "Yes, gentlemen, -yes; you can go in," Génet replied {pg 362} - -Your are mistaken=> You are mistaken {pg 383} - -weaker than a women=> weaker than a woman {pg 384} - -than the once preceding it=> than the ones preceding it {pg 387} - -surrouuded the man=> surrounded the man {pg 389} - -with great affiability=> with great affability {pg 399} - -the ground strown with magnificent Turkey carpets=> the ground strewn -with magnificent Turkey carpets {pg 403} - -The came other dishes=> Then came other dishes {pg 406} - -leaving the audience under the impression had I produced=> leaving the -audience under the impression I had produced {pg 412} - -for its serves=> for it serves {pg 418} - -Auriol and Dubereau=> Auriol and Debureau {index} - -Dubureau, Houdin's automaton clown, 179.=> Debureau, Houdin's automaton -clown, 179. {index} - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, ambassador, -author and conjurer, by Jean Henri Robert-Houdin - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF ROBERT-HOUDIN *** - -***** This file should be named 42916-8.txt or 42916-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/9/1/42916/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, ambassador, author and conjurer - -Author: Jean Henri Robert-Houdin - -Editor: Robert Shelton Mackenzie - -Release Date: June 11, 2013 [EBook #42916] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF ROBERT-HOUDIN *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="328" height="520" alt="bookcover" title="" /> -</p> - -<table summary="note" border="4" cellpadding="10" style="background-color: #ffffff; -margin-right:auto;margin-left:auto;max-width:60%;"> - <tr> - <td valign="top"> -<p>Transcriber’s note: The etext attempts to replicate the printed book as -closely as possible. Many obvious errors in spelling and punctuation have -been corrected. Certain consistently used archaic spellings have been retained (i.e. secresy, -boquet, unforseen, caligraphy, caligrapher, conjuror, etc.) <a href="#errors">A list of -the corrections made follows the etext.</a> The footnotes have been moved to the end of the text body.</p> -</td> - </tr> -</table> - -<p><a name="page_001" id="page_001"></a></p> - -<h1> -MEMOIRS<br /> -<br /> -<small><small><small>OF</small></small></small><br /> -<br /> -R O B E R T - H O U D I N<br /> -<br /> -<small><small><small>AMBASSADOR, AUTHOR, AND CONJURER.</small></small></small><br /> -<br /> -<small><small>WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.</small></small></h1> - -<p class="corr">EDITED BY<br /><big> -<span class="smcap">D r. -R. -S H E L T O N -M A C K E N Z I E.</span></big><br /> -<br /><br /><br /> -<small><small>PHILADELPHIA:<br /> -GEO. G. EVANS, PUBLISHER,<br /> -NO. 439 CHESTNUT STREET.<br /> -1859.</small></small></p> - -<p> </p> - -<p class="c"><a name="page_002" id="page_002"></a>———<br /> - -Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1859, by<br /> - -G. G. EVANS,<br /> - -In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of<br /> -Pennsylvania.<br /> -—————— -<br /> -<small><small>STEREOTYPED AND PRINTED BY RINWALT & CO.,<br /> -34 SOUTH THIRD STREET.</small></small><a name="page_003" id="page_003"></a></p> - -<p> </p> - -<h2>EDITOR’S PREFACE.</h2> - -<p>A <small>MAN</small> may not only “take his own life,” by writing his autobiography, -without committing <i>felo de se</i>, but may carry himself into future time -by producing a book which the world will not willingly let die. This is -what M. Robert-Houdin, the greatest artist in what is called Conjuring, -has lately done in the remarkable book <i>Confidences d’un Prestigiteur</i>, -a faithful translation of which is here presented to the American -reading public. The work has had the greatest success in Europe, from -its lively style as well as the various information it contains, -historical and philosophical, on the practice and principles of -sleight-of-hand, and the other details, mental as well as mechanical, -which unite to make perfect the exhibition of White Magic, the antipodes -of what our forefathers knew, persecuted, and punished as the Black Art.</p> - -<p>Houdin has been considered of such importance and interest in France, -that in Didot’s <i>Nouvelle Biographie GĂ©nĂ©rale</i>, now in course of -publication at Paris, a whole page is given to him. From this memoir, -and from his own account<a name="page_004" id="page_004"></a> in the pages which follow, we learn that he -was born at Blois, on the 6th December, 1805,—that his father, a -watchmaker in that city, gave him a good education at the College of -Orleans,—that his inclination for <i>escamotage</i> (or juggling) was so -decided as to make him averse to pursue his father’s trade,—that he -early exhibited great taste for mechanical inventions, which he so -successfully cultivated that, at the Paris Exhibition of 1844, he was -awarded a medal for the ingenious construction of several -automata,—that, having studied the displays of the great masters on the -art of juggling, he opened a theatre of his own, in the Palais Royal in -Paris, to which his celebrated <i>soirĂ©es fantastiques</i> attracted -crowds,—that, in 1848, when the Revolution had ruined all theatrical -speculations in Paris, he visited London, where his performances at St. -James’s Theatre were universally attractive and lucrative,—that he made -a tour through Great Britain with equal success, returning to Paris when -France had settled down quietly under the rule of a President,—that he -subsequently visited many other parts of Europe, every where received -with distinction and applause,—that at the Great Parisian Exhibition of -1855, he was awarded the gold medal for his scientific application of -electricity to clocks,—that, shortly after, he closed ten years of -active public life by relinquishing his theatre to Mr. Hamilton, his -brother-in-law, retiring with a well-earned competency to Blois,—and -that, in 1857, at the special request of the French Government, which -desired to lessen the influence of the Marabouts, whose conjuring -tricks, accepted as actual magic by the<a name="page_005" id="page_005"></a> Arabs, gave them too much -influence, he went to Algeria, as a sort of Ambassador, to play off his -tricks against theirs, and, by greater marvels than they could shew, -destroy the <i>prestige</i> which they had acquired. He so completely -succeeded that the Arabs lost all faith in the miracles of the -Marabouts, and thus was destroyed an influence very dangerous to the -French Government.</p> - -<p>In his retirement, to which he has returned, Houdin wrote his -<i>Confidences</i>, and is now devoting himself to scientific researches -connected with electricity. Before the appearance of his own work, M. -Hatin had published, in 1857, <i>Robert-Houdin, sa vie, ses Ĺ“uvres, son -théâtre</i>.</p> - -<p>The French and English critics have generally and warmly eulogized M. -Houdin’s <i>Confidences</i>, and I am persuaded that, on this side of the -Atlantic, it will be considered an instructive as well as an amusing -volume.</p> - -<p>One error which M. Houdin makes must not be passed over. His account of -M. de Kempelen’s celebrated automaton chess-player (afterwards -MaĂ«lzel’s) is entirely wrong. This remarkable piece of mechanism was -constructed in 1769, and not in 1796; it was the Empress Maria-Theresa -of Austria who played with it, and not Catherine II. of Russia; it was -in 1783 that it first visited Paris, where it played at the CafĂ© de la -RĂ©gence; it was not taken to London until 1784; and again in 1819; it -was brought to America in 1825, by M. MaĂ«lzel, and visited our principal -cities, its chief resting-place being Philadelphia; M. MaĂ«lzel’s death -was in 1838, on the voyage from Cuba to the United States, and not, as -M. Houdin says, on his return<a name="page_006" id="page_006"></a> to France; and the automaton, so far from -being taken back to France, was sold by auction here, finally purchased -by the late Dr. J. K. Mitchell, of Philadelphia, reconstructed by him, -and finally deposited in the Chinese Museum, (formerly Peale’s,) where -it was consumed in the great fire which destroyed the National Theatre, -(now the site of the Continental Hotel, corner of Ninth and Chestnut -streets,) and extending to the Chinese Museum, burnt it down on July -5th, 1854. An interesting account of the Automaton Chess-Player, written -by Professor George Allen, of this city, will be found in “The Book of -the First American Chess Congress,” recently published in New York.</p> - -<p>M. Houdin is engaged now in writing a volume explaining the manner in -which sleight-of-hand and other conjuring tricks and deceptions are -performed.</p> - -<p>I have added an <a href="#INDEX">Index</a> to this volume, which I trust will be accepted as -useful.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">R. Shelton Mackenzie.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Philadelphia</span>, Sept. 26, 1859.<a name="page_007" id="page_007"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS.</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="margin:2% auto 2%;max-width:60%;"> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" align="right"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">My Birth and Parentage—My Home—The Lessons of Colonel -Bernard—Paternal Ambition—My first Mechanical Attempts—Had -I but a Rat!—A Prisoner’s Industry—The AbbĂ© Larivière—My -Word of Honor—Farewell to my darling Tools. </p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_017">17</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">A Country Idler—Dr. Carlosbach, Conjurer and Professor of Mystification—The -Sand-bag and the Stirrup Trick—I turn Lawyer’s -Clerk, and the Minutes appear to me very long—A small -Automaton—A respectful Protest—I mount a Step in the Office—A -Machine of Porter’s Power—The Acrobatic Canaries—Monsieur -Roger’s Remonstrances—My Father decides that I shall -follow my bent.</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_026">26</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">My Cousin Robert—The most important Event in my Life—How -a Man becomes a Sorcerer—My first Sleight-of-Hand Feat—An -utter Failure—Practising the Eye and the Hand—Curious Experiment -in Prestidigitation—Monsieur Noriet—An Action more -ingenious than delicate—I am Poisoned—Influence of Delirium.<a name="page_008" id="page_008"></a></p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_042">42</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">I return to Life—A strange Doctor—Torrini and Antonio: a Conjurer -and a Fanatic for Music—A Murderer’s Confession—A -perambulating House—The Fair at Angers—A portable Theatre—I -witness for the first Time a Conjuring Performance—The -blind Man’s Game at Piquet—A Dangerous Rival—Signor -Castelli eats a Man alive.</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_055">55</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">Antonio’s Confessions—How to gain Public Applause—The Count -de ——, Mountebank—I repair an Automaton—A Mechanician’s -Shop on Wheels—Nomadic Life—Happy Existence—Torrini’s -Lessons—His Opinions about Sleight-of-Hand—A Fashionable -Greek, Victim of his own Swindling—The Conjurer Comus—A -Duel at Piquet—Torrini proclaimed Conqueror—Revelations—New -Catastrophe—Poor Torrini!</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_073">73</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">Torrini relates his Life—Treachery of Chevalier Pinetti—A Conjurer -through Malice—A Race between two Magicians—Death -of Pinetti—Exhibits before Pius VII.—The Cardinal’s Chronometer—Twelve -Hundred Francs spent on a Trick—Antonio -and Antonia—The most bitter of Mystifications—Constantinople.</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_090">90</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">Continuation of Torrini’s History—The Grand Turk orders a -Performance—A marvellous Trick—A Page cut in two—Pitying -Protest of the Harem—Agreeable Surprise—Return to -France—Torrini’s Son Killed—Madness—Decay—My first -Performance—An annoying Accident—I return Home.<a name="page_009" id="page_009"></a></p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_121">121</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">The Prodigal Son—Mademoiselle Houdin—I go to Paris—My -Marriage—Comte—Studies of the Public—A skillful Manager—Rose-colored -Tickets—A Musky Style—The King of Hearts—Ventriloquism—The -Mystifiers Mystified—Father Roujol—Jules -de Rovère—Origin of the word <i>prestidigitateur</i>.</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_136">136</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">Celebrated Automata—A Brazen Fly—The Artificial Man—Albertus -Magnus and St. Thomas d’Aquinas—Vaucanson—His -Duck—His Flute-Player—Curious Details—The Automaton -Chess-Player—Interesting Episode—Catherine II. and M. de -Kempelen—I repair the Componium—Unexpected Success.</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_155">155</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">An Inventor’s Calculations—One Hundred Thousand Francs a Year -by an Inkstand: Deception—My new Automata—The First -Magician in France: Decadence—I meet Antonio—Bosco—The -Trick with the Cups—An Execution—Resurrection of the -Criminals—Mistake in a Head—The Canary rewarded.</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_176">176</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">A Reverse of Fortune—Cookery and Clockwork—The Artist’s -Home—Invention of an Automaton—Voluntary Exile—A modest -Villa—The Inconveniences of a Speciality—Two August -Visitors—The Throat of a mechanical Nightingale—The Tiou -and the Rrrrrrrrouit—Seven Thousand Francs earned by making -Filings.<a name="page_010" id="page_010"></a></p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_192">192</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">The Inventive Genius of a Sugar-baker—Philippe the Magician—His -Comic Adventures—Description of his Performance—Exposition -of 1844—The King and Royal Family visit my Automata.</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_221">221</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">My proposed Reforms—I build a Theatre in the Palais Royal—Formalities—General -Rehearsal—Singular Effect of my Performance—The -Largest and Smallest Theatre in Paris—Tribulation—My -first Performance—Panic—Discouragement—A -Fallible Prophet—Recovery—Success.</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_234">234</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">New Studies—A Comic Journal—Invention of Second Sight—Curious -Experiments—An enthusiastic Spectator—Danger of -being a Sorcerer—A Philter or your Life—Way to get rid of -Bores—An Electric Touch—I perform at the Vaudeville—Struggles -with the Incredulous—Interesting Details.</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_253">253</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">Seductions of a Theatrical Agent—How to gain One Hundred -Thousand Francs—I start for Brussels—A lucky Two-Sou -Piece—Miseries of professional Travelling—The Park Theatre—Tyranny -of a Porter—Full House—Small Receipts—Deceptions—Return -to Paris.</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_273">273</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">Reopening of my Fantastic SoirĂ©es—Minor Miseries of Good -Luck—Inconvenience of a small Theatre—My Room taken by -Storm—A gratuitous Performance—A conscientious Audience—Pleasant -Story about a Black Silk Cap—I perform at the Château -of St. Cloud—Cagliostro’s Casket—Holidays.<a name="page_011" id="page_011"></a></p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_294">294</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">New Experiments—AĂ«rial Suspension, &c.—A Performance at the -OdĂ©on—A Friend in Need—1848—The Theatre deserted—I -leave Paris for London—Manager Mitchell—Publicity in England—The -Great Wizard—A Butter-mould used as a Puff—Singular -Bills—A Prize for the best Pun.</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_312">312</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">The St. James’s Theatre—Invasion of England by French Performers—A -FĂŞte patronised by the Queen—The Diplomatist -and the Sleight-of-Hand Man—Three Thousand Pounds taken -at one Haul—I perform at Manchester—The Spectators in -the Pillory—What capital Curaçoa!—A Torrent of Wine—A -Catastrophe—Performance at Buckingham Palace—A Wizard’s -Repast.</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_330">330</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">An Optimist Manager—Three Spectators in a Room—A Magical -Collation—The Colchester Public and the Nuts—I return to -France—I give up my Theatre—A Farewell Tour—I retire -to St. Gervais—An Academician’s Predictions.</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_359">359</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">Travels in Algeria—Convocation of the Chieftains—Performances -before the Arabs—A Kabyle rendered powerless—Invulnerability—A -Moor disappears—Panic and Flight of the Audience—Reconciliation—The -Sect of AĂŻssaoua—Their pretendedMiracles.<a name="page_012" id="page_012"></a></p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_371">371</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI.</a></td></tr> -<tr><td><p class="hang">Excursion in the Interior of Africa—The Abode of a Bash-Aga—A -comical Repast—A SoirĂ©e of Arab Dignitaries—A -Marabout mystified—Tent-life in Algeria—I return to France—A -terrible Storm—Conclusion.</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_398">398</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td colspan="2" class="corr" align="center"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang"><span class="smcap">A Course of Miracles.</span></p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_422">422</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang"><span class="smcap"><a href="#INDEX">Index</a>. -<a href="#A">A</a>, -<a href="#B">B</a>, -<a href="#C">C</a>, -<a href="#D">D</a>, -<a href="#E">E</a>, -<a href="#F">F</a>, -<a href="#G">G</a>, -<a href="#H">H</a>, -<a href="#I">I</a>, -<a href="#J">J</a>, -<a href="#K">K</a>, -<a href="#L">L</a>, -<a href="#M">M</a>, -<a href="#N">N</a>, -<a href="#O">O</a>, -<a href="#P">P</a>, -<a href="#R">R</a>, -<a href="#S">S</a>, -<a href="#T">T</a>, -<a href="#U">U</a>, -<a href="#V">V</a>, -<a href="#W">W</a>, -<a href="#Z">Z</a></span></p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_437">437</a></td></tr> - -</table> - -<p><a name="page_013" id="page_013"></a></p> - -<h2>THE AUTHOR’S OVERTURE.</h2> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Saint Gervais, near Blois</span>,<br /> -September, 1858.<br /> -</p> - -<p>E<small>IGHT</small> o’clock has just struck: my wife and children are by my side. I -have spent one of those pleasant days which tranquillity, work, and -study can alone secure.—With no regret for the past, with no fear for -the future, I am—I am not afraid to say it—as happy as man can be.</p> - -<p>And yet, at each vibration of this mysterious hour, my pulse starts, my -temples throb, and I can scarce breathe, so much do I feel the want of -air and motion. I can reply to no questions, so thoroughly am I lost in -a strange and delirious reverie.</p> - -<p>Shall I confess to you, reader? And why not? for this electrical effect -is not of a nature to be easily understood by you.</p> - -<p>The reason for my emotion being extreme at this moment is, that, during -my professional career, eight o’clock was the moment when I must appear -before the public. Then,<a name="page_014" id="page_014"></a> with my eye eagerly fixed on the hole in the -curtain, I surveyed with intense pleasure the crowd that flocked in to -see me. Then, as now, my heart beat, for I was proud and happy of such -success.</p> - -<p>At times, too, a doubt, a feeling of uneasiness, would be mingled with -my pleasure. “Heavens!” I would say to myself, in terror, “am I so sure -of myself as to deserve such anxiety to see me?”</p> - -<p>But, soon reassured by the past, I waited with greater calmness the -signal for the curtain to draw up. I then walked on the stage: I was -near the foot-lights, before my judges—but no, I err—before my kind -spectators, whose applause I was in hopes to gain.</p> - -<p>Do you now understand, reader, all the reminiscences this hour evokes in -me, and the solemn feeling that continually occurs to me when the clock -strikes?</p> - -<p>These emotions and souvenirs are not at all painful to me: on the -contrary, I summon them up with pleasure. At times I even mentally -transport myself to my stage, in order to prolong them. There, as -before, I ring the bell, the curtain rises, I see my audience again, -and, under the charm of this sweet illusion, I delight in telling them -the most interesting episodes of my professional life. I tell them how a -man learns his real vocation, how the struggle with difficulties of -every nature begins, how, in fact——<a name="page_015" id="page_015"></a></p> - -<p>But why should I not convert this fiction into a reality? Could I not, -each evening when the clock strikes eight, continue my performances -under another form? My public shall be the reader, and my stage a book.</p> - -<p>This idea pleases me: I accept it with joy, and immediately give way to -the sweet illusion. Already I fancy myself in the presence of spectators -whose kindness encourages me. I imagine they are waiting for me—they -are listening eagerly.</p> - -<p>Without further hesitation I begin.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Robert-Houdin.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p><a name="page_016" id="page_016"></a></p> - -<p><a name="page_017" id="page_017"></a></p> - -<h1>MEMOIRS<br /><br /> -<small><small>OF</small></small><br /><br /> -ROBERT-HOUDIN.</h1> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">My Birth and Parentage—My Home—The Lessons of Colonel -Bernard—Paternal Ambition—My first Mechanical Attempts—Had I but -a Rat!—A Prisoner’s Industry—The AbbĂ© Larivière—My Word of -Honor—Farewell to my darling Tools.</p></div> - -<p>I<small>N</small> conformity with the traditional custom which expects every man who -writes his memoirs—or not to use too strong language, his -confessions—to display his patent of gentility, I commence by stating -to my readers, with a certain degree of pride, that I was born at Blois, -the birthplace of Louis XII., surnamed the “Father of his People,” and -of Denis Papin, the illustrious inventor of the steam-engine.</p> - -<p>So much for my native town. As for my family, it would only appear -natural, regard being had to the art to which I devoted my life, that I -should display in my family tree the name of Robert <i>le Diable</i>, or of -some mediæval sorcerer; but, being the very slave of truth, I<a name="page_018" id="page_018"></a> will -content myself with stating that my father was a watchmaker.</p> - -<p>Though he did not rise to the elevation of the Berthouds and the -Breguets, my father was reputed to be very skilful in his profession. In -fact, I am only displaying our hereditary modesty when I say that my -father’s talents were confined to a single art; for, in truth, nature -had adapted him for various branches of mechanics, and the activity of -his mind led him to try them all with equal ardor. An excellent -engraver, a jeweller of the greatest taste, he at the same time could -carve the arm or leg for some fractured statuette, restore the enamel on -any time-worn porcelain, or even repair musical snuff-boxes, which were -very fashionable in those days. The skill he evinced in these varied -arts at length procured him a most numerous body of customers; but, -unfortunately, he was wont to make any repairs not strictly connected -with his own business for the mere pleasure.</p> - -<p>In this house, which I may almost term artistic, and in the midst of -tools and implements in which I was destined to take so lively an -interest, I was born and educated. I possess an excellent memory, still, -though my reminiscences date back so far, I cannot remember the day of -my birth. I have learned since, however, that it was the 6th of -December, 1805. I am inclined to believe that I came into the world with -a file or a hammer in my hand, for, from my earliest youth, those -implements were my toys and delight: I learned how to use them as other -children learn to walk and talk. I need not say that my excellent mother -had frequently to wipe away the young mechanic’s tears, when the hammer, -badly directed, struck my fingers. As for my father, he laughed at these -slight accidents, and said, jokingly, that it was a capital way of<a name="page_019" id="page_019"></a> -driving my profession into me, and that, as I was a wonderful lad, I -could not but become an extraordinary workman. I do not pretend that I -ever realized the paternal predictions, but it is certain that I have -ever felt an irresistible inclination for mechanism.</p> - -<p>How often, in my infantile dreams, did a benevolent fairy open before me -the door of a mysterious El Dorado, where tools of every description -were piled up. The delight which these dreams produced on me, were the -same as any other child feels when his fancy summons up before him a -fantastic country where the houses are made of chocolate, the stones of -sugar candy, and the men of gingerbread. It is difficult to understand -this fever for tools; the mechanic, the artist adores them, and would -ruin himself to obtain them. Tools, in fact, are to him what a MS. is to -the archæologist, a coin to the antiquary, or a pack of cards to a -gambler: in a word they are the implements by which a ruling passion is -fed.</p> - -<p>By the time I was eight years of age I had furnished proofs of my -ability, partly through the kindness of an excellent neighbor, and -partly through a dangerous illness, when my forced idleness gave me -leisure to exercise my natural dexterity. This neighbor, M. Bernard, was -a colonel on half-pay. Having been a prisoner for many years, he had -learned how to make an infinity of toys, which he taught me as an -amusement, and I profited so well by his lessons, that in a very short -time I could equal my master. I fancy I can still see and hear this old -soldier, when, passing his hand over his heavy grey moustache, he -exclaimed with energetic satisfaction, “Why, the young scamp can do -anything he likes.” This compliment flattered my childish vanity, and I -redoubled my efforts to deserve it.<a name="page_020" id="page_020"></a></p> - -<p>With my illness my pleasures ended; I was sent to school, and from that -time I had few opportunities for indulging in my favorite tasks. Still, -on my holidays, I used to return to my father’s workshop with delight, -and, yet, I must have been a great torment to that excellent parent. -Owing to my want of skill, I now and then broke some tool, and although -I might try to conceal it, the blame was generally laid on me, and, as a -punishment, I was forbidden to enter the workshop. But it was of no use -attempting to keep me from my hobby; the prohibition had to be -continually renewed. Hence it was thought advisable to attack the evil -at the root, and I must be sent away from home.</p> - -<p>Although my father liked his trade, experience had taught him that a -watchmaker rarely makes a fortune in a country town; in his paternal -ambition he, therefore, dreamed a more brilliant destiny for me, and he -formed the determination of giving me a liberal education, for which I -shall always feel grateful to him. He sent me to college at Orleans. I -was then eleven years of age.</p> - -<p>Let who will sing the praises of school life; for my own part I can -safely state, that, though I was not averse from study, the happiest day -I spent in our monastic seminary was that on which I left it for good. -However, once entered, I accepted my lot with resignation, and became in -a short time a perfect schoolboy. In my play hours my time was well -employed, for I spent the greater portion of it in making pieces of -mechanism. Thus I made snares, gins, and mouse-traps, their excellent -arrangement, and perhaps the dainty bait as well, producing me a great -number of prisoners.</p> - -<p>I had built for them a charming open cage, in which I had fixed up a -miniature gymnastic machinery. My prisoners,<a name="page_021" id="page_021"></a> while taking their ease, -set in motion a variety of machines, which caused a most agreeable -surprise. One of my inventions more especially attracted the admiration -of my comrades; it was a method of raising water by means of a pump made -almost entirely of quills. A mouse, harnessed like a horse, was intended -to set this Lilliputian machine in motion by the muscular strength of -its legs; but, unfortunately, my docile animal, though perfectly -willing, could not overcome the resistance of the cog-wheels, and I was -forced, to my great regret, to lend it a hand.</p> - -<p>“Ah! if I only had a rat!” I said to myself, in my disappointment, “how -famously it would work!” A rat! But how to get one? That appeared to me -an insurmountable difficulty, but, after all, it was not so. One day, -having been caught in the act of breaking bounds by a monitor, I was -awarded twelve hours’ imprisonment. This punishment, which I suffered -for the first time, produced a violent effect on me: but in the midst of -the sorrowful reflections inspired by the solitude, an idea dissipated -my melancholy thoughts by offering a famous suggestion.</p> - -<p>I knew that at nightfall the rats used to come from an adjacent church -into the cell where I was confined, to regale on the bread-crumbs left -by prisoners. It was a capital opportunity to obtain one of the animals -I required; and as I would not let it slip, I straight-way set about -inventing a rat-trap. My only materials were a pitcher holding water, -and, consequently, my ideas were confined exclusively to this. I, -therefore, made the following arrangement.</p> - -<p>I began by emptying my pitcher; then, after putting in a piece of bread, -I laid it down so that the orifice was<a name="page_022" id="page_022"></a> on a level with the ground. My -object was to attract the victim by this dainty into the trap. A brick -which I dug up would serve to close the opening, but as it was -impossible for me in the darkness to notice the exact moment for cutting -off the prisoner’s retreat, I laid near the bread a piece of paper which -would rustle as the rat passed over it.</p> - -<p>As soon as night set in, I crouched close to my pitcher, and, holding -the brick in my hand, I awaited with feverish anxiety the arrival of my -guests. The pleasure I anticipated from the capture must have been -excessive to overcome my timidity when I heard the first leaps of my -savage visitors. I confess that the antics they performed round my legs -occasioned me great nervousness, for I knew not how far the voracity of -these intrepid rodents might extend; still, I kept my ground, not making -the slightest movement, through fear of compromising the success of my -scheme, and was prepared to offer the assailants a vigorous resistance -in case of an attack.</p> - -<p>More than an hour passed in vain expectation, and I was beginning to -despair of the success of my trap, when I fancied I heard the slight -sound I hoped for as a signal. I laid the brick on the mouth of the -pitcher directly, and raised it up; the shrill cries inside convinced me -of my success, and I began a pæan of triumph, both to celebrate my -victory and to frighten away my prisoner’s comrades. The porter, when he -came to release me, helped me to master my rat by fastening a piece of -twine to one of his hind legs, and burdened with my precious booty, I -proceeded to the dormitory, where masters and pupils had been asleep for -a long time. I was glad enough to sleep too, but a difficulty presented -itself—how should I bestow my prisoner?<a name="page_023" id="page_023"></a></p> - -<p>At length a bright idea occurred to me, fully worthy of a schoolboy: it -was to thrust the rat headforemost into one of my shoes. After fastening -the twine to the leg of my bed, I pushed the shoe into one of my -stockings, and placed the whole in the leg of my trousers. This being -accomplished, I believed I could go to bed without the slightest cause -for apprehension. The next morning, at five exactly, the inspector took -a turn through the dormitory to arouse the sleepers.</p> - -<p>“Dress yourself directly,” he said, in that amiable voice peculiar to -gentlemen who have risen too soon.</p> - -<p>I proceeded to obey but I was fated to dire disgrace: the rat I had -packed away so carefully, not finding its quarters airy enough, had -thought proper to gnaw through my shoe, my stocking, and my trouser, and -was taking the air through this improvised window. Fortunately, it had -not cut through the retaining string, so the rest was a trifle.</p> - -<p>But the inspector did not regard matters in the same light as I did. The -capture of a rat and the injury to my clothes were considered further -aggravations of my previous offence, and he sent in a lengthy report to -the head-master. I was obliged to appear before the latter dressed in -the clothes that bore the proof of my offence, and, by an unlucky -coincidence, shoe, stocking and trouser were all injured on the same -leg. The AbbĂ© Larivière (our head-master) managed the college with truly -paternal care; ever just, and prone by nature to forgiveness, he was -adored by his pupils, and to be out of favor with him was regarded as -the severest punishment.</p> - -<p>“Well, Robert,” he said to me, looking kindly over the spectacles which -bridged the end of his nose, “I understand you have been guilty of grave -faults. Come, tell me the whole truth.<a name="page_024" id="page_024"></a>”</p> - -<p>I possessed at that time a quality which, I trust, I have not lost -since, and that is extreme frankness. I gave the AbbĂ© a full account of -my misdeeds, and my sincerity gained me pardon. The head-master, after a -vain attempt to repress it, burst into a loud fit of laughter, on -hearing the catastrophe of my adventures. Still, he ended his gentle -lecture in the following words:</p> - -<p>“I will not scold you any more, Robert. I believe in your repentance: -twelve hours’ confinement are sufficient punishment, and I grant you -your release. I will do more: though you are very young, I will treat -you as a man—of honor, though—you understand me? You will pledge me -your word not only that you will not commit your old faults again, but, -as your passion for mechanics makes you often neglect your lessons, you -must promise to give up your tools, and devote yourself henceforth to -study.”</p> - -<p>“Oh yes, sir, I give you my word,” I exclaimed, moved to tears by such -unexpected indulgence; “and I can assure you, you will never repent -having put faith in my promise.”</p> - -<p>I made up my mind to keep my pledge, although I was fully aware of all -the difficulties, which were so many stumbling-blocks in that path of -virtue I wished to follow. Much trouble, I had too, at first, in -withstanding the jests and sarcasms of the idler of my comrades, who, in -order to hide their own bad conduct, strove to make all weak characters -their accomplices. Still, I broke with them all. Sharpest pang of all, -though, was the sacrifice I made in burning my vessels—that is, in -putting aside my cages and their contents; I even forgot my tools, and -thus, free from all external distraction, I devoted myself entirely to -my Greek and Latin studies.<a name="page_025" id="page_025"></a></p> - -<p>The praise I received from the AbbĂ© Larivière, who prided himself in -having noticed in me the stuff for an excellent scholar, rewarded me for -this sublime effort, and I may say I became, thenceforth, one of the -most studious and attentive lads in the college. At times, I certainly -regretted my tools and my darling machinery, but recollecting my promise -to the head-master, I held firm against all temptation. All I allowed -myself was to set down by stealth on paper a few ideas that occurred to -me, though I did not know whether I should ever have a chance to put -them in practice.</p> - -<p>At length the moment arrived for my leaving college; my studies were -completed—I was eighteen years of age.<a name="page_026" id="page_026"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">A Country Idler—Dr. Carlosbach, Conjurer and Professor of -Mystification—The Sand-bag and the Stirrup Trick—I turn Lawyer’s -Clerk, and the Minutes appear to me very long—A small Automaton—A -respectful Protest—I mount a Step in the Office—A Machine of -Porter’s Power—The Acrobatic Canaries—Monsieur Roger’s -Remonstrances—My Father decides that I shall follow my bent.</p></div> - -<p>I<small>N</small> the story I have just narrated, only simple events were -noticeable—hardly worthy, perhaps, of a man who has often passed for a -sorcerer—but grant me a few pages’ patience, reader, as an introduction -to my artistic life, and what you seek in my book will be displayed -before your eager gaze. You will know how a magician is produced, and -you will learn that the tree whence my magic staff was cut was only that -of persevering labor, often bedewed by the sweat of my brow: soon, too, -when you come to witness my labors and my anxious hours of expectation, -you will be able to appreciate the cost of a reputation in my mysterious -art.</p> - -<p>On leaving college, I at first enjoyed all the liberty I had been -deprived of for so many years. The power of going right or left, of -speaking or remaining silent, as I listed, of getting up sooner or -later, according to my fancy, was an earthly paradise for a collegian. I -enjoyed this ineffable pleasure to the fullest extent: thus, in the -morning—although habit made me wake at five—<a name="page_027" id="page_027"></a>when the clock announced -that once so dreaded hour, I burst into a loud laugh, and offered -ferocious challenges to any number of invisible superintendents; then, -satisfied by this slight retrospective vengeance, I went to sleep again -till breakfast. After that meal I went out to indulge in a pleasant -lounge about the streets; and I preferred walking in the public -promenades, for thus I had better chances of finding something to -attract my attention. In a word, not an event happened which I did not -know, and I was the real amateur “penny-a-liner” of my native town.</p> - -<p>Many of these incidents afforded very slight interest; one day, however, -I witnessed a scene which produced a lasting effect upon me. One -after-dinner, while walking along the side of the Loire, engaged with -the thoughts suggested by the falling autumn leaves, I was aroused from -my reverie by the sound of a trumpet, evidently blown by a practised -performer. It may be easily supposed that I was not the last to obey -this startling summons, and a few other idlers also formed a circle -round the performer.</p> - -<p>He was a tall fellow with a quick eye, a sunburnt face, long and crispy -hair, and he stemmed his fist in his side, while he held his head -impudently high. His costume, though rather “loud,” was still cleanly, -and announced a man who probably had “some hay in his boots,” to use a -favorite phrase of gentlemen in the same profession. He wore a -maroon-colored frock-coat, trimmed with large silver frogs, while round -his neck was a black silk cravat, the two ends being passed through a -jewelled ring, which a millionaire would not have disdained—had it not -unfortunately been paste. He wore no waistcoat, but his shirt was -remarkably white, and on it glistened a heavy mosaic chain, with a -collection of appendages, whose metallic sound loudly announced his -every movement.<a name="page_028" id="page_028"></a></p> - -<p>I had ample time to make these observations, for as the audience -collected but slowly, the stranger continued his trumpet overture for a -quarter of an hour; at length, when an average crowd had assembled, the -trumpet made way for the human voice. The artist laid the instrument on -the ground, and walked round majestically to form a ring; then, -stopping, he passed his hand through his hair, and began his address. -Being little used to this charlatanism in the streets, I regarded the -man with confiding admiration and determined not to lose a word of his -address.</p> - -<p>“Gentlemen,” he commenced, in a firm and sonorous voice, “pray hear me. -I am <i>not</i> what I seem to be; I may say more, I am what I do not seem to -be. Yes, gentlemen, yes—confess it—you take me for one of those scurvy -beggars who want to draw a few halfpence from your generosity. Well, you -may undeceive yourselves. Though you see me on this spot to-day, I tell -you that I have only come here for the relief of suffering humanity in -general, then for your welfare in particular, as well as for your -amusement.”</p> - -<p>Here the orator, whose accent plainly showed that he came from the banks -of the Garonne, passed his hand once more through his hair, raised his -head, sucked his lips, and, assuming an air of majestic dignity, -continued:</p> - -<p>“I will tell you presently who I am, and you will be able to estimate me -at my true value; in the mean while allow me to offer you a slight -specimen of my skill.”</p> - -<p>The artist, having then formed the circle afresh, placed before him a -small table, on which he arranged three tin goblets, so well polished -that they might have been taken for silver; after which he fastened -round his waist a red cotton velvet bag, into which he thrust his hands -for some minutes—doubtlessly to prepare the tricks he intended to -display—and the performance commenced.<a name="page_029" id="page_029"></a></p> - -<p>During a long series of tricks, the nutmegs, at first invisible, -appeared at the finger ends of the conjuror; then, they passed through -the cups, under the table, into a spectator’s pockets, and finally -emerged, to the general delight, from the nose of a young looker-on. The -latter took the matter quite seriously, and half killed himself with -sneezing, to see whether a few more spice balls might not be left in his -brain. The address with which these tricks were done, and the apparent -simplicity of the operator in the execution of these ingenious -artifices, produced the most perfect illusion—at least, as far as I was -concerned.</p> - -<p>It was the first time I had ever witnessed such a sight: I was -stupefied, astounded! The man who could perform such marvels at his will -seemed to me a superhuman being; hence I saw him put aside his cups with -considerable regret. The audience seemed equally charmed; the artist -perceived it, and took advantage of it, by making a sign that he had a -few more words to say. Then, resting his hand on the table, he -proceeded:</p> - -<p>“Ladies and gentlemen! I was very pleased to notice the kind attention -you devoted to my tricks, and I thank you for it” (here the conjuror -bowed to the ground); “and, as I am anxious to prove that you have not -to deal with an ungrateful person, I will attempt to repay in full the -satisfaction you have made me feel. Deign to listen to me for a moment.</p> - -<p>“I promised to tell you what I am; I will now satisfy you.” (Sudden -change of countenance, and evidence of great self-esteem.) “You behold -in me the celebrated Dr. Carlosbach: the composition of my name reveals -to you my Anglo-Francisco-Germanic origin. To praise myself would be -like painting the lily; I will, therefore,<a name="page_030" id="page_030"></a> content myself with saying -that I possess an enormous talent, and that my astounding reputation can -only be equalled by my modesty. Elected, by acclamation, member of the -most illustrious learned societies through the whole world, I incline -before their judgment, which proclaims the superiority of my skill in -the grand art of curing the human race.”</p> - -<p>This address, as strange as it was emphatic, was delivered with -imperturbable assurance; still I fancied I noticed a twitching of the -lips, that revealed the grand doctor’s ill-restrained desire to laugh. -For all that, I listened attentively to his discourse.</p> - -<p>“But, gentlemen,” he added, “I have said sufficient of myself; it is -time to speak of my works. Learn then, that I am the inventor of the -Vermifuge Balsam, whose sovereign efficaciousness is indisputable. Yes, -gentlemen, the worm, that enemy of the human race—the worm, the -destroyer of everything existing—the worm, that obstinate preyer on the -living and the dead, is at length conquered by my science; a drop, an -atom of this precious liquor is sufficient to expel this fearful -parasite for ever.</p> - -<p>“And, gentlemen, such is the virtue of my marvellous balsam, that it not -only delivers man from this frightful calamity during life, but his body -has nothing to fear after death. Taking my balsam is a mode of embalming -one’s body prior to death; man is thus rendered immortal. Ah! gentlemen, -were you but acquainted with all the virtues of my sublime discovery, -you would rush upon me and tear it from me; but, as that would be -illegal, I check myself in time.”</p> - -<p>The orator, in fact, stopped, and dried his brow with one hand, while -with the other he motioned to the crowd that he had not yet ended his -discourse. A great number<a name="page_031" id="page_031"></a> of the audience were already striving to -approach the learned doctor; Carlosbach, however, did not appear to -notice it, and, reassuming his dramatic posture, he continued as -follows:</p> - -<p>“But, you will ask me, what can be the price of such a treasure? can we -be rich enough to purchase it? The moment has now arrived, gentlemen, to -make you understand the full extent of my disinterestedness. This -balsam, in the discovery of which I have worn away my days—this balsam, -which sovereigns have purchased at the price of their crown—this -balsam, in short, which is beyond all price—well, I make you a present -of it!”</p> - -<p>At these unexpected words, the crowd, panting with emotion, lifted up -its eager arms, and implored the generosity of the doctor. But, what -shameful deception! Carlosbach—the celebrated Dr. Carlosbach—this -benefactor of humanity, suddenly altered his tone, and burst into an -Homeric shout of laughter. The arms fell down spontaneously; the -audience looked vacantly into each other’s faces. At length one laughed. -The contagion spread, and soon everybody was following the conjurer’s -example. He was the first to stop, and demanded silence:</p> - -<p>“Gentlemen!” he then said, in a perfectly respectful tone, “do not be -angry with me for the little trick I have played you; I wished thus to -put you on your guard against those charlatans who daily deceive you, -just as I have done myself. I am no doctor, but simply a conjurer, -professor of mystification, and author of a book, in which you will -find, in addition to the discourse I have just delivered, the -description of a great number of conjuring tricks. Would you like to -learn the art of amusing yourself in society? For sixpence you may -satisfy your curiosity.<a name="page_032" id="page_032"></a>”</p> - -<p>The conjurer produced from a box an enormous packet of books; then, -going round the crowd, he soon disposed of his wares, thanks to the -interest his talent had excited. The exhibition was over, and I returned -home with my head full of a world of unknown sensations.</p> - -<p>It will be readily supposed that I purchased one of these precious -volumes. I hastened to examine it; but the false doctor continued his -system of mystification in it, and despite all my good will, I could not -understand one of the tricks he pretended to explain. However, I had the -famous speech I have just quoted, as some sort of consolation.</p> - -<p>I made up my mind to lay the book aside and think no more of it; but the -marvels it announced returned to my mind every moment. “O Carlosbach!” I -said in my modest ambition, “if I possessed your talent, how happy I -should feel!” and, filled with this idea, I decided on taking lessons of -the learned professor. Unfortunately, this determination was arrived at -too late. When I proceeded to his lodgings, I learned that the conjuror -had resorted to his own tricks, and had left his inn the previous -evening, forgetting to pay the princely score he had run up. The -innkeeper gave me the account of this last mystification on the part of -the professor.</p> - -<p>Carlosbach had arrived at his house with two trunks of unequal size and -very heavy; on the larger of them was painted “Conjuring Apparatus,” on -the other, “Clothing.” The conjuror, who stated that he had received -various invitations to perform at the adjacent châteaux, had set off the -evening before to fulfil one of these engagements. He had only taken -with him one of his trunks, that containing the apparatus; and it was -supposed he had left the other in his room as a security for the bill he -had run up. The next day the host, surprised at finding his<a name="page_033" id="page_033"></a> lodger -still absent, thought it advisable to place his traps in some safe -place. He, therefore, went into his bedroom; but the two trunks had -disappeared, and in their place was an enormous bag filled with sand, on -which was written:</p> - -<p class="c"> -<span class="smcap">The Mystifying Bag.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Stirrup Trick.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>I continued for some time longer to enjoy the contemplative life I had -been pursuing; but at last satiety assailed me, and I was quite -surprised one day at finding myself wearied of this life of idleness. My -father, like a man who could read the human heart, had awaited this -moment to talk seriously with me; he, therefore, took me aside one -morning, and said, without further preface, in a kindly voice:</p> - -<p>“My good boy, you have now quitted college with a sound education, and I -have allowed you to enjoy fully the liberty for which you seemed to -aspire. But you must see this is not sufficient for a livelihood; you -must now enter on the world resolutely, and apply your parts to the -profession you wish to embrace. That profession it is now time to -choose; you have doubtlessly some inclination, some bias, and you must -let me know it; speak, then, and you will find me inclined to second -your views.”</p> - -<p>Although my father had frequently expressed his fears lest I should -follow his trade, I thought, after these remarks, he had changed his -mind, and I joyfully said:</p> - -<p>“Of course I have an inclination, and you cannot be ignorant of it, for -it is of very old standing. You know I never wished to be other than—“</p> - -<p>My father guessed my thoughts, and would not allow me to finish.<a name="page_034" id="page_034"></a></p> - -<p>“I see,” he objected, “that you did not understand me, and I must -explain my meaning more clearly. My desire is for you to choose a -profession more lucrative than my own. Consider, it would be -unreasonable to bury the ten years’ schooling for which I made such -heavy sacrifices in my shop; remember, too, that, after thirty-five -years’ hard work, I have been hardly able to save sufficient provision -for my old age. Then, pray, change your resolution, and give up your -mania for making a â€parcel of filings.’”</p> - -<p>My father, in this, merely followed the idea of many parents, who can -only see the disagreeable side of their own trade. To this prejudice, I -must allow, he added the praiseworthy ambition of the head of a family -desirous that his son should rise a step higher on the social ladder -than himself.</p> - -<p>As I was utterly ignorant of all other professions or trades save that -of a mechanician, I was unable to appreciate them, or consequently -select one; hence I remained dumb. In vain did my father try to draw an -answer from me by explaining the advantages I should derive from being a -surgeon or chemist, a barrister or a solicitor. I could only repeat that -I placed implicit confidence in his wisdom and experience. This -self-denial and passive obedience appeared to touch him; I noticed it, -and wishing to make a final attack on his determination, I said to him:</p> - -<p>“Before making up my mind to any decided choice of profession, allow me -to offer one observation. Are you sure that it is your trade which is -impossible of extension, or is it owing to the smallness of the town in -which you have carried it on? Let me follow my own bent, I beseech you, -and when I have become a good workman by your instruction, I will go to -Paris and make a fortune there; I feel quite convinced I can do so.<a name="page_035" id="page_035"></a>”</p> - -<p>Fearing lest he might give way, my father tried to cut the conversation -short by evading a reply to my objection.</p> - -<p>“As you leave it to me,” he said, “I advise you to become a solicitor; -with your natural parts, aided by application and good conduct, I am -certain you will make your way famously.”</p> - -<p>Two days later I was installed in one of the best offices at Blois, and, -owing to my caligraphy, I was employed as a copying clerk, and in -engrossing from morning till night, though rarely understanding what I -was writing. My readers can readily guess that this mechanical work -could not long satisfy the turn of my mind; pens, ink, and paper were -most unsuitable articles to carry out the inventive ideas which -continually occurred to me. Fortunately, at that period, steel pens were -unknown; hence I had a resource in making my pens, to which I devoted -the best part of my time. This simple fact will suffice to give an idea -of the deep spleen which weighed upon me like a coating of lead, and I -should have certainly fallen ill, had I not found more attractive -employment.</p> - -<p>Among the mechanical curiosities entrusted to my father for repair, I -had noticed a snuff-box, on the top of which a small piece of mechanism -attracted my entire attention. The top of the box represented a -landscape. On pressing a spring, a hare made its appearance, and went -towards a tuft of grass, which it began to crop; soon after a sportsman -emerged from a thicket accompanied by a pointer. The miniature Nimrod -stopped at the sight of the game, shouldered his gun and fired; a noise -indicative of the explosion of a fire-arm was heard, and the hare, -apparently wounded, disappeared in the thicket, pursued by the dog.</p> - -<p>This pretty piece of mechanism excited my desires in an eminent degree, -but I could not hope to possess it, as<a name="page_036" id="page_036"></a> the owner, in addition to the -value he attached to it, had no reason to dispose of it, and, besides, -my pecuniary means were insufficient. As I could not make the article my -own, I determined, at least, to keep it in remembrance, and drew a -careful plan of it without my father’s knowledge. This only more -inflamed my desires, and I began to ask myself whether I could not make -an exact copy of it.</p> - -<p>Seeing no extreme difficulty in this, I rose at daybreak each morning, -and, going down to my father’s workshop, I worked till the hour when he -used to begin work. Then I rearranged the tools exactly as I had found -them, locked up my work carefully, and proceeded to my office. The joy I -experienced in finding my mechanism act was only equalled by the -pleasure I felt in presenting it to my father, as an indirect and -respectful protest against the determination he had formed as to my -choice of a trade. I had some difficulty in persuading him that I had -not been assisted by any one in my work, but when at last I removed his -doubts, he could not refrain from complimenting me.</p> - -<p>“It is a pity,” he said, thoughtfully, “that you cannot profit by your -turn for mechanism; but,” he added, suddenly, as if seeking to dispel an -idea that troubled him, “you had better take no pride in your skill, for -it may injure your prospects.”</p> - -<p>For more than a year I performed the duties of amateur—that is, unpaid -clerk—and I was then offered a situation by a country solicitor as -second clerk, with a small salary. I accepted this unexpected promotion -very readily; but, once installed in my new duties, I found that my -employer had deceived me as to their range. The situation I occupied was -that of office-boy, having to run on errands,<a name="page_037" id="page_037"></a> for the first and only -clerk could more than attend to the business. I certainly earned some -money: it was the first I had gained by my own labor, and this -consideration gilded the pill, which was rather bitter to my pride. -Besides, M. Roger (such was my new master’s name) was certainly the best -fellow in the world. His manner, full of kindness and sympathy, had -attracted me the first time I saw him, and I may add that his behavior -towards me was most agreeable during the time I remained in his office.</p> - -<p>This gentleman, the personification of probity, possessed the confidence -of the Duc d’Avaray, whose estate he managed, and being full of zeal for -his noble client’s business, he devoted more attention to it than to his -office. At Avaray legal business was very scarce, and we had hardly -enough to fill up our time. For my own part, I had many leisure hours, -which my kind master enabled me to employ by placing his library at my -service. I had the good fortune to find in it Linnæus’s Treaty on -Botany, and I learned the rudiments of that science.</p> - -<p>The study of botany required time, and I could only devote to it the -hours prior to the office opening. Unfortunately, I had become a -tremendous sleeper—I hardly know how—and I could not manage to get up -before eight o’clock. I resolved to conquer this obstinate somnolency, -and I invented a waking apparatus, which, from its originality, deserves -honorable mention here.</p> - -<p>The room I occupied formed a portion of the Château d’Avaray, and was -situated over an archway, closed by a heavy gate. Having noticed that -the porter opened this gate, which led into the gardens, every morning, -the idea occurred to me of profiting by this circumstance to institute -an energetic alarum. This is how I managed it.<a name="page_038" id="page_038"></a> When I went to bed, I -fastened to one of my legs the end of a cord, which, passing through my -half-opened window, was attached to the upper part of the iron gate. -When the porter pushed the gate open, he dragged me, when least -expecting it, to the middle of my bedroom. Thus violently roused from -sleep, I tried to hold on by the bed-clothes; but the more I resisted, -the more did the pitiless porter push on his side, and I at length woke -up to hear him always abusing the hinges, which he determined to oil -before the day was out. Then, I unloosed my leg, and, with my Linnæus in -my hand, I went to interrogate Nature on her admirable secrets, the -study of which caused me to spend many pleasant hours.</p> - -<p>As much to please my father as to scrupulously fulfil my duties in my -new office, I had promised to pay no more attention to mechanical -inventions—for I feared their irresistible attraction—and I had -religiously kept my word. There was, then, every reason to believe that -I should pass through all my grades creditably, and some day, in my -turn, become MaĂ®tre Robert, solicitor, in some country town. But -Providence, in her decrees, had traced out a very different route for -me, and my stern resolutions were routed by a temptation too powerful -for my courage. In our office there was, strangely enough, a magnificent -aviary filled with canaries, whose song and plumage were intended to -dispel the impatience of a client forced by some accident to wait. This -cage being considered a portion of the office furniture, I was bound, as -errand-boy, to keep it in a proper state of cleanliness, and provide the -food of the denizens. This was the branch of my duties I performed with -the greatest zeal: in fact, I bestowed so much care on the comfort and -amusement of the birds, that they soon absorbed nearly all my time.<a name="page_039" id="page_039"></a></p> - -<p>I began by setting up in this cage a number of mechanical tricks I had -invented at college under similar circumstances. I gradually added fresh -ones, and ended by making the cage a work of art and curiosity, -affording considerable attraction to our visitors. At one spot was a -perch, near which the sugar and the seed-glass displayed their -attractions; but no sooner had the innocent canary placed its foot on -the fatal perch, than a circular cage encompassed it, and it was kept a -prisoner until another bird, perching on an adjoining piece of wood, set -loose a spring, which delivered the captive. At another place were baths -and pumps; further on was a small trough, so arranged, that the nearer -the bird seemed to draw to it the further off it really was. Lastly, -each denizen of the cage was obliged to earn its food by drawing forward -with its beak small pasteboards carts.</p> - -<p>The pleasure I felt in carrying out these small schemes soon made me -forget I was in a lawyer’s office for any other purpose than to be at -the beck and call of canaries. The chief clerk drew my attention to it, -and added some just remonstrances; but I had always a protest ready, and -continued making daily improvements in the aviary. At length, matters -reached such a point, that the supreme authority, that is to say my -master in person, felt it his duty to interfere.</p> - -<p>“Robert,” he said to me, assuming an earnest tone, which he rarely -employed towards his clerks, “when you came into my office you were -aware it was to devote yourself exclusively to business, and not to -satisfy your own thirst for pleasure; warnings have been given you to -return your duty, and you have paid no attention to them; I am, -therefore, obliged to tell you that you must either decide on giving up -your mechanical fancies, or I must send you home to your father.<a name="page_040" id="page_040"></a>”</p> - -<p>And the worthy Monsieur Roger stopped, as if to draw breath after the -reproaches he had given me, I am sure much against his will. After a -moment’s silence, he reassumed his paternal tone, and said to me:</p> - -<p>“And now, my friend, will you let me give you a piece of advice? I have -studied you, and feel convinced you will never be more than a very -ordinary clerk, and, consequently, a still more ordinary notary, while -you might become an excellent mechanician. It would be, then, wiser for -you to give up a profession in which you have such slight prospect of -success, and follow that for which you evince such remarkable aptitude.”</p> - -<p>The kindly tone M. Roger assumed induced me to open my heart to him. I -told him of my father’s determination to keep me from his own trade, and -described to him all the vexation I had felt from it.</p> - -<p>“Your father fancied he was acting for the best,” he replied to me, “by -putting you in a profession more lucrative than his own; he thought he -should only have a simple boyish fancy to overcome, but I am persuaded -it is an irresistible vocation, against which you should no longer -struggle. I will see your parents to-morrow, and I have no doubt I shall -induce them to change their opinion about your future prospects in -life.”</p> - -<p>Since I quitted my father’s house he had sold his business, and had -retired to a small property he had near Blois. My master went to see him -as he had promised me; a long conversation ensued, and after numerous -objections on both sides, the lawyer’s eloquence vanquished my father’s -scruples, and he at length yielded.</p> - -<p>“Well,” he said, “as he absolutely desires it, let him follow my trade. -And, as I cannot instruct him myself, my nephew, who is a pupil of mine, -will act towards my son as I did towards him.<a name="page_041" id="page_041"></a>”</p> - -<p>This news overwhelmed me with joy: it seemed as if I were entering on a -new life, and the fortnight I had yet to spend at Avaray seemed to me -terribly long. At length I set out for Blois, and the day after my -arrival found me seated before a vice, file in hand, and receiving my -first lessons in watchmaking from my relative.<a name="page_042" id="page_042"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">My Cousin Robert—The most important Event in my Life—How a Man -becomes a Sorcerer—My first Sleight-of-Hand Feat—An utter -Failure—Practising the Eye and the Hand—Curious Experiment in -Prestidigitation—Monsieur Noriet—An Action more ingenious than -delicate—I am Poisoned—Influence of Delirium.</p></div> - -<p>B<small>EFORE</small> speaking of my labors in the watchmaker’s shop, I must introduce -my readers to my new master. And, in the first place, to set myself -right, I will say that my cousin Robert, as I used to call him, has been -since my first connexion with him, one of my best and dearest friends. -It would be difficult, in fact, to imagine a more happy character, a -heart more affectionate and devoted.</p> - -<p>With a rare intelligence, my cousin combined other equally valuable -qualities. He possessed a graceful address, which, without flattery, I -may say is peculiar to our family, and he was justly considered the -first watchmaker in Blois, a town which has long excelled in the -horologic art.</p> - -<p>My cousin began by teaching me how to “make filings,” as my father -called it, but I required no apprenticeship to learn the use of tools, -and hence the outset was not so painful as it is usually to novices. -From the beginning of my apprenticeship I was enabled to undertake small -jobs, which gained me my master’s praise. Yet I would not have it -supposed I was a model pupil, for I had still<a name="page_043" id="page_043"></a> rife in me that spirit of -investigation which drew down upon me several reprimands from my cousin, -and I could not endure to confine my imagination to the ideas of another -person. I was continually inventing or improving.</p> - -<p>My whole life through, this passion—or, if you will, mania—has held -sway over me. I never could fix my thoughts on any task without trying -to introduce some improvement, or strike out a novel idea. But this -temperament—eventually so favorable—was at this period very -prejudicial to my progress. Before following my own inspirations and -yielding to my fancies, I ought to have learned the secrets of my art, -and, in fact, dispelled all ideas which were only adapted to make me -diverge from the true principles of clockmaking.</p> - -<p>Such was the sense of the paternal observations made now and then by my -cousin, and I was obliged to recognize their justice. Then I would go to -work again with redoubled zeal, though groaning inwardly at the bonds -that fettered my genius. In order to aid my progress and afford me -relaxation, my master recommended me to study some treatises on -mechanics in general, and on clockmaking in particular. As this suited -my taste exactly, I gladly assented, and I was devoting myself -passionately to this attractive study, when a circumstance, apparently -most simple, suddenly decided my future life, by revealing to me a -vocation whose mysterious resources must open a vast field for my -inventive and fanciful ideas.</p> - -<p>One evening I went into a bookseller’s shop to buy Berthoud’s “Treatise -on Clockmaking,” which I knew he had. The tradesman being engaged at the -moment on matters more important, took down two volumes from the shelves -and handed them to me without ceremony. On returning home, I sat down to -peruse my treatise conscientiously,<a name="page_044" id="page_044"></a> but judge of my surprise when I -read on the back of one the volumes “<span class="smcap">Scientific Amusements</span>.” Astonished -at finding such a title on a professional work, I opened it impatiently, -and, on running through the table of contents, my surprise was doubled -on reading these strange phrases:</p> - -<p><i>The way of performing tricks with the cards—How to guess a person’s -thoughts—To cut off a pigeon’s head, to restore it to life, &c., &c.</i></p> - -<p>The bookseller had made a mistake. In his haste, he had given me two -volumes of the Encyclopædia instead of Berthoud. Fascinated, however, by -the announcement of such marvels, I devoured the mysterious pages, and -the further my reading advanced, the more I saw laid bare before me the -secrets of an art for which I was unconsciously predestined.</p> - -<p>I fear I shall be accused of exaggeration, or at least not be understood -by many of my readers, when I say that this discovery caused me the -greatest joy I had ever experienced. At this moment a secret -presentiment warned me that success, perhaps glory, would one day accrue -to me in the apparent realization of the marvellous and impossible, and -fortunately these presentiments did not err.</p> - -<p>The resemblance between two books, and the hurry of a bookseller, were -the common-place causes of the most important event in my life.</p> - -<p>It may be urged that different circumstances might have suggested this -profession to me at a later date. It is probable; but then I should have -had no time for it. Would any workman, artisan, or tradesman give up a -certainty, however slight it may be, to yield to a passion which would -be surely regarded as a mania? Hence my irresistible<a name="page_045" id="page_045"></a> penchant for the -mysterious could only be followed at this precise period of my life.</p> - -<p>How often since have I blessed this providential error, without which I -should have probably vegetated as a country watchmaker! My life would -have been spent in gentle monotony; I should have been spared many -sufferings, emotions, and shocks; but, on the other hand, what lively -sensations, what profound delight would have been sacrificed!</p> - -<p>I was eagerly devouring every line of the magic book which described the -astounding tricks; my head was a-glow, and I at times gave way to -thoughts which plunged me in ecstasy. Still the hours slipped away, and -while my mind was indulging in fanciful dreams, I did not notice that my -candle had burned down in the socket. How can I describe my -disappointment when it suddenly went out? It was the last candle I -possessed; hence I was forced to quit the sublime realms of magic all -for want of a halfpenny taper. At this instant I would have given my -whole fortune, were it only for a street lamp.</p> - -<p>I was not exactly in the dark: a dim ray entered my window from a -neighboring lamp: but, though I made every effort to read by it, I could -not decipher a single word, was obliged to retire to bed willy-nilly.</p> - -<p>In vain I tried to sleep: the febrile excitement produced by the book -prevented either sleep or rest. I went continually over the passages -which had most struck me, and the interest they inspired only the more -excited me. Finding it impossible to remain in bed, I repeatedly -returned to the window, and while casting envious glances on the lamp, I -had made up my mind to go down into the street and read by its light, -when another idea occurred to me. In my impatience to realize it I did -not wait to dress, but,<a name="page_046" id="page_046"></a> confining my attire to what was strictly -necessary, if I may so call a pair of slippers and my drawers, I took my -hat in one hand, a pair of pincers in the other, and went down into the -street.</p> - -<p>Once there, I proceeded straight to the lamp; for I must confess, that -in my anxiety to profit at once by the sleight-of-hand tricks I had been -studying, I intended to conjure away the oil-lamp provided by the -authorities for the safety of the town. The part the hat and pincers -were to play in the operation were simple enough: the latter would -wrench open the little box containing the end of the cord by which the -lamp was raised, and the former would act as a dark lantern, and hide -the rays of light which might betray my theft.<a name="FNanchor_A_1" id="FNanchor_A_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_A_1" class="fnanchor">[A]</a></p> - -<p>All prospered famously; and I was about to retire in triumph, when a -miserable incident threatened to rob me of the profits of my trick. At -the moment of my success a baker’s man overthrew my plans by emerging -from the door of his shop. I concealed myself in a doorway, and, while -striving to hide the light, I waited perfectly motionless till the -unlucky baker retired. But judge of my grief and terror when I saw him -lean against the door and calmly smoke his pipe!</p> - -<p>My position was growing intolerable; the cold and the fear of detection -made my teeth chatter, and to increase my despair, I soon felt the -lining of my hat catch fire. There was no time for hesitation: I crushed -my failure of a lantern in my hands, and thus put out the fire; but it -was a dreadful sacrifice. My poor hat, the one I wore on Sundays, was -smoked, stained with oil, and shapeless. And while I was enduring all -these torments, my tyrant<a name="page_047" id="page_047"></a> continued to smoke with an air of calmness -and comfort which drove me nearly mad.</p> - -<p>It was quite plain I could not stay here till day-light; but how to -escape from this critical situation? To ask the baker to keep my secret -would be running a risk; while, to return home straight would betray me, -for I must pass in front of him, and he would be sure to recognise me. -The only chance left was to go down a side street and make a dĂ©tour to -reach the house. This I decided on, even at the risk of any one meeting -me in my bathing attire. Without delay I took hat and lamp under my arm, -for I was forced to remove the proofs of my crime, and I started off -like an arrow. In my trouble, I fancied the baker was after me. I even -thought I heard his foot-fall behind me, and in my anxiety to escape I -doubled my speed; first I turned to the right, then to the left, and -went through such a number of streets, that it took me a quarter of an -hour to regain my room, in a state of perfect collapse, yet glad to have -escaped so cheaply.</p> - -<p>It is a painful confession for a man destined eventually to fill a -certain part in the annals of conjuring to make, that my trial-piece -turned out so lamentably. In fact, to use a theatrical phrase, it was an -utter <i>fiasco</i>.</p> - -<p>Still, I was not at all discouraged; the next day I regained all my -equanimity on finding my precious treatise on “White Magic” before me, -and I began studying the interesting secrets it contained with great -ardor.</p> - -<p>Within a week I knew them all by heart.</p> - -<p>From theory I resolved to proceed to practice; but, just as was the case -with Carlosbach’s book, I suddenly met with an obstacle. The author, I -will grant, was more conscientious than the Bordelais mystifier: he gave -a very plain explanation of his tricks; still, he committed the error of -supposing his readers possessed of the necessary<a name="page_048" id="page_048"></a> skill to perform them. -Now, I was entirely deficient in this skill, and though most desirous of -acquiring it, I found nothing in the book to indicate the means. I was -in the position of a man who attempts to copy a picture without -possessing the slightest notion of drawing and painting.</p> - -<p>In the absence of a professor to instruct me, I was compelled to create -the principles of the science I wished to study. In the first place, I -recognised the fundamental principle of sleight-of-hand, that the organs -performing the principal part are the sight and touch. I saw that, in -order to attain any degree of perfection, the professor must develop -these organs to their fullest extent—for, in his exhibitions, he must -be able to see everything that takes place around him at half a glance, -and execute his deceptions with unfailing dexterity.</p> - -<p>I had been often struck by the ease with which pianists can read and -perform at sight the most difficult pieces. I saw that, by practice, it -would be possible to create a certainty of perception and facility of -touch, rendering it easy for the artist to attend to several things -simultaneously, while his hands were busy employed with some complicated -task. This faculty I wished to acquire and apply to sleight-of-hand; -still, as music could not afford me the necessary elements, I had -recourse to the juggler’s art, in which I hoped to meet with an -analogous result.</p> - -<p>It is well known that the trick with the balls wonderfully improves the -touch, but does it not improve the vision at the same time? In fact, -when a juggler throws into the air four balls crossing each other in -various directions, he requires an extraordinary power of sight to -follow the direction his hands have given to each of the balls. At this -period a corn-cutter resided at Blois, who possessed the double talent -of juggling and extracting corns with a<a name="page_049" id="page_049"></a> skill worthy of the lightness -of his hands. Still, with both these qualities, he was not rich, and -being aware of that fact, I hoped to obtain lessons from him at a price -suited to my modest finances. In fact, for ten francs he agreed to -initiate me in the juggling art.</p> - -<p>I practised with so much zeal, and progressed so rapidly, that in less -than a month I had nothing more to learn; at least, I knew as much as my -master, with the exception of corn-cutting, the monopoly in which I left -him. I was able to juggle with four balls at once. But this did not -satisfy my ambition; so I placed a book before me, and, while the balls -were in the air, I accustomed myself to read without any hesitation.</p> - -<p>This will probably seem to my readers very extraordinary; but I shall -surprise them still more, when I say that I have just amused myself by -repeating this curious experiment. Though thirty years have elapsed -since the time of which I am writing, and though I scarcely once touched -the balls during that period, I can still manage to read with ease while -keeping three balls up.</p> - -<p>The practice of this trick gave my fingers a remarkable degree of -delicacy and certainty, while my eye was at the same time acquiring a -promptitude of perception that was quite marvellous. Presently I shall -have to speak of the service this rendered me in my experiment of second -sight. After having thus made my hands supple and docile, I went on -straight to sleight-of-hand, and I more especially devoted myself to the -manipulation of cards and palmistry.</p> - -<p>This operation requires a great deal of practice; for, while the hand is -held apparently open, balls, corks, lumps of sugar, coins, &c., must be -held unseen, the fingers remaining perfectly free and limber.</p> - -<p>Owing to the little time at my disposal, the difficulties<a name="page_050" id="page_050"></a> connected -with these new experiments would have been insurmountable, had I not -found a mode of practising without neglecting my business. It was the -fashion in those days to wear coats with large pockets on the hips, -called <i>Ă la propriĂ©taire</i>, so whenever my hands were not otherwise -engaged they slipped naturally into my pockets, and set to work with -cards, coins, or one of the objects I have mentioned. It will be easily -understood how much time I gained by this. Thus, for instance, when out -on errands my hands could be at work on both sides; at dinner, I often -ate my soup with one hand while I was learning to <i>sauter la coupe</i> with -the other—in short, the slightest moment of relaxation was devoted to -my favorite pursuit. As no one suspected that my paletĂ´t was in some -degree a study, this manner of keeping my hands in my pockets began to -be regarded as a bad habit I had acquired; but after a few jests on the -subject I was left in peace.</p> - -<p>Though my passion for sleight-of-hand was so intense, I had, however, -sufficient command over myself not to displease my master, who never -noticed that my thoughts were away from my work, and constantly praised -me for my regularity and application.</p> - -<p>At length my apprenticeship was over, and my cousin, one fine day, -stated I was a journeyman and able to earn wages. I heard this with -double pleasure, for I found in it not only greater liberty, but also a -chance of improving my finances. Nor was I long ere I profited by my -advancement; a situation was offered me by a watchmaker at Tours, and I -proceeded to that town at once.</p> - -<p>My new master was that M. Noriet, who afterwards gained some distinction -as a sculptor. His imagination, already fall of his future works, -disdained the ordinary<a name="page_051" id="page_051"></a> labor of watch repairing, and he gladly left to -his workmen what he called, ironically, the “shoe-black” part of the -trade. It was for this purpose I joined him, and I received, in addition -to board and lodging, 35 fr. a month. Little enough, I grant; but it was -an enormous sum in my eyes, for, since leaving the lawyer’s, at Avaray, -my income had been reduced to a <i>minimum</i>.</p> - -<p>When I say I earned 35 fr., it is merely to mention a round sum; in -reality I never received it net. Madame Noriet, in her quality of an -excellent manager, was perfectly conversant with all matters relative to -discount and exchanges; and thus, she had found a way of lessening my -wages in a manner as ingenious as it was improper. She used to pay me in -crowns of six francs, and as at that time six-franc pieces were only -worth 5 fr. 80 c., the lady gained 24 sous every month, which I carried -to my “profit and loss” account.</p> - -<p>Although my time was fully occupied here, I managed to continue my -pocket practice; and I daily noticed with joy the progress I was making. -I had learned how to make any object I held in my hand disappear with -the greatest ease; and as for the practice of card tricks, they were -only child’s play to me, and I could produce some delightful illusions.</p> - -<p>I confess to feeling a degree of pride in my humble power of amusing my -friends, and I neglected no occasion of displaying it. On Sunday, for -instance, after the invariable game of loto, which was played in this -patriarchal family, I gave a small performance of sleight-of-hand, which -enlivened the melancholy victims of this most monotonous of all games. I -was honored with the name of an “agreeable droll,” and this compliment -delighted me.</p> - -<p>My regular habits, my perseverance, and perhaps a certain<a name="page_052" id="page_052"></a> degree of -gaiety I possessed at the time, had gained me the friendship and -sympathy of both my master and mistress. At last I became an -indispensable member of the family, and shared in all their amusements. -Among these were frequent excursions in the country. On one of these, on -the 25th of July, 1828, (I shall never forget that memorable date, as it -was all but registered on my tombstone,) we went to a fair at an -adjacent village. Before leaving Tours, we had promised to be home to -dinner at five; but, finding ourselves much amused, we did not keep -military time, nor find our way home till eight.</p> - -<p>After enduring the scolding of the cook, whose dinner had got cold, we -sat down and ate like people whose appetite has been whetted by a long -walk in the open air, and eight or ten hours’ fasting.</p> - -<p>Whatever Jeannette might say, everything she sent up was found -excellent, except a certain ragoĂ»t, which everybody declared detestable, -and hardly touched. I, however, devoured my share of the dish, without -troubling myself the least in the world about its quality. In spite of -the jests aroused by my avidity, I asked for a second relay, and would -certainly have eaten the whole dish, had not my mistress, with due -regard for my health, prevented it.</p> - -<p>This precaution saved my life. In fact, dinner was hardly over and the -game of loto begun, when I felt most uncomfortable. I went to my room, -where atrocious pains seized upon me, and a doctor was sent for. After a -careful investigation, the doctor discovered that a powerful layer of -verdigris had formed in the stewpan in which the ragoĂ»t had been cooked -and said I was poisoned.</p> - -<p>The consequences of this poisoning were most terrible to me: for some -time my life was despaired of, but eventually the sufferings seemed to -be modified by the gentle<a name="page_053" id="page_053"></a> care bestowed on me, and I was granted some -slight relief. Strangely enough, it was not till this second phase of my -illness, when the doctor declared me out of danger, that I was haunted -by a certainty of speedy death, to which was joined an immoderate desire -to end my days in the bosom of my family. This idea—a species of -monomania—incessantly assailed me, and I soon had no other thought than -that of escaping to Blois. As I could not hope to obtain the doctor’s -permission to set out, when his most urgent advice was to take care of -myself, I determined to take leave.</p> - -<p>At six o’clock one morning, taking advantage of a moment when I was left -to myself, I hastily dressed, went down stairs, and found a stage-coach -just starting for Blois. I entered the rotonde, in which I happened to -be the only passenger, and the coach, lightly laden as it was, soon set -off at full gallop.</p> - -<p>The journey was a horrible martyrdom to me. I was devoured by a burning -fever, and my head seemed to be burst asunder by every jolt of the -vehicle. In my frenzy I tried to escape my agony, and yet it was -continually increasing. Unable to endure longer, I opened the door of -the compartment, and leaped, at an imminent risk of my life, on to the -high road, where I fell in a state of insensibility.</p> - -<p>I cannot say what happened to me after my fainting fit; I can only -remember long days of vague and painful existence, that appeared of -eternal duration: I was in a raging fever; my dreams were frightful, and -I suffered from the most dreadful hallucinations. One of them was -incessantly recurring—it seemed as if my head opened like a snuff-box; -a doctor, with turned-up cuffs, and armed with an enormous pair of iron -pincers, drew from my brain<a name="page_054" id="page_054"></a> roasted chesnuts, which immediately burst -like bombs, and scattered myriads of scintillations before my eyes.</p> - -<p>This phantasmagoria gradually faded away, and the illness at length -succumbed; but my reason was so shaken that it did not avail me. I was -reduced to a mechanical existence. If I noticed anything, it seemed -veiled in a thick mist, and I could not perform any process of -reasoning. It is true that all I did notice only served to increase the -confusion of my ideas. I felt as if being shaken in a carriage, and, -yet, I was in a capital bed, and the room was exquisitely clean. How -could I help fancying I was still dreaming?</p> - -<p>At length, a spark of intelligence was aroused in me, and the first -startling impression was produced by the sight of a man standing at my -bedside. His features were quite strange to me. Stooping over, he -affectionately urged me to swallow a draught. I obeyed; and he then -begged me to keep silent, and remain as calm as I possibly could.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately, my present state of weakness rendered it but too easy to -follow this prescription. Still, I tried to guess who this man could be, -and consulted my memory. It was quite useless: I could remember nothing -since the moment when, yielding to frenzy, I had thrown myself out of -the diligence.<a name="page_055" id="page_055"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">I return to Life—A strange Doctor—Torrini and Antonio: a Conjurer -and a Fanatic for Music—A Murderer’s Confession—A perambulating -House—The Fair at Angers—A portable Theatre—I witness for the -first Time a Conjuring Performance—The blind Man’s Game at -Piquet—A Dangerous Rival—Signor Castelli eats a Man alive.</p></div> - -<p>I <small>AM</small> by no means a fatalist; and yet I cannot refrain from remarking -here that many events in human life seem to encourage the views of -fatalists.</p> - -<p>Suppose, dear reader, that, on leaving Blois to proceed to Tours, -destiny had opened before me one of the fairest pages of my life, I -should certainly have been delighted at such a glorious future, but in -my heart I should have been inclined to doubt its realization. In fact, -I set out as a simple workman, with the intention of making a tour of -France. This journey would have occupied much time, as I intended to -remain a year or two in every city I visited, and France is large! Then, -when I considered myself skilful enough, I would return home and set up -as a watchmaker.</p> - -<p>But fate decided otherwise, and I must be drawn back to my real “groove” -when I tried to escape from it. The means employed were a poisoning, -which turned me mad, and hurled me lifeless on the high road. But I was -going to recall my reminiscences after my <i>fortunate</i> catastrophe, and I -will take up the story from the point where I left off.</p> - -<p>What had happened since my fainting fit; where was I;<a name="page_056" id="page_056"></a> why did this man -treat me so kindly? I longed for a solution of these problems, and I -should certainly have cross-questioned my host, had it not been for the -earnest advice he had just given me. As thought, however, was not -forbidden, I tried to form a satisfactory conclusion from surrounding -objects.</p> - -<p>The room I was in might be three yards long by two broad. The walls were -made of polished oak; on either side was a small window with muslin -curtains; while four walnut chairs, shelves serving as tables, and my -excellent bed, composed the furniture of this moving room, which bore a -close resemblance to the cabin of a steamboat.</p> - -<p>There must also be two other compartments, for, to my left, I saw my -doctor frequently disappear behind two red damask curtains, where I -heard him moving about, while to my right I heard, through a thin -partition, a voice encouraging the horses. This circumstance made me -conclude I was in a carriage, and that the latter voice belonged to the -driver.</p> - -<p>I already knew that hero’s name, as I had often heard the person I -presumed to be his master use it. It was Antonio: and he was, at any -rate, a splendid musician, for he was continually singing pieces from -Italian operas, which he broke off to swear harmlessly at his steeds. As -for the master, he was a man of about fifty, above the average height, -and his face, though sad and serious, displayed a degree of kindness -which prepossessed me. His long black hair fell on his shoulders in -natural curls, and he was dressed in a blouse and trousers of unbleached -cloth, with a yellow silk pocket-handkerchief as cravat. But nothing in -all this served to tell me what he was, and my surprise was increased by -finding him constantly at my side, and nursing me like the fondest of -mothers.<a name="page_057" id="page_057"></a></p> - -<p>A day had elapsed since his recommendation to keep silent; I had gained -a little strength, and fancied myself strong enough to talk; I was, -therefore, going to begin, when my host, guessing my intention, -prevented me.</p> - -<p>“I can imagine,” he said, “your impatience to know where you are and -whom with; nor, will I conceal from you that I am equally curious to -learn the circumstances that led to our meeting. Still, in regard for -your health, the responsibility of which I have assumed, I must ask you -to be patient for one night more; to-morrow, I believe, we shall be able -to talk as long as you like, without any risk.”</p> - -<p>As I had no serious objection to raise, and as I had been wont for some -time to obey all my strange doctor ordered, I yielded. The certainty of -soon holding the key to the enigma secured me a peaceful sleep, whose -good effects I noticed on waking. Thus, when the doctor came to feel my -pulse, he was surprised at the progress I had made in a few hours, and, -without awaiting my questions, he said, as if replying to the mute -inquiry my eyes made:</p> - -<p>“Yes, I will satisfy your just curiosity; I owe you an explanation, and -you shall not wait any longer. My name is Torrini, and I am a conjurer -by profession. You are in my house—that is, in the carriage I usually -employ as my domicile. You will be surprised, I dare say, to learn that -the bedroom you now occupy can be lengthened into a theatre, and in that -room behind the red curtains is the stage on which my apparatus is -arranged.”</p> - -<p>At the word “conjurer” I could not repress a start of satisfaction, -which my sorcerer probably did not notice, ignorant as he was that he -had before him one of the most fervent adepts of his profession.</p> - -<p>“As for yourself,” he went on, “I need not ask you<a name="page_058" id="page_058"></a> any questions: your -name, trade, as well as the cause of your illness, are known to me, for -I consulted your <i>livret</i>, and some letters I found on you, in my desire -to benefit you. I must now tell you, though, all that has happened since -you lost consciousness. After giving some representations at Orleans, I -was proceeding to Angers, where the fair will shortly begin, when, at -some distance from Amboise, I found you lying insensible, with your face -to the ground. Fortunately for you, I was then taking my morning walk by -the horses’ side, and this circumstance saved you from being run over. -By Antonio’s help I carried you to my bed, and my knowledge of medicine -restored you to life. But, my poor fellow! the fever caused you to make -the most terrible outbreaks; you threatened me continually, and I had -the greatest difficulty in mastering you. At Tours I would have gladly -stopped to call in a doctor, for your situation was critical, and I had -not practiced for many years:—but my hours were counted: I must arrive -in time at Angers, where I wish to choose a good spot for my exhibition, -and I had a strange fancy I should save your life, which has proved -true.”</p> - -<p>Not knowing how to thank this excellent Torrini, I offered him my hand, -which he pressed firmly: but—must I confess it—I was checked in the -effusion of my gratitude by a thought which I deeply regretted later.</p> - -<p>“To what motive,” I asked myself, “can I attribute this sudden -affection?” This feeling, however sincere it might be, must have some -cause, and in my ingratitude I sought whether my benefactor did not -conceal some interested design behind his apparent generosity. Torrini, -as if he had guessed my thoughts, continued, in a kindly tone:</p> - -<p>“You expect a fuller explanation? Well, however painful it may be to me, -I will give it. It is this—<a name="page_059" id="page_059"></a></p> - -<p>“You are surprised that a mountebank, a man belonging to a class not -generally erring on the side of sensibility, should have evinced such -compassion for your sufferings, but your surprise will cease, my boy, on -learning that this compassion is produced by the sweet illusion of -paternal love.”</p> - -<p>Here Torrini stopped an instant, tried to recover himself, and then -proceeded:</p> - -<p>“I had a son, a beloved son; he was my hope, my life, my happiness; but -a dread fatality robbed me of him: he died, and, terrible to say, he was -assassinated, and his murderer stands before you!”</p> - -<p>At this unexpected confession I could not repress a start of horror; the -cold drops beaded on my face.</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes, his murderer!” Torrini went on, his voice growing gradually -firmer, “and, yet, the law could not punish me; it left me life. In vain -I accused myself before my judges; they treated me as a maniac, and my -crime was regarded as accidental homicide. But what do I care, after -all, for their judgment? Whether through carelessness, or imprudence as -they say, my poor Giovanni is not the less lost to me, and I shall -reproach myself with his death my life long.”</p> - -<p>Torrini’s voice was drowned by his sobs. He remained for some time with -his hands before his eyes; then, making an effort, he continued, in a -calmer tone:</p> - -<p>“To spare you emotions that might prove dangerous in your present state, -I will abridge the narrative of the misfortunes to which this event was -only a terrible prelude. What I have said will suffice to explain the -natural cause of my sympathy towards you. When I first saw you, I was -struck by the likeness you bore in age and height to my unhappy boy. I -even fancied I could trace a certain<a name="page_060" id="page_060"></a> resemblance in your face, and -yielding to this illusion, I decided on keeping you near me, and nursing -you as if you were my own child. You can now form an idea of the agony I -endured during the week when I was compelled to despair of your -restoration to life. But Providence, taking pity on us both, has saved -you. You are now quite convalescent, and in a few days, I trust, will be -perfectly recovered. Such, my boy, is the secret of the affection I -displayed towards you.”</p> - -<p>Deeply moved by the father’s misfortunes, and touched by the tender care -he had bestowed on me, I could only express my gratitude in half-broken -phrases, for I was almost stifled by emotion. Torrini, also feeling the -necessity of shortening this painful interview, went out, promising to -return soon.</p> - -<p>No sooner was I alone than a thousand thoughts crossed my mind. This -mysterious and tragical event, the thought of which seemed to overthrow -Torrini’s reason; this crime of which he accused himself so -persistently; this verdict whose justice he disputed, perplexed me in -the highest degree, and gave me a great desire to obtain more complete -details about this domestic drama. Then, I asked myself how a man -possessing so agreeable a countenance, who did not lack either judgment -or talent, and who joined to a solid education a readiness of -conversation and distinguished manners, could have thus sunk to the -lowest stage of his profession.</p> - -<p>While absorbed in these thoughts, the vehicle stopped: we had arrived at -Angers. Torrini left us, in order to obtain the mayor’s leave to -perform, and so soon as he had succeeded, he prepared to occupy the spot -allotted to him. As I have already stated, the room I occupied was to be -transformed into a theatre; hence I was carried to<a name="page_061" id="page_061"></a> an adjacent inn, and -placed in a capital arm chair close to an open window. The weather was -glorious; the sun’s beneficent rays seemed to impart fresh life to me, -and I began to lose that egotistic indifference which a lengthened -illness usually produces.</p> - -<p>I could see Antonio and his master, with their sleeves tucked up, -working at the theatre. In a few hours our residence was completely -transformed; the moving house had become a charming room. The -arrangement of this singular vehicle is so stamped on my memory, that I -can still supply an exact description of it, and I will fill up the -details I have already given of it.</p> - -<p>The bed on which I had lain was drawn up through a trap in the ceiling -where it occupied a very small space. If clothes or linen were required, -an adjoining trap was opened, and by means of a ring, a chest of drawers -was produced, as if by magic. A similar process revealed a small -chimney, which, by a peculiar arrangement, expelled the smoke below the -hearth. Lastly, the larder, cooking-range, and other accessories of the -household, were ready to hand, and could be easily restored to their -respective places. This strange furniture occupied all the space between -the wheels, so that the room, though amply furnished, was not crowded.</p> - -<p>But I was most surprised to see the vehicle, which was scarcely six -yards long, suddenly grow twice that length. This was most ingeniously -contrived: the body was double and could be pulled out like a telescope. -This prolongation, supported by trestles, was quite as secure as the -rest of the edifice. The partition, dividing the rooms off, had been -removed, so that they now formed but a single apartment. The public -entered on this side, and a staircase led to the door, before which an -elegant marquee formed<a name="page_062" id="page_062"></a> a vestibule, where the tickets were issued. -Lastly, a scaffolding was erected over the front, which represented a -stuccoed house.</p> - -<p>The sight of this machine excited my imagination, and I built castles in -the air which I was never to inhabit. I, too, would have a similar -vehicle, though rather smaller, as my exhibition would be different.</p> - -<p>Here I must make room for a parenthesis, to supply an explanation I -think necessary. I have spoken so much of sleight-of-hand, that it might -be supposed I had quite given up all thoughts about mechanism. On the -contrary I still passionately loved that science; but I had modified its -application, since the love of the marvellous had inflamed my -imagination. I proposed to call to my aid automata, which I would -eventually build; then, I would traverse the whole of Europe, perhaps -the world, gaining an ample amount of honor, pleasure and profit.</p> - -<p>While engaged with these pleasant dreams I regained my health and -strength, and hoped that Torrini would soon allow me to be present at -one of his performances. In fact, he soon offered me an agreeable -surprise, for, one evening, he led me to his theatre, and installed me -on the first row of seats, grandly denominated “the stalls.” Judging by -my own enthusiasm, I expected the theatre would be thronged so soon as -the doors opened, but to my great surprise and regret, the room was not -more than half full.</p> - -<p>The hour fixed for commencing at length arrived; the bell rang thrice, -the curtains were drawn back, and an exquisite little stage was visible. -The most striking thing was the entire absence of all that apparatus by -which many performers compensate for their lack of skill, while by a -graceful innovation, a few candles artistically arranged,<a name="page_063" id="page_063"></a> were -substituted for that dazzling glare which, at the period of which I -write, was the indispensable ornament of all performances of “amusing -science.”</p> - -<p>Torrini appeared, walked towards the public with great ease of manner, -made a deep bow, then demanded the indulgence of the spectators, and -ended by paying a compliment to the ladies. This slight address, though -uttered in a cold and melancholy tone, received a few encouraging bravos -from the audience.</p> - -<p>The performance commenced in the most perfect silence; everybody seemed -inclined to devote all attention to it. I could hardly breathe, in my -desire not to lose a single word or gesture.</p> - -<p>I will not describe the several tricks I saw; they all possessed -extraordinary interest for me; but Torrini appeared to excel in card -tricks. He possessed two most precious qualities in the exercise of this -art: these were extreme skill and an incredible boldness of execution. -To these he added a most aristocratic way of touching the cards; his -white and carefully-tended hands seemed hardly to rest on them, and his -tricks were so artistically performed, that the audience involuntarily -bestowed a sympathising confidence upon him. Sure of the effect he would -produce, he performed the most difficult “passes,” with a coolness no -one could expect him to possess; and this produced the most successful -results. To close the performances, Torrini requested the audience to -choose some one to play a game of piquet with him, and a gentleman -immediately stepped on the stage.</p> - -<p>“Pardon me, sir,” said Torrini, “but it is indispensable, for the -success of the experiment, that I should know your name and profession.”</p> - -<p>“Nothing easier, sir. My name is Joseph Lenoir, at<a name="page_064" id="page_064"></a> your service; and my -profession is that of a dancing-master.”</p> - -<p>Any other than Torrini would have made some jest on the name and -profession of this rival of Vestris; but he did nothing of the sort. He -had only asked this question to gain time, for he never indulged in any -mystification; so he merely added:</p> - -<p>“I thank you, sir, for your kindness; and now we know who we are, we can -place confidence in each other. You have come to play a game of piquet -with me; but do you understand the game thoroughly?”</p> - -<p>“I flatter myself I do, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! ah!” Torrini said with a laugh. “Pray do not flatter yourself till -we have played our game. Still, not to lower your self-esteem, I will -allow you to be an excellent player; but that will not prevent you -losing the game, although the chances are all in your favor. Listen to -me carefully; the trick I am going to perform, and which is called the -â€blind man’s game of piquet,’ requires that I should be blinded, so have -the goodness to bandage my eyes carefully.”</p> - -<p>M. Lenoir, who, I may mention, wore spectacles, was very distrustful, -hence he took extraordinary precautions to accomplish his task. First, -he covered the patient’s eyes with tow, over which he fastened three -thick bandages; and, as if this fourfold covering were not enough to -blind his opponent, he fastened an enormous shawl round his head. I know -not how Torrini kept from suffocation beneath these heavy bandages; for -my part, the perspiration ran down my face at seeing him so muffled up. -Not knowing all the resources this skilful performer had at command, I -was rather fearful as to the result of the experiment, and my alarm -reached its climax when I heard him address his opponent as follows:<a name="page_065" id="page_065"></a></p> - -<p>“Monsieur Lenoir, have the kindness to sit down opposite me at this -table. I have still a small service to ask you before we begin our game. -You have quite deprived me of my sight, but that is not enough. You have -now to bind my hands, so that I may be quite incapable.”</p> - -<p>M. Lenoir raised his spectacles and looked at Torrini, as if stupefied; -but the latter, quietly placing his arms on the table, and crossing his -thumbs, said, “Now, sir, fasten them securely.”</p> - -<p>The dancing-master took the piece of whipcord and performed his task as -conscientiously as he had done the first part.</p> - -<p>“Am I now blinded, and deprived of the use of my hands?” Torrini asked -his vis-Ă -vis.</p> - -<p>“I am certain of it,” Joseph Lenoir replied.</p> - -<p>“Well, then, to begin our game. But tell me first in what suit you would -like to be repiqued?”</p> - -<p>“In clubs.”</p> - -<p>“Very good; now deal the cards by twos or threes, as you please. When -they are dealt out, I will leave you to select the hand you think will -enable you best to prevent a repique.”</p> - -<p>All the time these explanations and preparations lasted, the audience -remained motionless and silent, not knowing whether a mystification or a -real trick were intended. Now, on seeing the dancing-master shuffle the -cards, there could be no further doubt; hence all rose to command a view -of the stage, and a great number of spectators even surrounded the -table. I had also drawn near, and, to my great delight, secured a front -place.</p> - -<p>Profound silence in the room.</p> - -<p>“The cards are shuffled, please to cut!” the dancing-master said, in an -ironical tone, as if secure of victory.<a name="page_066" id="page_066"></a></p> - -<p>“Willingly,” Torrini replied. And though hampered in his movements, he -soon satisfied his opponent.</p> - -<p>The cards having been dealt, M. Lenoir decided on keeping those before -him.</p> - -<p>“Very good!” said Torrini. “You wished, I think, to be repiqued in -clubs?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Now follow my play. I throw out the sevens of spades, hearts, and -diamonds, and my two eights; the cards I take in give me a quint in -clubs, fourteen in queens, and fourteen in kings, with which I repique -you. Pray count and verify, sir.”</p> - -<p>Torrini spoke the truth. Hearty shouts of applause greeted his success, -while jokes were cut at the expense of the poor dancing-master, who -hurried from the stage in a state of pitiable confusion.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>The performance over, I expressed to Torrini the pleasure his tricks -caused me, and paid him some sincere compliments on the skill he had -evinced during the whole evening, and especially in his last trick.</p> - -<p>“These compliments are the more flattering,” he replied, with a smile, -“as I know now they are paid me, if not by a fellow-artist, at least by -an amateur, who, I am certain, already possesses some degree of skill in -the profession.”</p> - -<p>I know not which of us, Torrini or myself, was the more charmed by the -compliments we exchanged; at any rate, I felt most sensibly the -favorable opinion he had formed of my talents. One thing, however, -perplexed me: I had never said a word to Torrini about my -sleight-of-hand fancies: how could he have found them out?</p> - -<p>He read my thoughts, and added:<a name="page_067" id="page_067"></a></p> - -<p>“You are surprised at my detecting your secret? and you would like to -know how I did so. I am happy to tell you. My room is small; hence it is -easy for me, when on the stage, to look at every face, and judge the -various impressions I produce on the spectators. I observed you -particularly, and while watching the direction of your eyes, I could -judge what was passing in your mind. Thus when I indulged in some -amusing paradox, to draw public attention away from the side where the -trick was to be performed, you alone escaped the snare, and kept your -eyes fixed on the right spot. As for my piquet trick, though I could not -observe you while I was performing it, I have reasons to be assured that -you did not know it.”</p> - -<p>“You have guessed perfectly right, my dear magician, and I cannot deny -that in my leisure hours I have amused myself with some of these tricks, -for which I always felt great inclination.”</p> - -<p>“Inclination! Allow me to say that is not the proper word in your case, -my dear lad; yours is a true passion. I base my opinion on the following -observations. This evening, from the moment of the curtain rising, your -searching eye, your agitated face and half-parted lips, denoted the -state of excitement you were in. You looked like a gourmet just sitting -down to a well-covered board, or a miser gloating over his treasure. Do -you think that with these signs I need be a sorcerer to discover the -sway conjuring exercises over your mind?”</p> - -<p>I was about to reply, when Torrini drew out his watch, and said to me, -“Come, young gentleman, it is growing late; it is high time for a -convalescent to seek his rest. We will continue our conversation at a -better time.”</p> - -<p>With these words my doctor led me to my room, and,<a name="page_068" id="page_068"></a> after counting my -pulse, which appeared to satisfy him, retired. In spite of the pleasure -I felt in talking, I was not ill-pleased to find myself alone, for I had -a thousand souvenirs to evoke. I wished to summon up again the -experiments that had struck me most, but it was all in vain. One thought -mastered all the rest, and produced a strange sinking in my heart. I -tried, without success, to explain the motives why the public neglected -Torrini’s interesting performances.</p> - -<p>This motive Antonio explained to me afterwards, and it is too curious to -be passed by in silence. Besides, I have here an opportunity to -introduce my readers to a very remarkable specimen of the great family -of mountebanks.</p> - -<p>I have said that we reached Angers at fair time; and among the numerous -providers of amusement who solicited the presence and money of the -Angevins, was another conjurer, known as Castelli.</p> - -<p>He was no more an Italian than was Torrini. I shall presently give -Torrini’s real name, and the reasons that caused him to change it for -the one we know him by; as for the other conjurer, he was a Norman by -birth, and only assumed the name of Castelli in conformity with the -custom of most conjurers of the day, who thought an Italian name more -attractive.</p> - -<p>Castelli was far from possessing Torrini’s marvellous address, and his -performances offered no special interest as far as sleight-of-hand was -concerned; but he thought with Figaro that “skill was better than -learning,” and he proved it by his repeated successes. In truth, this -man was the incarnation of charlatanism, and he spared nothing to pique -public curiosity. Each day some new prodigy was announced on his -enormous posters. It was in reality only a deception, very often a -mystification for the audience;<a name="page_069" id="page_069"></a> but his treasury was always filled to -repletion—hence, the trick was good. If the public felt wroth at being -duped, Castelli knew the art of escaping from the dilemma and drawing -the laughers on his side; he boldly made some jest in bad Italian, at -which the pit could not help laughing, and was thus disarmed.</p> - -<p>Besides, it must be remembered that, at this period, conjuring was not -so respectable as it is now; people went to an exhibition of that sort -to laugh at the conjurer’s victims, even if themselves exposed to his -attacks. My readers ought to have seen the mystifier <i>par excellence</i>, -the celebrated physico-ventriloquist of the age, Comte, to form an idea -of the cool way in which the public was then treated. This performer, -though so graceful and gallant towards ladies, was merciless to men. -According to his notions, the cavaliers (as they were then called) were -predestined to supply amusement for the fair sex—— But I must not -poach on the biography of the “natural philosopher to the king,” which -will hereafter find a place in my volume.</p> - -<p>The same day on which I had witnessed Torrini’s performance, Castelli’s -bills contained an astounding statement, well adapted, I grant, to tempt -public curiosity. The professor pledged himself to eat a man alive, and -if he did not succeed to the satisfaction of his audience, he would hand -over all the receipts to the mayor for distribution among the poor. This -seductive appeal had drawn the whole town; crowds collected round the -show, and persons who arrived too late were glad to pay double entrance -money. But the new trick played by the conjurer was quite worthy of all -that had preceded it.</p> - -<p>Castelli, after performing several tricks of second-rate interest, at -length arrived at the one which caused even the calmest spectator to -throb with impatience.<a name="page_070" id="page_070"></a></p> - -<p>“Gentlemen,” he then said, addressing the audience, “we will now proceed -to the last trick. I promised to eat a man alive for my supper, and I -will keep my word. Will the courageous spectator who wishes to serve as -a repast to me (Castelli pronounced this word with the expression of a -perfect cannibal) take the trouble to mount on the stage?”</p> - -<p>Two victims immediately presented themselves. By accident they offered a -perfect contrast, and Castelli, who understood the art of producing an -effect, skilfully profited by it. He placed them side by side, with -their faces turned to the audience, then after surveying one of them, a -tall, bilious-looking fellow, from head to foot, he said to him, with -affected politeness,</p> - -<p>“I do not wish to insult you, sir, but I am sorry to tell you that, as -regards my food, I am quite of M. le Curé’s opinion—you understand me?”</p> - -<p>The tall, thin man appeared for a moment as if trying to guess a riddle, -and ended by scratching his ear—a gesture which, among all nations, -civilized or barbarous, signifies, “I do not understand.”</p> - -<p>“I will explain, then,” Castelli continued. “You know that M. le CurĂ© -does not like bones; at least, so they say at forfeits, and I assure you -I share the Curé’s antipathy in this respect. You can retire, then; I -will not detain you.” And Castelli began bowing to his visitor, who -hastened back to his seat.</p> - -<p>“Now, then, for us two,” the conjurer said, turning to the one who -remained. He was a tall, chubby fellow, with rosy cheeks, who seemed -purposely made for the repast of an epicurean cannibal.</p> - -<p>“Well, my stout friend, so you consent to be eaten alive?<a name="page_071" id="page_071"></a>”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, I am quite willing, and came here for that purpose.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! ah! that is capital!” (Here Castelli licked his lips like a -gourmet, whose mouth waters at the sight of a dainty dish.) “As I have a -powerful appetite, we will begin directly.”</p> - -<p>At this moment a gigantic cruet-stand was brought in. The stout youth -regarded it with surprise, as if trying to discover the use of this -strange utensil.</p> - -<p>“Don’t mind it, pray!” said Castelli. “I am very fond of hot dishes, so -allow me to pepper and salt you in my usual fashion.”</p> - -<p>And he began covering the unhappy man with a white powder, which, -adhering to his hair, face, and clothes, soon gave him an extraordinary -appearance. The stout youth, who at the beginning had tried to rival the -conjurer’s gaiety, did not laugh now, and seemed earnestly to desire the -end of the jest.</p> - -<p>“Now, then!” Castelli added, rolling his eyes about ferociously, “kneel -down, and hold your hands over your head. Very good, my friend: it -really looks as if you had never followed any other trade than being -eaten alive. Now, then, say your prayers, and I will begin. Are you -ready?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir,” the stout lad muttered, turning quite yellow with emotion, -“I am ready.”</p> - -<p>Castelli then took the end of the patient’s thumb in his mouth, and bit -it so hard that the latter, as if working by a spring, jumped up, -shouting energetically,</p> - -<p>“Confound it, sir, take care; you hurt me!”</p> - -<p>“What! I hurt you?” Castelli said, with perfect calmness. “What will you -say, then, when I reach your head? It was really absurd of you to cry -out like a baby<a name="page_072" id="page_072"></a> at the first mouthful. Come, be reasonable: let me go -on. I am frightfully hungry, and long for my supper.”</p> - -<p>And Castelli, thrusting him by the shoulders, tried to make him take his -first position. But the young man resisted with all his strength, as he -cried, in a voice palsied with fear, “I won’t have it: I tell you I -won’t have it. You hurt me too much!” At length, by a supreme effort, he -escaped from his tormentor’s hands. During this time the audience, -foreseeing the result of this amusing scene, had been shouting with -laughter, and Castelli found some difficulty in gaining a hearing.</p> - -<p>“Gentlemen!” he said, assuming a tone of the deepest disappointment, -“you see me both surprised and vexed at the flight of that gentleman, -who had not the courage to allow himself to be eaten. Now, I expect some -one to take his place; for, far from shunning the performance of my -promise, I feel so comfortable, that I pledge myself, after eating the -first spectator who offers, to eat the second, and so on. Indeed, to -prove myself worthy your applause, I promise to eat the whole roomful.”</p> - -<p>This jest was greeted by another hearty laugh, but the farce was played -out. No one came forward to be eaten, and the crowd went home to digest -the trick played on them all.</p> - -<p>If such manĹ“uvres could succeed, few spectators were left for -Torrini. As he desired to maintain a certain dignity, he never announced -tricks he did not perform, and, even if trying to render the titles -attractive, he always adhered to the strictest truth.<a name="page_073" id="page_073"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">Antonio’s Confessions—How to gain Public Applause—The Count -de ——, Mountebank—I repair an Automaton—A Mechanician’s Shop on -Wheels—Nomadic Life—Happy Existence—Torrini’s Lessons—His -Opinions about Sleight-of-Hand—A Fashionable Greek, Victim of his -own Swindling—The Conjurer Comus—A Duel at Piquet—Torrini -proclaimed Conqueror—Revelations—New Catastrophe—Poor Torrini!</p></div> - -<p>T<small>HE</small> day after the performances, Antonio came as usual to inquire after -my health. I have already said this young man possessed a charming -character: ever gay, ever singing, his fund of good humor was -inexhaustible, and frequently produced a degree of gaiety in our house, -which otherwise would have been very gloomy. On opening my door, he -stopped the operatic air he had been humming from the bottom of the -stairs.</p> - -<p>“Well, my little signor,” he said, in French, picturesquely intermingled -with Italian, “how is the health this morning?”</p> - -<p>“Famous, Antonio—famous, thank you!”</p> - -<p>“Oh yes! famous, Antonio, famous!” and the Italian sought to repeat the -intonation of my voice. “I believe you, my dear patient, but that will -not prevent you taking this draught the doctor, my master, has sent -you.”</p> - -<p>“I am willing; but, indeed, this medicine is becoming unnecessary, for I -now feel that I shall soon be restored to health, and then I shall only -have to thank you and<a name="page_074" id="page_074"></a> your master for your attention to me, and pay him -the expenses caused by my illness.”</p> - -<p>“What are you talking about?” Antonio said. “Do you think of leaving us? -Oh, I hope not.”</p> - -<p>“You are right, Antonio; I am not thinking of it to-day, but I must -consider of it so soon as I am in a condition to leave. You must see, my -friend, that, in spite of all the pain our separation will cause me, I -must make up my mind to it before long, for I am anxious to return to -Blois and reassure my family, who must feel most uncomfortable about -me.”</p> - -<p>“Your family cannot be uncomfortable, as, in order to calm your father, -you wrote to him that your illness, having had no dangerous results, you -had proceeded to Angers to look for work.”</p> - -<p>“It is true, but——“</p> - -<p>“But, but,” Antonio interrupted me, “you have no good reason to offer. I -repeat, you cannot quit us. Besides,” he added, lowering his voice, “if -I told you something, I am sure you would be of my opinion.”</p> - -<p>Antonio stopped, appeared to struggle for a moment against the desire he -felt to confide in me, then, making up his mind, said, resolutely, “Ah, -bah! as it is necessary, I cannot hesitate. You were talking just now -about paying my master. Do you know that he is, I fancy, in your debt?”</p> - -<p>“I do not understand you.”</p> - -<p>“Well, listen to me, my dear friend,” Antonio said, with a mysterious -air; “I will explain myself. You are not ignorant that our poor Torrini -is afflicted by a very grave malady that touches him here (and Antonio -laid his hand on his forehead); now, since you have been with us, and he -fancies he can trace some resemblance to his son,<a name="page_075" id="page_075"></a> my master is -gradually losing his sorrow, and even indulges in gaiety now and then. -Yesterday, for instance, during his performance, you saw him make his -audience laugh twice or thrice, which has not occurred for a long time.</p> - -<p>“Ah, my dear sir,” Antonio continued, growing more and more -communicative, “if you had seen him before that fatal event, when he -performed in the first theatres of Italy. What enthusiasm! what spirit! -Who could have foretold at that period that Count de”—here Antonio -checked himself—“that the celebrated Torrini would ever be reduced to -play in a barn as the rival of the lowest mountebanks—he, the -inimitable sorcerer, the honored artist, everywhere known as the -handsome, the elegant Torrini! However, it was only just; for he -eclipsed the richest professors by his luxury and distinguished manners, -and never did a performer more fully deserve legitimate applause for his -talent and address.</p> - -<p>“However, I must confess,” Antonio added, carried away by his -confessions, “that this applause was sometimes my handiwork. Doubtlessly -the public appreciates talent with intelligence, but it often requires -to be guided in the outburst of its admiration. I took charge of this -duty, and without saying a word to my master, I prepared him several -ovations which extended and prolonged his success. How many times -boquets, thrown at the right moment, excited the applause of the entire -audience? how many times murmurs of approval, skilfully introduced, -aroused the enthusiasm of the theatre? What successes, my dear -fellow—what successes we had, though, in those days. I cannot give you -a better idea of them than by saying that, at times, my master could -hardly manage to spend all the money his representations produced.”</p> - -<p>“It is a pity, that your master,” I said to Antonio,<a name="page_076" id="page_076"></a> “did not place -less trust in the future, and save a portion of that fortune which he -would gladly have to-day.”</p> - -<p>“We have often made that reflection,” he replied, “but it only increased -our regret. And how could we suppose then that Fortune would turn her -back on us so suddenly? Besides, my master thought luxury necessary to -acquire that prestige which he liked to possess, and considered justly -that his prodigality added to the popularity his talent had procured -him.”</p> - -<p>This confidential talk would probably have lasted longer, had not -Torrini called Antonio, who suddenly quitted me.</p> - -<p>One incident struck me in this conversation: it was when Antonio -recalled his master’s name. This remark only increased my desire to know -Torrini’s history. But I had no time to lose, as the last performance -was announced for the following day, and I was resolved to return home.</p> - -<p>I therefore armed myself with courage to overcome the repugnance which, -according to Antonio, his master felt about speaking of the past, and -after we had breakfasted together, I broke the ice, in the hope I should -lead him to tell me all I so much wanted to know.</p> - -<p>“You are going to AngoulĂŞme to-morrow,” I said to him, “and I regret I -cannot accompany you: we must separate, however much it may cost me, -after the service you have rendered me, and the care you have devoted to -me.”</p> - -<p>I then begged him to let my family know the expenses my illness had -entailed, and I ended by assuring him of my deep gratitude. I expected -to hear Torrini oppose my departure: but it was not so.</p> - -<p>“However much you may press me,” he replied, with the greatest calmness, -“I will take nothing from you.<a name="page_077" id="page_077"></a> How can I ask payment for what has -caused me so much happiness? Never talk about that. You wish to leave -me,” he added, with that affectionate smile peculiar to him, “and I say -you will not leave me.”</p> - -<p>I was going to reply.</p> - -<p>“I say you will not leave me,” he repeated, quickly, “because you have -no reason to do so, and because, presently you will have a thousand to -remain some time longer with me. In the first place, you require great -care to recover your health and root out the remains of an illness which -might otherwise return. Besides, I will add, I was awaiting your -convalescence to ask a service from you which you cannot refuse; I want -you to repair an automaton I bought from a Dutch mechanician, of the -name of OprĂ©, and I am sure you will do it admirably.”</p> - -<p>To these excellent reasons Torrini, who doubtlessly feared some -hesitation on my part, joined the most attractive promises.</p> - -<p>“To lighten your labors,” he said, “we will have long talks about -conjuring. I will explain to you the game of piquet, that delighted you -so much, and after, when that subject is exhausted, I will tell you the -most important events of my life. You will learn from my story what a -man is capable of suffering short of death, and the lessons you may draw -from a life now almost ended may serve, perchance, to guide you in a -career which has hardly yet commenced. Lastly,” he said, offering me his -hand, “your presence, I trust, will help to dispel those gloomy thoughts -which have robbed me so long of my energy.”</p> - -<p>I could make no reply to these touching solicitations; hence I yielded -to Torrini’s wishes. The same day he gave me the automaton I was to -repair. It was a small harlequin, supposed to leap out of the box in -which it was<a name="page_078" id="page_078"></a> confined, perform some evolutions, and return to prison at -the word of command; but it was in such a bad condition, that I had -almost to make a new one. For this purpose I arranged a small workshop -in the carriage, and, two days later, I began my first automatic labors, -while proceeding along the road to AngoulĂŞme.</p> - -<p>Never shall I forget the charm of that journey. My health was perfectly -restored, and with it my gaiety and the full exercise of my moral -faculties. Our enormous vehicle, drawn by two horses, could not proceed -very rapidly: hence we only covered nine or ten leagues a day, and even -then we had to start very early. Still, in spite of our slow locomotion, -never did time appear to me to pass so quickly or more agreeably. Was it -not the realization of all my dreams? What more could I desire? -Installed in a small, clean room, before a window through which the -smiling panorama of Poitou and the Angoumois was unrolled before me, I -found myself amidst my beloved tools, working at the construction of an -automaton, in which I saw the first-born of a numerous progeny: it was -impossible for me to imagine anything to surpass this.</p> - -<p>On starting, I attacked my work with such impetuosity, that Torrini, -still anxious for my health, insisted that I should take some rest after -every meal. The same day, on leaving the dinner-table, he handed me a -pack of cards, and told me to display my skill.</p> - -<p>Though frightened by such a clear-sighted spectator, by a judge whose -skill had so astonished me, I collected my courage, and began by one of -those effects to which I had given the name of “flourishes.” It was a -brilliant prelude, merely intended to dazzle the eyes while showing the -extreme agility of the fingers. Torrini regarded me with indifference, -and I fancied I saw a smile playing round his<a name="page_079" id="page_079"></a> lips. I was, I confess, -rather disappointed, but he hastened to console me.</p> - -<p>“I really admire your address,” he said, “but I put little faith in -those flourishes, as you call them. I find them brilliant, but useless. -Besides, I am curious to know if you use them at the beginning or end of -your card tricks.”</p> - -<p>“It appears to me logical enough,” I replied, “to place them at the -beginning, as they are only intended to dazzle the spectators.”</p> - -<p>“Well, my boy,” he went on, “we differ on that point. I think that they -ought not to be placed either at the beginning or end of any card -tricks. For this reason: after such a brilliant exhibition, the -spectator will only see in your tricks the result of dexterity, while, -by affecting a good deal of simplicity, you will prevent your audience -trying to account for them. Thus you produce a supernatural effect, and -pass for a real sorcerer.”</p> - -<p>I quite agreed in this reasoning, the more so as at the beginning of my -experiments I had always considered nature and simplicity the bases of -the art of producing illusions, and I had laid down the maxim (only -applicable to conjuring) that “you must first gain the confidence of the -person you wish to cheat.” Hence, I had not been consistent with my -principles, and humbly confessed it.</p> - -<p>It is certainly a singular occupation for a man to whom frankness is -natural, to be continually engaged in concealing his thoughts, and -seeking the best way of making dupes. But may it not also be urged that -dissimulation and falsehood become qualities or defects according to the -purpose they are employed for?</p> - -<p>Does not the merchant, for instance, regard them as precious qualities -to heighten the value of his wares?<a name="page_080" id="page_080"></a></p> - -<p>Does the science of diplomacy consist in stating everything with -frankness and simplicity?</p> - -<p>Lastly, is not fashion, or the usages of decent society, an admirable -mixture of dissimulation and deceptions?</p> - -<p>As for the art I cultivated, what would it be without falsehood?</p> - -<p>Encouraged by Torrini, I regained my assurance. I continued practising -all my tricks, and showed him several new inventions of my own. My -master paid me some compliments, to which he added sensible advice.</p> - -<p>“I recommend you,” he said, “to moderate your vivacity. Instead of -displaying so much petulance in your movements, affect, on the contrary, -extreme calmness, and thus you will avoid those clumsy gesticulations by -which conjurers generally fancy they distract the attention of their -spectators, when they only succeed in wearying them.”</p> - -<p>My professor then, adding example to precept, took the cards from my -hands, and showed me in the same passes I had performed the finesses of -dissimulation allied to sleight-of-hand. I looked on with sincere -admiration: probably flattered by the impression he had produced on me, -Torrini said:</p> - -<p>“As we are now on the subject of card tricks, I will explain to you my -game of piquet; but, in the first place, you must see the box I employ -in its performance.”</p> - -<p>And he handed me a small box, which I turned over a score times without -detecting its use.</p> - -<p>“You will seek in vain,” he said to me; “a few words would put you on -the right track, but I prefer, although the remembrances it summons up -are very painful, to tell you how this box fell into my hands, and for -what purpose it was originally invented.</p> - -<p>“About twenty years ago I was living at Florence,<a name="page_081" id="page_081"></a> where I practised as -a physician. I was not a conjurer in those days (he added, with a -profound sigh), and would to Heaven I had never become so!</p> - -<p>“Among the young men of my own age, I was particularly intimate with a -German of the name of Zilbermann. Like myself, he was a doctor, and -equally like myself without practice. We passed the greatest part of our -leisure hours together: in other words, we were almost inseparable. Our -tastes were much the same, save on one point, where we differed -essentially. Zilbermann was passionately fond of gambling, while I felt -no attraction for play. My antipathy for cards must indeed have been -excessive to prevent me yielding to the force of contagion, for my -friend won large sums, enabling him to live like a great gentleman, -while I, though most economical, could not help incurring debts. However -this may be, Zilbermann and I lived on terms of fraternal intimacy. His -purse was at my service, but I used it discreetly, as I knew not when I -should be able to return what I borrowed. His delicacy and generosity -towards me led me to believe he was frank and loyal with all the world, -but I was deceived.</p> - -<p>“One day, when I had only left him a few hours before, one of his -servants came hastily to summon me, stating that his master had been -dangerously wounded, and begged to see me at once. I ran off directly, -and found my unhappy friend lying on his couch with a face of deadly -pallor. Overcoming my grief, I proceeded to offer him succor. Zilbermann -stopped me, motioned me to sit down, dismissed his attendants, and, -after being assured we were alone, begged me to listen to him. His -voice, weakened by the pain he was suffering, scarcely reached my ear, -and I was forced to stoop down over him.<a name="page_082" id="page_082"></a></p> - -<p>“â€My dear Edmond,’ he said to me, â€a man accused me of cheating. I -challenged him—we fought with pistols—and his bullet is lodged in my -chest.’</p> - -<p>“And when I urged Zilbermann to let me attend to him, he added:</p> - -<p>“â€It is useless, my friend. I feel I am wounded to death. I have hardly -time to make a confession, for which I claim all your indulgent -friendship. Learn, then,’ he added, offering me a hand damp with death, -â€I was not unjustly insulted. I am ashamed to confess that, for a long -time, I have lived at the expense of my dupes. Aided by a fatal skill, -and still more by an instrument I invented, I daily cheated at play.’</p> - -<p>“â€How—you, Zilbermann?’ I said, withdrawing my hand sharply.</p> - -<p>“â€Yes, I!’ the dying man replied, seeming by a glance to supplicate my -mercy.</p> - -<p>“â€Edmond!’ he added, collecting all his remaining strength, â€in the name -of our old friendship do not abandon me! For the honor of my family, let -not this proof of my infamy be found here. I implore you to remove this -instrument.’ And he showed me a small box attached to his arm.</p> - -<p>“I unfastened it, and like yourself, my boy, looked at it, without -understanding its use. Revived by a thought of his culpable passion, -Zilbermann added, with the most lively admiration,</p> - -<p>“â€And yet see how ingenious it was. This box can be attached to the arm -without perceptibly increasing its size. Ready packed cards are put in -it beforehand; when you are going to cut, you put your hand quietly over -the cards on the table, so as to cover them completely; then you press -this spring by resting your arm gently on the table.<a name="page_083" id="page_083"></a> The prepared cards -come out while a pair of pincers seize the other pack and draw it up -into the box. To-day, for the first time, the instrument failed me—the -pincers left a card on the table. My adversary——’</p> - -<p>“Zilbermann could not complete the phrase; he had drawn his last gasp.</p> - -<p>“Zilbermann’s confessions and death had overpowered me, and I hastened -from his room. On returning home, I began to reflect on what had -happened, and, imagining that my known intimacy with the deceased would -forbid my stay at Florence, I determined on proceeding to Naples. I took -with me the unlucky box, though not foreseeing the use I should -eventually make of it; and for a long time I forgot its existence. -However, when I turned my attention to conjuring, I thought about my -piquet trick, and the fortunate use I made of the box gained me one of -my most remarkable triumphs as professor of sleight-of-hand.”</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>At this recollection, Torrini’s eyes sparkled with unusual brilliancy, -and prepared me for an interesting anecdote. He proceeded as follows:</p> - -<p>“A conjurer, named Comus, had invented a trick at piquet, which he -performed, I must allow, with extraordinary dexterity. The praise he -acquired in consequence rendered him very boastful; and thus he never -failed to announce on his bills that he alone could perform this -incomparable trick, thus challenging all the sleight-of-hand professors -known. I had some degree of reputation in those days, and Comus’s -assertion stung me. Knowing his way of doing the trick, and my own to be -far superior, I resolved to pick up the glove he threw to all his -rivals.<a name="page_084" id="page_084"></a></p> - -<p>“I therefore went to Geneva, where he happened to be, and offered him a -share performance, in which a jury should decide on our relative merits. -Comus gladly accepted, and on the day fixed an immense number of -spectators assembled. Being my senior, my opponent commenced. But, in -order that you, my dear Robert, may also act as jury, I will first -explain to you how he performed his trick.</p> - -<p>“Taking a new pack of cards, he undid the cover, had them shuffled, and -then taking them in his hand, he managed to get them, as if by accident, -either face to face or back to back. This disarrangement gave him time -to manipulate the cards, while appearing to be merely putting them in -order; thus, when he had finished, I could easily see that he had made -an almost imperceptible crease on certain cards, which must give him a -suit of eight cards, a king, and fourteen in aces.</p> - -<p>“This done, Comus handed the cards to his adversary, begging him to -shuffle them again; and, during this time, he had his eyes bandaged. -This was a useless precaution, let me observe <i>en passant</i>, for whatever -care may be taken to deprive a person of sight in this way, the -projection of the nose always leaves a vacuum sufficient to see clearly.</p> - -<p>“When the other player had finished, Comus again took up the cards as if -to shuffle them; but you can easily understand that he only arranged -them so that the cards he had marked must fall to him in the deal. The -<i>saute de coupe</i>, as you are aware, neutralises the effect of cutting; -hence Comus was certain of success. In fact, matters ended so on this -occasion, and hearty applause greeted my rival’s victory.</p> - -<p>“I have reason to believe that a great number of these bravos emanated -from his friends and accomplices, for<a name="page_085" id="page_085"></a> when I came forward in my turn to -perform my trick, a murmur of dissatisfaction greeted my appearance on -the stage. The ill-will of the spectators was so manifest that it would -have intimidated me, had I not then been quite steeled against all -applause or dissatisfaction on the part of the public.</p> - -<p>“The audience were far from suspecting the surprise I had prepared for -them, for instead of asking any one to come from the house as my -playman, I requested Comus himself to play with me. At this request I -saw the people begin to look at each other; but what were the -exclamations when, after asking my rival to bandage my eyes and tie my -hands, I not only declined to touch the cards, but left him at liberty, -after stating in what suit he would be repiqued, to deal the cards by -twos or threes, and choose the hand he preferred!</p> - -<p>“I had a pack ready prepared in my box, and I was sure of my -instrument—need I say that I gained the game?</p> - -<p>“Owing to my secret arrangements, my mode of acting was so simple, that -it was impossible to find out how I did it, while Comus’s preliminary -manipulations led to the supposition that his dexterity gained the game. -I was declared victor unanimously. Shouts greeted this decision; and -even Comus’s own friends, deserting my rival, came to offer me a pretty -gold pin, surmounted by a cup, the symbol of my profession. This pin, as -one of the audience told me, had been ordered by poor Comus, who felt -certain of winning it back.</p> - -<p>“I may (Torrini added) fairly boast of this victory; for, though -Zilbermann left me the box, he had not taught me the game of piquet, -which I invented myself. Was not this trick, I ask you, far superior to -Comus’s, which,<a name="page_086" id="page_086"></a> it is true, deceived the multitude, but the poorest -sleight-of-hand performer could easily detect?”</p> - -<p>Torrini was extremely proud of his inventive skill; but this, I believe, -was his sole defect, and he made up for it by his readiness to praise -other persons. His story ended, I complimented him most sincerely, not -only on his invention, but on the victory he had gained over Comus.</p> - -<p>Travelling in this way, and stopping at times to perform in towns where -we might hope to clear a profit, we passed through Limoges, and found -ourselves on the road leading from that town to Clermont. Torrini -proposed to give some performances in the chief town of the Puy-de-DĂ´me, -after which he intended returning straight to Italy, whose gentle -climate and quaint ovations he regretted.</p> - -<p>I had made up my mind to part from him there. We had been travelling -together about two months; this was about the time I had fixed for the -repair of the automaton, and my work was almost concluded. On the other -hand, I had a right to ask my dismissal, with no fear of being -considered ungrateful. Torrini’s health had become as good as we might -ever expect, and I had given up to him all the time I could reasonably -spare.</p> - -<p>Still I did not like to speak about our separation, for the professor, -delighted with my progress and skill, could not conceive I could have -any other wish but to travel with him, and eventually become his -successor. This position would certainly have suited me in many -respects, for, as I have said, my vocation was irrevocably fixed. But, -whether new instincts were kindled in me, or that the intimacy I lived -in with Torrini had opened my eyes to the unpleasantness of such a mode -of life, I aimed at something higher than being his successor.<a name="page_087" id="page_087"></a></p> - -<p>I had therefore made up my mind to leave him; but painful circumstances -deferred the moment of separation.</p> - -<p>We had just arrived at Aubusson, a town celebrated for its numerous -carpet factories. Torrini and his servant were on the box of the -carriage: I was at work. We were going down a hill, and Antonio was -pulling at the rope which dragged our wheels, when, suddenly, I heard -something break, and the carriage started off at full speed. The -slightest obstacles produced a tremendous shock, and every moment I -expected the carriage to go over.</p> - -<p>Trembling, and hardly able to breathe, I clung to my bench as a plank of -safety, and with my eyes closed, awaited the death that appeared -inevitable. For a moment we were on the point of escaping the -catastrophe. Our powerful horses, skillfully guided by Antonio, had kept -up bravely during this rapid descent, and we had passed the first houses -in Aubusson, when, as misfortune willed it, an enormous hay-cart emerged -from a side street, and barred our passage. The driver did not see the -danger till it was too late to avoid it. The accident was inevitable, -the collision frightful.</p> - -<p>I was momentarily stunned by the pain, but as soon as I recovered I -stepped out of the carriage to look after my comrades. I found Antonio -covered with harmless contusions, supporting Torrini, whose arm was -dislocated, and leg broken. Our two horses lay dead in the road; as for -the carriage, only the body remained intact: all the rest was knocked to -atoms.</p> - -<p>A doctor, hurriedly sent for, reached an adjoining inn to which we had -been directed, almost as soon as ourselves. And here I could not refrain -from admiring Torrini’s magnanimity, when he insisted on our being -looked to<a name="page_088" id="page_088"></a> first; and, in spite of our entreaties, we could not alter -his determination. Antonio and myself were soon all right again, but -this was not the case with Torrini: he was obliged to undergo all the -operations and different phases of a broken leg.</p> - -<p>Although he treated the accident so coolly, it might produce terrible -consequences for him: the repair of the carriage, the physician, our -forced stay at an inn, would cost him very dear. Could he continue his -performances—replace his horses? This idea caused Antonio and myself -cruel anxiety: Torrini alone did not despair of the future.</p> - -<p>“No matter,” he said, with entire confidence in himself; “once I have -recovered, all will go on well. Why ought a courageous and healthy man -to fear aught? Help yourself, and Heaven will help you! our good La -Fontaine wrote. Well, we will all, then, help ourselves, and no doubt we -shall escape from this dilemma.”</p> - -<p>In order to give my company to this excellent man, and distract his -thoughts, I put up my bench by his bedside, and, while working, -continued the conversations which had been so unfortunately interrupted.</p> - -<p>The day at length arrived when I gave the last touch to the automaton, -and made it perform before Torrini, who appeared delighted with it. Had -our patient been less unfortunate, I should have now quitted him; but -could I leave the man who had saved my life in this way? Besides, -another thought had occurred to me. Although Torrini told us nothing of -his pecuniary position, Antonio and I fancied he was greatly -embarrassed. Was it not my duty to try and relieve him, were it in my -power? I imparted to Antonio a scheme he approved, though begging me to -defer it a little longer, till we found whether our suppositions were -correct.<a name="page_089" id="page_089"></a></p> - -<p>Still the days were very long by my patient’s side, for my mechanical -job was finished, and sleight-of-hand was a subject of conversation long -exhausted. One day, when Torrini and I were seeking some topic to talk -about, I remembered his promise to tell me his life history, and -reminded him of it.</p> - -<p>At this request Torrini sighed. “Ah!” he said, “if I could suppress many -sad incidents in my story, I should delight to read you a few pleasant -pages from an artist’s life. However, it may be,” he added, “I have -contracted a debt with you which I must pay.</p> - -<p>“Do not expect me to give you a journal of my life; that would be -tedious both to you and to myself. I will only quote some interesting -episodes, and describe to you some tricks you possibly have not heard -of. This will be the most amusing portion of my story,” Torrini added, -with a smile, “for whatever may be your present resolutions about -following my art, I need not be a Nostradamus to predict that you will -devote yourself to it some day, and gain immense success. What you are -about to hear, my friend, will show you that it is not every man who can -say, with the popular proverb, â€Spring, I will not drink thy water!<a name="page_090" id="page_090"></a>’”</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">Torrini relates his Life—Treachery of Chevalier Pinetti—A -Conjurer through Malice—A Race between two Magicians—Death of -Pinetti—Exhibits before Pius VII.—The Cardinal’s -Chronometer—Twelve Hundred Francs spent on a Trick—Antonio and -Antonia—The most bitter of Mystifications—Constantinople.</p></div> - -<p>M<small>Y</small> name is Edmond de Grisy, and that of Torrini belongs to Antonio, my -brother-in-law. That worthy young man, whom you wrongfully took for my -servant, has been good enough to follow me in my evil fortune, and help -me in my performances. You must have seen, though, by the way I treat -him, that while leaving to him the toil better suited for his age than -mine, I regard him as my equal, and consider him my best friend—at -least I should have called him so before knowing you—but now, one of my -best friends.</p> - -<p>My father, the Count de Grisy, resided on his property in Languedoc, the -sole resource left him of a once large fortune, which circumstances had -sadly diminished. Devoted to Louis XVI., and one of his most faithful -servants, on the day of danger he offered his body as a rampart for his -sovereign, and was killed at the storming of the Tuilleries on the 18th -of August.</p> - -<p>I was at that time in Paris, and, profiting by the disorders in the -capital, I was enabled to pass the barriers, and reach our small family -domain. There I dug up a hundred louis my father had concealed for any -unforeseen<a name="page_091" id="page_091"></a> accident; to this money I added some jewels left by my -mother, and with these modest resources proceeded to Florence.</p> - -<p>The value of my entire property was 5000 francs. On the interest of this -sum I could not live; hence I was obliged to seek some profession to -support me. I soon formed my decision: taking advantage of the excellent -education I had received, I devoted myself to the study of medicine. -Four years later I took my degree as doctor; I was then twenty-seven.</p> - -<p>I established myself at Florence, where I hoped to form a connexion. -Unfortunately for me, in this town, with its gentle climate and -reinvigorating sun, the number of physicians was greater than that of -the patients, and my new profession was a perfect sinecure.</p> - -<p>I have told you how Zilbermann’s death compelled me to quit the capital -of Tuscany, and I established myself at Naples. More fortunate than at -Florence, immediately on my arrival I was called in to a patient whose -illness had defied the skill of the first Italian physicians. He was a -young man, of very high family; his recovery gained me great renown, and -I soon took my place among the best Neapolitan physicians. This success, -and the fashion I gained by it, opened to me the doors of all the -salons, and my name, aided by the manners of a gentleman brought up at -the court of Louis XVI., rendered me indispensable at all soirĂ©es and -festivals.</p> - -<p>What a happy and calm existence I might still be enjoying had not -destiny, jealous of my happiness, destroyed my future prospects of -felicity by hurling me into the vivid and ardent emotions of an artistic -life!</p> - -<p>The carnival of 1796 had just commenced. At that time one man was the -popular idol of the Italians; nothing<a name="page_092" id="page_092"></a> was spoken of but the marvels -achieved by Chevalier Pinetti. This celebrated conjurer came to Naples, -and the whole city attended his interesting performances. As I was madly -attached to this sort of spectacle, I spent every evening at the -theatre, trying to guess the chevalier’s tricks, and unfortunately for -myself, I discovered the key to many of them.</p> - -<p>But I did not stop here; I also wished to perform them before a few -friends: success stimulated me, and made me desirous of increasing my -repertoire. At length I could perform all Pinetti’s tricks. The -chevalier was eclipsed; nothing was spoken of but my skill and address; -and every one besought a performance from me. But I did not accede to -all these requests, for I was chary in displaying my talent, hoping thus -to increase its value.</p> - -<p>My privileged spectators were only the more enthusiastic, and asserted -that I equalled Pinetti, if I did not surpass him.</p> - -<p>The public is so happy, my dear lad (Torrini said, with a look of -melancholy regret), when it can oppose some rising talent to any artist -in renown. It seems as if this sovereign dispenser of fashion and favor -takes a malicious pleasure in reminding the man it adores that every -reputation is fragile, and that the idol of to-day may be shattered -to-morrow.</p> - -<p>My vanity forebade my thinking of this. I believed in the sincerity of -the praise bestowed on me; and I, the earnest student, the clever -doctor, was proud of my futile success.</p> - -<p>Pinetti, far from seeming jealous of my triumph, evinced a desire to -form my acquaintance, and even came to call upon me. He might have been -about forty-six years of age at this time, but his elegant toilet made -him appear<a name="page_093" id="page_093"></a> much younger. There was something distinguished in his face, -though the features were common-place and irregular, and his manners -were excellent. Still, by an inexplicable want of judgment, he used, -when performing, to wear a brilliant general’s uniform, on which -numerous decorations glistened.</p> - -<p>This peculiarity, which bordered too much on the charlatan, ought to -have enlightened me as to the man’s moral value; but my passion for -conjuring rendered me blind. We met like old friends, and our intimacy -was almost instantaneous. Pinetti was most affable, talked about his -secrets unreservedly, and even offered to take me to the theatre and -show me his stage arrangements. I accepted the offer with the greatest -readiness, and we entered his richly ornamented carriage.</p> - -<p>From that moment the chevalier treated me with the utmost familiarity. -In any other this would have wounded my pride, or at least aroused my -suspicion, and I should have been on my guard. On the contrary, I was -enchanted with Pinetti, for, by his unbounded luxury, he had gained such -consideration, that the noblest young gentlemen in the city were proud -of his friendship. Why, then, should I be more haughty than they? In a -few days we had become almost inseparable friends, only parting at the -time of our mutual performances.</p> - -<p>One evening, after one of my private exhibitions, I proceeded to sup as -usual with Pinetti, my head still a-glow with the compliments I had -received. I found him alone. On seeing me enter, the chevalier ran up to -me, embraced me affectionately, and asked how my performance had gone -off. I did not hide my success from him.</p> - -<p>“Ah! my friend,” he said, “that does not surprise me; you are -incomparable: indeed, I should not be paying you<a name="page_094" id="page_094"></a> a forced compliment if -I said you might challenge the most skillful among us.”</p> - -<p>And during the whole supper, despite my efforts to stop him, he would -only speak of my skill and address. Though I tried to decline his -compliments, the chevalier seemed so sincere, that I ended by accepting -them. In fact, I was so convinced of their truth, that I began to pay -myself some compliments; for how could I believe it was all a trick to -make a fool of me? When Pinetti saw I had arrived at this stage, and -that the champagne had turned my head, he said:</p> - -<p>“Do you know, my dear count, that you could offer the Neapolitans a -surprise to-morrow, worth its weight in gold for the poor?”</p> - -<p>“How?” I asked.</p> - -<p>“Suppose, my dear friend, you take my place in a performance I am going -to give on behalf of the poor. We will put your name in the bills -instead of mine, and it will be regarded as a noble and honorable -understanding between two artists. One representation the less will not -injure my reputation, while it will cover you with glory; I shall thus -have the double satisfaction of helping the unfortunate, and displaying -my best friend’s talent to advantage.”</p> - -<p>This proposal so startled me, that I rose from the table, as if fearing -to hear more. But Pinetti was gifted with such persuasive eloquence, and -he seemed to promise himself so much pleasure from my future triumph, -that at length I ended by yielding all he asked.</p> - -<p>“That is right,” Pinetti said to me; “dismiss such want of confidence in -yourself, which could be hardly pardoned in a schoolboy. Now, matters -settled so far, we have no time to lose. Let us draw up the bill: choose -among my<a name="page_095" id="page_095"></a> tricks those you prefer, and, as for the preparations trust to -me: I will take care all is in order.”</p> - -<p>The greater number of Pinetti’s tricks were performed by the help of -accomplices, who brought to the theatre various objects of which the -conjurer had doubles. This singularly facilitated the pretended marvels, -and I had no doubt of success.</p> - -<p>We soon drew up the bill, at the top of which I wrote my name with great -emotion; then came a list of the tricks I proposed to do. Just as we -finished this, the usual guests entered the room, offering excuses more -or less specious to explain their delay. Still their tardy appearance -aroused no suspicion in my mind; for Pinetti’s was open all hours of the -night, and his door was only closed from daybreak till two P. M., the -time he devoted to sleep and dress.</p> - -<p>As soon as the new arrivers heard of my resolution, they noisily -congratulated me, and promised to support me by their hearty applause. -Not that I wanted it, they added, for my performance would create an -extraordinary enthusiasm. Pinetti gave one of his servants the bill, -telling him to order the printer to have it posted all over the city -before daybreak.</p> - -<p>An impulse made me stretch out my hand to take back the paper, but -Pinetti checked me with a laugh.</p> - -<p>“Come, my dear friend,” he said, “do not try to fly an assured triumph, -and to-morrow at this hour we shall all be toasting your success.”</p> - -<p>All the visitors joined in chorus, and they drank in anticipation of my -approaching triumph. A few glasses of champagne dispelled my hesitation -and scruples.</p> - -<p>I returned home very late, and went to bed without thinking of what had -occurred. At two the next afternoon<a name="page_096" id="page_096"></a> I was still asleep, when I was -aroused by Pinetti’s voice.</p> - -<p>“Get up, Edmond!” he shouted through the door. “Up, man! we have no time -to lose: the great day has arrived. Open the door: I have a thousand -things to say to you.”</p> - -<p>I hastened to open.</p> - -<p>“Ah! my dear count,” he said, “allow me to congratulate you on your good -fortune. Your name is in every mouth: the whole theatre is taken; the -last tickets are being positively fought for; the king and the royal -family will do you the honor of being present; we have just been -informed of the fact.”</p> - -<p>At these words the whole affair flashed across my mind: a cold -perspiration stood on my forehead: the terror that assails every novice -rendered me dizzy. In my confusion I sat down on the foot of my bed.</p> - -<p>“Do not reckon on me, chevalier,” I said, with firmness. “Whatever may -happen, I will not perform.”</p> - -<p>“What! you will not perform?” my perfidious friend said, affecting the -most perfect tranquility; “but my good fellow, you cannot be thinking of -what you are saying. There is no possibility of drawing back: the bills -are put up, and it is your duty to keep the engagement you have made. -Besides, you should remember this performance is for the poor, who have -already begun to bless you, and you cannot abandon them, while a refusal -would be an insult to the king. Come, come,” he added, “summon up your -courage, my dear friend. Meet me at the theatre at four: we will have a -rehearsal, which I consider useless, but it may restore your pluck. Till -then, good-by!”</p> - -<p>So soon as I was left to myself, I remained for nearly an hour absorbed -in thought, trying in vain to elude the performance. An insurmountable -barrier ever prevented<a name="page_097" id="page_097"></a> escape: the king, the poor, the entire -city—all, in short, rendered it an imperious duty to keep my rash -promise. At length I began to think there was no serious difficulty -about the performance, for a great number of the tricks, as I have -already said, being performed by the help of friends, these took the -chief labor on themselves. Encouraged by this idea, I gradually regained -my courage, and at four o’clock joined Pinetti at the theatre with a -degree of assurance that surprised even him.</p> - -<p>As the performance did not begin till eight, I had ample time to make my -preparations, and I employed it so well, that, when the moment arrived -to appear on the stage, my foolish fears were completely dissipated, and -I presented myself before the public with sufficient coolness for a -novice.</p> - -<p>The theatre was crowded. The king and his family, seated in a stage box, -appeared to regard me with sympathizing glances; for his majesty was -probably aware of my being a French Ă©migrĂ©.</p> - -<p>I boldly commenced my performance with a trick which must eminently -excite the imagination of the spectators. I had to borrow a ring, place -it in a pistol, and fire through a window opening from the stage into -the sea that bathed the theatre-walls. This done, I would open a box, -previously examined, closed, and sealed by the audience, and in it would -be found an enormous fish bearing the ring in its mouth.</p> - -<p>Full of confidence in the success of the trick, I proceeded towards the -pit to borrow a ring. Of twenty offered me I selected one belonging to -an accomplice of Pinetti’s, and begged him to place it with his own -hands in the barrel of the pistol I handed to him. Pinetti had told me -that his friend would use for this purpose a copper<a name="page_098" id="page_098"></a> ring, which would -be sacrificed, and that I should return him a gold one in its place.</p> - -<p>The spectator obeyed me. I then opened the window and fired the pistol. -Like the soldier on the battle-field, the smell of powder excited me; I -felt full of fun and gaiety, and ventured on a few jests, which pleased -the audience. Taking advantage of the general hilarity, I seized my -magic wand and traced my cabalistic circles round the box. At length I -broke the seals and triumphantly produced the fish, which I carried to -the owner of the ring, that he might take it out of the fish’s mouth.</p> - -<p>If the accomplice play his part well, he must evince the greatest -stupefaction, and, indeed, the gentleman, on receiving the ring, began -looking around him, and his face grew very long. Proud of my success, I -went back on the stage and bowed in reply to the applause I received. -Ah, my dear Robert! this triumph lasted but a short time, and became to -me the prelude of a terrible mystification.</p> - -<p>I was proceeding to another trick, when I saw my spectator gesticulating -to his neighbors, and then turning to me as if wishing to address me. I -fancied he was going on with the farce to dispel any suspicion of -collusion; still I thought he went too far. What was my surprise, then, -when the man rose and said:</p> - -<p>“Excuse me, sir, but it seems as if your trick is not over, since you -have given me a copper ring set with paste instead of my diamond -solitaire.”</p> - -<p>As a mistake seemed to me impossible, I turned on my heel and commenced -my preparations for the next trick.</p> - -<p>“Sir,” my obstinate spectator again took the word, “will you have the -goodness to reply to my question? If the end of your trick be a jest, I -acknowledge it as such,<a name="page_099" id="page_099"></a> and you can return me my ring presently. If it -be not so, I cannot accept the horrible substitute you have handed me.”</p> - -<p>Every one was silent: none knew the meaning of this protest, though many -fancied it was on ordinary mystification, which would end in still -greater glory for the performer. The claimant, the public, and myself -found ourselves in the same state of uncertainty; it was an enigma which -I alone could solve—and I did not know the word.</p> - -<p>Hoping, however, to escape from a position as critical as it was -ridiculous, I walked up to my pitiless creditor, and, on looking at the -ring I had given him, I was startled at finding it was really coarsely -gilt copper. “Could the spectator to whom I applied have been no -accomplice?” I thought. “Could Pinetti desire to betray me?” This -supposition appeared to me so hateful that I rejected it, preferring to -attribute the fatal mistake to chance. But what should I do or say? My -head was all on fire.</p> - -<p>In my despair, I was about to offer the public some explanation of this -untoward accident, when an inspiration temporarily relieved me from my -embarrassment.</p> - -<p>“Do you still believe, sir,” I said to the plaintiff, after assuming an -extreme degree of calmness, “that your ring has been changed into copper -while passing through my hands?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir; and, besides, the one you have returned me does not in the -slightest degree resemble mine in shape.”</p> - -<p>“Very good, sir,” I continued, boldly; “that is the real marvel of the -trick; that ring will insensibly assume its old form on your finger, and -by to-morrow morning you will see it is the one you lent me. That is -what we term in the language of the cabala the â€imperceptible -transformation.<a name="page_100" id="page_100"></a>’”</p> - -<p>This reply gained me time. I intended to see the claimant when the -performance was over, pay him the price of the ring, whatever it might -be, and beg him to keep my secret. After this happy escape I took up a -pack of cards and continued my performance, and as the accomplices had -nothing to do in this trick, I felt sure of success. Approaching the -royal box, I begged his majesty to do me the honor of drawing a card. He -did so very affably; but to my horror, the king had no sooner looked at -the card he had drawn, than he threw it angrily on the stage, with marks -of most profound dissatisfaction.</p> - -<p>The blow dealt me this time was too direct for me to attempt parrying it -or turning it aside. But I was anxious to know the meaning of such a -humiliating affront, so I picked up the card. Imagine, my dear boy, the -full extent of my despair when I read a coarse insult to his majesty, -written in a hand I could not mistake. I attempted to stammer some -excuse, but by a gesture the king disdainfully commanded silence.</p> - -<p>Oh, I cannot describe to you all that then passed in my mind, for a -dizziness attacked my brain, and I felt as if I were going mad.</p> - -<p>I had, at length, obtained a proof of Pinetti’s perfidy. He had -determined on covering me with disgrace and ridicule, and I had fallen -into the infamous snare he had so treacherously laid for me. This idea -restored my wild energy: I was seized by a ferocious desire for revenge, -and I rushed to the side scene, where my enemy should be stationed. I -meant to seize him by the collar, drag him on the stage like a -malefactor, and force him to demand pardon.</p> - -<p>But the juggler was no longer there. I ran in every direction like a -maniac, but wherever I might turn, cries,<a name="page_101" id="page_101"></a> hisses, and shouts pursued -me, and distracted my brain. At length, bowed down by the weight of such -intense emotions, I fainted.</p> - -<p>For a week I remained in a raging fever, incessantly yelling for revenge -on Pinetti. And I did not know all then.</p> - -<p>I learned afterwards that this unworthy man, this false friend, had -emerged from his hiding-place on my fainting. He had gone on the stage -at the request of some of his accomplices, and continued the -performance, to the great satisfaction of the entire audience.</p> - -<p>Thus, then, all this friendship—all these protestations of -devotion—were only a farce—a very juggling trick. Pinetti had never -felt the slightest affection for me; his flattery was only meant to draw -me into the trap he had laid for my vanity, and he wished to destroy by -a public humiliation a rival who annoyed him.</p> - -<p>He was perfectly successful in this respect, for from that day my most -intimate friends, fearing probably, that the ridicule I endured might be -reflected on them, suddenly turned their backs on me. This desertion -affected me deeply, but I had too much pride to beg the renewal of such -passing friendship, and I resolved on quitting Naples immediately. -Besides, I was planning a scheme of vengeance, for which solitude was -necessary.</p> - -<p>Pinetti, like the coward he was, had fled after the atrocious insult he -had offered me. To have challenged him would be doing him too much -honor, so I vowed to fight him with his own weapons, and humiliate the -shameful traitor in my turn.</p> - -<p>This was the plan I drew up:</p> - -<p>I determined to devote myself ardently to sleight-of-hand, and study -thoroughly an art of which I as yet knew<a name="page_102" id="page_102"></a> only the first principles. -Then, when quite confident in myself—when I had added many new tricks -to Pinetti’s repertoire—I would pursue my enemy, enter every town -before him, and continually crush him by my superiority.</p> - -<p>Full of this idea, I sold everything I possessed, and took refuge in the -country, where, completely retired from the world, I prepared my plans -for vengeance. I cannot describe to you, my friend, what patience I -devoted and how I toiled during the six months my voluntary retreat -lasted; but I was more than compensated for it, as my success was -complete. I gained a degree of skill to which I had never dared to -pretend: Pinetti was no longer my master, and I became his rival.</p> - -<p>Not satisfied with these results, I intended also to eclipse him by the -richness of my stage. I, therefore, ordered apparatus of unknown -brilliancy in those days, spending in this every farthing I possessed. -With what delight did I regard these glittering instruments, each of -which seemed to me a weapon capable of inflicting mortal wounds on my -adversary’s vanity. How proudly my heart beat at the thought of the -contest I would commence with him!</p> - -<p>Henceforth, it would be a duel of skill between Pinetti and myself, but -a mortal duel; one of us must remain on the ground, and I had reason to -hope that I should be the victor in the struggle.</p> - -<p>Before commencing my tour I made some inquiries about my rival, and -learned that, after traversing Southern Italy, he had just left Lucca, -<i>en route</i> for Bologna. I learned, too, that, on leaving that city, he -intended to visit Modena, Parma and Piacenza.</p> - -<p>Without loss of time I set out for Modena, in order to precede him -there, and thus prevent him performing.<a name="page_103" id="page_103"></a> Enormous bills announced the -representations of “<span class="smcap">The Count de Grisy, the French Artist</span>,” and my -programme was most attractive, for it contained all Pinetti’s tricks. -The papers had puffed the latter so extravagantly for some time past, -that I felt sure my performance would be gladly witnessed.</p> - -<p>In fact, my room was taken by storm, as eagerly as on my disastrous -performance at Naples; but this time the result was very different. The -improvements I had introduced in my rival’s tricks, and the great skill -I displayed in performing them, gained me a unanimous verdict.</p> - -<p>From this time my success was insured, and the following performances -raised my name above that of all the most fashionable magicians of the -day. According to the plan I had laid down, I left Modena when I heard -of Pinetti’s approach, and went to Parma. My rival, full of faith in his -merits, and not believing in my success, took the theatre I had just -left. But he began to be bitterly undeceived; the whole city was -satiated with the style of amusement he announced; no one responded to -his appeal, and, for the first time, the success to which he was -accustomed slipped from his grasp.</p> - -<p>Chevalier Pinetti, who had so long held undivided sway, was not the man -to yield to a person he called a novice. He had guessed my plans, and, -far from awaiting the attack, he acted on the offensive, and came to -Parma, where he opened a room exactly opposite mine. But this town was -lost to him like the last: he had the misery of seeing my theatre -continually filled, while his was quite deserted.</p> - -<p>I must tell you, too, my friend, that all the money I netted only -covered my luxurious outlay. What did I care for gold and silver? I only -dreamed of revenge, and to satisfy that feeling I squandered my money. I -wished,<a name="page_104" id="page_104"></a> above all, to pale that star which had formerly eclipsed me. I -displayed regal pomp in my performances; the theatre and its approaches -were literally covered with tapestry and flowers, while the house and -the stage, glistening with light, presented to the dazzled eyes of the -audience numerous escutcheons, bearing compliments to the ladies, who -were thus quite gained over to the side of the gallant Count de Grisy.</p> - -<p>In this way I crushed Pinetti, although he did all in his power to offer -me a vigorous resistance. But what could his tinsel and old-fashioned -ornaments avail against what I may fairly term my elegance and -distinguished manners?</p> - -<p>Piacenza, Cremona, Mantua, Vicenza, Padua, and Venice, were witnesses of -our desperate struggle, and, despite his rage and despair, the arrogant -Pinetti was obliged to endure my superiority, if he did not recognize -it. Abandoned by even his most zealous admirers, he determined to quit -the field, and proceeded towards Russia. Some slight success partly -consoled his late defeats, but, as if Fortune were determined on making -him repay the favors she had so long lavished on him, a tedious and -painful illness exhausted his strength as well as his slight savings. -Reduced to a state of abject misery, he died at the village of -Bartitchoff, in Volhynia, at the house of a nobleman, who sheltered him -from compassion.</p> - -<p>Pinetti once gone, my revenge was satiated, and, being master of the -battle-field, I might have abandoned a profession ill fitted for my -birth. But my medical connexion was broken up, and, on the other hand, I -yielded to a motive which you will appreciate some day; when a man has -once tasted the intoxication produced by the applause of the public, it -is very difficult to renounce it; with my will or against, I must -continue my profession as conjurer.<a name="page_105" id="page_105"></a></p> - -<p>I therefore determined on profiting by the reputation I had gained, and -proceeded to Rome, as a brilliant termination to my Italian -representations. Pinetti had never dared to enter that city, less -through distrust of himself, than through fear of the Inquisition, of -which he could only speak with terror. The chevalier was extremely -prudent whenever he was personally concerned: he feared being treated -like a sorcerer, and ending his days in an auto da fè. More than once he -had bid me take warning by the unhappy Cagliostro, who was condemned to -death, and only owed to the clemency of the Pope the commutation of the -penalty into perpetual imprisonment.</p> - -<p>Confiding in the intelligence of Pius VII., and, besides, having no -pretensions to the necromancy Pinetti affected, nor to the charlatanism -of Cagliostro, I proceeded to the capital of the Christian world, where -my performances created a great sensation. His Holiness himself, on -hearing of me, did me the signal honor of requesting a performance, at -which I was advised all the dignitaries of the Church would form my -audience.</p> - -<p>You can fancy, my lad, with what eagerness I acquiesced in his wish, and -what care I devoted to my preparations. After selecting all my best -tricks, I ransacked my brains to invent one worthy of my illustrious -spectators. But I had no need to search long, for chance, that most -ingenious of inventors, came to my aid.</p> - -<p>On the day prior to the performance I was in the shop of one of the -first watchmakers of Rome, when a servant came in to ask if his eminence -the Cardinal de ——â€s watch was repaired.</p> - -<p>“It will not be ready till this evening,” the watchmaker replied; “and I -will do myself the honor of carrying it to your master myself.<a name="page_106" id="page_106"></a>”</p> - -<p>When the servant had retired, the tradesman said to me:</p> - -<p>“This is a handsome and capital watch. The cardinal to whom it belongs -values it at more than 10,000 fr.; for, as he ordered it himself of the -celebrated Brèguet, he fancies it must be unique of its kind. Strangely -enough, though, only two days ago, a young scamp belonging to this city -offered me a precisely similar watch, made by the same artist for 1000 -fr.”</p> - -<p>While the watchmaker was talking to me, I had already formed a plan.</p> - -<p>“Do you think,” I said to him, “that this person is still inclined to -dispose of his watch?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly,” the watchmaker replied. “This young prodigal, who has spent -all his fortune, is now reduced to sell his family jewels: hence the -1000 fr. will be welcome.”</p> - -<p>“Is he to be found?”</p> - -<p>“Nothing easier: in a gambling-house he never quits.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then, sir, I am anxious to purchase the watch, but it must be -to-day. Have the kindness, then, to buy it for me. After that, you will -engrave on it his eminence’s arms, so that the two watches may be -perfectly similar, and on your discretion the profit you make by the -transaction will depend.”</p> - -<p>The watchmaker knew me, and probably suspected the use I intended to -make of the watch; but he was assured of my discretion, as the honor of -my success would depend on it. Hence he said:</p> - -<p>“I only require a quarter of an hour to go to the gambling-house, and I -am confident your offer will be accepted.”</p> - -<p>The quarter of an hour had not elapsed ere my negotiator returned with -the chronometer in his hand.<a name="page_107" id="page_107"></a></p> - -<p>“Here it is!” he said, with an air of triumph. “My man received me like -an envoy from Providence, and gave me the watch without even counting -the money. To-night all will be ready.”</p> - -<p>In fact, that same evening the watchmaker brought me the two -chronometers, and handed me one. On comparing them, it was impossible to -detect the slightest difference. It cost me dear, but I was now certain -of performing a trick which must produce a decided effect.</p> - -<p>The next day I proceeded to the Pontiff’s palace, and at six o’clock, -upon a signal given by the Holy Father, I stepped on the stage. I had -never appeared before such an imposing assembly. Pius VII., seated in a -large arm-chair on a daĂŻs, occupied the foreground: near him were seated -the cardinals, and behind them were the different prelates and -dignitaries of the Church.</p> - -<p>The Pope’s face breathed benevolence, and it was fortunate for me, for -the sight of this smiling and gentle face dissipated an unpleasant idea -which had been strangely troubling me for some moments.</p> - -<p>“Suppose this performance,” I said to myself, “were merely a feigned -examination to make me confess my connexion with the infernal powers? -May not my words be taken down, and perhaps Cagliostro’s perpetual -imprisonment be reserved as the punishment for my innocent experiments?”</p> - -<p>My reason soon dismissed such an absurdity—it was not probable the Pope -would lend himself to such an unworthy snare. Although my fears were -completely removed by this simple reasoning, my opening address -displayed my feelings in some degree, for it seemed more like a -justification than the prelude to a performance.</p> - -<p>“Holy Father!” I said, bowing respectfully, “I am<a name="page_108" id="page_108"></a> about to show you -some experiments to which the name of â€White Magic’ has been most -unjustly given. This title was invented by charlatans to impress the -multitude, but it only signifies a collection of clever deceptions -intended to amuse the imagination by ingenious artifices.”</p> - -<p>Satisfied by the favorable impression my address produced, I gaily -commenced my performance. I could not describe to you, my dear lad, all -the pleasure I felt on this evening; and the spectators seemed to take -such lively interest in all they saw, that I felt myself in unusual -spirits. The Pope himself was delighted.</p> - -<p>“But, Monsieur le Comte,” he continually said, with charming simplicity, -“how can you do that? I shall be quite ill with merely trying to guess -your secrets.”</p> - -<p>After the “blind man’s game of piquet,” which literally astounded the -audience, I performed the trick of the “burnt writing,” to which I owe -an autograph I set great store by. This is how the trick is done:</p> - -<p>A person writes a sentence or two: he is then requested to burn the -paper, which must be afterwards found intact in a sealed envelope. I -begged his Holiness to write a sentence: he consented, and wrote as -follows:</p> - -<p>“I have much pleasure in stating that M. le Comte de Grisy is an amiable -sorcerer.”</p> - -<p>The paper was burned, and nothing could depict the Pope’s astonishment -on finding it in the centre of a large number of sealed envelopes. I -received his permission to keep this autograph.</p> - -<p>To end my performance, and set the crown on my exploits, I now proceeded -to the trick I had invented for the occasion.</p> - -<p>Here I had several difficulties to contend with; the <a name="page_109" id="page_109"></a>greatest was -certainly to induce Cardinal de —— to lend me his watch, and that -without asking him directly for it, and, to succeed, I must have -recourse to a ruse. At my request several watches were offered me, but I -returned them with the excuse, more or less true, that, as they had no -peculiarity of shape, it would be difficult to prove the identity of the -one I chose.</p> - -<p>“If any gentleman among you,” I added, “has a watch of rather large size -(this was the peculiarity of the cardinal’s), and would kindly lend it -to me, I should prefer it as better suited for the experiment. I need -not say I will take the greatest care of it; I only wish to prove its -superiority, if it really possess it, or, on the other hand, to -marvellously improve it.”</p> - -<p>All eyes were naturally turned on the cardinal, who, it was known, set -great value on the exaggerated size of his chronometer. He asserted, -with some show of reason perhaps, that the works acted more freely in a -large case. However, he hesitated to lend me his beloved watch, till -Pius VII. said to him:</p> - -<p>“Cardinal, I fancy your watch will suit exactly; oblige me by handing it -to M. de Grisy.”</p> - -<p>His eminence assented, though not without numberless precautions; and -when I had the chronometer in my hands, I drew the attention of the Pope -and the cardinals to it, while pretending to admire the works and -handsome chasing.</p> - -<p>“Is your watch a repeater?” I then said to the cardinal.</p> - -<p>“No, sir, it is a chronometer, and watches of that degree of accuracy -are not usually encumbered with unnecessary machinery.”</p> - -<p>“Indeed! a chronometer; then it must be English?” I said, with apparent -simplicity.<a name="page_110" id="page_110"></a></p> - -<p>“What, sir?” the cardinal replied, as if stung by my remark, “do you -think chronometers are only made in England? On the contrary, the best -specimens have always been made in France. What English maker can be -compared with Pierre Leroy, Ferdinand Berthoud, or Brèguet above all, -who made that chronometer for me?”</p> - -<p>The Pope began to smile at the cardinal’s energy.</p> - -<p>“Well, then, we will select this chronometer,” I said, putting a stop to -the conversation I had purposely started. “I have, then, gentlemen, to -prove to you its solidity and excellent qualities. Now for the first -trial.”</p> - -<p>And I let the watch fall to the ground. A cry of terror rose on all -sides, while the cardinal, pale and trembling, bounded from his seat, -saying, with ill-suppressed wrath,</p> - -<p>“You are playing a very sorry jest, sir.”</p> - -<p>“But, monseigneur,” I said, with the greatest calmness, “you have no -occasion to be frightened; I merely wish to prove to these gentlemen the -perfection of your watch. I beg you not to be alarmed; it will escape -scathless from all the trials I subject it to.”</p> - -<p>With these words I stamped on the case, which broke, flattened, and soon -presented but a shapeless mass. At first, I really fancied the cardinal -was going into a fit; he could scarcely restrain his passion; but the -Pope then turned to him:</p> - -<p>“Come, cardinal, have you no confidence in our sorcerer? For my part, I -laugh like a child at it, being convinced there has been some clever -substitution.”</p> - -<p>“Will your Holiness permit me to remark,” I said, respectfully, “that -there has been no substitution? I appeal to his eminence, who will -recognise his own watch.”</p> - -<p>And I offered the cardinal the shapeless relics of his watch. He -examined them anxiously, and finding his arms engraved inside the case, -said, with a deep sigh,<a name="page_111" id="page_111"></a> “Yes, that is certainly my watch. But,” he -added, dryly, “I know not how you will escape, sir: at any rate, you -should have played this unjustifiable trick on some object that might be -replaced, for <i>my</i> chronometer is unique!”</p> - -<p>“Well, your excellency, I am enchanted at that circumstance, for it must -enhance the credit of my experiment. Now, with your permission I will -proceed.”</p> - -<p>“Good gracious me, sir, you did not consult me before destroying the -watch. Do what you please, it is no concern of mine.”</p> - -<p>The identity of the cardinal’s watch thus proved, I wished to pass into -the Pope’s pocket the one I had bought the previous evening. But I could -not dream of this so long as his Holiness remained seated. Hence, I -sought some pretext to make him rise, and soon found one.</p> - -<p>A brass mortar, with an enormous pestle, was now brought in. I placed it -on the table, threw in the fragments of the chronometer, and began -pounding furiously. Suddenly, a slight detonation was heard, and a vivid -light came from the vessel, which cast a ruddy hue over the spectators, -and produced a magical appearance. All this while, bending over the -mortar, I pretended to see something that filled me with the liveliest -astonishment.</p> - -<p>Through respect for the Pope, no one ventured to rise, but the Pontiff, -yielding to his curiosity, approached the table, followed by a portion -of the audience. They might look and look: nothing was to be seen but -flame.</p> - -<p>“I know not whether I must attribute it to the dazed state of my brain,” -said his Holiness, passing his hand over his eyes, “but I can -distinguish nothing.”</p> - -<p>I, too, had much the same idea, but, far, from confessing it, I begged -the Pope to come round the table and<a name="page_112" id="page_112"></a> chose a more favorable spot. -During this time I slipped my reserve watch into the Pope’s pocket. The -experiment was certain, and the cardinal’s watch had, by this time, been -reduced to a small ingot, which I held up to the spectators.</p> - -<p>“Now,” I said, “I will restore this ingot to its original shape, and the -transformation shall be performed during its passage to the pocket of a -person who cannot be suspected of complicity.”</p> - -<p>“Aha!” the Pope said, in a jocular tone, “that is becoming a little too -strong. But what would you do, my good sorcerer, if I asked you to -choose my pocket?”</p> - -<p>“Your Holiness need only order for me to obey.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Monsieur le Comte, let be so.”</p> - -<p>“Your Holiness shall be immediately satisfied.”</p> - -<p>I then took the ingot in my fingers, showed it to the company, and it -disappeared on my uttering the word “Pass.”</p> - -<p>The Pope, with manifestations of utter incredulity, thrust his hand into -his pocket. I soon saw him blush with confusion, and draw out the watch, -which he handed to the cardinal as if afraid of burning his fingers.</p> - -<p>At first it was supposed to be a mystification, as no one could believe -in such an immediate repair; but when my audience were assured that I -had fulfilled my promise, I received the applause so successful a trick -deserved.</p> - -<p>The next day the Pope sent me a rich diamond snuff-box, while thanking -me for all the pleasure I had occasioned him.</p> - -<p>This performance created a great sensation at Rome, and every one -flocked to see my marvels. Perhaps they hoped to witness the famous -trick of the “Broken Watch,” which I had performed at the Vatican. But -though I was then very extravagant, I was not so mad as to spend<a name="page_113" id="page_113"></a> 1200 -francs a night in the performance of a trick which could never again be -done under such favorable auspices.</p> - -<p>An operatic company was attached to the theatre while I performed, but -their performances were suspended during my stay in Rome. The manager -employed this leisure time to rehearse a fresh piece to be performed on -my departure, and this gave me a daily opportunity to mix with the -actors. I had formed a peculiar friendship with one of the youngest of -them, a charming lad of eighteen, with a tenor voice, whose elegant and -regular features formed a singular contrast to his employment. His -feminine face, with his small waist and timid demeanor, quite injured -the effect when he played the part of a lover; he looked like a -boarding-school miss in man’s clothes. Yet, I discovered afterwards that -this effeminate person contained a bold and manly heart, for Antonio -(such was the tenor’s name) had been engaged in several affairs of -honor, in which he had done his manly devoir.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>At this part of Torrini’s story I interrupted him, for the name of -Antonio struck me.</p></div> - -<p>“What!” I said, “can it be that——?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly; the same person! Your astonishment is justifiable, but it -will cease when I tell you that more than twenty years have elapsed -since the time I speak of. At that period, Antonio did not wear a heavy -black beard, and his face had not yet been embrowned by the open air and -the fatigues of our laborious and nomadic life.”</p> - -<p>Antonio’s mother was also engaged at the theatre; she performed in the -ballets, and her name was Lauretta Torrini. Though close upon forty, she -had retained all her pristine charms. She must have been very beautiful -in her time, but the greatest scandal-mongers could not reproach<a name="page_114" id="page_114"></a> her -with the least levity. She was the widow of a government clerk, and had -brought up her family by her own labor.</p> - -<p>Antonio was not her only child; she had borne a daughter with him. These -twins, as frequently happens, had such a striking resemblance, that only -their dress distinguished them; and they had been christened Antonio and -Antonia. The lad received a musical education at the theatre, but -Antonia was always sedulously kept from the stage. After a careful -education, her mother had placed her in a milliner’s shop, till she -could set up for herself.</p> - -<p>I have dwelled so long on this family because, as you can guess, it soon -became my own. My friendship for Antonio was not quite disinterested, -for I owed to it an introduction to his sister. Antonia was lovely and -virtuous: I asked her hand, and was accepted. Our marriage was to take -place as soon as my engagement had terminated, and it was arranged that -Lauretta and Antonio should share our fortunes.</p> - -<p>I have already said that Antonio appeared effeminate; but although large -black eyes, fringed with long eyelashes, and exquisitely pencilled -eyebrows, a Grecian nose, and fresh and ruddy lips, were almost wasted -on Antonio, still these advantages admirably suited my betrothed. Such a -treasure could not long remain concealed: Antonia was noticed, and all -the rich young nobles fluttered round her. But she loved me, and had no -difficulty in resisting the numerous and brilliant offers made her.</p> - -<p>While waiting the wished-for day, Antonia and I formed plans for our -future happiness. She would enjoy a travelling life, and as she longed -for a sea-voyage, I promised to take her to Constantinople. I wished to -perform before Selim III., who was considered an enlightened prince, -and<a name="page_115" id="page_115"></a> hospitably treated the artists he assembled at his court. All, -then, seemed to smile on my plans, when one morning, while dreaming of -these pleasant prospects, Antonio suddenly entered my room.</p> - -<p>“My dear Edmond,” he said, “I defy you to guess where I have been, and -what has happened to me since last evening. I must tell you, then, as -prelude to my story, that, dragged, in spite of myself, into a drama, -which threatened to become very sanguinary, I turned it into a farce, -the details of which are worth hearing. You shall judge.</p> - -<p>“I was at the theatre yesterday, when a carpenter, a worthy man in many -respects, but who spends three parts of his time in public-houses, came -up and begged to tell me a secret.</p> - -<p>“Monsieur Antonio,” he said, “if you wish to prevent a great evil, you -have no time to lose. I have just been drinking with some of my -comrades, and a man, whose acquaintance we had formed over the bottle, -told us we could gain a large sum easily. The proposal was so agreeable -that we accepted it unanimously, on condition of knowing what was wanted -of us. We were told, and this is what we promised to do:</p> - -<p>“This evening, when your sister leaves her shop, we are to surround her, -as if quarrelling, and drown her cries by our shouts. The Marquis -d’A——â€s people will manage the rest. Now do you understand?”</p> - -<p>I only understood too well, and, scarcely thanking the carpenter, I -rushed off at full speed. Fortunately my brains did not fail me. I was -in front of a gunsmith’s: I went in, bought a pair of pistols, and then -hastened home.</p> - -<p>“Mother,” I said, as I went in, “I have made a bet<a name="page_116" id="page_116"></a> that I should be -taken for Antonia by putting on her clothes. Dress me, then, quickly, -and tell my sister I beg her to leave the shop half an hour later than -usual.”</p> - -<p>My mother did as I asked, and when I was dressed I so perfectly -resembled Antonia that she kissed me, and burst into a hearty laugh at -my pleasant idea.</p> - -<p>Nine o’clock had just struck: it was the hour appointed for the -abduction. I hastened away, doing my best to imitate my sister’s walk -and manner. My heart beat violently when I saw this band of robbers and -servants approach me, and I instinctively put my hands on my firearms; -but I soon resumed the timid demeanor of a young girl and walked -onwards.</p> - -<p>The affair was executed just as I had been told; I was carried off with -all proper respect, in spite of my feigned resistance, and placed in a -carriage with the blinds down.</p> - -<p>The horses started off at a gallop.</p> - -<p>There was a man by my side whom I recognized in the gloom; it was -certainly the Marquis d’A——. I had to endure his warm excuses, and -then his passionate assurances, which sent the blood to my cheeks, and I -was several times on the point of betraying myself, but my vengeance was -so exquisite and near that I suppressed my anger. My purpose was, so -soon as I found myself alone with him, to challenge him to mortal -combat.</p> - -<p>Half an hour had scarce elapsed when we reached the end of our journey. -The Marquis begged me to descend, and politely offered me his hand to -lead me into a small isolated villa. We entered a brilliantly lighted -room, where some young gentlemen and ladies were awaiting us. My -abductor, radiant with victory, introduced me to his friends and their -companions, and received their felicitations.<a name="page_117" id="page_117"></a></p> - -<p>I lowered my eyes for fear my passion might be noticed, for I knew that -this humiliating triumph had been reserved for my sister, who would -certainly have died of shame. Five minutes later a servant opened the -folding-doors, and announced that supper was served.</p> - -<p>“To table, friends,” the marquis exclaimed—“to table, and let each take -the place he likes best!” And he offered me his arm.</p> - -<p>We seated ourselves round a sumptuous repast, the marquis waiting on me, -for he had dismissed all the attendants. For some time I refused to -touch anything; but, you know, my dear Edmond, nature has claims which -cannot be neglected. I was fearfully hungry, and my appetite was -sharpened by the scent of the dainty dishes. In spite of my anger, I was -forced to give up my plans of abstention, and yielded to temptation.</p> - -<p>I could not eat without drinking, and there was no water on the table. -The other ladies had no objection to wine, so I followed their example. -Still I was very moderate, and, to play my part properly, I affected -great reserve and extreme timidity.</p> - -<p>The marquis was delighted to see me behaving thus. He addressed some -compliments to me, but noticing they were disagreeable, he did not press -me, feeling assured that he could take his revenge at a more suitable -season.</p> - -<p>We had reached the dessert; the whole of the company were in a charming -humor. May I confess to you, my dear Edmond, that the sight of these -merry comrades and coquettish dames produced the same effect on my -senses as the dishes had done on my appetite, and insensibly dispelled -my gloomy ideas? I had no strength left to continue the dramatic -character I had undertaken, and I sought a more satisfactory conclusion. -I soon made up my mind.<a name="page_118" id="page_118"></a></p> - -<p>Three toasts had been drunk in succession: “Wine!” “Play!” “Love!” The -ladies had joined in emptying their glasses, while I remained calm and -silent. The marquis begged me in vain to join in the general gaiety. -Suddenly I rose, glass in hand, and assuming the free-and-easy manner of -a soldier—</p> - -<p>“Per Bacco!” I shouted, in a baritone voice, giving the marquis a hearty -slap on the shoulder. “Drink, my friends, to the lovely eyes of these -ladies!” Then I drained my glass at a draught, and trolled out a lively -ditty.</p> - -<p>I cannot describe the marquis’s feelings; all I know is, he turned to -stone under my hand. His friends regarded me in stupor, taking me, -doubtlessly, for a maniac, while the women laughed convulsively at my -strange outbreak.</p> - -<p>“Well, gentlemen,” I continued, “why are you surprised? Do you not -recognize Antonio Torrini, the tenor, all alive and well, and prepared -to accept anybody’s challenge with the pistol or the glass, he doesn’t -care which.” At the same time I laid my pistols on the table.</p> - -<p>At these words, the marquis at length awoke from the torpor into which -the evanishment of his sweet dreams had plunged him, and he raised his -hand to strike me in the face. But his eyes no sooner met mine, than, -yielding to the influence of an illusion which he abandoned with such -pain, he fell back on his chair.</p> - -<p>“No!” he said, “I cannot strike a woman.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, as for that, M. le Marquis,” I said, as I left the table, “I only -ask ten minutes to appear before you in my proper attire.” I then went -into an adjoining room, where I doffed gown, petticoats and finery: I -had kept all my own clothes under my feminine masquerade with<a name="page_119" id="page_119"></a> the -exception of my coat. That article of clothing not being indispensable -to receive a blow, and as I was in fighting costume, I returned to the -dining-room.</p> - -<p>During my absence the scene had changed. I seemed to have “missed my -cue,” as they say in the theatre, when an actor does not arrive in time -to reply. All the guests regarded me with smiles, and one coming up, -said:</p> - -<p>“Monsieur Antonio, my friend’s seconds and yours, appointed <i>ex officio</i> -during your absence, are agreed that you have taken ample satisfaction, -and have no occasion to fight. Do you approve of our decision?”</p> - -<p>I offered my hand to the marquis, who took it with very ill grace, for -he evidently could not stomach the bitter trick I had played him. This -dĂ©noĂ»ment satisfied my vengeance, and I withdrew. But, before leaving, -each of us pledged our honor to discretion, in which the ladies joined.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>After thanking Antonio for his devotion to me, and complimenting him on -his quickness, I added:</p> - -<p>“These gentlemen acted very gallantly in confiding a secret to the -ladies; but I, who flatter myself I can read the human heart, say with -François I.,</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Souvent femme varie,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Bien fol est qui s’y fie.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind">For this reason the marriage shall take place the day after to-morrow, -and in three days we will start for Constantinople.”</p> - -<p>Antonio loved his sister as much as myself, and he was right, (Torrini -added,) for she was the most perfect woman earth ever saw. She was an -angel!<a name="page_120" id="page_120"></a></p> - -<p>The Count de Grisy was so excited by these reminiscences, that he raised -his arms to heaven, where he seemed to seek the woman he had so deeply -loved. But he fell back on his pillow again, exhausted by the agony the -disarrangement of his bandages produced. He was forced to break off his -narrative till the next day.<a name="page_121" id="page_121"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">Continuation of Torrini’s History—The Grand Turk orders a -Performance—A marvellous Trick—A Page cut in two—Pitying Protest -of the Harem—Agreeable Surprise—Return to France—Torrini’s Son -Killed—Madness—Decay—My first Performance—An annoying -Accident—I return Home.</p></div> - -<p>T<small>HE</small> next day, Torrini continued his narration, without awaiting any -request from me:</p> - -<p>On arriving at Constantinople, we enjoyed for some time a delicious -rest, whose charm was heightened by all the intoxication of the -honeymoon. At the end of the month, however, I thought our mutual -happiness ought not to prevent me trying to realize the plan I had -formed of performing in the presence of Selim III.; but, before asking -this favor, I thought of giving some performances in the town. However -great my reputation might be in Italy, it was hardly probable that my -name had crossed the Mediterranean: hence I had a new reputation to -achieve.</p> - -<p>I had a theatre erected, in which my success continued: crowds came to -see me, and the highest personages were my constant visitors. I may be -permitted to boast of this success, my lad, for the Turks, naturally -indolent and phlegmatic, when utterly astounded by the sight I offered -them, reminded me, by their enthusiasm, of my excitable Italian -spectators.<a name="page_122" id="page_122"></a></p> - -<p>The grand vizier himself came to one of my performances. He spoke about -it to his sovereign, and excited his curiosity to such a degree, that I -received an invitation, or rather a command, to court. I proceeded, in -all haste, to the palace, where the apartment was shown me in which the -performance would take place. A body of workmen was placed at my orders, -and I was allowed all latitude for my theatrical arrangements. Only one -stipulation was made: the stage must be exactly in front of a gilded -lattice, behind which, I was told, the Sultan’s wives would be seated.</p> - -<p>Within two days, my theatre was erected and completely decorated. It -represented a garden, filled with natural flowers, whose lively colors -and fragrant scent delighted both sight and smell. At the rear, and in -the midst of dense foliage, a fountain fell back, in thousands of drops, -into a crystal basin, sparkling like diamonds in the brilliant light, -while, at the same time, the falling water deliciously cooled the air. -Lastly, to my right and left, hedges of flowers served as side scenes -and laboratory, while the buffet, loaded with my brilliant apparatus, -was erected in the centre of this Garden of Armida.</p> - -<p>When all was ready, the Sultan and his numerous suite took the places -assigned to them, according to their court precedence. The Sultan -reclined on a sofa, with the grand vizier by his side, while an -interpreter, keeping respectfully in the rear, translated my remarks to -him. When the curtain rose, a shower of rose-leaves fell on the stage, -and formed an odoriferous and deliciously soft carpet. I then appeared, -dressed in a rich Louis XV. costume.</p> - -<p>I will spare you the account of my tricks, with the exception of one, -which, like the “broken watch,” was the inspiration of the moment. I -must add, that my spectators<a name="page_123" id="page_123"></a> had been already considerably startled -when I performed it.</p> - -<p>Addressing Selim in the grave and solemn tone proper to a magician, I -said:</p> - -<p>“Noble Sultan, I am about to proceed from simple tricks of skill to the -sublime science of magic: but, in order that my incantations may -succeed, I must address myself directly to your august highness. Will -you be pleased to lend me this ornament which I require?”</p> - -<p>And I pointed to a splendid necklace of pearls which adorned his neck. -The Sultan handed it to me, and I placed it in the hands of Antonio, who -was helping me, in a page’s costume.</p> - -<p>“It is well known,” I continued, “that magicians possess unlimited -powers, for they hold in subjection familiar spirits, who blindly obey -their masters’ orders. Let these spirits, then, prepare to obey me, for -I am about to summon them.”</p> - -<p>Here I majestically traced a circle round me with my wand, and -pronounced, in a low voice, certain magic spells. Then I turned to my -page, to take the collar from him, but it had disappeared. In vain I -asked Antonio for it: his only reply was a hoarse and sarcastic laugh, -as if he were possessed by one of the spirits I had summoned.</p> - -<p>“Mighty prince,” I then said to the Sultan, “believe me when I say that, -far from sharing in this audacious theft, I am forced to confess myself -the victim of a plot I did not at all foresee. But your highness may be -reassured: we possess means of forcing our subordinates to return to -their duty. These means are as powerful as they are terrible, and I will -offer you an example.”</p> - -<p>At my summons two slaves brought in a long and<a name="page_124" id="page_124"></a> narrow chest, and a -trestle for saving wood. Antonio seemed to be terribly alarmed, but I -coldly ordered the slaves to seize him, place him in the chest, the -cover of which was immediately nailed down, and lay it across the -trestle. Then, taking up a saw, I prepared to cut the chest asunder, -when piercing cries were heard from behind the gilt lattice—the -Sultan’s wives were protesting against my barbarity. I stopped a moment -to give them time to recover; but so soon as I set to work again, new -protestations, in which I distinguished threats, compelled me to suspend -my operations.</p> - -<p>Not knowing if I might be allowed to address the gilt lattice, I -determined to reassure these sympathizing ladies indirectly.</p> - -<p>“Gentlemen,” I said to my numerous audience, “have no fears, I beg, for -the culprit; instead of feeling any pain, I assure you he will -experience the most delightful sensations.”</p> - -<p>It was evident that my statement was believed, for silence was restored, -and I could continue my experiment. The chest was at length divided into -two parts; I raised them so that each represented a pedestal; I then -placed them side by side, and covered them with an enormous wicker cone, -over which I threw a large black cloth, on which cabalistic signs were -embroidered in silver. This duly performed, I recommenced my little -farce of magic circles and bombastic words; when suddenly the deep -silence was interrupted by two voices performing an exquisite duet -beneath the black cloth.</p> - -<p>During this time Bengal lights were kindled all around as if by -enchantment. At length the fires and the voices having gradually died -<a name="page_125" id="page_125"></a>away, a noise was heard, the cone and the cloth were upset, and—— All -the spectators uttered a cry of surprise and admiration: for two pages, -exactly alike, appeared on the pedestals, holding a silver salver, on -which lay the collar of pearls. My two Antonios walked up to the Sultan, -and respectfully offered him his rich ornament.</p> - -<p>The whole audience had risen as if to give more effect to the applause -bestowed on me; the Sultan himself thanked me in his own language, which -I did not understand, but I fancied I read in his face an expression of -deep satisfaction. The next day an officer of the palace came to -compliment me on behalf of his master, and offered me the collar which -had been so cleverly juggled away the previous evening.</p> - -<p>The trick of the <i>two pages</i>, as I called it, was one of the best I ever -performed, and yet it was probably one of the most simple. Of course you -understand, my dear boy, that Antonio disposed of the collar while I -distracted public attention by my incantations. You also understand -that, while he was being nailed up in the chest, he escaped through an -opening corresponding with a trap in the stage; hence I had only to cut -through planks. Lastly, by the aid of the cone and the cloth, Antonio -and his sister, dressed precisely alike, came up through the trap and -took their places on the pedestals. The <i>mise en scène</i>, and the -coolness of the performers, did the rest.</p> - -<p>This trick created great excitement in the city; the story, passing from -mouth to mouth; soon attained the proportions of a miracle, and -contributed much to the success of my remaining performances.</p> - -<p>I might have realized a large fortune by making a tour through the -Turkish provinces, but I was mortally tired of the peaceful life I was -leading, and I felt the need of changing my ground and seeking fresh -excitement. Besides,<a name="page_126" id="page_126"></a> I began to feel a degree of nostalgia, and as my -wife begged me to return to Italy, or some other Christian country, as -she did not wish our first-born to come into the world among Pagans, we -set out for France.</p> - -<p>It was my intention to proceed to Paris, but, on arriving at Marseilles, -I read in the papers the advertisements of a conjurer of the name of -Olivier. His programme contained the whole of Pinetti’s tricks, which -was almost my own. Which of the two was the plagiarist? I have reason to -believe it was Olivier. At any rate, having no desire to engage in a new -passage of arms, I evacuated the town.</p> - -<p>It is impossible for me, my friend, to describe to you my itinerary -during sixteen years; suffice it to say, I traversed the whole of -Europe, stopping, of preference, in the chief towns. For a long time my -reputation remained at its zenith, but suddenly, like Pinetti, I was -destined to experience the inconstancy of Fortune.</p> - -<p>One fine day I found my star beginning to pale; the public did not flock -so eagerly to my performances. I no longer heard the bravos that used to -greet my appearance on the stage, and the spectators appeared to me -indifferent. How was this? What could be the cause of this capricious -change? My repertoire was still the same: it was my Italian one, of -which I was so proud, and for which I had made such sacrifices; I had -introduced no change; the tricks I submitted to the public were the same -which had been so warmly accepted. I felt, too, that I had lost none of -my vigor, skill, or spirit.</p> - -<p>Precisely because I had made no change, the public had begun to grow -indifferent; as an author has observed, very justly, “the artist who -does not rise, descends;” and this was peculiarly applicable to my -position: while civilization<a name="page_127" id="page_127"></a> had been progressing, I remained -stationary—hence, I was going down.</p> - -<p>When this truth struck me, I made a complete reform in my programme. The -card tricks no longer possessing the charm of novelty, as the meanest -jugglers could do them, were nearly all suppressed, and I substituted -other experiments.</p> - -<p>The public like, and run after, touching scenes; I invented one, which, -in this respect, would certainly satisfy them, and draw them back to me. -But why did Heaven allow me to succeed? why did my brain conceive this -fatal idea? (Torrini exclaimed, raising his hands to heaven, and his -eyes filling with tears.) Had it not been so, I should still have my -son, and should not have lost my Antonia!</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>It was some time before Torrini could continue his narrative, for these -terrible reminiscences caused him mental torture. At length, after -holding his hand over his eyes for some time, as if trying to -concentrate himself in his grief, he continued:</p> - -<p>About two years ago I was at Strasburg; I was performing at the theatre, -and every one was anxious to see my touching scene, which I had named -“The Son of William Tell.” My son Giovanni played the part of Walter, -the son of the Swiss hero, but, instead of placing the apple on his -head, he held it between his teeth. On a given signal, a spectator armed -with a pistol, fired at Giovanni, and the ball lodged in the heart of -the fruit.</p> - -<p>Owing to the success of this trick, my money-box was soon filled again. -This restored my confidence in the future, and, far from profiting by -the lessons of adversity, I reassumed my luxurious habits, as I fancied -I had again pinioned Fortune, and she could not slip from me.<a name="page_128" id="page_128"></a></p> - -<p>This illusion was fearfully dispelled.</p> - -<p>“The Son of William Tell,” of which I had made a separate act, usually -terminated the performance. We were about to execute it for the -thirtieth time, and I had ordered the curtain to be dropped in order to -have the stage arranged as the public square of Altorf, but all at once -my son, who had just put on the traditional Helvetic costume, came to -me, complaining of a sudden indisposition, and begging me to hurry on -the performance. I had just seized the bell-rope to warn the carpenters -to raise the curtain, when my son fell down in a fainting fit.</p> - -<p>Without caring for the impatience of the public, we paid all attention -to my poor Giovanni, and I bore him to a window. The fresh air soon -restored him—still, there was a mortal pallor on his face, which would -prevent his appearance in public. I was myself assailed by a strange -presentiment, which urged me to stop the performance, and I resolved to -announce it to the public.</p> - -<p>The curtain was drawn up, and, with features contracted by anxiety, I -walked to the footlights, Giovanni even paler than myself, and scarce -able to stand, being at my side. I briefly explained the accident that -had happened, rendering it impossible to perform the final experiment, -and offered to return the entrance money to any who might feel -dissatisfied. But at these words, which might excite great confusion and -grave abuses, my courageous son, making a supreme effort, stated that he -felt better, and able to perform his share in the trick, which, after -all, was passive, and not at all fatiguing.</p> - -<p>The public received this intimation with lively applause, and I, the -insensate and barbarous father, taking no heed of the warning that -heaven had sent me, had the cruelty, the madness, to accept this -generous act of devotion. Only<a name="page_129" id="page_129"></a> one word was needed to prevent ruin, -dishonor, and death, yet that word died away on my lips! Listening -solely to the noisy applause of the audience, I allowed the performance -to commence.</p> - -<p>I have already stated the nature of the trick that attracted the whole -town; it consisted in substituting one ball for another. A chemist had -taught me how to make a metallic composition bearing an extraordinary -resemblance to lead. I had made balls of it which, when placed by the -side of the real ones, could not be detected. The only precaution -necessary was not to press them too hard, as they were of a very friable -nature; but for the same reason, when inserted in the pistol, they fell -into an impalpable powder, and did not go further than the wad.</p> - -<p>Till now I had never dreamed of any danger in the performance of this -trick, and, indeed, I had taken all possible precautions. The false -bullets were contained in a small box, of which alone I had the key, and -I only opened it at the moment of action. That evening I had been -peculiarly careful; then how can I explain the frightful error? I can -only accuse fatality. So much is certain—a leaden bullet had been mixed -with the others in the box, and was inserted in the pistol.</p> - -<p>Conceive all the horror of such an action! Imagine a father, with a -smile on his lips, giving the signal which will deprive his son of -life—it is frightful, is it not?</p> - -<p>The pistol was fired, and the spectator, with cruel adroitness, had -aimed so truly that the bullet crashed through my son’s forehead. He -fell forward with his face to the ground, rolled over once or twice, -and——</p> - -<p>For a moment I remained motionless, still smiling at the audience, and -incapable of believing in such a misfortune. In a second a thousand -thoughts crossed my brain.<a name="page_130" id="page_130"></a> Could it be an illusion, a surprise I had -prepared, and which I had momentarily forgotten? or was it the return of -my son’s attack?</p> - -<p>Paralysed by doubt and horror, my feet clung to the stage; but the blood -welling profusely from the wound violently recalled me to the terrible -reality. At last I understood all, and, mad with agony, I cast myself on -my son’s lifeless corpse.</p> - -<p>I know not what took place afterwards, or what became of me. When I -recovered the use of my senses, I found myself in prison, with two men -before me, a physician and a magistrate. The latter, sympathising with -me, was kind enough to perform his painful mission with all possible -regard for my feelings; but I could scarce understand the questions he -addressed to me; I knew not what to reply, and I contented myself with -shedding tears.</p> - -<p>I was fully committed, and brought up at the next assises. I assure you -I took my place in the dock with indescribable delight, hoping I should -only leave it to receive the just punishment of the crime I had -committed. I was resigned to die; I even wished it, and I determined to -do all in my power to get rid of a life which was odious to me. Hence, I -offered no defence; but the court requested a barrister to undertake my -cause, and he defended me with great skill. I was found guilty of -“Homicide through imprudence,” and sentenced to six months’ -imprisonment, which I passed in an infirmary. Here I saw Antonio again -for the first time, who brought me terrible news: my dear Antonia, -unable to endure such complicated misery, had died of a broken heart.</p> - -<p>This new blow affected me so much that I was nearly dead. I spent the -greater period of my imprisonment in a state of weakness akin to death; -but at length my<a name="page_131" id="page_131"></a> vigorous constitution overcame all these shocks, and I -regained my health. I had quite recovered when the doors of my prison -were opened.</p> - -<p>Grief and remorse accompanied me wherever I went, and cast me in a state -of apathy from which nothing could arouse me. For three months I behaved -like a madman, running about the country, and only eating just enough to -keep me from perishing of hunger. I went forth at daybreak, and did not -return till night. I could not possibly have said what I did during -these lengthened excursions, but I probably walked about with no other -object than to change place.</p> - -<p>Such an existence could not last long; poverty, and her mournful -handmaids, soon preyed upon me. My wife’s illness, my imprisonment, and -our expenses during these three months of listlessness, had swallowed -up, not only my money, but also all my apparatus. Antonio explained our -situation to me, and begged me to recommence my performances.</p> - -<p>I could not leave this good brother, this excellent friend, in such a -critical position; I therefore acceded to his entreaties, on condition -that I should change my name to Torrini, and never perform in any -theatre. Antonio offered to arrange everything to my wish. By selling -the valuable presents I had received on various occasions, and which he -had managed to secrete from the officers, he paid my debts, and had the -carriage built in which we suffered this painful accident.</p> - -<p>From Strasburg we proceeded to Basle. My first performances were stamped -with the deepest sorrow, but I gradually substituted skill and care for -my gaiety and good spirits, and the public accepted the change. After -visiting the principal towns in Switzerland, we returned to<a name="page_132" id="page_132"></a> France, and -it was thus I found you my dear boy, on the road between Tours and -Blois.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>I saw by Torrini’s last sentences, and the manner in which he tried to -shorten his narrative, that he not only required rest, but also to -recover from the painful emotions these melancholy reminiscences had -evoked. A few words, too, Torrini had dropped confirmed my notion that -he was in a pecuniary dilemma; hence, I left him under the pretence of -letting him sleep, and begged Antonio to take a walk with me. I wanted -to remind him it was time to carry out the plan we had formed, which -consisted in giving a few performances at Aubussen, without dropping a -word of it to our dear master. Antonio was of my opinion; but when it -came to deciding which of us should perform, he positively asserted he -knew no more of the conjuring art than he had been obliged to learn—he -could slip a card, a handkerchief, or a coin into a person’s pocket, if -required, but nothing more. I learned later that Antonio, though not -very skillful, knew more than he pretended.</p> - -<p>We decided that I should represent the sorcerer; and I must have been -animated with a great desire to help Torrini, and pay him in part the -debt of gratitude I owed, ere I consented to mount a stage so suddenly. -For, although I had shown my friends some of my tricks, the performance -had always been gratuitous; now I had to do with spectators who paid for -their seats, and this caused me considerable apprehension.</p> - -<p>Still, my resolution once formed, I proceeded with Antonio to the -mayor’s, in order to obtain permission to perform. This magistrate was -an excellent man; aware of the accident that had happened to us, and -that he had it<a name="page_133" id="page_133"></a> in his power to do a good deed, he offered us the -gratuitous use of a concert-room. More than this, to give us a chance of -forming some acquaintances who might be of use to us, he begged us to -come to his house the next Sunday evening. We accepted this offer -gratefully, and had reason to congratulate ourselves on it. The mayor’s -guests, pleased with certain tricks I showed them, faithfully kept their -promise of attending my first performance, and not one was missing.</p> - -<p>My heart panted audibly when the curtain rose, and I was obliged to -whisper to myself that the spectators, aware of the object of my -performance, would be inclined to look over much. Some cheering applause -restored my confidence, and I got through my first tricks very decently. -This success heightened my assurance, and at length I acquired a degree -of coolness I did not think myself capable of.</p> - -<p>It is true, I was perfectly <i>au fait</i> in my tricks, through having seen -Torrini perform them so often. The principal ones were, the Trowel, the -Pyramids of Egypt, the Bird Dead and Alive, and the Omelette in the Hat. -I concluded with the Blind Man’s Game of Piquet, which I had carefully -studied; I was fortunate enough to succeed, and was warmly applauded.</p> - -<p>An accident that happened during the performance singularly lessened the -joy I felt in my triumph. I had borrowed a hat to make an omelette in. -Those who have seen this trick are aware that it is chiefly intended to -produce a laugh, and that the object borrowed runs no risk. I had got -through the first part excellently, consisting in breaking the eggs, -beating them, throwing in the salt and pepper, and pouring it all into -the hat. After this, I had to feign the frying of the omelette; I -placed<a name="page_134" id="page_134"></a> a candle on the ground, then, holding the hat sufficiently high -above it to escape the flame, I began turning it gently round, while -making some of the stereotyped jokes adapted to the trick. The public -laughed so heartily and loudly that I could scarce hear myself speak, -but I could not suspect the cause of their hilarity. Unfortunately, I -detected it only too soon. A strong scent of burning made me turn my -eyes on the candle: it had gone out. I then looked at the hat: the crown -was quite burned and stained. I had kept on turning the hat round -unsuspectingly, until I at length put it on the top of the candle and -covered it with grease.</p> - -<p>Quite dazed by this sight, I stopped, not knowing how to escape. -Fortunately for me, my alarm, though so truthful, was regarded as a -well-played farce: it was supposed this was only a heightened effect, -and this confidence in my skill was an additional torture, for my -supernatural power could not repair a hat. My only chance was to gain -time; so I continued the trick, with a tolerably easy air, and produced -to the public a splendidly cooked omelette, which I had enough courage -left to season with a few jokes.</p> - -<p>Still, that quarter of an hour of which Rabelais speaks had arrived. I -must restore the hat, and publicly confess myself a clumsy blockhead. I -had resigned myself to this, and was going to do so, with all the -dignity I could muster, when I heard Antonio call me from the side. His -voice restored my courage, for I felt assured he had prepared some way -for escape. I went up to him, and found him standing with a hat in his -hand.</p> - -<p>“Look here,” he said, exchanging it for the one I held, “it’s yours; but -no matter, keep a good face: rub it as if you were removing the stains, -and, on handing it to the owner, ask him, gently, to read what is at the -bottom.<a name="page_135" id="page_135"></a>”</p> - -<p>I did as he told me; and the owner of the burnt hat, after receiving -mine, was going to betray me, when I pointed to the note fastened in the -crown. It ran as follows:</p> - -<p>“An act of carelessness caused me to commit a fault, which I will -repair. To-morrow I will do myself the honor of asking your hatter’s -address: in the meanwhile, be kind enough to act as my accomplice.”</p> - -<p>My request was granted, for my secret was honestly kept, and my -professional honor saved. The success of this performance induced me to -give several others: the receipts were excellent, and we realized a very -fair sum. Immense was our joy when we carried our treasure triumphantly -to Torrini. That worthy man, after listening to all the details of our -plot, was half inclined to scold us for our secrecy, but he could not -find heart to do so. He thanked us most heartily, and we began to set -matters straight again, as our master was now convalescent, and could -attend to his own business. Torrini paid all his creditors in full, -purchased two horses, and, having nothing further to do at Aubusson, he -determined on starting.</p> - -<p>The moment of our separation had arrived, and my old friend had been -arming himself for it during several days. The parting was painful to us -all; a father quitting his son, without hope of ever seeing him again, -could not have displayed more violent grief than did Torrini when -pressing me in his arms for the last time. I, too, felt inconsolable at -the loss of two friends with whom I would so gladly have passed my -life.<a name="page_136" id="page_136"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">The Prodigal Son—Mademoiselle Houdin—I go to Paris—My -Marriage—Comte—Studies of the Public—A skillful -Manager—Rose-colored Tickets—A Musky Style—The King of -Hearts—Ventriloquism—The Mystifiers Mystified—Father -Roujol—Jules de Rovère—Origin of the word <i>prestidigitateur</i>.</p></div> - -<p>H<small>OW</small> my heart beat when I returned to my native town! I felt as if I had -been absent an age, and yet it was only six months. The tears stood in -my eyes as I embraced father and mother: I was stifled with emotion. I -have since made long journeys in foreign countries; I have always -returned to my family safely, but never, I can declare, have I been so -profoundly affected as on this occasion. Perhaps it is the same with -this impression as with so many others, habit at last renders it flat.</p> - -<p>I found my father very quiet on my account, for I had employed a trick -to ease his mind. A watchmaker of my acquaintance had sent him my -letters, as if from Angers, and he had also forwarded me the replies. -Still, I must furnish some reason for my return, and I hesitated about -describing my stay with Torrini. At length, however, urged by that -desire, common to all travellers, of narrating their travelling -impressions, I gave an account of my adventures, even to their minutest -details.</p> - -<p>My mother, frightened, and thinking I was still brain-struck, did not -await the end of my narrative to send for<a name="page_137" id="page_137"></a> a physician, who reassured -her by stating, what my face indeed confirmed, that I was in a state of -perfect health.</p> - -<p>It may be thought, perhaps, that I have dwelt too long on the events -that followed my poisoning; but I was compelled to do so, for the -experience I acquired from Torrini, his history, and our conversations, -had a considerable influence on my future life. Before that period my -inclination for conjuring was very vague: from that time it gained a -complete mastery over me.</p> - -<p>Still, I was bound to wrestle against this feeling with all my energy, -for it was not presumable that my father, who had unwillingly yielded to -my passion for watchmaking, would be so weak as to let me try a novel -and most singular profession. I could, certainly, take advantage of my -being of age, and my own master; but, besides my unwillingness to grieve -my father, I reflected, too, that as my fortune was very small, I ought -not to risk it without his consent. These reasons induced me to defer, -if not renounce, my plans.</p> - -<p>Besides, my success at Aubusson had not altered my decided opinion about -conjuring, that a man who wishes to be thought capable of performing -incomprehensible things should have attained an age which leaves it to -be supposed that his superiority is the result of lengthened study. The -public may permit a man of forty to deceive them, but they will not bear -it from a young man.</p> - -<p>After a few days devoted to killing the fatted calf, I entered the shop -of a Blois watchmaker, who set me to work cleaning and brushing. As I -have already said, this mechanical and wearisome task reduces the -journeyman watchmaker to the level of an automaton. Each day was spent -in the same monotonous round, here a spring to repair, there a pin to -replace (for cylinder watches were<a name="page_138" id="page_138"></a> rare at that period,) a chain to -refasten; lastly, after a cursory examination of the works, a turn of -the brush to make all bright again. I am far from wishing to run down -the trade of a repairing watchmaker, and I can always honor the skill -employed in repairing a watch by doing as little as possible.</p> - -<p>Sometimes, it may be remarked, a watch comes back from the mender’s in -as bad a state as when it went. It is true, but with whom is the fault? -In my belief, with the public. In the country, more especially, it is -impossible to perform repairs conscientiously, for the public bargain -about their watch or clock as they would do in buying vegetables. The -consequence is, the watchmaker is forced to compound with his -conscience, and the customer loses his money.</p> - -<p>One thing is certain: I did not like the trade, and I was growing -atrociously idle. But if I were cold and indolent as regarded watch -repairing, I felt a devouring need for activity in some other -department. To satisfy this, I gave myself up entirely to an amusement -which delighted me—I became an amateur actor.</p> - -<p>No one, I fancy, can blame me for this; for, among those who read my -confessions, I am sure there is hardly one who has not performed in some -shape. From the boy who recites a speech at the school distribution of -prizes, up to the old gentleman who often accepts the part of “heavy -father” at one of those agreeable parties arranged on long winter -evenings, not one but enjoys the sweet satisfaction of being applauded. -I, too, had this weakness; and, urged on by my travelling recollections, -I wished to appear once more before the public, who had already treated -me so kindly.</p> - -<p>Some young friends joined me in forming a light comedy<a name="page_139" id="page_139"></a> company, and I -had the pleasure of performing all Perlet’s parts in the most -fashionable pieces of the day. Our performance was gratis: hence, I need -not say we had crowded audiences. Of course, too, we were all wonderful -actors—at least, people told us so—and our gratified self-love found -no cause for refusing their praise.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately for our brilliant success, rivalry and wounded feelings, -as so frequently happens, produced discord among us, and at last only -the hair-dresser and candle-snuffer were left of our goodly company. -These two faithful followers, finding themselves thus abandoned, held a -council, and, after mature deliberation, decided that they would accept -each other’s resignation, as they could not perform alone. In order to -explain the heroic persistency of these two artistes, I may as well -state they were the only persons paid for their services.</p> - -<p>My father regretted to see me leave work for pleasure, and, in order to -bring me back to healthy ideas, he formed a plan which must have the -double advantage of improving my conduct, and tying me down to his side: -in short, he meant to establish me in business, and make me marry.</p> - -<p>I do not know—or, rather, I will not say—why I declined the latter -proposal, under the pretext that I felt no inclination for marriage. As -for my beginning business, I easily made my father understand that I was -too young even to dream of it. But I had hardly intimated my refusal, -when a very simple circumstance entirely changed my views, and made me -forget all my oaths of fidelity to a certain party.</p> - -<p>The success my acting had met with procured me admission to certain -salons, where I often spent an agreeable evening; for acting went on -here, too, in the shape of charades.<a name="page_140" id="page_140"></a></p> - -<p>One evening, we were requested, as usual, to enliven the visitors by one -of our proverbs. I do not remember the word proposed; I only know I was -chosen to fill the part of a bachelor gourmet. I sat down to table, and -while indulging in a meal like those usually served up at a theatre, I -improvised a warm defence of celibacy. This apology was all the more -easy to me, as I needed only to repeat the fine arguments I had employed -to my father about his double proposition. Now, it happened that, among -the persons listening to this description of the blessings of celibacy, -was a young lady of seventeen, who inclined a serious ear to my -arguments against marriage. It was the first time I had met her; so I -could not ascribe any other reason for her fixed attention than her -desire to detect the word.</p> - -<p>A man is always delighted to find an attentive listener, more especially -when it is a pretty young girl: hence, I thought it my bounden duty to -make some polite remarks to her during the course of the evening. A -conversation ensued, and became so interesting, that we had a great deal -still to say to each other when the hour came for separation, and I -believe the regret at parting was not felt by myself alone.</p> - -<p>This simple event was, however, the cause of my marriage with -Mademoiselle Houdin, and this marriage took me to Paris. The reader will -now understand why my name is Robert-Houdin; but I have also to add that -this double name, which I at first assumed to distinguish me from my -numerous homonymes, eventually became my patronymic, by a decision of -the council of state. I may be pardoned for remarking that this favor, -always so difficult to obtain, was granted me in consideration of the -popularity my long and laborious toil had gained me while using that -name.<a name="page_141" id="page_141"></a></p> - -<p>My father in-law, M. Houdin, a celebrated watchmaker, was a native of -Blois, and had gone to Paris, as a better field for his talents. He was -now engaged in the wholesale clock trade, while making, with his own -hands, astronomical clocks, chronometers, and regulators. It was agreed -that we should live together, and that I should help him in his -business.</p> - -<p>M. Houdin was quite as fond as myself of everything appertaining to -mechanism, and was thoroughly versed in the subject. Hence, we had long -and interesting conversations on the topic, and at the end of one of -these I confided to him my scheme of setting up a room for the display -of mechanical toys and sleight-of-hand tricks. M. Houdin understood me, -adopted my plans, and urged me to carry on my studies in the path I had -chosen. Proud of the approbation of a man with whose extreme prudence I -was acquainted, I gave myself up seriously, during my leisure hours, to -my favorite exercises, and began by contriving some instruments for my -future cabinet.</p> - -<p>My first care, on arriving at Paris, was to attend a performance of -Comte’s, who had long lorded it in his theatre at the Gallery Choiseul. -This celebrated professor was now resting on his laurels, and only -performed once a week. The other evenings were devoted to the -performances of his young actors, who were perfect prodigies.</p> - -<p>Many of my readers will remember his bills, with their singular -announcement of the principal parts performed by <span class="smcap">M. Arthur</span>, aged 5; -<span class="smcap">Mademoiselle Adelina</span>, aged 4½; <span class="smcap">Mademoiselle Victorine</span>, aged 7; little -<span class="smcap">Victor</span>, aged 6. These baby actors attracted the whole of Paris.</p> - -<p>Comte might have left the stage entirely, and contented himself with -being manager and dry-nurse to these children of Thalia, for he -possessed a very comfortable fortune;<a name="page_142" id="page_142"></a> but he made it a point to appear -at least once a week, from a double motive: his performances, owing to -their rarity, always exercised a beneficial effect on the receipts; and, -on the other hand, by continuing to act he prevented other professors of -conjuring setting up in opposition to him.</p> - -<p>Comte’s tricks were all drawn from the same repertory I knew by heart; -hence they had no great interest for me; still I derived some profit -from attending his performances, for I was enabled to study the -audience.</p> - -<p>I listened attentively to all said around me, and often heard very -judicious remarks. These being generally made by persons not apparently -gifted with great penetration, led me to the conclusion that the -conjurer ought to distrust plain mother wit, and I worked out the -problem to my own satisfaction: “that it is easier to dupe a clever man -than an ignorant one.”</p> - -<p>This seems to be a paradox; but I will explain it.</p> - -<p>The ordinary man only sees in conjuring tricks a challenge offered to -his intelligence, and hence representations of sleight-of-hand become to -him a combat in which he determines on conquering. Ever on his guard -against the honeyed words by means of which the illusion is produced, he -hears nothing, and shuts himself up in this inflexible reasoning:</p> - -<p>“The conjurer,” he says, “holds in his hand an object, which he pretends -he makes disappear. Well, whatever he may say to distract my attention, -my eyes shall not leave his hand, and the trick cannot be done without -my finding out how he manages it.”</p> - -<p>It follows that the conjurer, whose artifices are principally directed -to the mind, must double his address to delude this obstinate -resistance.<a name="page_143" id="page_143"></a></p> - -<p>The clever man, on the contrary, when he visits a conjuring performance, -only goes to enjoy the illusions, and, far from offering the performer -the slightest obstacle, he is the first to aid him. The more he is -deceived the more he is pleased, for that is what he paid for. He knows, -too, that these amusing deceptions cannot injure his reputation as an -intelligent man, and hence he yields to the professor’s arguments, -follows them through all their developments, and allows himself to be -easily put off the right scent.</p> - -<p>Is not my problem proved?</p> - -<p>Comte was also an object of interesting study to me, both as manager and -as artist. As manager, Comte could have challenged the most skillful to -a comparison, and he was a famous hand at bringing grist to his mill. -The little schemes a manager employs to attract the public and increase -his receipts are tolerably well known; but Comte, for a long time, did -not require to have recourse to them, as his room was always crowded. At -length the day arrived when the benches allowed some elbow room; then he -invented his “family tickets,” his “medals,” his “reserved boxes for the -prize-holders at schools and colleges,” &c., &c.</p> - -<p>The family tickets gave admission to four persons at half price. Though -all Paris was inundated with them, every one into whose hands one of -these tickets came believed himself specially favored by Comte, and none -failed to respond to his appeal. What the manager lost in quality he -amply regained in quantity.</p> - -<p>But Comte did not stop here; he also wished that his <i>rose-colored -tickets</i> (the name he gave his family tickets) should bring him a small -pecuniary profit, as compensation for reduced prices. He therefore -offered each person who<a name="page_144" id="page_144"></a> presented one of these tickets a copper medal, -on which his name was engraved, and asked in exchange the sum of one -penny. Suppose the ticket-holder declined, he was not admitted, and when -matters came to that pass, people always paid.</p> - -<p>It may be said that a penny was a trifle; but with this trifle Comte -paid for his lights; at least he said so, and he may be believed.</p> - -<p>During the holidays the pink tickets disappeared, and made room for -those reserved for the school prize boys, which were far more productive -than the others, for what parents could deny their sons the acceptance -of M. Comte’s invitation, when they could promise themselves the extreme -pleasure of seeing their beloved boys in a box exclusively occupied by -<i>crowned heads</i>? The parents, consequently, accompanied their children, -and for a gratis ticket the manager netted six or seven fold the value -of his graceful liberality.</p> - -<p>I could mention many other ways Comte augmented his receipts by, but I -will only allude to one more.</p> - -<p>If you arrived a little late, and the length of the <i>queue</i> made you -fear the places would be all taken, you had only to enter a small cafĂ© -adjoining the theatre, and opening into the Rue Ventadour. You paid a -trifle more for your cup of coffee or your glass of liqueur, but you -were quite sure that before the public were admitted the waiter would -open a secret door, allowing you to reach the paying-place in comfort -and choose your seat. In fact, Comte’s cafĂ© was a true box-office, -except that the spectator received something in return for the sum -usually charged for reserving seats.</p> - -<p>As artist, Comte possessed the double talent of ventriloquism and -sleight-of-hand. His tricks were performed<a name="page_145" id="page_145"></a> skillfully and with a good -share of dash, while his performances generally pleased, for the ladies -were treated most gallantly. My readers may judge for themselves from -the following trick, which I believe was his own invention, and which -always pleased me when I saw it.</p> - -<p>This experiment was called “The Birth of the Flowers,” and it began with -a short address in the shape of agreeable pleasantry.</p> - -<p>“Ladies,” the professor said, “I propose on the present occasion to make -twelve of you disappear from the pit, twenty from the first circle, and -seventy-two from the second.”</p> - -<p>After the burst of laughter this pleasantry always produced, Comte -added: “Reassure yourselves, gentlemen; in order not to deprive you of -the most graceful ornament of this room, I will not perform this -experiment till the end of the evening.” This compliment, spoken very -modestly, was always excellently received.</p> - -<p>Comte proceeded to perform the trick in this way:</p> - -<p>After sowing seeds in some earth contained in a small cup, he spread -over this earth some burning liquid and covered it with a bell, which, -as he said, was intended to concentrate the heat and stimulate -vegetation. In fact, a few seconds later, a boquet of varied flowers -appeared in the cup. Comte distributed them among the ladies who graced -the boxes, and during this distribution contrived to “plant” the -following graceful remarks: “Madam, I keep a pansy (<i>pensĂ©e</i>) for -you.—It will be my care, gentlemen, that you find no cares (<i>soucis</i>) -here.—Mademoiselle, here is a rose which you have forced to blush with -jealousy.”</p> - -<p>Before long the little bouquet was exhausted, but suddenly the -conjurer’s hands were liberally filled with flowers.<a name="page_146" id="page_146"></a> Then with an air -of triumph, he exclaimed, displaying the flowers which had come as if by -enchantment:</p> - -<p>“I promised to metamorphose all these ladies: could I choose a form more -graceful and pleasing? In metamorphosing you all into roses, I am only -offering a copy for the original. Tell me, gentlemen, have I not -succeeded?”</p> - -<p>These gallant words were always greeted by a salvo of applause.</p> - -<p>On another occasion, Comte, while offering a rose and a pansy to a lady, -said: “I find you here, madam, exactly depicted. The rose represents -your freshness and beauty; the pansy your wit and talent.”</p> - -<p>He also said, in allusion to the ace of hearts, which he had “passed” on -one of the most beautiful women in the room: “Will you be kind enough, -madam, to lay your hand on your heart? You have only one heart I -presume? Pardon my indiscreet question, but it was necessary; for, -though you have only one heart, you might possess them all.”</p> - -<p>Comte was equally gallant towards sovereigns.</p> - -<p>At the end of a performance he gave at the Tuilleries, before Louis -XVIII., he invited his majesty to select a card from the pack. It may be -that chance led the king to draw his majesty of hearts; it may be, -though, that the conjurer’s address produced this result. During this -time, a servant placed on an isolated table a vase filled with flowers.</p> - -<p>Comte next took a pistol loaded with powder, in which he inserted the -king of hearts as a wad; then, turning to his august spectator, he -begged him to fix his eye on the vase, as the card would appear just -over it. The pistol was fired, and the bust of Louis XVIII. appeared -among the flowers.</p> - -<p>The King, not knowing how to explain this unexpected<a name="page_147" id="page_147"></a> result, asked -Comte the meaning of this strange apparition, adding, in a slightly -sarcastic tone,</p> - -<p>“I fancy, sir, that your trick has not ended as you stated.”</p> - -<p>“I beg your majesty’s pardon,” Comte replied, assuming the manner of a -courtier; “I have quite kept my promise. I pledged myself that the king -of hearts should appear on that vase, and I appeal to all Frenchmen -whether that bust does not represent the King of all hearts?”</p> - -<p>It may be easily supposed that this trick was heartily applauded by the -audience. In fact, the <i>Royal Journal</i> of the 20th December, 1814, thus -describes the end of the performance:</p> - -<p>“The whole audience exclaimed, in reply M. Comte, â€We recognise him—it -is he—the king of all hearts! the beloved of the French—of the whole -universe—Louis XVIII., the august grandson of Henri Quatre!’</p> - -<p>“The King, much affected by these warm acclamations, complimented M. -Comte on his skill.</p> - -<p>“â€It would be a pity,’ he said to him, â€to order such a talented -sorcerer to be burnt alive. You have caused us too much pleasure for us -to cause you pain. Live many years for yourself, in the first place, and -then for us.’”</p> - -<p>But though Comte was so amiable to the ladies, he was pitiless to -gentlemen. It would be a long story were I to describe all the spiteful -allusions and mystifications to which his masculine spectators were -exposed. For instance, there was his ace of heart’s trick, which he -ended by producing aces from every part of his victim’s body, who knew -not what saint to implore in order to stop this avalanche of cards. -Then, again, there was the ball-headed gentleman who had politely lent -his hat, and received a volley of compliments of the following nature:<a name="page_148" id="page_148"></a></p> - -<p>“This article must belong to you,” said Comte, drawing a wig from the -hat. “Aha, sir! it appears you are a family man. Here are socks—then a -bib—a chemise—a charming little frock,” and as the public laughed -heartily, “on my faith, a goody-two-shoes!” he added producing a pair of -shoes. “Nothing is wanting for the dress—not even the stays and their -laces. I suppose, sir, you thought you could stay my tongue when you -placed that article in your hat.”</p> - -<p>Ventriloquism added a great charm to Comte’s performances, as it gave -rise to numerous little scenes that produced a striking effect. This -faculty too often suggested to him curious mystifications, the best of -them (if such a thing can ever be good) being reserved for his travels, -when they served as a puff of his performances, and helped to attract -crowds.</p> - -<p>At Tours, for instance, he induced the people to break in four doors, in -order to rescue an unhappy man supposed to be dying of hunger. At Nevers -he renewed the miracle of Balaam’s ass, by causing a donkey that was -weary of its master’s weight, to lift up its voice in complaint. One -night, too, he caused a profound consternation in a diligence, for a -dozen brigands were heard at the doors shouting, “Money, or your life!” -The terrified passengers hastened to hand their purses and watches to -Comte, who offered to treat with the robbers, and they retired -apparently satisfied with their spoil. The passengers were glad to have -escaped so cheaply, and the next morning, to their still greater -satisfaction, the ventriloquist returned them the tribute they had paid -to their fears, and explained to them the talent by which they had been -duped.</p> - -<p>Another time, at Mâcon fair, he saw a country-woman<a name="page_149" id="page_149"></a> driving a pig -before her, which could hardly move, so laden was it with fat.</p> - -<p>“What’s the price of your pig, my good woman?”</p> - -<p>“A hundred francs, my good looking gentleman, at your service, if you -wish to buy.”</p> - -<p>“Of course I wish to buy; but it is a great deal too much: I can offer -you ten crowns.”</p> - -<p>“I want one hundred francs, no more and no less: take it or leave it.”</p> - -<p>“Stay,” Comte said, approaching the animal; “I am sure your pig is more -reasonable than you. Tell me on your conscience, my fine fellow, are you -worth one hundred francs?”</p> - -<p>“You are a long way out,” the pig replied, in a hoarse and hollow voice; -“I’m not worth one hundred pence. I am meazled, and my mistress is -trying to take you in.”</p> - -<p>The crowd that had assembled round the woman and pig fell back in -terror, fancying them both bewitched, while Comte returned to his hotel, -where the story was told him with sundry additions, and he learned that -some courageous persons had gone up to the woman, begged her to be -exorcised, and thus drive the unclean spirit out of the pig.</p> - -<p>Still, Comte did not always escape so easily; and he almost paid dearly -for a trick he played on some peasants at Fribourg, in Switzerland. -These fanatics took him for a real sorcerer, and attacked with sticks; -and they were even going to throw him into a lime-kiln, had not Comte -escaped by causing a terrible voice to issue from the kiln, which routed -them.</p> - -<p>I will end my account of these amusing adventures with a little -anecdote, in which Comte and myself were in turn mystifier and -mystified.</p> - -<p>The celebrated ventriloquist paid me a visit at the<a name="page_150" id="page_150"></a> Palais Royal, and I -accompanied him to the foot of the stairs on his departure. Comte walked -down before me, still talking, so that the pockets of his coat were at -my mercy. The opportunity was too good to neglect the chance of playing -a trick on my talented <i>confrère</i>, so I filched his handkerchief and a -handsome gold snuff-box: and I took care to turn the pocket inside out, -as a proof that my performance had been properly executed.</p> - -<p>I was laughing at the comic result my trick must have when I returned -Comte his property; but it was “diamond cut diamond:” for, while I was -thus violating the laws of hospitality, Comte was scheming against me. I -had scarce concealed the handkerchief and box, when I heard a strange -voice on the first floor landing.</p> - -<p>“Monsieur Robert-Houdin, will you be kind enough to step up to the -box-office: I wish to speak to you.”</p> - -<p>My readers will guess that the ventriloquist had played me a trick; -indeed, on reaching the office, I only found the clerk, who could not -understand what I was talking about. I perceived, too late that I was -victimised, and I heard Comte celebrating his victory by shouts of -laughter. For a moment, I confess I felt vexed at having been taken in, -but I soon regained my equanimity on thinking I might have the best of -it yet. So I went down stairs very calmly.</p> - -<p>“What did that person want?” Comte asked, with ill-repressed delight.</p> - -<p>“Can’t you guess?”</p> - -<p>“I?—no.”</p> - -<p>“It was a penitent thief, who begged me to return you the articles he -had filched from you. Here they are, my master!”</p> - -<p>“I prefer it to end so!” Comte said, returning his<a name="page_151" id="page_151"></a> pocket to its place. -“We are now quits, and I hope we shall always be good friends.”</p> - -<p>From all the preceding remarks it may be concluded that the fundamental -principles of Comte’s performances were mystifying gentlemen (sovereigns -excepted), complimenting ladies, and jesting with everybody. Comte was -right in employing these means, as he generally gained his object; for -he delighted and raised a laugh. At this period French manners justified -such behavior, and the professor, by flattering the taste and instincts -of the public, was sure to please.</p> - -<p>There has been a great change since, and puns are no longer held in such -esteem; banished from good society, they have sought refuge in studios, -when the pupils too often make an immoderate use of them, and though -they may be permitted now and then among intimate friends, they are not -proper in a performance of sleight-of-hand. The reason is very simple: -not only do puns raise a belief that the artist fancies himself a wit, -which may be injurious to him, but, if he succeed in raising a laugh, it -weakens the interest felt in his experiments.</p> - -<p>It is a recognised fact that, in those performances where imagination -plays the chief part, “astonishment is a hundred-fold better than a -silly laugh;” for, though the mind may remember what has delighted it, -laughter leaves no trace on the memory.</p> - -<p>Symbolical or complimentary language is also completely out of fashion, -at least the age does not err in excess of gallantry, and “musky” -compliments would be badly received in public. I have always thought, -too, that ladies visit a performance like mine in order to refresh their -minds, and not to be put in evidence themselves. They possibly prefer to -remain simple lookers-on rather than expose themselves to florid -compliments.<a name="page_152" id="page_152"></a></p> - -<p>As for mystification, a more powerful pen than mine must undertake its -apology.</p> - -<p>In saying this, I have no wish to cast censure on Comte. I am writing at -this moment in accordance with the spirit of my age; Comte acted in -accordance with his; we both succeeded, though differing in our -treatment, and this only proves that “all styles are good except that -which is wearisome.”</p> - -<p>These performances of Comte’s, however, inflamed my imagination; I only -dreamed of theatres, conjuring, mechanism, automata, &c.; I was -impatient to take my place among the adepts of magic, and make myself a -name in the marvellous art. The time I required in forming a -determination seemed to me so much stolen from my future success. My -success! I did not know what trials I should undergo ere I merited it. I -had no suspicion of the toil, the care, and trouble which I should have -to pay for it.</p> - -<p>Still, I resolved on continuing my studies of automata and instruments -suited to produce magical illusions. Though I had seen many of them -while with Torrini, I had many more to learn, for the stock of conjuring -tricks in those days was enormous. Fortunately I found an opportunity of -materially abridging my studies.</p> - -<p>I had noticed, while passing along the Rue Richelieu, a modest little -shop, in front of which conjuring apparatus was exposed for sale. This -was a piece of good luck, so I bought some of the things, and while -paying repeated visits to the master of the shop, under pretext of -asking information, I got into his good graces, and he grew to look on -me as a friend.</p> - -<p>Father Roujol (such was his name) was perfectly acquainted with his -trade, and he held the confidence of<a name="page_153" id="page_153"></a> every conjurer of note; hence, he -could give me much valuable information, so I became more polite than -ever, and the worthy man soon initiated me into all his mysteries. But -my repeated visits to the shop had another object as well, for I wished -to meet some of the masters of the art who could increase my knowledge.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately, my old friend’s shop was not so visited as before. The -revolution of 1830 had turned persons’ ideas to more serious matters -than “physical amusements,” and the greater number of conjurers had -wandered into strange countries. Old Roujol’s good times had, therefore, -passed away, which rendered him very gloomy.</p> - -<p>“Things are not as they used to be,” he would say, “and it might really -be fancied the jugglers had juggled themselves away, for I don’t see a -single one. Will the time ever return,” he added, “when the Duc de -M—— did not disdain to visit my humble shop, and remain here for hours -talking to me and my numerous visitors. Ah, that was a time! when all -the first conjurers and amateurs formed a brilliant club here; for each -of these masters, desirous of proving his superiority over the others, -showed his best tricks and his utmost skill.”</p> - -<p>I felt the old gentleman’s regret equally with himself, for I should -have revelled in such society, as I would have walked any time twenty -leagues for the sake of talking with a professor. Still, I had the luck -to form here the acquaintance of Jules de Rovère, the first to employ a -title now generally given to fashionable conjurers. Being of noble -birth, he desired a title in accordance with it; but, as he had rejected -with disdain the vulgar name of <i>escamoteur</i>, and as, too, that of -<i>physicien</i> was frequently used by his rivals, he was compelled to -create a title for himself.<a name="page_154" id="page_154"></a></p> - -<p>One day the pompous title of “<span class="smcap">Prestidigitateur</span>” was visible on an -enormous poster, which also condescended to supply the derivation of -this breath-stopping word, <i>presto digiti</i> (activity of the fingers). -Then came the details of the performance, intermingled with Latin -quotations, which must attract the attention of the public by evidencing -the learning of the conjurer—I beg pardon, prestidigitator.</p> - -<p>This word, as well as <i>prestidigitation</i>, due to the same author, were -soon seized upon by Jules de Rovère’s rivals, who liked a good mouthful -too. The Academy itself followed this example by sanctioning the -formation of the word, and thus handing it down to posterity. I am bound -to add, though, that this word, originally so pompous, is no longer a -distinction, for, as the most humble jugglers were at liberty to -appreciate it, it follows that conjuring and prestidigitation have -become synonymous. The conjurer who requires a title should seek it in -his own merit, and recognise the sound truth that “it is better for a -man to honor his profession than to be honored by it.” For my own part, -I never made any distinction between the two names, and I shall employ -them indiscriminately, until some new Jules de Rovère arrive to enrich -the Dictionary of the French Academy.<a name="page_155" id="page_155"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">Celebrated Automata—A Brazen Fly—The Artificial Man—Albertus -Magnus and St. Thomas d’Aquinas—Vaucanson—His Duck—His -Flute-Player—Curious Details—The Automaton -Chess-Player—Interesting Episode—Catherine II. and M. de -Kempelen—I repair the Componium—Unexpected Success.</p></div> - -<p>O<small>WING</small> to my persevering researches I had nothing left to learn in -conjuring; but, in order to carry out my scheme, I had to study the -principles of a science on which I greatly depended for the success of -my future performances. I allude to the science, or rather art, of -making automata.</p> - -<p>While occupied with this idea I made active investigations; I applied to -the public libraries and their keepers, whom my tenacious importunity -drove into despair. But all the information I collected only brought me -descriptions of mechanical toys, far less ingenious than certain -playthings of the present day, or absurd statements of chefs-d’œuvre -published in the dark ages. My readers may judge from the following:</p> - -<p>I found, in a work bearing the title “Apologie pour les Grands Homines -AccusĂ©s de Magie,” that “Jean de Montroyal presented to the Emperor -Charles V. an iron fly, which made a solemn circuit round its inventor’s -head, and then reposed from its fatigue on his arm.” Such a fly is -rather extraordinary, yet I have something better to tell my -readers—still about a fly.<a name="page_156" id="page_156"></a></p> - -<p>Gervais, Chancellor to the Emperor Otho III., in his book entitled “Otia -Imperatoris,” informs us that “the sage Virgilius, Bishop of Naples, -made a brass fly, which he placed on one of the city gates, and that -this mechanical fly, trained like a shepherd’s dog, prevented any other -fly entering Naples; so much so, that during eight years the meat -exposed for sale in the market was never once tainted.”</p> - -<p>How much should we regret that this marvellous automaton has not -survived to our day? How the butchers, and still more their customers, -would thank the learned bishop! Pass we to another marvel:</p> - -<p>Francis Picus relates that “Roger Bacon, aided by Thomas Bungey, his -brother in religion, after having rendered their bodies equal and -tempered by chemistry, employed the Speculum Amuchesi to construct a -brazen head which should tell them if there were any mode of enclosing -the whole of England by a high wall. They forged at it for seven years -without relaxation, but misfortune willed it that when the head spoke -the two monks did not hear it, as they were engaged on something else.”</p> - -<p>I have asked myself a hundred times how the two intrepid blacksmiths -knew the head had spoken, when they were not present to hear it. I never -discovered any other solution than this: it was, doubtlessly, <i>because -their bodies were equalized and tempered by chemistry</i>.</p> - -<p>But here is a far more astounding marvel.</p> - -<p>Tostat, in his “Commentaires sur l’Enode,” states that “Albertus Magnus, -Provincial of the Dominicans, at Cologne, constructed a brass man, which -he worked at continually for thirty years. This work was performed -<i>under various constellations</i> and <i>according to the laws of -perspective</i>.<a name="page_157" id="page_157"></a>”</p> - -<p>When the sun was in the sign of the Zodiac the eyes of this automaton -melted metals, on which the characters of the same sign were traced. -This intelligent machine was equally gifted with motion and speech, and -it revealed to Albertus Magnus some of his most important secrets. -Unfortunately, St. Thomas Aquinas, Albertus’s pupil, taking this statue -for the handiwork of the devil, smashed it with a big stick.</p> - -<p>As a finale to these fables, which are well fitted to figure among the -marvels performed by Perrault’s fairies, I will quote from page 252 of -the “Journal des Savants” for 1677: “The artificial man of Reysolius, a -statue so resembling the human form, that, with the exception of the -operations of the soul, everything that takes place in the body may be -witnessed.”</p> - -<p>What a pity the mechanician stopped so soon! for it would have cost him -so little, while making so exquisite a resemblance to the fairest work -of the Creator, to add to his automaton a soul moving by clockwork!</p> - -<p>This quotation does much honor to the savants who accepted the -responsibility of such a statement, and is a further proof how history -is written.</p> - -<p>It may be easily supposed these works furnished me no guide to the art I -so much wished to study; and although I continued my inquiries, I only -attained the unsatisfactory result that nothing serious had been written -on the subject of automata.</p> - -<p>“What!” I said to myself, “can it be possible that the marvellous -science which raised Vaucanson’s name so high—the science whose -ingenious combinations can animate inert matter, and impart to it a -species of existence—is the only one without its archives?”</p> - -<p>When about to give up the subject in despair, I stumbled<a name="page_158" id="page_158"></a> on a memoir of -the inventor of the “Automaton Duck.” This memoir, bearing date 1738, is -addressed by the author to the members of the Academy of Sciences. In it -will be found a learned description of his flute-player, as well as a -report of the Academy, which I here transcribe.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><i>Extract from the Registers of the Royal Academy of Sciences for -April 30, 1738</i>:</p> - -<p>“The Academy, after hearing M. de Vaucanson’s memoir read, -containing a description of a wooden statue, copied from Coysvoix’s -marble fawn, which plays twelve different airs on a German flute -with a precision deserving of public attention, was of opinion that -this machine was extremely ingenious; that the inventor had -employed novel and simple means both to give the fingers the -necessary motion and to modify the wind entering the flute, by -augmenting or diminishing its velocity, according to the various -tones; by varying the arrangement of the lips, and setting a valve -in motion to perform the functions of the tongue; lastly, by -artificially imitating all that a man is obliged to do; and that, -in addition, M. de Vaucanson’s memoir possessed all the clearness -and perception such matter is capable of, proving the intelligence -of the author, and his great knowledge of the different branches of -mechanism. In confirmation of which I have signed the present -certificate.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Fontenelle</span>,<br /> -“Perpetual Secretary, Royal Academy of Sciences.<br /> -</p> - -<p>“Paris, May 3, 1738.”</p></div> - -<p>After this report comes a letter of Vaucanson’s, addressed to the AbbĂ© -D. F., in which he informs him of his intention of presenting to the -public on Easter Monday—<a name="page_159" id="page_159"></a></p> - -<p>1. A player of the German flute.</p> - -<p>2. A player of the tambourine.</p> - -<p>3. An artificial duck.</p> - -<p>“In this duck,” the celebrated automatist writes, “will be noticed the -mechanism of the viscera, intended to perform the functions of eating, -drinking and digesting. The action of all the parts is exactly imitated. -The bird puts out its head to take up the seed, swallows it, digests it, -and evacuates it by the ordinary channels.</p> - -<p>“All thoughtful persons will understand the difficulty of making my -automaton perform so many different movements, as when it stands on its -legs and moves its head to the right and left. They will also see that -this animal drinks, dabbles with its bill, quacks like the living duck, -and, in short, is precisely similar in every respect.”</p> - -<p>I was the more surprised at the contents of the memoir, as it was the -first trustworthy information I had gained about automata. The -description of the flute player gave me a high opinion of the inventor’s -talent; but I much regretted finding so short an account of the -mechanical combinations of the duck.</p> - -<p>For a time, I contented myself with admiring and believing in the great -master’s work, but, in 1844, Vaucanson’s duck was exhibited in a room at -the Palais Royal.<a name="FNanchor_B_2" id="FNanchor_B_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_B_2" class="fnanchor">[B]</a> Of course I was one of the first to visit it, and -was much struck by its skillful and learned formation. Some time after, -one of the wings having been injured, the duck was sent to me to repair, -and I was initiated into the famous mystery of digestion. To my great -surprise, I found that<a name="page_160" id="page_160"></a> the illustrious master had not disdained to have -recourse to a trick which a conjurer would have been proud of. The -digestion, so pompously announced in the memoir, was only a -mystification—a real <i>canard</i>, in fact. Decidedly, Vaucanson was not -only my master in mechanism, but I must bow before his genius for -juggling.</p> - -<p>The trick was as simple as it was interesting. A vase, containing seed -steeped in water, was placed before the bird. The motion of the bill in -dabbling crushed the food, and facilitated its introduction into a pipe -placed beneath the lower bill. The water and seed thus swallowed fell -into a box placed under the bird’s stomach, which was emptied every -three or four days. The other part of the operation was thus effected: -Bread-crumb, colored green, was expelled by a forcing pump, and -carefully caught on a silver salver as the result of artificial -digestion. This was handed round to be admired, while the ingenious -trickster laughed in his sleeve at the credulity of the public. But, -before leaving this subject, I must give a short biographical notice of -this illustrious man.</p> - -<p>Jacques de Vaucanson was born at GrenĂ´ble on the 24th February, 1709, of -a noble family, and his taste for mechanism was developed at an early -age. In 1730, the flute-player at the Tuilleries suggested to him the -idea of constructing on this model an automaton which should really play -the flute, and he spent four years in perfecting it. The story runs that -Vaucanson’s valet was the only person acquainted with his secret, and at -the first notes produced by the flute-player, the faithful servant fell -at his master’s feet, as if he were more than mortal, and they embraced -with tears of joy.</p> - -<p>The duck and tambourine-player soon followed, and were chiefly intended -to speculate on public curiosity.<a name="page_161" id="page_161"></a> Though noble by birth, Vaucanson -exhibited his automata at the fair of Saint Germain and at Paris, where -his receipts were enormous. He is also said to have invented a loom on -which a donkey worked cloth; this he made in revenge upon the -silk-weavers of Lyons, who had stoned him because he attempted to -simplify the ordinary loom. We also owe to Vaucanson a chain that still -bears his name, and a machine to make meshes of equal size.</p> - -<p>It is also said he invented for the performance of Marmontel’s -<i>Cleopatra</i>, an asp which fastened itself with a hiss on the bosom of -the actress who played the principal character. On the first performance -of the tragedy, a jester, more struck by the hissing of the automaton -than by the beauty of the tragedy, exclaimed, “I am of the asp’s -opinion!”</p> - -<p>This illustrious mechanician retained all his activity to the last -moment of his life. While dangerously ill, he devoted himself to his -machine for making his endless chain.</p> - -<p>“Do not lose a minute,” he said to his workmen; “I fear I may not live -long enough to explain my idea thoroughly.”</p> - -<p>Eight days later, on the 21st of November, 1782, he died, at the age of -seventy-three; but, before leaving this world, he had the consolation of -seeing his machine at work.</p> - -<p>One piece of good luck never arrives without another; thus, in 1844, I -also saw at the house of a mechanician of the name of Cronier, at -Belleville, the famous <i>chess-player</i>, who defeated the whole chess -world. I never saw it at work, but since then I have received some -information about the automaton of a certain degree of interest, and I -trust my readers will feel the same surprise as I did when I heard it.<a name="page_162" id="page_162"></a></p> - -<p>My story commences in Russia: the first division of Poland in 1792 had -produced a certain fermentation, the effects of which were felt some -years later. In 1796, a revolt broke out in a half-Russian, half-Polish -regiment stationed at Riga, at the head of the rebels being an officer -of the name of Worousky, a man of great talent and energy. He was of -short stature, but well built; and he exercised such influence, that the -troops sent to suppress the revolt were beaten back with considerable -loss. However, reinforcements came from St. Petersburg, and the -insurgents were defeated in a pitched battle. A great number perished, -and the rest took to flight across the marshes, where the soldiers -pursued them, with orders to grant no quarter.</p> - -<p>In this rout Worousky had both thighs shattered by a cannon-ball, and -fell on the battle-field; however, he escaped from the general massacre -by throwing himself into a ditch behind a hedge. At nightfall, Worousky -dragged himself along with great difficulty to the adjacent house of a -physician of the name of Osloff, whose benevolence was well known, and -the doctor, moved by his sufferings, attended upon, and promised to -conceal him. His wound was serious, but the doctor felt confident of -curing him, until gangrene set in, and his life could only be saved at -the cost of half his body. The amputation was successful, and Worousky -saved.</p> - -<p>During this time, M. de Kempelen, a celebrated Viennese mechanician, -came to Russia to pay a visit to M. Osloff, with whom he had been long -acquainted. He was travelling about to learn foreign languages, the -study of which he afterwards displayed in his splendid work on the -“Mechanism of Words,” published at Vienna in 1791. M. de Kempelen -stopped a short time in every country the<a name="page_163" id="page_163"></a> language of which he desired -to learn, and his aptitude was so great that he acquired it very -speedily.</p> - -<p>This visit was the more agreeable to the doctor, as for some time he had -been alarmed as to the consequences of the noble action he had -performed; he feared being compromised if it were found out, and his -embarrassment was extreme, for, living alone with an old housekeeper, he -had no one to consult or help him. Hence, he told M. de Kempelen his -secret, and begged his aid. Though at first startled by sharing such a -secret—for he knew that a reward was offered for the insurgent chief, -and that the act of humanity he was about to help in might send him to -Siberia—still, M. de Kempelen, on seeing Worousky’s mutilated body, -felt moved with compassion, and began contriving some plan to secure his -escape.</p> - -<p>Dr. Osloff was a passionate lover of chess, and had played numerous -games with his patient during his tardy convalescence; but Worousky was -so strong at the game that the doctor was always defeated. Then Kempelen -joined the doctor in trying to defeat the skillful player, but it was of -no use; Worousky was always the conqueror. His superiority gave M. de -Kempelen the idea of the famous Automaton Chess-player. In an instant -his plan was formed, and he sat to work immediately. The most remarkable -circumstance is, that this wonderful chef-d’œuvre, which astonished -the whole world, was invented and finished with three months.</p> - -<p>M. de Kempelen was anxious his host should make the first essay of his -automaton; so, he invited him to play a game on the 10th of October, -1796. The automaton represented a Turk of the natural size, wearing the -national costume, and seated behind a box of the shape of a chest of -drawers. In the middle of the top of the box was a chess-board.<a name="page_164" id="page_164"></a></p> - -<p>Prior to commencing the game, the artist opened several doors in the -chest, and M. Osloff could see inside a large number of wheels, pulleys, -cylinders, springs, &c., occupying the larger part. At the same time, he -opened a long drawer, from which he produced the chessmen and a cushion, -on which the Turk was to rest his arm. This examination ended, the robe -of the automaton was raised, and the interior of the body could also be -inspected.</p> - -<p>The doors being then closed, M. de Kempelen wound up one of the wheels -with a key he inserted in a hole in the chest; after which the Turk, -with a gentle nod of salutation, placed his hand on one of the pieces, -raised it, deposited it on another square, and laid his arm on the -cushion before him. The inventor had stated that, as the automaton could -not speak, it would signify check to the king by three nods, and to the -queen by two.</p> - -<p>The doctor moved in his turn, and waited patiently till his adversary, -whose movements had all the dignity of the Sultan he represented, had -moved. The game, though slow at first, soon grew animated, and the -doctor found he had to deal with a tremendous opponent; for, in spite of -all his efforts to defeat the figure, his game was growing quite -desperate. It is true, though, that for some minutes past, the doctor’s -attention had appeared to be distracted, and one idea seemed to occupy -him. But while hesitating whether he should impart his thoughts to his -friend, the figure gave three nods. The game was over.</p> - -<p>“By Jove!” the loser said, with a tinge of vexation, which the sight of -the inventor’s smiling face soon dispelled, “if I were not certain -Worousky is at this moment in bed, I should believe I had been playing -with him. His head alone is capable of inventing such a checkmate. And -besides,” said the doctor, looking fixedly<a name="page_165" id="page_165"></a> at M. de Kempelen, “can you -tell me why your automaton plays with the left hand, just like -Worousky?”<a name="FNanchor_C_3" id="FNanchor_C_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_C_3" class="fnanchor">[C]</a></p> - -<p>The mechanician began laughing, and not wishing to prolong this -mystification, the prelude to so many others, he confessed to his friend -that he had really been playing with Worousky.</p> - -<p>“But where the deuce have you put him, then?” the doctor said, looking -round to try and discover his opponent.</p> - -<p>The inventor laughed heartily.</p> - -<p>“Well! do you not recognize me?” the Turk exclaimed, holding out his -left hand to the doctor in reconciliation, while Kempelen raised the -robe, and displayed the poor cripple stowed away in the body of the -automaton.</p> - -<p>M. Osloff could no longer keep his countenance, and he joined the others -in their laughter. But he was the first to stop, for he wanted an -explanation.</p> - -<p>“But how do you manage to render Worousky invisible?”</p> - -<p>M. de Kempelen then explained how he concealed the living automaton -before it entered the Turk’s body.</p> - -<p>“See here!” he said, opening the chest, “these wheels, pulleys and -cranks occupying a portion of the chest, are only a deception. The -frames that support them are hung on hinges, and can be turned back to -leave space for the player while you were examining the body of the -automaton.”</p> - -<p>“When this inspection was ended, and as soon as the robe was allowed to -fall, Worousky entered the Turk’s body we have just examined, and, while -I was showing you the box and the machinery, he was taking his time to<a name="page_166" id="page_166"></a> -pass his arms and hands into those of the figure. You can understand -that, owing to the size of the neck, which is hidden by the broad and -enormous collar, he can easily pass his head into this mask, and see the -chess-board. I must add, that when I pretend to wind up the machine, it -is only to drown the sound of Worousky’s movements.”</p> - -<p>“Very good, then,” the doctor replied, to show he perfectly understood -the plan; “while I was examining the chest, my confounded Worousky was -in the Turk’s body, and when the robe was lifted, he had passed into the -chest. I frankly allow,” M. Osloff added, “that I was done by this -ingenious arrangement; but I console myself with the idea that cleverer -persons than I will be deceived.”</p> - -<p>The three friends were the more delighted by the result of this private -rehearsal, as this instrument furnished an excellent means of escape for -the poor prisoner, and at the same time assured him a livelihood. The -same evening the road by which the frontier should be reached was agreed -on, as well as the precautions to be taken during the journey. It was -also arranged that, in order to arouse no suspicions, performances -should be given in all the towns they passed through, beginning with -Toula, Kalouga, Smolensk, &c.</p> - -<p>A month later, Worousky, now entirely recovered, gave a first specimen -of his marvellous skill to a numerous audience at Toula. I possess a -copy of the original bill, which was given me by M. Hessler, nephew of -Dr. Osloff, who also supplied me with all these details. Worousky won -every game he played at Toula, and the papers were full of praises of -the automaton. Assured of success by the brilliancy of their dĂ©but, M. -de Kempelen and his companion proceeded towards the frontier.</p> - -<p>It was necessary that Worousky should be concealed<a name="page_167" id="page_167"></a> from sight somewhere -even when travelling; hence he was literally packed up. The enormous -chest in which the automaton was conveyed only travelled very slowly, -apparently through fear of breaking the machinery, but in reality to -protect the skillful chess-player who was shut up in it, while air-holes -were made in the side of this singular post-chaise to enable Worousky to -breathe.</p> - -<p>The poor cripple endured all this inconvenience calmly, in the hope of -soon being out of reach of the Muscovite police, and arriving safe and -sound at the end of this painful journey. The fatigue, it must be -granted, was considerably alleviated by the enormous receipts they -netted by the exhibition.</p> - -<p>Our travellers had arrived at Vitebsk, on the road to the Prussian -frontier, when one morning Kempelen rushed into the room where Worousky -was concealed.</p> - -<p>“A frightful misfortune hangs over us,” the mechanician said, in a -terrible state of alarm, and showing a letter dated St. Petersburg. -“Heaven knows how we shall escape it! The Empress Catherine, having -heard through the papers of the automaton’s wonderful talent, desires to -play a game with it, and requests me to bring it straight to the -imperial palace. We must hit on some plan to evade this dangerous -honor.”</p> - -<p>To Kempelen’s extreme surprise, Worousky heard this great news very -calmly, and even seemed to be pleased at it.</p> - -<p>“Refuse such a visit!—by no means: the wishes of the Czarina are orders -which cannot be infringed without peril; we must, therefore, obey her as -quickly as possible. Your zeal will have the double effect of gaining -her favor, and removing any suspicions that might arise about your -automaton. Besides,” the bold soldier added, with a<a name="page_168" id="page_168"></a> degree of pride, “I -confess I should like to find myself face to face with the great -Catherine, and show her that the head on which she set the price of a -few roubles is, under certain circumstances, as good as her own.”</p> - -<p>“Madman that you are!” M. de Kempelen exclaimed, startled by the -excitement of the impetuous insurgent. “Remember, that we may be -discovered, and you will lose your life, while I shall be sent to -Siberia.”</p> - -<p>“Impossible!” Worousky quietly replied; “your ingenious machine has -already deceived so many skillful persons, that I am convinced we shall -soon have one dupe more. Besides, what a glorious reminiscence, what an -honor it will be to us, if we can say some day that the Empress -Catherine II., the haughty Czarina, whom her courtiers proclaim the most -intellectual person in her vast empire, was deceived by your genius, and -conquered by me!”</p> - -<p>Kempelen, though not sharing Worousky’s enthusiasm, was obliged to -yield. Hence, they set off without further argument; the journey was -very long and fatiguing, but Kempelen did not quit his companion for a -moment, and did all in his power to ameliorate his position. At length -they reached their journey’s end, but though they had travelled as fast -as they could, Catherine, on receiving Kempelen, appeared rather angry.</p> - -<p>“My roads must be very bad, sir, if you require fifteen days to travel -from Vitebsk to St. Petersburg.”</p> - -<p>“Will your majesty,” the crafty mechanician replied, “allow me to make a -confession which will serve as my excuse?”</p> - -<p>“Do so,” Catherine replied, “provided it be not a confession of the -incapacity of your marvellous machine.”</p> - -<p>“On the contrary, I would confess that, being aware<a name="page_169" id="page_169"></a> of your majesty’s -skill at chess, I desired to offer you a worthy opponent. Hence, before -starting, I made some additions which were indispensable for so -important a game.”</p> - -<p>“Ah!” the empress said, with a smile, smoothed down by this flattering -explanation. “And you fancy these new arrangements will enable your -automaton to beat me?”</p> - -<p>“I should be much surprised were it otherwise.”</p> - -<p>“Well, we shall see, sir,” the empress continued, nodding her head -ironically. “But,” she added, in the same tone, “when will you bring my -terrible opponent before me?”</p> - -<p>“Whenever your majesty may please.”</p> - -<p>“If that is the case, I am so impatient to measure my strength with the -conqueror of the most skillful players in my country, that I will -receive him this very evening in my library. Put up your machine there, -and at eight o clock I will join you. Be punctual!”</p> - -<p>Kempelen took leave of Catherine, and hastened to make his preparations -for the evening. Worousky was delighted at the prospect of amusing the -empress; but although Kempelen was resolved to risk the adventure, he -wished to take all possible precautions, so that he might have a way of -escape in case of danger. Hence, he had the automaton carried to the -palace in the same chest in which it travelled.</p> - -<p>When eight o’clock struck, the empress, accompanied by a numerous suite, -entered the library and took her place at the chess-board.</p> - -<p>I have forgotten to say that Kempelen never allowed any one to pass -behind the automaton, and would not consent to begin the game till all -the spectators were in front of the board.<a name="page_170" id="page_170"></a></p> - -<p>The court took their places behind the empress, unanimously predicting -the defeat of the automaton. The chest and the Turk’s body were then -examined, and when all were perfectly convinced they contained nothing -but the clockwork I have already mentioned, the game began. It proceeded -for some time in perfect silence, but Catherine’s frowning brow speedily -revealed that the automaton was not very gallant towards her, and fully -deserved the reputation it had gained. The skillful Mussulman captured a -bishop and a knight, and the game was turning much to the disadvantage -of the lady, when the Turk, suddenly forgetting his dignified gravity, -gave a violent blow on his cushion, and pushed back a piece his -adversary had just moved.</p> - -<p>Catherine II. had attempted to cheat; perhaps to try the skill of the -automaton, or for some other reason. At any rate the haughty empress, -unwilling to confess her weakness, replaced the piece on the same -square, and regarded the automaton with an air of imperious authority. -The result was most unexpected—the Turk upset all the pieces with a -blow of his hand, and immediately the clock work, which had been heard -during the whole game, stopped. It seemed as if the machinery had got -out of repair. Pale and trembling, M. de Kempelen, recognising in this -Worousky’s impetuous temper, awaited the issue of this conflict between -the insurgent and his sovereign.</p> - -<p>“Ah, ah! my good automaton! your manners, are rather rough,” the empress -said, good humoredly, not sorry to see a game she had small chance of -winning end thus. “Oh! you are a famous player, I grant; but you were -afraid of losing the game, and so prudently upset the pieces. Well, I am -now quite convinced of your skill and your violent character.<a name="page_171" id="page_171"></a>”</p> - -<p>M. de Kempelen began to breathe again, and regaining courage, tried to -remove the unfavorable impression which the little respect shown by the -automaton must have produced. Hence he said, humbly,</p> - -<p>“Will your majesty allow me to offer an explanation of what has just -happened?”</p> - -<p>“By no means, M. de Kempelen,” Catherine said, heartily—“by no means; -on the contrary, I find it most amusing, and your automaton pleases me -so much that I wish to purchase it. I shall thus always have near me a -player, somewhat quick perhaps, but yet able to hold his own. You can -leave it here to-night, and come to-morrow morning to arrange the -price.”</p> - -<p>There is strong reason to believe that Catherine wished to commit an -indiscretion when she evinced a desire that the figure should remain at -the palace till the next morning. Fortunately, the skillful mechanician -managed to baffle her feminine curiosity by carrying Worousky off in the -big chest. The automaton remained in the library, but the player was no -longer there.</p> - -<p>The next day Catherine renewed her proposition to purchase the -chess-player, but Kempelen made her understand that, as the figure could -not perform without him, he could not possibly sell it. The empress -allowed the justice of these arguments; and, while complimenting the -mechanician on his invention, made him a handsome present.</p> - -<p>Three months after the automaton was in England, under the management of -Mr. Anthon, to whom Kempelen had sold it. I know not if Worousky was -still attached to it, but I fancy so, owing to the immense success the -chess-player met with. Mr. Anthon visited the whole of Europe, always -meeting with the same success; but, at<a name="page_172" id="page_172"></a> his death, the celebrated -automaton was purchased by MaĂ«lzel, who embarked with it for New York. -It was then, probably, Worousky took leave of his hospitable Turk, for -the automaton was not nearly so successful in America. After exhibiting -his mechanical trumpeter and chess-player for some time, MaĂ«lzel set out -again for France, but died on the passage of an attack of indigestion. -His heirs sold his apparatus, and thus Cronier obtained his precious -relic.</p> - -<p>My fortunate star again furnished me with an excellent occasion for -continuing my studies. A Prussian of the name of Koppen exhibited at -Paris, about the year 1829, an instrument known as the Componium. It was -a perfect mechanical orchestra, playing operatic overtures with -remarkable precision and effect, and it owed its name to the -circumstance that, by means of truly marvellous arrangements, this -instrument improvised charming variations without ever repeating itself. -It was asserted to be as difficult to hear the same variation twice, as -to find two similar quaternes drawn in succession at a lottery.</p> - -<p>The Componium was enormously successful, but at last public curiosity -was exhausted, and it was withdrawn, after bringing in the owner one -hundred thousand francs clear profit in a year. This amount, whether -correct or not, was adroitly published, and some time after the -instrument was put up for sale. A speculator by the name of D——, -seduced by the hope of obtaining equally large receipts in a foreign -country, bought the instrument, and took it to England. Unfortunately -for D——, at the moment when this goose with the golden eggs arrived in -London, George IV. died; the court went into mourning, and no one -visited the instrument. In order to avoid useless expense, <a name="page_173" id="page_173"></a>D—— -thought it prudent to give up a scheme commenced under such evil -auspices, and determined on returning to Paris. The Componium was -consequently taken to pieces, packed up and carried to France.</p> - -<p>D——, hoped the instrument would enter duty free, but, on leaving -France, he had omitted some formality indispensable before obtaining -this favor. The Customs stopped it, and he was obliged to refer the case -to the Minister of Trade. While awaiting his decision, the chests were -deposited in damp ware-rooms, and it was not till the end of the year, -and after numberless formalities and difficulties, that the instrument -returned to Paris.</p> - -<p>This will give an idea of the state of disorder, confusion and damage in -which the Componium was left.</p> - -<p>Discouraged by the ill success of his trip to England, D—— resolved on -selling his mechanical improviser, but, before doing so, he cast about -for a mechanician who would undertake to put it in working order. I have -forgotten to state that, on the sale of the Componium, M. Koppen had -handed over with it a very clever German workman, who was, as it were, -the driver of this gigantic instrument. This person, finding he must sit -with his hands before him during the interminable formalities of the -French Customs, thought he could not do better than return home.</p> - -<p>The repair of the Componium was a tedious business—a work of -perserverance and research—for, as its arrangement had always been kept -secret, no one could supply the least information. D—— himself, having -no notion of mechanism, could not be of the slightest use, so the -workman must only depend on his own ideas.</p> - -<p>I heard the matter talked about, and, urged by a probably too flattering -opinion of myself, or rather dazzled by the glory of executing such a -splendid job, I offered to undertake the immense repairs.<a name="page_174" id="page_174"></a></p> - -<p>I was laughed at: the confession is humiliating, but perfectly truthful. -I must say, too, that it was justifiable, for I was only known at that -time as an humble workman, and it was feared that, far from making the -instrument act properly, I should cause still greater injury, while -trying to repair it. However, as D—— met with no better offer, and I -offered to deposit a sum, to be forfeited in the event of my doing any -injury, he eventually yielded to my wishes.</p> - -<p>It will be allowed that I was a very conscientious workman; but, in -reality, I acted for my own benefit, as this undertaking, by supplying -me with an interesting object of study, would prove a perfect lesson in -mechanism for me.</p> - -<p>As soon as my offer was accepted, all the boxes in which the componium -was packed were carried into a large room I used as workshop, and -emptied, pell-mell, into sheets, spread for the purpose, on the ground.</p> - -<p>When alone, and I saw this heap of rusty iron, these myriads of parts, -whose meaning I did not understand, this orchestra of instruments of -every size and shape, such as cornets, bugles, hautboys, flutes, -clarionets, bassoons, organ pipes, big drum, triangle, cymbals, &c., all -arranged in sizes, according to the chromatic scale, I was so frightened -by the difficulty of my task, that I was quite annihilated for several -hours.</p> - -<p>To better understand my mad presumption, which only my passion for -mechanics and my love of the marvellous can excuse, I must add that I -never even saw the componium performing; hence, all was an unknown -country for me. Add to this, that the greater portion of the works were -covered with rust and verdigris.</p> - -<p>Seated in the midst of this musical chaos, with my head<a name="page_175" id="page_175"></a> resting in my -hands, I asked myself a hundred times this simple question, “Where shall -I begin?” and then my imagination was quite paralysed. One morning, -however, finding myself well disposed, and feeling the influence of the -Hippocratic axiom, “Mens sana in corpore sano,” I felt disgusted at my -long sloth, and rushed headforemost at my immense task.</p> - -<p>If my readers were only mechanicians, how willingly would I describe to -them all my trials, attempts, and studies! With what pleasure I would -explain the skillful and ingenious combinations that arose successively -from this chaos! But as I fancy I can see my readers turning over my -pages to seek the end of a chapter that is growing too serious, I will -check my inclination, and content myself with stating that, for a whole -year, I proceeded from the known to the unknown, in solving this -inextricable problem, and one day I had the happiness of seeing my -labors crowned with complete success. The componium—a new -phĹ“nix—had risen from its ashes.</p> - -<p>This unexpected success gained me the greatest praise, and D—— bade me -name my own price; but I would not accept anything beyond my actual -outlay, feeling amply repaid by such a glorious result. And yet, however -high my reward might have been, it would not have repaid me what this -task, which overtasked my strength, eventually cost me.<a name="page_176" id="page_176"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">An Inventor’s Calculations—One Hundred Thousand Francs a Year by -an Inkstand: Deception—My new Automata—The First Magician in -France: Decadence—I meet Antonio—Bosco—The Trick with the -Cups—An Execution—Resurrection of the Criminals—Mistake in a -Head—The Canary rewarded.</p></div> - -<p>M<small>Y</small> sleepless nights, my incessant toil, and, above all, the feverish -agitations resulting from all the emotions of such an arduous -undertaking, had undermined my health. A brain-fever attacked me, and -though I recovered from it, it was only to pass five long years in -listlessness and vacuity. My mind seemed quite gone: I felt no passion, -no love, no interest, even in the arts I had so delighted in: conjuring -and mechanism only existed for me in the shape of recollections.</p> - -<p>But this illness, which had mastered the faculty of Paris, could not -resist the refreshing air of the country, where I retired for six -months, and when I returned to Paris, I was a new man. With what joy I -saw again my beloved tools! With what ardor I reassumed my work! for I -had to regain not only the lost time, but also the enormous expenses -incurred by my long illness.</p> - -<p>My modest fortune was for the moment sensibly diminished, but on this -point I was case-hardened; for would not my future performances fill up -all these losses, and insure me a handsome fortune? Thus I discounted an -uncertain future; but, after all, do not all inventors like to convert -their schemes into ingots?<a name="page_177" id="page_177"></a></p> - -<p>Perhaps, too, I unconsciously yielded to the influence of one of my -friends, an extraordinary projector, whom mistakes and deceptions never -hindered forming fresh schemes. Our manner of calculating the future had -considerable affinity. But I must do him this justice: however high my -estimate might be, he was far superior to me in that respect. Here is an -instance to judge by.</p> - -<p>One day this friend called upon me, and showing me an inkstand of his -invention, which combined the double merit of being safe from upset, and -of always keeping the ink at the same level, said,</p> - -<p>“At last, my lad, I have hit it; this invention will make a revolution -in the writing world, and allow me to walk about like a gentleman, with -a hundred thousand francs a year—at the very lowest, understand me. But -you can judge for yourself, if you follow my calculations closely. You -know, there are thirty-six millions of inhabitants in France?”</p> - -<p>I nodded an affirmative.</p> - -<p>“Starting on this basis, I do not think I err if I assume that at least -one-half can write, eh? or, say we take one-third, or, to be still more -sure, the round sum of ten millions. Now, I hope I shall not be charged -with exaggeration, if, out of these ten millions, I take one-tenth, or a -million, as the number of those looking after what may be useful to -them.”</p> - -<p>And my friend stopped here and looked at me, as much as to say, “Am I -not reasonable in my estimates?”</p> - -<p>“We have, then, in France one million men capable of appreciating the -benefits of my inkstand. Well, of this number how many will you allow -who, during the first year, hear of my inkstand, and consequently will -purchase it?<a name="page_178" id="page_178"></a>”</p> - -<p>“Well,” I replied, “I confess to a difficulty in giving you an exact -answer.”</p> - -<p>“Good Heavens! who spoke about exactness? I only want an approximation, -and that must be the lowest possible, that there may be no mistake.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” I went on, continuing my friend’s decimal calculations, “take a -tenth.”</p> - -<p>“Now, mind, <i>you</i> said a tenth, or, in other words, one hundred -thousand. But,” the inventor continued, charmed at seeing me share his -brilliant calculations, “do you know what the sale of these one hundred -thousand inkstands will produce me in a year?”</p> - -<p>“I can form no idea.”</p> - -<p>“I will then tell you. I have reserved myself one franc on each inkstand -sold. This gives a profit then——“</p> - -<p>“Of one hundred thousand francs, of course.”</p> - -<p>“You see, there is no difficulty in making the calculation. You must -bear in mind, too, that the other nine hundred thousand writers we left -on one side will end by appreciating my inkstand: they will also buy it. -Then what will the nine millions we omitted do? And notice, too, that I -am only speaking of France, which is a mere dot on the globe. When -foreign countries know its merits, when the English and their colonies -order it—— Oh, it would require a mathematician to reckon all this -up!”</p> - -<p>My friend wiped his brow, which had grown quite damp during the heat of -his address, and he ended by repeating, “Remember, we established our -estimate on the lowest basis.”</p> - -<p>Unfortunately, that was the place where my friend’s calculation broke -down. His inkstand, being much too dear, was not purchased, and the -inventor ended by adding this gold mine to his many other deceptions.<a name="page_179" id="page_179"></a></p> - -<p>I, too, I confess, based my calculations on the census, or, at least, on -the approximative number of visitors to the capital, and even at the -lowest figure I arrived at a most satisfactory result. But I do not -regret having given way to these fancies, for though they occasioned me -various disappointments, they served to keep up some energy in my mind, -and enabled me to wrestle against the numberless difficulties I -encountered in making my automata. Besides, who has not, once in his -life at least, indulged in the gilded calculations of my friend the -inkstand inventor?</p> - -<p>I have already repeatedly mentioned the automata I made, and it is high -time to describe the nature of the articles intended to be used in my -performances.</p> - -<p>The first was a small pastrycook issuing from his shop door at the word -of command, and bringing, according to the spectator’s request, patties -and refreshments of every description. At the side of the shop assistant -pastrycooks might be seen rolling paste and putting it in the oven.</p> - -<p>Another specimen represented two clowns, Auriol and Debureau. The latter -held out at arm’s length a chair, on which his merry comrade performed -acrobatic tricks, like his namesake at the circus in the Champs ElysĂ©es. -After these performances Auriol smoked a pipe, and ended by accompanying -on the flagolet an air played by the orchestra.</p> - -<p>The next was a mysterious orange-tree, on which flowers and fruit burst -into life at the request of the ladies. As the finale, a handkerchief I -borrowed was conveyed into an orange purposely left on the tree. This -opened and displayed the handkerchief, which two butterflies took by the -corners and unfolded before the spectators.</p> - -<p><a name="page_180" id="page_180"></a>Lastly, I made a dial of transparent glass, which marked the hours at -the will of the spectators, and struck the time on a crystal bell.</p> - -<p>At the time I was most deeply engaged in these labors, I made a very -agreeable rencontre. While walking along the Boulevards, full of -thought, according to my usual habit, I heard some one calling me. On -turning round, an elegantly-dressed man pressed my hand.</p> - -<p>“Antonio!” I exclaimed, as I embraced him, “how glad I am to see you! -But why are you here—what are you doing—and Torrini?”</p> - -<p>Antonio interrupted me. “I will tell you all about it. Come to my -apartments, where we shall be more at ease. I only live a few doors -off.”</p> - -<p>In fact, within two minutes we stopped in the Rue de Lancry, before a -very handsome house.</p> - -<p>“Go up,” Antonio said: “I live on the second floor.”</p> - -<p>A servant opened the door. “Is your mistress at home?” Antonio asked.</p> - -<p>“No, sir; but I was to tell you she would be in soon.”</p> - -<p>After leading me into a pretty drawing-room, Antonio made me sit down by -his side on a sofa.</p> - -<p>“Now, my friend, let us talk, for we must have a great deal to tell each -other.”</p> - -<p>“Yes, let us talk; for I confess that my curiosity is strongly excited. -I fancy, at times, I am dreaming.”</p> - -<p>“I will bring you back to real life,” Antonio continued, “by telling you -what has happened to me since we parted. Let us begin with poor -Torrini.”</p> - -<p>I made a movement of pained surprise.</p> - -<p>“What do you say, Antonio? Can our friend——?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, it is only too true. Death struck him at the moment we had every -reason to hope a happier fate. On leaving you, Torrini intended to -return as quickly as possible<a name="page_181" id="page_181"></a> to Italy. The Count de Grisy was anxious -to reassume his name and revisit the scenes of past successes, for he -hoped there to become again the brilliant magician of yore. God decided -otherwise. Just as we were about leaving Lyons, where we had been giving -some successful performances, he was suddenly seized with typhus fever, -which carried him off in a few days.</p> - -<p>“I was his residuary legatee, and after paying the last honors to a man -to whom I had pledged my life, I began realizing my small fortune. I -sold the horses and travelling-carriage, and kept the apparatus, as I -intended to use it. I had no profession, so I thought I could not do -better than to take up one, for which the road was clear before me, and -I hoped that my name, to which my brother-in-law had given a certain -celebrity in France, would assist me. It was very bold in me to try and -fill the place of such a master, but I thought my impudence would answer -as well as talent.</p> - -<p>“Hence I called myself Signor Torrini, and, after the fashion of my -rivals, I added the title of â€first magician of France.’ Each of us is -always the first and the most skillful in the country where he happens -to be, unless he think proper to call himself the first in the whole -world. Conjuring is a profession in which, as you know, no one errs -through excess of modesty, and the custom of producing illusions -facilitates this issue of bad money, which the public, it is true, -appreciates and sets its true value on.</p> - -<p>“So it behaved to me, for, despite my pompous announcements, I frankly -confess it did not recognize the celebrity I claimed. On the contrary, -my performances were so little attended, that my receipts were hardly -sufficient for my existence. Still I went from town to town, giving my -performances, and nourishing myself more often<a name="page_182" id="page_182"></a> on hope than on reality. -But the moment arrived when this unsubstantial food no longer sufficed -me, and I was forced to stop. I had exhausted my resources: I had -nothing left but my instruments. My clothes were reduced to the sheerest -necessity, and threatened to desert me at any moment: thus hesitation -was impossible. I decided on selling my instruments, and, provided with -the small sum they produced me, I set out for Paris, the last refuge of -those whose talent is neglected and position hopeless.</p> - -<p>“In spite of my ill success, I had lost none of my stock of philosophy, -and, though not very happy, I was full of hope in the future. Yes, my -friend—yes, I had a presentiment at that time of the brilliant position -fate reserved for me, and to which it lead me, I may say, by the hand.</p> - -<p>“Once arrived at Paris, I hired a modest room, and determined to live as -savingly as possible, in order to make my money hold out. You see that, -in spite of my confidence in the future, I took some precautions, so as -not to run the risk of dying of hunger; but you will allow I acted wrong -in not trusting entirely to my lucky star.</p> - -<p>“I had hardly been in Paris a week, when I met an old comrade, a -Florentine, who used to perform as second basso in my old theatre. He, -too, had been maltreated by Fortune, and having come to Paris, he found -himself reduced to accept a situation in the chorus of the Opera. When I -had revealed my position to him, he told me a tenor situation was vacant -in the chorus, and advised me to try and get it: I accepted the offer -with pleasure, though, of course, as merely transitional, for I felt a -pang at my descent. Still, prudence suggested I had better guard against -want.<a name="page_183" id="page_183"></a></p> - -<p>“I have often noticed,” Antonio continued, “that those events which -inspire us with the greatest doubt, turn out the most favorable, and -mine was a case in point. As I had a good deal of spare time, I thought -I would employ it in giving singing lessons. I, therefore described -myself as a singer at the Opera, while concealing the position I -occupied there. Procuring my first pupil was as difficult as saving the -first hundred pounds towards a fortune, and I had to wait a long time. -At length I caught him; then others; and, gradually, I had enough pupils -to enable me to leave the theatre.</p> - -<p>“I must tell you this determination had another reason. I loved one of -my lady pupils, and she returned my affection. Under such circumstances, -it was not prudent to remain a chorus-singer, which might have impeded -my views. You naturally expect some romantic adventure; but nothing -could be more simple than the event which crowned our loves—it was -marriage.</p> - -<p>“Madame Torrini, whom you will see presently, was the daughter of a -retired laceman. Her father, a widower, with no other children, had no -will but his daughter’s, and he accepted my offers. He was the worthiest -of men; but, unfortunately we lost him two years ago. I retired from my -professional duties on the fortune he left us, and I now live happily -and calmly, in a position which realizes my most brilliant dreams of -old. This is another proof,” my philosophic friend said, in conclusion, -“that, however precarious may be the position in which a man finds -himself, he ought never to despair of luck turning.”</p> - -<p>My story was not so long as Antonio’s, for with the exception of my -marriage, there was no event worthy narrating. I told him, however of my -long illness, and the work that had brought it on, and I had scarce -ended, when<a name="page_184" id="page_184"></a> Madame Torrini entered the room. My friend’s wife received -me most kindly, saying:</p> - -<p>“I have known you, sir, for a long time, as Antonio told me your -history, which caused me to feel the greatest interest, and my husband -and myself often regretted we could not hear of you. Now, however, M. -Robert,” she added, “that we have found you, consider yourself an old -friend of the family and come to see us often.”</p> - -<p>I profited by this kind invitation, and more than once went to seek -consolation and encouragement from these worthy friends.</p> - -<p>Antonio still took an interest in conjuring, although it was a mere -distraction by which he amused his friends.—Still, not a conjurer -announced his performance but he went to see him. One morning he entered -my workshop in great haste.</p> - -<p>“Look here,” he said, offering me a paper, “as you run after all the -celebrated conjurers, here is one that will astonish you. Read.”</p> - -<p>I took the paper eagerly, and read the following puff:</p> - -<p>“The famous Bosco, who can conjure away a house as easily as a nutmeg, -is about to give his performances at Paris, in which some miraculous -tricks will be executed.”</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you say to that?” Antonio asked me.</p> - -<p>“A man must possess very great talent to undertake the responsibility of -such praise. After all, I think the journalist is amusing himself at the -expense of his readers, and that the famous Bosco only exists in his -columns.”</p> - -<p>“You are quite wrong, my dear Robert: this conjurer is not an imaginary -being, for not only have I read this puff in several papers, but I even -saw Bosco last night at a cafĂ©, giving some specimens of his skill, and -announcing his first performance for next Tuesday.<a name="page_185" id="page_185"></a>”</p> - -<p>“If it be so,” I said to my friend, “I must ask you to spend the evening -with M. Bosco, and I will come and call for you.”</p> - -<p>“Done,” said Antonio, “mind and call for me on Tuesday at half-past -seven, as the performance commences at eight.”</p> - -<p>At the appointed time we proceeded to the Rue Chantereine, where the -performance was announced. At the money-taker’s we found ourselves face -to face with a stout gentleman, dressed in a coat adorned with frogs and -trimmed with fur, making him look like a Russian prince on his travels. -Antonio nudged me with his elbow, and said, in a whisper, “That’s he!”</p> - -<p>“Who’s he?”</p> - -<p>“Why, Bosco.”</p> - -<p>“All the worse,” I said; “I am sorry for him.”</p> - -<p>“Explain yourself, for I do not understand the harm a Boyard’s dress can -do a man.”</p> - -<p>“My friend, I do not blame M. Bosco so much for his dress as for -occupying his present place. I think an artiste cannot be too chary of -his person off the stage; there is so much difference between the man -whom an entire audience listens to and applauds, and the director who -comes openly to watch his paltry interests, that the latter must injure -the former.”</p> - -<p>During this conversation, my friend and myself had entered the room and -taken our seats. According to the idea I had formed of a magician’s -laboratory, I expected to find myself before a curtain whose large -folds, when withdrawn, would display before my dazzled eyes a brilliant -stage ornamented with apparatus worthy of the celebrity announced; but -my illusions on this subject soon faded away.<a name="page_186" id="page_186"></a></p> - -<p>A curtain had been considered superfluous, and the stage was open. -Before me was a long three-storied sideboard, entirely covered with -black serge. This lugubrious buffet was adorned with a number of wax -candles, among which glistened the apparatus. At the topmost point of -this strange <i>Ă©targère</i> was a death’s-head, much surprised, I have no -doubt, at finding itself at such a festival, and it quite produced the -effect of a funeral service.</p> - -<p>In front of the stage, and near the spectators, was a table covered by a -brown cloth, reaching to the ground, on which five brass cups were -symmetrically arranged. Finally, above this table hung a copper ball, -which strangely excited my curiosity.<a name="FNanchor_D_4" id="FNanchor_D_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_D_4" class="fnanchor">[D]</a></p> - -<p>For the life of me I could not imagine what this was for, so I -determined to wait till Bosco came to explain it. Antonio had entered -into conversation with his neighbor, who spoke in the most enthusiastic -manner of the performance we were about to witness. The silvery sound of -a small bell put an end to my reverie and to my friend’s conversation, -and Bosco appeared on the stage.</p> - -<p>The artiste had changed his costume: he had substituted for the Russian -great-coat a little black velvet jacket, fastened round the waist by a -leathern belt of the same color. His sleeves were excessively short, and -displayed a handsome arm. He wore loose black trousers, ornamented at -the bottom with a ruche of lace, and a large white collar round his -neck. This strange attire bore considerable resemblance to the classical -costume of the Scapins in our plays.<a name="page_187" id="page_187"></a></p> - -<p>After making a majestic bow to his audience, the celebrated conjurer -walked silently and with measured steps up to the famous copper ball. -After convincing himself it was solidly hung, he took up his wand, which -he wiped with a white handkerchief, as if to remove any foreign -influence; then, with imperturbable gravity, he struck the ball thrice -with it, pronouncing, amid the most solemn silence, this imperious -sentence: <i>Spiriti miei infernali, obedite</i>.</p> - -<p>I, like a simpleton, scarce breathed in my expectation of some -miraculous result, but it was only an innocent pleasantry, a simple -introduction to the performance with the cups. I was, I confess, rather -disappointed, for, in my opinion, this performance was only suited for -the public streets, and I did not expect any one would venture it on a -Paris stage in 1838. I was justified in this view, as two persons, -Miette and Lesprit, might be daily seen going through this performance -in the streets. Still, I must say that Bosco displayed great skill, and -was heartily applauded by the public.</p> - -<p>“Well,” Antonio’s neighbor said, victoriously, “was I not right—is he -not remarkably clever? But you’ll see, that’s nothing as yet.”</p> - -<p>Either Antonio was in a bad temper, or the performance did not please -him, for he could not “plant” the admiration he had been quite prepared -to bestow. In fact, he became most impatient when Bosco commenced the -“pigeon trick.” Still, it must be allowed that the <i>mise en scène</i> and -the execution were of a nature to irritate nerves even less sensitive -than my friend’s.</p> - -<p>A servant placed on small tables on either side the stage two small -blocks of black wood, on each of which a death’s-head was painted. They -were the blocks for the culprits.<a name="page_188" id="page_188"></a> Bosco then came forward, holding a -knife in one hand and a black pigeon in the other.</p> - -<p>“Here is a pizon” (I forgot to state that Bosco spoke with a strong -Italian accent) “zat has behaved badly. I am going to cut off his head; -zall it be, ladies, wiz blood or wizout?” (This was one of his strong -points.)</p> - -<p>Some people laughed, but the ladies hesitated to reply to this strange -question.</p> - -<p>“Without blood,” a spectator said. Bosco then placed the pigeon’s head -on the block and cut it off, being careful to press the neck, and -prevent the effusion of blood.</p> - -<p>“You zee, ladies,” the operator said, “zat ze pizon does not bleed, as -you ordered.”</p> - -<p>“With blood,” suppose another spectator said. Then Bosco loosened the -artery, and let the blood run on a plate, which he handed round for -inspection. The head, after being cut off, was placed upright on one of -the blocks; and Bosco, taking advantage of a convulsive movement, which -caused the beak to open, made this barbarous jest: “Come, mossiou, bow -to zis amiable company—now once more. Ah, ah, zat is right.”</p> - -<p>The public listened, but no longer laughed.</p> - -<p>The same operation was performed on a white pigeon without the slightest -variation, after which Bosco placed the bodies in two false-bottomed -boxes, being careful to put the black head with the white pigeon, and -the white head with the black one. Then he repeated his conjurations -over the boxes, and when he opened them, a black pigeon came with a -white head, and a white one with a black head. Each of the culprits, -according to Bosco, had been restored to life, and assumed its comrade’s -head.</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you think of that?” Antonio’s neighbor asked him, as he -clapped vociferously.<a name="page_189" id="page_189"></a></p> - -<p>“To tell you the truth,” my friend replied, “I must say the trick is not -very wonderful. Besides, I should like it better were it performed with -less cruelty.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, you have delicate nerves, I see,” the neighbor said; “perhaps you -experience similar sensations when you see a fowl killed and put on the -spit?”</p> - -<p>“Allow me, sir, before answering you,” my friend replied, sharply, “to -ask if I have come here to see a kitchen performance?”</p> - -<p>The discussion was growing warm, and was rather savage in its tone, when -a third party terminated the dispute by the following jest:</p> - -<p>“Hang it, sir,” he said to Antonio, “if you do not like cruelty, at any -rate do not disgust other people with it.”</p> - -<p>Bosco now returned on the stage with a canary in his hand.</p> - -<p>“Zentlemen,” he said, “this is Piarot: he is very polite, and zall -zalute you. Come, Piarot, do your duty.” And he pinched the bird’s claws -with such force that the unfortunate tried to escape from this cruel -clutch. Overcome by pain, it bent down over the juggler’s hand, uttering -cries of distress.</p> - -<p>“Zat is good; I am satisfied wiz you. You see, ladies, he not only -zalutes you, but he says â€Good-night.’ Continue, Piarot, you zall be -rewarded.”</p> - -<p>The same torture made the bird bow twice more, and to <i>reward</i> it its -master placed it in the hands of a lady, begging her to keep it. But -during the passage the bird had ended its life, and reached the lady’s -hand dead. Bosco had strangled it.</p> - -<p>“Oh, good Heavens, madam!” the conjurer exclaimed, “I believe you have -killed my Piarot—you zall have squeezed him too moch. Piarot—Piarot!” -he added,<a name="page_190" id="page_190"></a> tossing the bird in the air, “Piarot, answer to me. Ah, -madam, he is dezidedly dead. What zall my wife say when she sees Bosco -arrive wizout his Piarot: quite zurely I zall be beaten by Madame -Bosco.” (I must observe, here, that all I describe is literally true.)</p> - -<p>This bird was interred in a large box, whence, after fresh conjurations, -a living bird came out. This new victim was fated to suffer shorter -agony. It was thrust alive into the barrel of a large pistol, and Bosco, -holding a sword in his hand, begged a spectator to fire at the point of -the weapon he held out to him. The pistol was fired, and a third victim -was seen spitted on the point of the sword.</p> - -<p>Antonio rose. “Let us go,” he said, “for I am turning sick.”</p> - -<p>I have seen Bosco several times since then, and each time I studied him -carefully, not only to try and explain the cause of the great fashion he -enjoyed, but also to be able to compare the various opinions expressed -about this celebrated man. Here are some deductions drawn from my -observations.</p> - -<p>Bosco’s performances generally please a large number, for the public -suppose that, through some inexplicable address, the bird-murders are -simply feigned, and, tranquil, on this point, they indulge in all the -pleasure caused by the talent of the conjurer and the originality of his -accent.</p> - -<p>Bosco has a quaint and full-sounding name, adapted to become popular, -and no one knows better than he how to take advantage of it. Neglecting -no opportunity for notoriety, he performs at any hour of the day, -whatever may be the quality and number of the spectators. In a coach, at -a table d’hĂ´te, in cafĂ©s or shops, he never fails to give some specimen -of his skill, by juggling a coin, a ring, and so on.<a name="page_191" id="page_191"></a></p> - -<p>The witnesses of these little improvised performances consider -themselves bound to return Bosco’s politeness, by attending his public -performance. They have formed the acquaintance of the celebrated -conjurer, and are obliged to sustain the reputation of their new friend. -Hence, they urge all their acquaintances to go also, puff off the -performance, and thus the room is always full.</p> - -<p>It must also be mentioned that numerous accomplices help Bosco’s -popularity materially. Each of them, it is known, is instructed to hand -the magician a handkerchief, shawl, watch, &c., which he has in double. -This allows him to pass them with an appearance of magic or skill, into -a cabbage, a loaf, a box, or any other object. These accomplices, while -aiding in the conjurer’s experiments, have a great interest in securing -their success: for their self-love finds its profit in the success of -the mystification. Besides, they have no objection to accept some of the -applause as their due: hence, the magician has as many admirers as -accomplices, and the influence a dozen intelligent prompters can exert -in a room is well known.</p> - -<p>Such were the influences which, joined to Bosco’s talent, gained him a -great renown for many years.<a name="page_192" id="page_192"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">A Reverse of Fortune—Cookery and Clockwork—The Artist’s -Home—Invention of an Automaton—Voluntary Exile—A modest -Villa—The Inconveniences of a Speciality—Two August Visitors—The -Throat of a mechanical Nightingale—The Tiou and the -Rrrrrrrrouit—Seven Thousand Francs earned by making Filings.</p></div> - -<p>I<small>N</small> the meanwhile I worked indefatigably at my automata, hoping that when -these were completed, I should be able to establish myself permanently. -But, in spite of my activity, I advanced very slowly towards the -realization of my long-deferred hopes.</p> - -<p>Only an inventor can know the value of a day’s work on the gloomy road -to success in combining automata. Numberless trials and deceptions of -every nature foil at any moment the best-conceived plans, and seem to -realize the pleasant story about reaching the end of a journey by making -two steps forward and three backward.</p> - -<p>I performed this wearisome progress during six months, and, at the end -of that time, though I had several specimens far advanced, it was still -impossible for me to fix the period when they would be quite finished. -In order not to defer my appearance before the public, I therefore -resolved to begin with my conjuring tricks and such automata as were -ready. I had arranged with an architect, who was to help me in finding a -suitable site for a theatre, but I had scarce taken my first steps, when -an unforeseen catastrophe ruined both my father-in-law and myself.<a name="page_193" id="page_193"></a></p> - -<p>This reverse of fortune threw me into a state of abject despondency, for -I saw, to my terror, the realization of my plans indefinitely postponed. -I could no longer think of inventing machines, but must work, day by -day, to support my large family. I had four children, all very young, -and this was a heavy burden on a man who had never yet thought of his -own interests.</p> - -<p>The vulgar truth, “Time dissipates the severest griefs,” is not the less -true from being so often repeated; and it was the case with me. I was at -first as wretched as man could well be; then my despair gradually died -away, and made room for sorrow and resignation. At last, as it is not my -nature to keep up a melancholy character long, I ended by accepting the -situation. Then the future, which had appeared so gloomy, assumed a -different face, and, by a gradual process of reasoning, I began to -indulge in reflections whose consoling philosophy restored my courage.</p> - -<p>“Why should I despair?” I said to myself. “At my age, time itself is a -fortune, and I have a considerable reserve fund of that. Besides, who -knows whether Providence, by sending me this trial, has not wished to -delay an undertaking that was not yet quite assured of success?”</p> - -<p>In fact, what had I to offer the public that would overcome the -indifference a new performer always inspires?—improved conjuring -tricks! Those, I thought, would not prevent me failing, for I was -unaware at that period that, in order to please the public, an idea must -be, if not novel, at least completely transformed, so that it cannot be -recognized. Only in that way can an artiste escape a remark that always -fills him with dread—“I have seen that before.” My automata and -mechanical curiosities<a name="page_194" id="page_194"></a> would not have betrayed the hopes I built upon -them, but I had too few, and the specimens I had in hand still required -years of study and labor.</p> - -<p>These wise reflections restored my courage, and, resigned to my new -situation, I resolved to effect an utter reform in my budget. I had -nothing more to look for than what I earned with my own hands, so I -hired a modest lodging, at three hundred francs a year, in the Rue du -Temple. It consisted of a room, a cabinet and a stove in a cupboard, to -which my proprietor gave the name of kitchen. I converted the largest -room into our common sleeping apartment, the cabinet served as my -workshop, while the stove kitchen was used to prepare our modest meals.</p> - -<p>My wife, though in delicate health, undertook the household department. -Fortunately, this was not very laborious, as our meals were most modest; -and as our rooms were limited in number, there was not much moving about -required. The proximity of our mutual laboratories had also this double -advantage, that, whenever my housekeeper was absent, I could watch the -pot-au-feu or stir a ragoĂ»t without leaving my levers, wheels and cogs.</p> - -<p>These vulgar occupations for an artiste will make many a reader smile, -but when a man cannot afford to keep a servant, and the quality of the -dinner, consisting of a single dish, depends on the care devoted to it, -it is better to pocket one’s dignity and attend to the culinary -department, at any rate, without feeling false shame. However, it -appears that I performed my confidential mission admirably, for my -exactitude gained me abundant praise. Still, I must confess that I had -very slight talent for cooking, and this boasted exactitude was produced -by my fear of incurring the reproaches of my head cook.<a name="page_195" id="page_195"></a></p> - -<p>This humble existence was less painful to me than I had imagined. I had -always been moderate, and the privation of succulent dishes affected me -very little. My wife, surrounded by her children, to whom she devoted -her utmost care, seemed equally happy, while hoping for better times to -come.</p> - -<p>I had resumed my first trade, that of repairing watches and clocks. -Still, this was only to secure our hand-to-mouth existence, for all the -while I was repairing I was meditating a piece of clockwork, the success -of which restored some ease to our household. It was an alarum, which -was thus arranged:</p> - -<p>You placed it by your side when you went to bed, and, at the hour -desired, a peal aroused the sleeper, while, at the same time, a ready -lighted candle came out from a small box. I was the prouder of this -invention and its success, as it was the first of my ideas which -produced me any profit.</p> - -<p>This “alarum-light,” as I christened it, was so popular that, in order -to satisfy the great demand for it, I was obliged to add a workshop to -my rooms and hire several workmen. Encouraged by such a favorable -result, I turned my attention afresh to inventions, and gave a free -scope to my imagination. I succeeded in making several more toys, among -which was one which my readers will probably remember to have seen in -the shop-windows. It was a glass dial, mounted on a column of the same -material. This “mysterious clock” (as I called it), although entirely -transparent, indicated the hour with the greatest exactness, and struck, -without any apparent mechanism to make it move. I also constructed -several automata, such as a conjurer playing with cups, a dancer on the -tight-rope, singing birds, &c.<a name="page_196" id="page_196"></a></p> - -<p>It may strike the reader that, with so many strings to my bow, and such -amusing toys to make, my situation would be considerably improved, but -it was not so. Each day, on the contrary, produced fresh trouble in my -trade as well as in my household, and I even saw a financial crisis -approaching which I found it impossible to prevent.</p> - -<p>The cause of this result was very simple. While engaged with the -mechanical toys I have just mentioned, I still worked at my theatrical -automata, for which my passion had been again aroused by my present -labors. Like the gambler, who throws his last farthing on the board, I -invested all my earnings in my theatrical preparations, hoping these -would soon repay me for my sacrifices with a hundred per cent. profit.</p> - -<p>But it was fated that I should no sooner see the realization of my -projects close at hand, than an unforseen event should remove it again -from my grasp. I had a sum of two thousand francs to pay at the end of -the month; I had not a penny to meet it, and I had only three days left -before the bill I had accepted became due.</p> - -<p>Never did an embarrassment arrive more inopportunely! I had just formed -the plan of an automaton in which I placed the greatest hopes. It was a -“writing and drawing automaton,” answering in writing or emblematic -designs questions proposed by the spectators, and I intended to employ -this figure between the performances in my future theatre.</p> - -<p>Once more was I obliged to check the flight of my imagination to absorb -myself in the vulgar and difficult problem of meeting a bill when you -have no money. I might, it is true, have saved myself all trouble by -applying to my friends, but prudence and delicacy rendered it my duty -to<a name="page_197" id="page_197"></a> pay it from my own resources. Providence, doubtlessly, recognized -the merit of my resolution, for she sent me a saving idea.</p> - -<p>I had sold several mechanical toys to M. G——, a rich curiosity dealer, -who had always treated me with marked kindness. I went to him, and gave -him an exact description of my new automaton, and necessity must have -rendered me eloquent, for M. G—— was so satisfied that he bought my -automaton on the spot, which I bound myself to deliver to him within -eighteen months. The price was arranged at five thousand francs, half of -which M. G—— agreed to pay me in advance, reserving to himself the -right, if I failed, in my promise, of recouping himself by purchasing -several of my automatic toys.</p> - -<p>Imagine my joy when I returned home, holding in my hands the money to -meet the bill! But the prospect of devoting myself for a long time to -the manufacture of an article satisfying my mechanical taste, rendered -me even happier.</p> - -<p>Still, the princely way in which M. G—— had concluded the bargain, -produced some serious thoughts as to the promise I had made him. I now -saw a thousand obstacles to prevent me keeping my word. I calculated -that, even if I devoted every moment to my work, I should lose much time -by causes I could not foresee or hinder. There were, first, friends, -customers, and bores; then a family dinner, an evening party, that could -not be declined, a visit that must be paid, and so on. These claims on -politeness, which I must respect, would inevitably cause me to break my -word: in vain I racked my brain in devising some scheme to gain time, or -at least not lose it; still, I could only succeed at the expense of my -good temper. I therefore formed a resolution which my relations and<a name="page_198" id="page_198"></a> -friends declared to be madness, but from which they could not turn me, -and that was to exile myself voluntarily until my task was completed.</p> - -<p>Paris not appearing to me a secure place against annoyance, I chose the -suburbs as my retreat, and one fine day, despite the prayers and -supplications of my whole family, after entrusting my business to one of -my workmen, whose talent and probity I was convinced of, I proceeded to -Belleville, and installed myself in a little room in the Rue des Bois, -which I hired for twelve months, at a hundred francs. The only furniture -was a bed, a chest of drawers, a table, and a few chairs.</p> - -<p>This act of madness, as my friends called it, or this heroic -determination, as I called it, saved me from imminent ruin, and was my -first step on the ladder of success. From this moment an obstinate will -was aroused in me which enabled me to confront many obstacles and -difficulties.</p> - -<p>I am bound to confess that the first days of my retirement were painful, -and I bitterly deplored the harsh necessity that thus isolated me from -all I loved. The society of my wife and children had grown a necessity -to me; a kiss from these dear beings restored my courage in hours of -despondency, and now I was deprived of it. Surely I must have been -supported by an enormous strength of will not to turn back at the -prospect of this frightful vacuum.</p> - -<p>Many times I furtively wiped away a tear, but then I closed my eyes, and -straightway my automaton and the various combinations that were to -animate it appeared before me like a consoling vision; I passed in -review all the wheels I had created; I smiled upon them like so many -children of my own; and when I emerged from this restorative<a name="page_199" id="page_199"></a> dream I -set to work again, filled with a courageous resignation.</p> - -<p>It had been arranged that my wife and children should spend every -Thursday evening with me, and I always dined at home on Sunday. These -few hours devoted to my family were the only amusements I allowed -myself.</p> - -<p>At my wife’s request, the portress of the house had agreed to prepare my -meals; this excellent creature, an old <i>cordon bleu</i>, had left service -to marry a mason of the name of Monsieur Auguste. This gentleman, -judging by my modest existence in the house, thought me a poor devil who -found some difficulty in keeping himself: hence, he assumed an air of -generous protection, or kindly pity towards me. As he was a worthy man -at the bottom, I pardoned his ways, and only laughed at them.</p> - -<p>My new cook had received special instruction to treat me famously, but, -not wishing to increase my household expenses, I, on my side, made -stipulations which were kept with the greatest secresy. I arranged my -meals after the following fashion: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and -Thursdays I lived on an enormous dish, to which my chef gave the generic -name of <i>fricot</i>, but that made no difference to me. On Friday and -Saturday, for the sake of my health, I lived low; haricot beans, either -white or red, satisfied my hunger, and with them a composite soup, often -reminding me of the gastronomic tastes of an Auvergnat, and I dined as -well, perhaps better, than Brillat-Savarin himself.</p> - -<p>This mode of life offered me two advantages: I spent little, and -indigestion never troubled the clearness of my ideas. I required this, -however, for it must not be supposed that mechanical difficulties were -the only ones I had to contend against in making my automaton. My -readers<a name="page_200" id="page_200"></a> may judge, from the following incident, which also proves the -truth of the proverb, “Willing is doing.”</p> - -<p>At the commencement of my labor I had ordered from a wood-carver the -body, head, legs, and arms of my writer, and had applied to an artist, -particularly recommended to me as most skillful, and I had tried to make -him understand the importance I attached to my automaton having an -intelligent face. My Phidias had replied that I might trust to him.</p> - -<p>A month after, my sculptor made his appearance: he carefully removed the -wrapper, and showed me arms and legs splendidly carved, and ended by -handing me the head, with an air that seemed to signify, “What do you -think of that?”</p> - -<p>After what I had already seen I was prepared to admire a masterpiece, -but imagine my stupor on observing that the head belonged to a saint! -Quite astonished at this, I looked at my friend as if seeking an -explanation, but he did not seem to understand me and continued to point -out all the beauties of his work. I had no good reason to refuse it, -for, after its fashion, it was a very fine head, so I accepted it, -though it could be of no use to me. At any rate I wished to know the -motive that induced my sculptor to select such a type, and, by dint of -cross-examination, I learned that his special trade was carving saints, -and he could not emerge from his usual “groove.”</p> - -<p>After this check I applied to another artist, being careful to inquire -of him previously whether he had been in the habit of carving heads of -saints. In spite of my precautions, I only got from this artist a head -bearing a strong family likeness to those Nuremberg dolls made to act as -lay figures in studios.</p> - -<p>I had not the courage to make a third trial; yet, my<a name="page_201" id="page_201"></a> writer required a -head, and I regarded my chefs-d’œuvre in turn. Neither could by -possibility suit me. A head with not the slightest expression spoiled my -automaton, while a holy Jerome on the body of a writer dressed in the -Louis XV. style would be a terrible anachronism.</p> - -<p>“And yet the face I want is engraved here,” I said, striking my -forehead. “What a pity I cannot carve it—suppose I were to try!”</p> - -<p>It has always been my character to set about a scheme as soon as I had -formed it, whatever the difficulties might be. Hence I took a piece of -modeling wax, made it into a ball, in which I formed three holes, -representing mouth and eyes, then sticking on a patch for a nose, I -stopped to admire my handiwork.</p> - -<p>Have you ever noticed a toy belonging to earliest youth, representing -two blacksmiths at work on an anvil, which they are made to strike in -turn by pulling two parallel rods? Well, those mechanical combinations, -sold at one penny, I believe, are perfect marvels of art in comparison -with my first essay in modeling.</p> - -<p>Dissatisfied, disgusted, and almost angry, I threw my clumsy attempt -aside, and thought of some other plan to escape my difficulty. But I -have already said I am obstinate and persevering in all I undertake, and -the greater the difficulty seems, the more I feel myself pledged to -surmount it. The night passed in dreams which showed me my task -satisfactorily accomplished, and the next morning I took heart, and went -at it again. In fact, by passing a chisel over my ball—by taking away -from one side and adding to the other—I succeeded in making eyes, -mouth, and nose, which, if not regular, had at least the appearance of a -human form.</p> - -<p>The following days were spent in fresh studies and improvements,<a name="page_202" id="page_202"></a> and -each time I noticed some progress in my work. Still, a moment arrived -when I was terribly embarrassed. The face was regular, but that was not -enough. I must give it some sort of character; but, as I had no model, -the task seemed beyond my strength.</p> - -<p>The idea struck me of looking in the glass, and judging from my own face -what features produce expression. Sitting down, then, as if writing, I -studied my full face and profile, and tried to imitate what I saw. I was -engaged at this task a long while, incessantly touching and retouching, -until one fine day I found my work finished, and I stopped to look at it -more attentively. Judge of my surprise on finding that I had -unconsciously produced an exact likeness of myself. Far from being vexed -at this unexpected result, I was pleased, for it was quite natural this -child of my imagination should have my features. I was not sorry to -place this family seal on a work to which I attached such importance.</p> - -<p>I had been now living for more than a year at Belleville, and I saw with -extreme pleasure the end of my task and of my exile drawing near. After -many doubts as to the success of my enterprise, the solemn moment -arrived when I should make the first trial of my writer. I had spent the -whole day in giving the last touches to the automaton, which sat before -me as if awaiting my orders, and prepared to answer the questions I -asked it. I had only to press the spring in order to enjoy the long -awaited result. My heart beat violently, and though I was alone, I -trembled with emotion at the mere thought of this imposing trial.</p> - -<p>I had just laid the first sheet of paper before my writer, and asked him -this question:</p> - -<p>“Who is the author of your being?<a name="page_203" id="page_203"></a>”</p> - -<p>I pressed the spring, and the clockwork began acting. I dared hardly -breathe through fear of disturbing the operations. The automaton bowed -to me, and I could not refrain from smiling on it as my own son. But -when I saw the eyes fix an attentive glance on the paper—when the arm, -a few seconds before numb and lifeless, began to move and trace my -signature in a firm handwriting—the tears started to my eyes, and I -fervently thanked Heaven for granting me such success. And it was not -alone the satisfaction I experienced as inventor, but the certainty I -had of being able to restore some degree of comfort to my family, that -caused my deep feeling of gratitude.</p> - -<p>After making my Sosia repeat my signature a thousand times, I gave it -this next question: “What o’clock is it?”</p> - -<p>The automaton, acting in obedience to a clock, wrote: “It is two in the -morning.”</p> - -<p>This was a very timely warning. I profited by it, and went straight to -bed. Against my expectations, I enjoyed a sleep I had not known for a -long time.</p> - -<p>There may be among those who read my book some who have also created -some successful work. They will know that next to the happiness of -enjoying one’s own invention, nothing is so flattering as to offer it to -the notice of a third party. Molière and J. J. Rousseau consulted their -servants, and, I must confess, it afforded me great pleasure the next -morning to invite my portress and her husband to be present at the first -performance of my writer.</p> - -<p>As it was Sunday, and M. Auguste had no work to do, I found him at -breakfast. He held a modest sardine with his thumb on a piece of bread, -while in the other hand he had a knife, the handle of which was fastened -to his waist by a lanyard. My invitation was graciously accepted,<a name="page_204" id="page_204"></a> and -they came to my room to witness the aristocratic performance of a -nobleman of the age of Louis XV. The mason’s wife chose this question: -“What is the emblem of fidelity?” The automaton replied by drawing a -pretty little greyhound lying on a cushion. Madame Auguste, quite -delighted, begged me to make her a present of the drawing, while her -husband, having by this time finished his breakfast, begged to see the -work, for, as he said,</p> - -<p>“I understand something about that sort of thing, for I have always to -grease the vane on the church steeple, and have even taken it down -twice. Ah! if I were to direct my attention to mechanics, I have no -doubt I should be very successful.”</p> - -<p>Although, of course, he understood nothing of what he saw, the worthy -mason carefully examined the mechanical arrangements; then, as if -yielding to an impulsive frankness, he said, in a kindly protecting -tone,</p> - -<p>“If I was not afraid of vexing you, I would make an observation.”</p> - -<p>“Pray do so, Monsieur Auguste, and be sure I shall treat it as it -deserves.”</p> - -<p>“Well, in your place, I would have made the mechanism much more simple; -for then those who do not understand that sort of thing, would be able -to do so more easily.”</p> - -<p>With some difficulty I maintained sufficient gravity to reply:</p> - -<p>“Your observation is very just, Monsieur Auguste; I had not thought of -that: but be assured I shall now profit by your suggestions, and -speedily remove half the machinery; there will be quite sufficient -left.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, certainly,” the mason said, believing in the sincerity of my -remarks, “there will be quite enough left then.<a name="page_205" id="page_205"></a>”</p> - -<p>At this moment the garden-bell rang, and M. Auguste, ever attentive to -his duties, ran to answer it, and as his wife also took her departure, I -was enabled to laugh at my ease.</p> - -<p>It is curious that an automaton which was visited by all Paris and -gained me such reputation—that the designer, which interested Louis -Philippe and his family so greatly, should at the outset only receive -the stupid criticism of a porter. Well, a man is no more a prophet in -his own house than in his own country.</p> - -<p>It was more extraordinary, though, that I had eventually to make an -alteration in the automaton for the following reasons: the public (I do -not mean the educated portion) generally understand nothing of the -mechanical effects by which an automaton is moved; but they are pleased -to see them, and often only value them by the multiplicity of their -parts. I had taken every care to render the mechanism of my writer as -perfect as possible, and had set great store on making the clockwork -noiseless. In doing this I wished to imitate nature, whose complicated -instruments act almost imperceptibly.</p> - -<p>Can it be credited that this very perfection, which I had worked so hard -to attain, was unfavorable to my automaton? On its first exhibition, I -frequently heard persons who only saw the outside, say:</p> - -<p>“That writer is first rate; but the mechanism is probably very simple. -It often requires such a trifle to produce great results.”</p> - -<p>The idea then struck me of rendering the clock-work a little less -perfect, so that a whizzing sound should be heard, something like cotton -spinning. Then the worthy public formed a very different estimate of my -work, and the admiration increased in ratio to the intensity of the<a name="page_206" id="page_206"></a> -noise. Such exclamations as these where continually heard: “How -ingenious! What complicated machinery! What talent such combination must -require!”</p> - -<p>In order to obtain this result, I had rendered my automaton less -perfect; and I was wrong. In this I followed the example of certain -actors who overdo their parts in order to produce a greater effect. They -raise a laugh, but they infringe the rules of art and are rarely ranked -among first-rate artists. Eventually, I got over my susceptibility, and -my machine was restored to its first condition.</p> - -<p>My writer thus finished, I could have ended my voluntary imprisonment if -I pleased; but I wished to finish another automaton, for which a -residence in the country would be requisite. Although this second -automaton was very complicated, it did not so fully occupy my time as -the first. It was a nightingale, which a rich merchant of St. Petersburg -had ordered, and I had agreed to produce a perfect imitation of the song -and actions of this delightful wood minstrel.</p> - -<p>This undertaking offered some serious difficulties; for though I had -already made several birds, their singing was quite arbitrary, and I had -only consulted my own taste in arranging it. The imitation of the -nightingale’s pipe was much more delicate, for I had to copy notes and -sounds which were almost inimitable.</p> - -<p>Fortunately, we were in the season when this skillful songster utters -his delicious accents; hence, I could employ him as my teacher. I went -constantly to the wood of Romainville, the skirt of which almost joined -the street in which I lived, and, laying myself on a soft bed of moss in -the densest foliage, I challenged my master to give me lessons. (The -nightingale sings both by night and day in<a name="page_207" id="page_207"></a> Continental Europe, and the -slightest whistle, in tune or not, makes him strike up directly.)</p> - -<p>I wanted to imprint on my memory the musical phrases with which the bird -composes its melodies. The following are the most striking among them; -<i>tiou-tiou-tiou</i>, <i>ut-ut-ut-ut-ut</i>, <i>tchit-chou</i>, <i>tchit-chou</i>, -<i>tchit-tchit</i>, <i>rrrrrrrrrrrrrouit</i>, <i>&c.</i> I had to analyse these strange -sounds, these numberless chirps, these impossible rrrrouits, and -recompose them by a musical process. Now, here was the difficulty. I -only knew so much of music as a natural taste had taught me, and my -knowledge of harmony was hence a very feeble resource. I must add that -in order to imitate this flexibility of throat, and produce these -harmonious modulations, I had a small copper tube, about the size and -length of a quill, in which a steel piston moving very freely, produced -the different sounds I required; this tube represented in some respects -the nightingale’s throat.</p> - -<p>This instrument would have to work mechanically; clock work set in -motion the bellows, opened or closed a valve which produced the -twittering, the modulation, and the sliding notes, while it guided the -piston according to the different degrees of speed and depth I wanted to -reach.</p> - -<p>I had also to impart motion to the bird: it must move its beak in -accordance with the sounds it produced, flap its wings, leap from branch -to branch, &c. But this part of my task troubled me much less than the -other, as it was purely mechanical.</p> - -<p>I will not attempt to describe to the reader all the trials and -investigations I had to make; suffice it to say that, after repeated -experiments, I created a system, half musical, half mechanical, which -only required to be improved by fresh studies. Provided with this -instrument, I hurried off to the wood of Romainville, where I seated<a name="page_208" id="page_208"></a> -myself under an oak, near which I had often heard a nightingale sing, -which I thought was the “star” among the virtuosi. I wound up the -clockwork, and it began playing in the midst of profound silence; but -the last notes had scarce died away ere a concert commenced from various -parts of the wood, which I was almost inclined to regard as a general -protest against my clumsy imitation.</p> - -<p>This collective lesson did not suit my purpose, for I wished to compare -and study, and could positively distinguish nothing. Fortunately for me, -all the musicians ceased, as if by word of command, and one of them -began a solo: it was doubtlessly the <i>premier sujet</i>, the Duprez of the -company—possibly the nightingale I have just mentioned. This tenor -indulged me with a succession of dulcet sounds and accents, which I -followed with all the attention of an industrious pupil.</p> - -<p>Thus I passed a portion of the night; my professor was indefatigable, -and, for my part, I was not weary of listening. At length we were -obliged to part, for, in spite of the pleasure I felt, I began to grow -chilly and sleepy. However, my lesson had done me so much good, that the -next morning I began making important corrections in my mechanism. After -five or six more visits to the wood, I attained the required result—the -nightingale’s song was perfectly imitated.</p> - -<p>After eighteen months’ stay at Belleville, I at length returned home to -enjoy the company of my wife and children; in my absence my business had -prospered, and I, by the manufacture of my two automata, had gained the -enormous sum of seven thousand francs.</p> - -<p>Seven thousand francs by making filings, as my father used to say. -Unfortunately, that excellent man could not enjoy the beginning of my -success—I had lost him a<a name="page_209" id="page_209"></a> short time before the reverse of my fortune. -With his love for mechanical inventions, how proud he would have been of -my successes!</p> - -<p>Having thus regained a certain degree of comfort, I was now able to -enjoy some amusement, and visit my friends, among them Antonio, who -could not blame me for deserting him so long. In our long conversations -my friend never ceased to encourage me to realize the projects he had -suggested—I mean my theatrical schemes, of which he predicted the -certain success.</p> - -<p>While not neglecting my work, I had recommenced my conjuring exercises, -and began to make the acquaintance of several conjurers. I also wished -to see those ingenious personages who, not having a theatre to display -their talents in, visit the cafĂ©s. Such men as these are obliged to -employ an extraordinary degree of skill, for they have to deal with -people who are set upon detecting them. I met several interesting -specimens from whom I learned something; but a slight adventure soon -told me I must be on my guard in the choice of my acquaintances.</p> - -<p>A conjurer, whom I had formerly met at Roujol’s, and to whom I had -rendered a service, introduced me one day to a person by the name of -D——. He was a young man of prepossessing appearance and very elegantly -dressed, while his manners evidenced the thorough gentleman.</p> - -<p>“My friend tells me, sir,” he said, after the usual salutations, “that -you are in search of a person possessing a certain degree of address. -Although I have no wish to compliment myself, I may be able to show many -things you do not know.”</p> - -<p>“I accept your offer willingly,” I replied, “but I must tell you before -hand I am not a novice.<a name="page_210" id="page_210"></a>”</p> - -<p>This introduction took place in my study, and we sat down to a table on -which refreshments were served. This was a trap by which I intended to -make my visitor more communicative. I then took up a pack of cards, and -showed him my dexterity in <i>sauter la coupe</i> and various other tricks.</p> - -<p>I was watching D—— to observe the impression I produced on him, and -after a few moments’ careful following my hands, he gave his comrade a -gentle wink, of which I did not understand the meaning. I stopped for a -moment, and not wishing to ask a direct explanation, I opened a bottle -of Bordeaux, and filled his glass several times. This scheme was -successful, and the wine loosened his tongue, and he told me something -that surprised me.</p> - -<p>“I have a remark to make, M. Robert-Houdin,” he said, emptying his -glass, and holding it out to be filled again: “I thought I had come here -to deal with what we call a â€pigeon;’ I perceive it is quite otherwise, -and as I do not wish to expose the tricks by which I earn my livelihood, -I will content myself with the pleasure of having formed your -acquaintance.”</p> - -<p>The technical terms seemed to me a startling contrast to my visitor’s -elegant manners, still, as I did not wish to give in yet, I said, in a -tone of disappointment,</p> - -<p>“I hope, sir, you will recall your decision, and not leave me till you -have shown me how you handle the cards. You can do this without -prejudice, I think?”</p> - -<p>To my great satisfaction he at length consented.</p> - -<p>“Very well,” he said, taking up a pack of cards; “but you will see our -modes of â€working’ do not agree.”</p> - -<p>It would be difficult for me to give a name to what he performed in my -presence. It was not, properly speaking, sleight-of-hand; but they were -tricks and processes<a name="page_211" id="page_211"></a> applied to cards, and were so unexpected, that -they must deceive everybody. This manipulation was only an exhibition, -however, of certain principles I learned at a later date.</p> - -<p>Like singers who begin by being urged, and who, when they have once -started, cannot leave off, D——, animated both by the sincere praise I -offered him and the great number of glasses of Bordeaux he had -swallowed, said to me with that frankness common to drinkers, “And now, -sir, I will give you another hint. I am not a professor of -sleight-of-hand, but only perform a few tricks I show to amateurs. These -lessons, you can understand, would not suffice for my livelihood, and I -will tell you, then,” he added, emptying his glass again, and holding it -out to be filled, as if he wished me to pay for his confidence, “I visit -in the evening houses where I have managed to gain an introduction, and -profit by some of the principles I have just shown you.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose you give a performance?” D—— smiled slightly, and repeated -the wink he had once before given his comrade.</p> - -<p>“Performances!” he replied. “Never! or rather, I give them after my own -fashion; I will explain that to you presently, but I will first amuse -you by telling you how I manage to get a handsome prize for the lessons -I give my amateurs; after that I will return to my <i>performances</i>.</p> - -<p>“You can suppose, for reasons easy to understand that I only give -lessons to young men whose pockets I presume are well lined. On -beginning my explanations I tell my pupil that I leave my price to him, -and during the lesson I perform an interlude which must heighten his -generosity.</p> - -<p>“Drawing near my pigeon—pray pardon the word-<a name="page_212" id="page_212"></a>-“</p> - -<p>“I have already done so.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, very good; I beg your pardon. I say, taking one of his buttons in -my hand, â€Here is a mould piercing the cloth, and you might lose it.’</p> - -<p>“At the same time I throw a Louis on the table; then I examine his -buttons, one after the other, and pretend to draw a gold piece from -each. As I only perform this trick as a harmless pleasantry, I pick up -my gold with the greatest indifference. I even push my indifference so -far as to leave one or two by mistake on the table, but only for a short -time, of course.</p> - -<p>“I continue my lesson, and, as I expected, my pupil pays but slight -attention to it, being fully engaged with the reflections I have so -skillfully suggested. Can he offer five francs to a man who appears to -have his pocket full of gold? Of course not; the least he can do is to -add one more piece to those I had displayed, and that always happens.</p> - -<p>“Like a modern Bias, then, I carry all my fortune about me; I am -sometimes tolerably rich, and then my pockets are well lined. Often -enough, too, I am reduced to a dozen of these â€yellow boys,’ but them I -never touch, as they are the instruments by which I procure others. Many -times I have gone without my dinner, though having this small fortune in -my pocket, because I laid it down as a rule not to break into it.”</p> - -<p>“The performances you give in society,” I said to my narrator, in order -to bring him back to that point, “are of course more lucrative?”</p> - -<p>“They are so, but prudence prevents me giving them so often as I should -like.”</p> - -<p>“I do not understand you.”</p> - -<p>“I will explain my meaning. When I am in society I<a name="page_213" id="page_213"></a> am a young man of -good family, and, like all young men, play. The only difference is, I -have my own way of playing, which is not that of all the world, but it -seems it is not bad, because it often renders chances favorable. You -shall judge.”</p> - -<p>Here my narrator stopped to refresh himself, then, as if doing the most -legal or harmless thing in the world, he showed me several tricks, or -rather acts of swindling, which he executed with so much grace, skill, -and simplicity, that it would be impossible to detect him.</p> - -<p>In order to understand the effect these culpable confessions produced -upon me, my readers ought to know what it is to love a science of which -you seek to solve the mysteries. Far from feeling repugnance or even -disgust at this man with whom justice would have one day an account to -settle, I admired, I was stunned! The finesse and perfection of his -tricks made me forget their blameworthy application.</p> - -<p>At length my Greek left me, and so soon as he was gone the remembrance -of his confessions sent the blood to my cheeks. I was as ashamed of -myself as if I had been his accomplice. I even reproached myself -severely for the admiration I could not restrain, and the compliments it -extorted from me. In some measure to compound with my conscience, I -ordered my door to be closed against this man; but it was an unnecessary -precaution—I never heard of him again.</p> - -<p>Strangely enough, in consequence of my meeting with D——, and the -revelations he had made me, I was enabled, at a later period, to render -a service to society by unmasking a piece of swindling which the most -skillful experts could not detect.</p> - -<p><a name="page_214" id="page_214"></a>In 1849, M. B——, a magistrate belonging to the police office of the -Seine, begged me to examine and verify one hundred and fifty packs of -cards, seized in the possession of a man whose antecedents were far from -being as unblemished as his cards. The latter, indeed, were perfectly -white, and this peculiarity had hitherto foiled the most minute -investigation. It was impossible for the most practised eye to detect -the least alteration or the slightest mark, and they all seemed very -respectable packs of cards.</p> - -<p>I consented to examine the cards, as I hoped to detect a manĹ“uvre -which must be clever as it was so carefully concealed. I could only do -so after my performance was over, and so each night, before going to -bed, I sat down with a bright lamp, and remained at my task till sleep -or want of success routed me from my post.</p> - -<p>Thus I spent nearly a fortnight, examining, both with my eyes and a -strong magnifying-glass, the form and imperceptible varieties in the -cards composing the one hundred and fifty packs. I could detect nothing, -and, weary of the job, I began to agree in the opinion of the previous -experts.</p> - -<p>“I am sure there is nothing the matter with these cards,” I said one -night, angrily, as I threw them across the table.</p> - -<p>Suddenly I fancied I noticed a pale spot on the glistening back of these -cards, and near one of the corners. I stepped forward, and it -disappeared, but, strangely enough, it reappeared as I fell back.</p> - -<p>“What a magnificent dodge!” I exclaimed, in my enthusiasm. “I have it: -that is a distinguishing mark.”</p> - -<p>And following a certain principle which D—— had explained to me, I -assured myself that all the cards possessed a mark, which, according to -its position, indicated the value and color.<a name="page_215" id="page_215"></a></p> - -<p>For the last quarter of an hour I have been burning with a desire to -explain to my readers a most interesting process, but I am restrained by -the fear that this ingenious swindling may facilitate false play. Still, -it is an indubitable truth, “that to avoid a danger, it must be known.” -Hence, if every player were initiated into the stratagems of the -card-swindlers, the latter would find it impossible to employ them.</p> - -<p>I am, therefore, inclined to make the communication I have stated, that -a single mark placed in a certain part of a card is sufficient to make -it known. To explain this, I must employ a diagram:<a name="page_216" id="page_216"></a></p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/illpg_216_lg.png"> -<img src="images/illpg_216_sml.png" width="400" height="500" alt="Diagram 1." title="Diagram 1." /></a> -</p> - -<p>Suppose a card divided into eight parts vertically, and four -horizontally, as in diagram 1; the former will indicate the value of the -cards, the latter the suit. The mark is placed at the point where two -lines intersect. Such is the process: practice does the rest.</p> - -<p>As for the process employed in impressing the mysterious mark I have -mentioned, I may be excused from<a name="page_217" id="page_217"></a> stating it, as my object is to expose -swindling, and not show the way to do it. Suffice it to say that, looked -at closely, this point is lost in the white of the card; but, at a -distance, the light renders the card brilliant, while the mark alone -remains dull.</p> - -<p>At the first blush, it will appear, perhaps, rather difficult to find -out the division to which the isolated dot on the back of the card -belongs. Still, by a little attention, it may be accurately detected by -a practised eye. Thus, on my diagram, the dot indicates the Queen of -Diamonds.</p> - -<p>It must be remembered that a Greek using these cards stakes, I will not -say his honor but, his liberty, against fortune, and that he has -carefully studied an art on which his livelihood depends.</p> - -<p>After the explanation I have given, I can easily imagine my reader -forming an heroic determination.</p> - -<p>“Since these things take place,” he says to himself, “I will only play -with chequered cards, and so I shall be safe.”</p> - -<p>Unfortunately, chequered cards are better adapted for swindling purposes -than the others, and to prove it, I must employ another diagram. Suppose -the chequer to be formed of dots or any other figures regularly -arranged, as is usually the case with fancy backed cards:<a name="page_218" id="page_218"></a></p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/illpg_218a_lg.png"> -<img src="images/illpg_218a_sml.png" width="338" height="500" alt="Diagram 2." title="Diagram 2." /></a> -</p> - -<p class="nind">the first dot, starting from the left-hand top of the card, as in the -previous diagram, will represent hearts; the second, downwards, -diamonds; the third, clubs; and the fourth, spades. If, now, another -small dot is placed by the side of one of these chequers, it will -indicate the value of the card. This dot must be placed in one of the -divisions marked in fig. 3 The topmost point indicates an ace; the next, -to the right, a king; the third, a queen; the fourth, a knave; and so -on. Of course, a single dot, as in fig. 2, when it is placed by the3 -third point or color, indicates the eight of clubs.</p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/illpg_218b_lg.png"> -<img src="images/illpg_218b_sml.png" width="60" height="58" alt="" title="" /></a> -</p> - -<p>There are many other arrangements, but they are more<a name="page_219" id="page_219"></a> difficult to -explain than to understand. Thus I have had chequered cards given me to -inspect which had had no mark at all on them, but the pattern was more -or less altered by the way in which the cards were shaped, and this -simple peculiarity indicated them all.</p> - -<p>There are also the cards on the edge of which the Greek, when playing, -makes a mark with his thumb-nail, which he can detect as they pass -through his hands. If he is playing Ă©cartĂ©, the kings are thus marked, -and when these pass through his fingers, he can, by a familiar trick, -leave them on the pack and deal the next card. This substitution can be -done so cleverly that it is impossible to detect it. I have also met -persons of such practised sight that, after playing two or three games -with a pack, they could recognize every card.</p> - -<p>Returning to the prepared cards, it may be asked how it is possible to -change the cards, for in all society where play goes on the cards are -only taken out of the paper just before beginning.</p> - -<p>Well! this is simple enough. The Greek finds out at what shop these -houses buy their cards: at first he will make some small purchases, so -that he may be regarded as a regular customer: then, on one fine day, he -says that a friend has commissioned him to buy a dozen packets of packs. -The next day these are brought back under the pretext that they are not -of the color required, and as the packets are still sealed, the -tradesman, full of confidence, changes them for others.</p> - -<p>But the Greek has spent the night in undoing the bands and sealing them -up again by a process known to conjurers; the cards have been all marked -and properly arranged, and as the tradesman has them now in his shop, -the trick is accomplished. Before long, they will reach the house where -they are wanted.<a name="page_220" id="page_220"></a></p> - -<p>All these swindling arts are very shocking, but there is another even -more so in the shape of “imperceptible telegraphy.” Without the -slightest appearance of collusion, a Greek can tell his partner every -card his opponent holds in his hand by a system similar to that of my -“second sight.”</p> - -<p>I could describe many other tricks, but I will stop here. 1 believe I -have said enough about card-sharpers and their swindling to induce a -person never to sit down but with persons whose honor is unimpeachable.<a name="page_221" id="page_221"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">The Inventive Genius of a Sugar-baker—Philippe the Magician—His -Comic Adventures—Description of his Performance—Exposition of -1844—The King and Royal Family visit my Automata.</p></div> - -<p>T<small>HE</small> long looked-for change in my fortunes had at length arrived; my -automata had gained me a certain degree of reputation, and I was making -arrangements to commence my performances. Before describing these, I -must devote a few pages, however, to some account of my immediate -predecessor in the conjuring art, whose success in Paris at this period -was most brilliant: I mean Philippe, the renowned magician, sorcerer, -sleight-of-hand performer, and conjurer.</p> - -<p>Philippe Talon was born at Alais, near NĂ®mes; after having carried on -his sweet trade of confectioner for some time in Paris, his want of -success compelled him to expatriate himself. London, that <i>pays de -Cocagne</i>, the perspective El Dorado, was close at hand; so our tradesman -proceeded thither, and soon set up again in trade in the capital of the -United Kingdom. The French confectioner had fair chance of success, for -in addition to the English liking for sweet-stuff, French confectionary -has ever enjoyed a reputation in that country, only comparable with that -which <i>real</i> English blacking has so long held in France. Still, despite -these advantages, it seems that fresh difficulties arose; the fogs of -the Thames, or, as<a name="page_222" id="page_222"></a> some say, dangerous speculations, melted the fragile -wares; the comfitures suffered a decided discomfiture.</p> - -<p>Talon packed up a second time and went to Aberdeen, to ask shelter from -the Scotch mountaineers, to whom he offered in exchange his seductive -cates. Unfortunately, the Scotch of Aberdeen, differing greatly from the -mountaineers in <i>La Dame Blanche</i>, wear neither silk stockings nor -patent leather shoes, and consume very few jujubes and tarts. Thus, the -new shop would soon have undergone the fate of the other two, had not -Talon’s inventive genius found an issue from this precarious position.</p> - -<p>The confectioner rightly thought that, in order to sell wares, they must -be known; and in order for them to be known, they must be made known. -Relying on this judicious reasoning, Talon soon compelled the -Aberdonians to eat his sugar-plums, and, better still, to pay for them.</p> - -<p>At this period, there was a company of actors at Aberdeen much in the -same condition as Talon’s “goodies;” they were neglected, and no one -cared to try them. In vain had the manager prepared a pantomime full of -tricks and blue-fire, the public remained deaf to his repeated appeals.</p> - -<p>One fine day, Talon called on the Scotch impresario: “I have a proposal -to make to you, sir,” he said, without further preface, “which, if -accepted, will fill your theatre, I am convinced.”</p> - -<p>“Pray explain yourself, sir,” the manager said, nibbling at the bait, -but putting little faith in a promise which he had good reasons for -believing difficult of realization.</p> - -<p>“It is simply,” Talon continued, “to join to the attraction of your -performance a lottery, for which I will pay all the cost. This shall be -the arrangement: each spectator,<a name="page_223" id="page_223"></a> on entering, must pay, in addition, -the sum of sixpence, giving him a claim—</p> - -<p>“1. To a paper of mixed sugar-plums.</p> - -<p>“2. To a lottery-ticket, by which he may gain the first prize, of the -value of five pounds.”</p> - -<p>Talon also promised a new performance, the secret of which he confided -to the manager under the seal of discretion.</p> - -<p>These proposals being accepted, the bargain was soon completed, and the -intelligent Talon had not deceived himself. The public attracted by the -bonbons, the pantomime, and the promised surprise, filled the theatre.</p> - -<p>The lottery was drawn; the prize made one person happy, and the other -twelve or fifteen hundred spectators, provided with their papers of -sugar-plums, consoled their disappointment by exchanging their -“goodies.” Under such favorable circumstances the pantomime was found -charming.</p> - -<p>Still, this piece was drawing to its close, and the promised surprise -had not yet come off, when suddenly the dancers in the ballet arranged -themselves in a circle, a sharp cry was heard, and a magnificent Punch -bounded on to the stage. It was Talon disguised by two cotton humps and -the traditional costume.</p> - -<p>Our new artist performed Punch’s eccentric dance with rare talent, and -was heartily applauded. To thank the audience for their kind reception, -the dancer tried to make a bow, but managed it so clumsily that he fell -over on his side and could not rise again. The performers hastened to -pick the wounded man up; he spoke in a faint voice, and complained of a -broken rib. He earnestly asked for a box of Morrison’s pills, and a -servant hastened to bring him pills of an enormous size.<a name="page_224" id="page_224"></a></p> - -<p>The public, who till then had pitied poor Punch’s pain, and remained -silent sympathisers, now began to scent a jest. First they smiled, and -then they laughed when the patient, taking one of the pills, pretended -to swallow it. Half a dozen having followed the same road, Punch found -himself perfectly recovered, so, making a polite bow, he retired amidst -shouts of laughter.</p> - -<p>Philippe had given his first performance—the confectioner had exchanged -the barley-sugar trick for the magician’s wand.</p> - -<p>This burlesque scene met with extraordinary success, and the receipts -swelled day by day, until the confectioner had disposed of all his -wares. Then he set off to give a specimen of his new talent in other -towns.</p> - -<p>I do not know whence the new magician acquired his art, but it is -probable (historical gaps are always filled up with probabilities) that -Talon had learned conjuring, as he had Punch’s dance, to amuse his -friends. One thing is certain, the performance he offered the worthy -Aberdonians was not first rate, and it was not till he left that town -that he made the great improvement to which he owed his future -reputation.</p> - -<p>Henceforth, laying aside his comfitures and Punch’s garb and squeak, -Philippe (the name the conjurer assumed) traversed England, giving at -first very modest performances. Then, his repertory becoming gradually -increased by a certain number of tricks he picked up from conjurers of -the day, he attacked the large towns, and proceeded to Glasgow, where he -built a wooden theatre in which to give his performances.</p> - -<p>While the magic temple was building, Philippe noticed among the -bricklayer’s lads a young fellow who seemed to have remarkable -intelligence, and he eventually engaged<a name="page_225" id="page_225"></a> him to appear on the stage as -assistant magician. Macalister (as his assistant was called) had a -natural genius for tricks and models; he required no apprenticeship in -this mysterious art, and indeed soon invented some tricks which -attracted his master’s attention.</p> - -<p>From this moment, either by Macalister’s help or for some other reason, -success attended Philippe everywhere, and he began acting in theatres. -After a lengthened tour through England he crossed over to Dublin, where -he acquired two new tricks, which were the foundation of his future -reputation.</p> - -<p>Three Chinese, who had come to France to perform some very startling -tricks, attempted some performances at Paris, which, owing to their ill -success, caused a quarrel among the Celestials. In France as well as in -China, “horses fight when there is no hay in the manger,” and, though -our jugglers did not have recourse to such extremities, they separated. -One of them proceeded to Dublin, where he taught Philippe the -“gold-fish” trick, as well as the “rings.” On learning the first of -these tricks, Philippe was in great trouble about performing it, for he -wanted a robe. He could not assume a Chinese costume, as his face had -none of the distinguishing features of a mandarin, nor could he dream of -a dressing-gown, for however rich it might have been, the public would -not have endured such a slight. Hence Philippe extricated himself from -the difficulty by assuming the attire of a magician. It was a daring -innovation, for, till that period, no conjurer had ventured to take on -himself the responsibility of such a costume.</p> - -<p>Once possessed of these two tricks, Philippe formed the project of -returning to his ungrateful country; he, therefore, came to Paris in the -summer of 1841, and performed at the Salle Montesquieu. The gold-fish -and ring tricks,<a name="page_226" id="page_226"></a> a brilliant costume, a magnificent pointed cap, and a -comfortably arranged room, soon attracted large audiences, among whom -was the manager of a Vienna theatre. Delighted with the performance, the -latter on the spot offered the conjurer an engagement at half profits, -which Philippe willingly accepted. As the Salle Montesquieu was used for -public balls during the winter, this engagement also allowed him time to -have a theatre constructed in readiness for his return to Paris.</p> - -<p>The opening of the room Bonne-Nouvelle created a sensation in Paris when -Philippe came back from his Austrian tour, and crowds went to see the -gold-fish trick, which the performances in the Salle Montesquieu had -made known.</p> - -<p>My reader will have the kindness to accompany me to the <i>Palais des -Prestiges</i> (as the new temple of magic was christened), and we will -attend one of the magician’s performances.</p> - -<p>On reaching the end of the first-floor passage in the Bonne-Nouvelle -Bazaar, you passed through a doorway, and were quite surprised to find -yourself in a room excellently adapted for this style of performance. -There were stalls, pit, gallery, and boxes; the decorations were most -elegant, and, above all, there was plenty of room to stretch your legs.</p> - -<p>An orchestra composed of six musicians of doubtful talent executed a -symphony to the accompaniment of the <i>mĂ©lophone</i>, a species of accordeon -recently invented by a man of the name of Leclerc, who undertook the -musical arrangements of the palace.</p> - -<p>The curtain rises.</p> - -<p>To the great surprise of the spectators the stage is in perfect -darkness.</p> - -<p>A gentleman dressed in black emerges from a side door<a name="page_227" id="page_227"></a> and walks towards -us. It is Philippe: I recognise him by the Provençal twang of his -accent. All the other spectators take him for the manager, and fear they -are about to hear some painful intelligence, as this gentleman holds a -pistol in his hand.</p> - -<p>Their uncertainty is, however, soon dispelled, for Philippe introduces -himself. He states that he has been delayed in his preparations, but, in -order to save time, he will light the innumerable candles on his stage -by firing a pistol. Although a fire-arm is not required for the -experiment, and is only intended to throw powder in the spectators’ -eyes, the candles are suddenly lighted at the sound of the detonation.</p> - -<p>The audience applaud vociferously, and deservedly so, for this trick is -remarkably striking. However much it may be applauded, the time it -requires for preparation, and the mortal terror it occasions the -performer, are beyond recompense.</p> - -<p>In fact, like all experiments in which static electricity plays the -chief part, this magic inflammation is not infallible. When this -misfortune occurs, the position of the operator is the more -embarrassing, as the phenomenon has been announced as the result of -magic. Now, a magician must be omnipotent, or, if he be not so, he most -avoid at all risks any failure which may lower his prestige in the eyes -of the audience.</p> - -<p>The stage once lighted, Philippe commenced his performance. The first -part, composed of very average tricks, was relieved by the manĹ“uvres -of some curious automata. For instance:</p> - -<p>The <i>Cossack</i>, which should have been called the <i>Grimacer</i>, so quaint -were the contortions in which it indulged. This Cossack was also a very -clever juggler, for it passed<a name="page_228" id="page_228"></a> into its pocket with considerable skill -various articles of jewelry its master had borrowed from the spectators.</p> - -<p>The <i>magic peacock</i>, which uttered its unmelodious screech, expanded its -gorgeous plumes, fed from its master’s hand, &c.</p> - -<p>And lastly, a <i>Harlequin</i>, like the one I repaired for Torrini.</p> - -<p>After the first part of the performance, the curtain fell to enable -preparations to be made for a scene called in the bills, “A Festival at -a Palace in Nankin.” This was an attractive title for those who dealt in -that description of cloth, but was only chosen to call to the -spectator’s memory the Chinese trick, which would end the performance.</p> - -<p>When the curtain rose again the stage was entirely transformed. The -tablecloths had been replaced by brocades glistening with gold and -precious stones (at least, they looked so at a distance); the candles, -although so numerous before, had been multiplied, and gave the stage the -appearance of a fiery furnace, the veritable abode of an ally of the -Evil One.</p> - -<p>The magician made his appearance in a costume which, in the public -admiration, it must have exhausted the riches of Golconda to buy, and -the <i>Festival of Nankin</i> commenced with the very clever trick derived -from the Chinese.</p> - -<p>Philippe took up several rings about eight inches in diameter, and -intertwined them into chains and knots with the greatest possible ease. -Then suddenly, when it seemed impossible for him to unravel his -handiwork, he blew upon them, and the rings fell separately at his feet. -This trick produced a charming illusion.</p> - -<p>The one that succeeded it, and which I never saw performed by any one -else, was quite equal to the preceding one in interest.<a name="page_229" id="page_229"></a></p> - -<p>Macalister, the Scotch bricklayer (who on the stage was a negro of the -name of Domingo), brought in on a table two sugar-loaves still covered -with that horrible paper which the honest grocer sells at the price of -colonial wares. Philippe borrowed a dozen handkerchiefs (not from -accomplices), and after placing them in a blunderbuss, he fired at one -of the sugar-loaves chosen by the audience. He then broke it asunder -with an axe, and all the handkerchiefs were found in it.</p> - -<p>Next came <i>Fortunatus’s hat</i>. Philippe, after producing from this hat, -which he had borrowed from a spectator, an innumerable number of -objects, at last pulled out enough feathers to make a bed. The most -amusing part of this trick consisted in the conjurer making a lad kneel -down, who was completely buried in this avalanche of feathers.</p> - -<p>Another striking trick was the one called “The Kitchen of -Parafaragarmus.” At Philippe’s request two schoolboys came on the stage, -whom he dressed, one as scullion, the other as professed cook. Thus -metamorphosed, the two young <i>cordons bleus</i> underwent all sorts of -pleasantries and mystifications. (This was a trick of Castelli’s -school.)</p> - -<p>The conjurer then proceeded to perform the trick; for this purpose he -suspended from a tripod an enormous copper caldron full of water, and -ordered the two lads to put in it dead pigeons, an assortment of -vegetables, and plenty of seasoning. Then he lit some spirits of wine -under the caldron, and pronounced some magical incantations. At his -voice, the pigeons, returning to life, flew out of the caldron; while -the water, vegetables, and seasoning had entirely disappeared.</p> - -<p>Philippe usually ended the evening’s performance with the famous Chinese -trick, to which he had given the pompous name of “Neptune’s Basins, or -the Gold-Fish.<a name="page_230" id="page_230"></a>”</p> - -<p>The magician, clothed in his brilliant costume, mounted on a sort of low -table, which isolated him from the stage. After a few manĹ“uvres to -prove he had nothing about him, he threw a shawl at his feet, and, on -lifting it up, he displayed a glass basin filled with water, in which -gold-fish swam about. This was thrice repeated, with the same result; -but, in his desire to improve on his brethren of the Celestial Empire, -the French conjurer had added a variation to their trick, which gave an -amusing termination to the performance. Throwing the shawl on the ground -for the fourth time, several animals, such as rabbits, ducks, chickens, -&c., emerged from it. This trick was performed, if not gracefully, at -least in a way to excite the lively admiration of the spectators.</p> - -<p>Generally, Philippe was very amusing in his entertainment. His -experiments were performed with a good deal of conscientiousness, skill, -and dash, and I have no hesitation in saying that the conjurer of the -Bonne-Nouvelle Bazaar might then be considered one of the best of the -day. Philippe quitted Paris the following year, and has since performed -entirely in foreign countries, or the provinces.</p> - -<p>Philippe’s success would not have failed to rekindle my desire to -realize my theatrical schemes, had not, at this period, a misfortune -hurled me into a state of profound wretchedness. I lost my wife.</p> - -<p>Left with three young children, I was obliged to undertake their charge, -although so unskilled in household cares. Thus, at the end of five -years, robbed by some, deceived by others, I had almost lost all that my -labor had produced me, and was going to ruin.</p> - -<p>Forced by my intolerable position, I determined on reconstituting my -home, and I married again. I shall have<a name="page_231" id="page_231"></a> so many occasions of speaking -of my new wife, that I shall refrain at present from praising her -according to her deserts; besides, I am not sorry to abridge these -domestic details, which, though personally important to me, only possess -a very slight interest in my story.</p> - -<p>The Exhibition of 1844 was about to open, so I asked and obtained leave -to exhibit some specimens of my skill. The site granted me, opposite the -door of honor, was undoubtedly one of the best in the hall, and I -erected a circular stand, on which I placed a specimen of all the -mechanical pieces I had as yet made. Among these my <i>Writer</i> took the -first place, which M. G—— had been kind enough to lend me for the -occasion. I may say I enjoyed all the honor of the exhibition, for my -productions were constantly surrounded by a crowd of spectators, who -were all the more eager as the performance was gratis.</p> - -<p>Louis Philippe paid daily visits to the Palace of Industry, and as my -automata had been pointed out as deserving his attention, he evinced a -wish to see them, and gave me twenty hours’ notice of his visit. I thus -had time enough to make all my arrangements. The king arrived, holding -the Comte de Paris by the hand, and I stood on his left hand to explain -my various articles. The Duchess of Orleans was by my side, and the -other members of the royal family formed a circle around his majesty, -while the crowd, kept back by the keepers of the palace and the police -agents, left an open space round my exhibition.</p> - -<p>The king was in a charming humor, and seemed to take a pleasure in all I -showed him. He frequently asked me questions, and missed no occasion to -show his excellent judgment. At the end of the <i>sĂ©ance</i>, the party -stopped before my Writer. This automaton, it must be borne in mind, -wrote or drew according to the question asked.<a name="page_232" id="page_232"></a> The king made the -following inquiry: “How many inhabitants does Paris contain?” The writer -raised its left hand as if to indicate that it required a sheet of -paper, on receiving which, it wrote very distinctly, “Paris contains -998,964 inhabitants.”</p> - -<p>The paper passed from the king’s hand into those of the royal family, -and all admired the beauty of the writing; but I saw that Louis Philippe -had a critique to offer, his smile proved that plainly enough. Hence I -was not surprised when, pointing to the paper which had come back to -him, he said:</p> - -<p>“Monsieur Robert-Houdin, you did not, perhaps, recollect that this -number will not agree with the new census, which is almost completed?”</p> - -<p>Contrary to my expectations, I felt quite at ease with my illustrious -visitors.</p> - -<p>“Sire!” I replied, with sufficient assurance for a man not much -accustomed to the society of crowned heads, “I hope at that period my -automaton will be intelligent enough to make any necessary corrections.”</p> - -<p>The king appeared satisfied with this reply, and I took advantage of his -good humor to mention that my Writer was also a poet, and explained -that, if he would deign to offer an unfinished quatrain, the automaton -would fill up the rhyme in the fourth line. The king chose the -following:</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Lorsque dans le malheur, accablĂ© de souffrance,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">AbandonnĂ© de tous, l’homme va succomber,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Quel est l’ange divin qui vient le consoler?<br /></span> -<span class="i0">C’est....<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p class="nind"><i>L’EspĂ©rance</i>, the writer added to the fourth line.</p> - -<p>“That is really charming,” the king said to me. “But,<a name="page_233" id="page_233"></a> Monsieur -Robert-Houdin,” he added, in a confidential tone, “you must have given -your writer instructions in the poetic art?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sire, as far as my weak powers permitted.”</p> - -<p>“Then my compliment is merited more by the master than the pupil.”</p> - -<p>I bowed to thank the king as much for his compliment as for the delicate -manner in which it was conveyed.</p> - -<p>“Now then, Monsieur Robert-Houdin,” Louis Philippe continued, “I see by -the notice attached to this automaton that it is a draughtsman, in -addition to its merits as a writer and poet. If it be so, come,” he -said, addressing the Comte de Paris, “choose your own subject for a -drawing.”</p> - -<p>Thinking to cause the prince an agreeable surprise, I had recourse to -palmistry to influence his decision, and he, consequently selected a -crown. The automaton began drawing the outline of this regal ornament -with great skill, and every one followed its movements with interest, -when, to my great disappointment, the point of the draughtsman’s pencil -broke, and the crown could not be finished. I was going to recommence -the experiment, when the king declined, with thanks.</p> - -<p>“As you have learned to draw,” he said to the Comte de Paris, “you can -finish this for yourself.”</p> - -<p>This performance, besides being the prelude of the kindly interest the -Orleans family afterwards displayed towards me, probably exerted some -influence on the decision of the jury, which granted me a silver medal.<a name="page_234" id="page_234"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">My proposed Reforms—I build a Theatre in the Palais -Royal—Formalities—General Rehearsal—Singular Effect of my -Performance—The Largest and Smallest Theatre in -Paris—Tribulation—My first Performance—Panic—Discouragement—A -Fallible Prophet—Recovery—Success.</p></div> - -<p>I<small>T</small> may seem strange that I thus pass from my mechanical labors to my -studies in sleight-of-hand; but if my readers will bear in mind that -these two sciences were to unite in producing my success, it will easily -be understood that I felt an equal degree of affection for them, and -that after mentioning one I must allude to the other. The Exhibition did -not drive from my thoughts my theatrical projects.</p> - -<p>The instruments intended for my future performances were on the point of -completion, for I had never stopped working at them. I was hence enabled -to commence operations as soon as an opportunity offered. In the mean -time, I determined on the changes I intended to introduce into the usual -routine of conjuring performances.</p> - -<p>Remembering Torrini’s principles, I intended to have an elegant and -simple stage, unencumbered by all the paraphernalia of the ordinary -conjurer, which looks more like a toyshop than a serious performance. I -would have none of those enormous metal shades usually placed over -objects that are to disappear, and whose secret duties<a name="page_235" id="page_235"></a> cannot escape -the notice of the simplest spectator. Apparatus of transparent or opaque -glass, according to circumstances, would suffice for all my operations. -In the performance of my tricks I also intended to abolish those -double-bottomed boxes of which some conjurers made such an abuse, as -well as all instruments designed to make up for the performer’s want of -skill. Real sleight-of-hand must not be the tinman’s work but the -artist’s, and people do not visit the latter to see instruments perform.</p> - -<p>Of course, after the abuse I have showered upon the use of accomplices, -I quite did away with them. I have always regarded such trickery as -unworthy a real artist, as it raises doubts as to his skill. Besides, -having frequently acted as an accomplice, I remembered the unfavorable -impression this employment had left upon me as to the talent of my -partner.</p> - -<p>Jets of gas, covered by opaque globes, were to be substituted on my -stage for the thousands of candles, whose brilliancy is only intended to -dazzle the spectators and thus injure the effect of the experiments.</p> - -<p>Among the reforms I intended to introduce on the stage, the most -important was the abolition of those long tablecloths reaching to the -ground, beneath which an assistant is always suspected, and, generally -with some show of reason. For these immense chests of deception I -substituted consoles of gilt wood after the style of Louis XV.</p> - -<p>Of course, I abstained from any eccentric costume, and I never thought -of making any change in the attire civilized society has agreed to -accept for evening dress, for I was always of opinion that bizarre -accoutrements, far from giving the wearer any consideration, on the -contrary cast disfavor upon him.<a name="page_236" id="page_236"></a></p> - -<p>I had also traced out for my performances a line of conduct from which I -never diverged; that was to make no puns or play upon words, and never -to permit myself to be guilty of a mystification, even were I sure of -gaining the greatest success.</p> - -<p>Finally, I wished to offer new experiments divested of all charlatanism, -and possessing no other resources than those offered by skillful -manipulation, and the influence of illusions.</p> - -<p>This was, it will be seen, a complete regeneration in the art of -conjuring; my only fear was whether the public would accept these -important reforms and such elegant simplicity. It is true, Antonio, the -usual confidant of my plans and thoughts, strongly encouraged me.</p> - -<p>“Don’t be alarmed about your success,” he said; “you have precedents to -prove the good taste of the public and their willingness to accept -reforms based on reason. Remember Talma appearing suddenly at the -Thèâtre-Français clothed in the simple antique toga, at a time when -tragedies were performed in silk coats, powdered perukes, and red -heels.”</p> - -<p>I accepted the reasoning, though I did not recognise the justice of the -comparison. In fact, Talma could impose his taste on the public by the -authority of his talent and reputation, while I, who as yet held no -brevet rank in the army of conjurers, trembled to see my innovations -badly received.</p> - -<p>We had now reached the month of December, 1844, and, having nothing -further to detain me, I decided on striking the grand blow—that is to -say, I went out one morning determined on finding a site for my theatre. -I passed the whole day in attempting to find a spot combining advantage -of situation, chance of receipts, and many other benefits.<a name="page_237" id="page_237"></a> I stopped -through preference at the best spots and before the handsomest houses, -but found nothing that exactly suited me.</p> - -<p>Wearied with searching, I singularly lowered my pretentions and wants. -Here I found an enormous price asked for a room that only in part suited -me; there, proprietors who would not, for any consideration, have -performances in their houses; in short, obstacles and impossibilities on -all sides.</p> - -<p>Thus I ran about Paris for a fortnight, passing from the largest to the -smallest houses in turn, and ended by convincing myself that fate was -adverse to my plans. Antonio relieved me from my difficulty, for that -worthy friend, who aided me in the search, came to tell me he had found -a room in the Palais Royal which could be easily converted into a -theatre. I went straight to 164 in the Galerie de Valois, where I found, -in fact, all the conditions I had sought elsewhere, combined.</p> - -<p>The proprietor of this house had been dreaming for a long time in vain -about a benevolent tenant, who, while paying an exhorbitant price for -his room, would come in without expecting any repairs to be done. I was, -therefore, most welcome, when I not only agreed to pay the rent asked, -but endured passively every sort of imposition. Indeed, I would have -given much more, so afraid as I was lest this desirable house should -slip from me.</p> - -<p>When the bargain was concluded, I applied to an architect, who soon -brought me the plan of a charming room, which I jumped at. A few days -later he set to work, partitions were knocked down, the ground cleared, -and the carpenters began erecting my theatre, which was to contain from -180 to 200 persons. Though small, this room was all I wanted for my -style of performance; for supposing,<a name="page_238" id="page_238"></a> according to my famous -calculations, that it was constantly full, it would be an excellent -affair for me.</p> - -<p>Antonio, ever filled with zeal for my interests, paid constant visits to -my workmen and stimulated their activity, but one day my friend was -struck by a sudden idea.</p> - -<p>“By the way,” he said, “have you thought of asking permission from the -Prefect of Police to construct your theatre?”</p> - -<p>“Not yet,” I replied, quietly. “It cannot be refused me, as this -construction makes no change in the architectural arrangements of the -house.”</p> - -<p>“That is possible,” Antonio added, “but in your place I would take this -step immediately, that no difficulty may occur when it is too late.”</p> - -<p>I followed his advice, and we went together to M. X——â€s office, who -then had the direction of theatrical affairs. After an hour waiting, we -were introduced to the head of the office, who, being at the moment -engaged in some interesting reading, did not seem even to notice our -presence. In ten minutes, however, M. X—— laid down his book, opened -and shut a few drawers, called his clerk, gave orders, lifted his -spectacles, and made us a sign that he was ready to hear a sentence -which I had already commenced twice or thrice without being able to end -it. This impertinent coolness made my blood boil; still I said, as -politely as my vexation would allow me,</p> - -<p>“I have come, sir, to ask your permission to open a room for -performances of magic and sleight-of-hand in the Palais Royal.”</p> - -<p>“Sir,” the head of the office replied, very dryly, “if you have chosen -the Palais Royal for your performance, I can tell you you will not -obtain permission.”</p> - -<p>“Why so, sir?” I said, in consternation.<a name="page_239" id="page_239"></a></p> - -<p>“Because a ministerial decree forbids any new establishment being opened -there.”</p> - -<p>“But pray consider, sir, that, not being aware of this decision, I have -taken a room on a long lease, and my theatre is at this moment being -built. The refusal of this permission will be my ruin. What can I do -now?”</p> - -<p>“That is not my business,” the bureaucrat replied, disdainfully; “I am -not a theatrical agent.”</p> - -<p>With these words M. X——, after the method employed by solicitors and -physicians to announce that a consultation is over, rose, led us to the -door, and, himself opening it, showed us clearly what we had to do. -Antonio and myself, equally in despair, remained for more than an hour -at the door of the Prefecture, vainly taxing our brains how to escape -from this difficulty. With all our reasoning, we always arrived at the -mournful conclusion that we could do no less than stop the building, and -compound with B—— to take the lease off my hands. It was my ruin, -Antonio understood as well as I, and he could offer me no consolation.</p> - -<p>“But, stay,” he said suddenly, striking his forehead, “I have an idea. -Tell me, during the late exhibition, did you not sell a â€mysterious -clock’ to M. Benjamin Delessert, a banker?”</p> - -<p>“Well, suppose I did, what has that to do with——“</p> - -<p>“What! do you not understand me? M. Delessert is brother of the Prefect -of Police. Go and see him; he is said to be good hearted, perhaps he -will give you good advice, or even better than that. If he would speak -to his brother on your behalf, we should be saved, for M. Gabriel -Delessert is omnipotent in theatrical matters.”</p> - -<p>I adopted Antonio’s advice with joy, and proceeded to carry it into -effect. M. B. Delessert received me kindly,<a name="page_240" id="page_240"></a> complimented me on the -clock, with which he was quite satisfied, and made me inspect his -magnificent picture-gallery, in which it was put up. Emboldened by this -kind reception, I explained to him the embarrassment in which I was -placed.</p> - -<p>“Well, M. Robert-Houdin,” he said to me, “console yourself; we may -possibly arrange this affair. I am going to give a large party next -Wednesday evening, to which my brother has promised to come. Do me the -pleasure to join us; you will give us a specimen of your talents, and -when M. le PrĂ©fet has learned to appreciate you, I will speak to him of -your matter.”</p> - -<p>On Wednesday, I proceeded to the house of my new protector, who had the -kindness to present me to some of his guests, while confidentially -praising my sleight-of-hand talents. My performance came off, and, -judging by the applause I received, I may say it justified their -anticipated compliments. A week had scarce elapsed when I received a -summons to the office of Prefect of Police. I went there with all speed, -and M. Gabriel Delessert informed me that he had been able to induce the -minister to revoke his decision. “Hence you can now go,” he added, “and -obtain your permission in M. X——â€s office, where it has been sent for -some formalities.”</p> - -<p>It was curious about my reception on this occasion, but M. X—— -displayed such extreme politeness towards me, that it largely made up -for the cavalier treatment he had offered me on the first occasion. Far -from leaving me standing, he would willingly have offered me two chairs -instead of one, and when I quitted his office, he overwhelmed me with -all the attention due to a man protected by a superior power. I was too -<a name="page_241" id="page_241"></a>happy to bear M. X—— any malice; hence we separated quite reconciled.</p> - -<p>I will spare my readers the numberless tribulations which accompanied my -unending building; mistakes in time and money are so usual in such -matters, that I need not allude to them here. At length, all this was -over, and with the liveliest pleasure I saw the last workman depart not -to return again.</p> - -<p>We had now reached the end of June, and I hoped to commence at the -beginning of July. For this purpose I hastened my preparations, for each -day was an enormous loss, as I was spending much and earning nothing.</p> - -<p>I had already given some partial rehearsals, and I now decided on -holding one to precede the general rehearsal, but, as I was not quite -sure of the success of my experiments, I only invited half a dozen -intimate friends, pledged to give me their opinion with the greatest -severity. This performance was fixed for the 25th June, 1845, and on -that day I made my preparations with as much care as if I were going to -give my opening performance, for I had been suffering for nearly a month -from a regular panic, which I could attribute to no other cause than my -nervous and impressionable temperament.</p> - -<p>I could not get a wink of sleep, my appetite had left me, and I thought -of my performances with a species of dread. I, who had hitherto treated -so lightly the performances I gave to my friends—I, who had obtained -such success at Aubusson, trembled like a child.</p> - -<p>The reason was, that hitherto I had performed before spectators ever -smiling or ready to smile, and the success of my experiments made no -difference to me. Now, I was about to appear before a real audience, and -I trembled at the thought of “the right they purchased at the door.”</p> - -<p>On the appointed evening, at eight precisely, my friends<a name="page_242" id="page_242"></a> having duly -arrived, the curtain rose, and I appeared on the stage. Half a dozen -smiles greeted my appearance, which rekindled my courage and even gave -me a species of coolness. The first of my experiments was performed very -decently, and yet my address was very badly repeated. I recited it like -a schoolboy who tries to remember his lesson, but the good favor of my -spectators once acquired, I continued famously.</p> - -<p>To explain what follows, I must mention that, during the whole day, -heavy clouds had hung over Paris; and the evening, far from bringing any -relief, wafted into the room puffs of heated air, which seemed to issue -from a stove.</p> - -<p>Well, I had scarcely reached the middle of the first part, when two of -my spectators had yielded to the soporific influences of the weather and -my “patter.” I could excuse them, however, for my own eye-lids were -beginning to droop. Not being accustomed to sleep standing, however, I -held my own.</p> - -<p>But it is well known that nothing is so contagious as sleep, hence the -epidemic made rapid progress. At the end of a few moments the last of -the survivors let his head fall on his chest and completed the sextet, -whose snoring, continually <i>crescendo</i>, at length drowned my voice. My -situation was disagreeable, and though I tried to arouse my audience by -speaking in a louder key, I only succeeded in causing one or two -eye-lids to open, which, after a few insane winks, closed again.</p> - -<p>At length the first part of the performance was over and the curtain -fell, and with much pleasure I stretched myself in an arm-chair to enjoy -a few minutes’ rest! Five minutes would be enough, and I was asleep -before I could repel the invader. My son, who helped me on the stage,<a name="page_243" id="page_243"></a> -had not waited so long; he had laid himself on the ground and was -sleeping like a top, while my wife, a busy, courageous woman, though -struggling against the common foe, watched near me, and, in her tender -care, did not disturb a sleep I required so much. Besides, she had -peeped through the hole in the curtain, and our spectators seemed so -happy, that she had not the heart to disturb them. But, insensibly, her -strength betrayed her courage, and unable to resist the temptation of a -nap, she fell asleep too.</p> - -<p>The pianist, who represented my orchestra, having seen the curtain fall, -and hearing no movement on the stage, thought my performance was over, -and determined on going. As the porter had orders to turn off the gas at -the main when he saw my pianist go out, and was most anxious to be exact -at the beginning of his engagement, he hastened to obey my orders, and -plunged the room into utter darkness.</p> - -<p>We had been enjoying this delightful sleep for about two hours, when I -was aroused by a confused sound of voices and shouts. I rubbed my eyes -and wondered where I was, but seeing nothing, I grew quite alarmed. “Can -I possibly have gone blind?” I exclaimed; “I can see nothing!”</p> - -<p>“Hang it, no more can we see anything!” said a voice, which I recognized -as Antonio’s. “For goodness’ sake, give us a light!”</p> - -<p>“Yes, yes, a light!” my five other spectators repeated in chorus.</p> - -<p>We were soon on our feet; the curtain was raised, and then, having -lighted some candles, we saw our five sleepers rubbing their eyes, and -trying to find out where they were;<a name="page_244" id="page_244"></a> while Antonio was growling away -under the stalls, where he had fallen asleep.</p> - -<p>All was then explained; we had a hearty laugh at the adventure, and -separated with the promise of meeting again.</p> - -<p>There were only four days to the 1st of July, and to any one acquainted -with the preparations for a first performance, and, far more important -still, for opening a theatre, this lapse of time will appear very short, -for there is always so much to be done at the last moment. Thus, the 1st -of July arrived, and I was not prepared, and the opening did not take -place till three days later.</p> - -<p>On this day, by a strange coincidence, the Hippodrome and the “fantastic -soirĂ©es” of Robert-Houdin, the largest and smallest stage in Paris, were -opened to the public. The 3d of July, 1845, saw two bills placarded on -the walls of Paris; one enormous, belonging to the Hippodrome, while the -other, of far more modest proportions, announced my performances. Still, -as in the fable of the reed and the oak, the large theatre, in spite of -the skill of the managers, has undergone many changes of fortune; while -the smaller one has continually enjoyed the public favor.</p> - -<p>I have sacredly kept a proof of my first bill, the form and color of -which has always remained the same since that date. I copy it word for -word here, both to furnish an idea of its simplicity, and to display the -programme of the experiments I then offered to the public:<a name="page_245" id="page_245"></a></p> - -<div class="bbox"> -<p class="c"> -<span class="smcap">To-day, Thursday, July 3, 1845.</span><br /> -<br /> -FIRST REPRESENTATION<br /> -<br /> -OF<br /> -<br /> -THE FANTASTIC SOIRÉES<br /> -<br /> -OF<br /> -<br /> -ROBERT-HOUDIN.<br /> -<br /> -AUTOMATA, SLEIGHT-OF-HAND, MAGIC.<br /> -<br /> -The Performance will be composed of entirely novel Experiments<br /> -invented by <span class="smcap">M. Robert-Houdin</span>.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="font-size:90%;"> - -<tr><td colspan="2" align="center">AMONG THEM BEING:</td></tr> - -<tr valign="top"><td>THE CABALISTIC CLOCK.<br /> -AURIOL AND DEBUREAU.<br /> -THE ORANGE-TREE.<br /> -THE MYSTERIOUS BOUQUET.<br /> -THE HANDKERCHIEF.<br /> -PIERROT IN THE EGG.</td> - -<td class="bl">OBEDIENT CARDS.<br /> -THE MIRACULOUS FISH.<br /> -THE FASCINATING OWL.<br /> -THE PASTRYCOOK OF THE PALAIS ROYAL.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p class="c">TO COMMENCE AT EIGHT O’CLOCK.<br /> -<br /> -Box-office open at Half-past Seven.<br /> -<br /> -Price of places: Upper Boxes, 1 fr. 50 c.; Stalls, 3 fr.; Boxes,<br /> -4 fr.; Dress Circle, 5 fr.<br /> -</p> -</div> - -<p>The day of my first representation had at length arrived. To say how I -spent it is impossible; all I remember is, that, at the end of a -feverish and sleepless night,<a name="page_246" id="page_246"></a> occasioned by the multiplicity of my -tasks, I had to organise and foresee everything, for I was at once -manager, machinist, author and actor. What a terrible responsibility for -a poor artist, whose life had hitherto been spent among his tools!</p> - -<p>At seven in the evening, a thousand things had still to be done, but I -was in a state of febrile excitement which doubled my strength and -energy, and I got through them all.</p> - -<p>Eight o’clock struck and echoed through my heart like the peal that -summons the culprit to execution; never in my life did I experience such -emotion and torture. Ah! if I could only draw back! Had it been possible -to fly and abandon this position I had so long desired, with what -happiness would I have returned to my peaceful avocations! And yet, why -did I feel this mad terror? I know not, for three-fourths of the room -were filled with persons on whose indulgence I could rely.</p> - -<p>I made a final attack on my pusillanimity.</p> - -<p>“Come!” I said to myself, “courage! I have my name, my future, my -children’s fortune at stake; courage!”</p> - -<p>This thought restored me; I passed my hand several times over my -agitated features, ordered the curtain to be raised, and without further -reflection I walked boldly on the stage.</p> - -<p>My friends, aware of my sufferings, received me with some encouraging -applause; this kind reception restored my confidence, and, like a gentle -dew, refreshed my mind and senses. I began.</p> - -<p>To assert that I acquitted myself fairly would be a proof of vanity, and -yet it would be excusable, for I received repeated signs of applause -from my audience. But<a name="page_247" id="page_247"></a> how to distinguish between the applause of the -friendly and the paying public? I was glad to deceive myself, and my -experiments gained by it.</p> - -<p>The first part was over, and the curtain fell. My wife came directly to -embrace me, to encourage me, and thank me for my courageous efforts. I -may now confess it: I believed that I had been alone severe to myself, -and that it was possible all this applause was sterling coin. This -belief did me an enormous good; and why should I conceal it, tears of -joy stood in my eyes, which I hastened to wipe away lest my feelings -might prevent my preparations for the second part.</p> - -<p>The curtain rose again, and I approached my audience with a smile on my -lips. I judged of this change in my face by those of my spectators, for -they began all at once to share my good humor.</p> - -<p>How many times since have I tried this imitative faculty on the part of -the public? If you are anxious, ill-disposed, or vexed, or should your -face bear the stamp of any annoying impression, your audience, -straightway imitating the contraction of your features, begins to frown, -grows serious, and ill-disposed to be favorable to you. If, however, you -appear on the stage with a cheerful face, the most sombre brows -unwrinkle, and every one seems to say to the artist: “How d’ye do, old -fellow, your face pleases me, I only want an opportunity to applaud -you.” Such seemed to be the case with my public at this moment.</p> - -<p>It was more easy for me to feel at my ease as I was beginning my -favorite experiment, “the surprising pocket-handkerchief,” a medley of -clever deceptions. After borrowing a handkerchief, I produced from it a -multitude of objects of every description, such as sugar-plums, feathers -of every size up to a drum-major’s, fans, comic<a name="page_248" id="page_248"></a> journals, and, as a -<i>finale</i>, an enormous basket of flowers, which I distributed to the -ladies. This trick was perfectly successful, but, to tell the truth, I -had it at my fingers’ ends.</p> - -<p>The next performance was the “orange-tree,” and I had every reason to -calculate on this trick, for, in my private rehearsals, it was the one I -always did best. I began with a few juggling tricks as introduction, -which were perfectly successful, and I had every reason to believe I was -getting through it capitally, when a sudden thought crossed my mind and -paralyzed me. I was assailed by a panic which must have been felt to be -understood, and I will try to explain it by an illustration.</p> - -<p>When you are learning to swim, the teacher begins by giving you this -important piece of advice; “Have confidence, and all will be well.” If -you follow his advice, you can easily keep yourself up on the water, and -it seems perfectly natural; thus you learn to swim. But it often happens -that a sudden thought crosses your mind like lightning: “Suppose my -strength failed me!” From that time you hurry your movements, you -redouble your speed, the water no longer sustains you, you flounder -about, and, if a helping hand were not by, you would be lost.</p> - -<p>Such was my situation on the stage; the thought had suddenly struck me: -“Suppose I were to fail!” And immediately I began to talk quick, hurried -on in my anxiety to finish, felt confused, and, like the tired swimmer, -I floundered about without being able to emerge from the chaos of my -ideas.</p> - -<p>Oh! then I experienced a torture, an agony which I could not describe, -but which might easily become mortal were it prolonged.<a name="page_249" id="page_249"></a></p> - -<p>The real public were cold and silent, my friends were foolish enough to -applaud, but the rest remained quiet. I scarcely dared to look round the -room, and my experiment ended I know not how.</p> - -<p>I proceeded to the next, but my nervous system had reached such a degree -of irritation that I no longer knew what I said or did. I only felt that -I was speaking with extraordinary volubility, so that the four last -tricks of my performance were done in a few minutes.</p> - -<p>The curtain fell very opportunely; my strength was exhausted; but a -little longer and I should have had to crave the indulgence of my -audience.</p> - -<p>In my life I never passed so frightful a night as the one following my -first performance. I had a fever, I am quite certain, but that was as -nothing in comparison with my moral sufferings. I had no desire left or -courage to appear on the stage. I wished to sell, give up, or give away, -if necessary, an establishment which taxed my strength too severely.</p> - -<p>“No,” I said to myself, “I am not born for this life of emotion. I will -quit the parching atmosphere of a theatre. I will, even at the expense -of a brilliant fortune, return to my gentle and calm employment.”</p> - -<p>The next morning, incapable of rising, and, indeed, firmly resolved to -give up my representations, I had the bill taken down that announced my -performance for that evening. I had made up my mind as to all the -consequences of this resolution. Thus, the sacrifice accomplished, I -found myself far more calm, and even yielded to the imperious claims of -a sleep I had for a long time denied myself.</p> - -<p>I have now arrived at a moment when I shall quit for ever the mournful -and wearisome details of the numerous<a name="page_250" id="page_250"></a> misfortunes that preceded my -representations; but my readers will notice with some surprise to what a -futile circumstance I owed my release from this state of discouragement, -which I fancied would last for ever.</p> - -<p>The repose I had taken during the day and the following night had -refreshed my blood and my ideas. I regarded my situation under a very -different aspect, and I had already made up my mind not to give up my -theatre, when one of my friends—or, who called himself so—came to pay -me a visit.</p> - -<p>After expressing his regret at the unhappy result of my first -performance, at which he had been present, he said:</p> - -<p>“I called in to see you because I noticed your room was closed, and I -had a wish to express my feelings to you on the subject. I must say, -then, to speak frankly” (I have noticed that this phrase is always -followed by some bad compliment, which is meant to pass under the guise -of friendly frankness), “that you are perfectly right to quit a -profession beyond your strength, and that you have acted wisely by -anticipating with good grace a decision to which you would have been -forced sooner or later. However,” he added, with a self-sufficient air, -“I foretold it. I always thought you were committing an act of madness, -and that your theatre would no sooner be opened than you would be -obliged to close it.”</p> - -<p>These cruel compliments, addressed under the cloak of apocryphal -frankness, wounded me deeply. I could easily detect that this offerer of -advice, sacrificing to his vanity the slight affection he felt for me, -had only come to see me in order to parade his perspicacity and the -justice of his previsions, of which he had never mentioned a syllable to -me. Well, this infallible prophet, who foresaw events so truly, was far -from suspecting the change he<a name="page_251" id="page_251"></a> was producing in me. The more he talked, -the more he confirmed me in the resolution of continuing my -performances.</p> - -<p>“Who told you my room was closed?” I said, in a tone that had nothing -affectionate about it. “If I did not perform yesterday, it was because, -worn out by the fatigue I have undergone for some time, I wished to rest -for at least one day. Your foreboding will, therefore, be disappointed, -when I tell you that I shall perform this very evening. I hope, in my -second representation, to take my revenge on the public; and this time -they will judge me less severely than you have done. I am quite -convinced of it.”</p> - -<p>The conversation having taken this turn, could not be continued much -longer. My offerer of advice, dissatisfied at my reception of him, -quitted me, and I have never seen him since. Yet, I bear him no malice; -on the contrary, if he reads my Memoirs, I beg to offer him in this -place my thanks for the happy revolution he produced in me by wounding -my vanity to the quick.</p> - -<p>Bills were immediately posted to announce my performance for that -evening, and I made my preparations calmly, while thinking over those -parts of my performance in which it would be advisable to introduce a -change.</p> - -<p>This second representation went on much better than I had hoped, and my -audience appeared satisfied. Unfortunately, that audience was small, and -my receipts, consequently, were the same. Still, I accepted it all -philosophically, for the success I had obtained gave me confidence in -the future.</p> - -<p>However, I soon had real causes for consolation. The celebrities of the -press came to my representations, and described my performance in the -most flattering terms.<a name="page_252" id="page_252"></a> Some contributors to the comic papers also made -very pleasant allusions to my performances and myself. Among others, the -present editor of the <i>Charivari</i> wrote an article full of fun and dash -about my performances, which he terminated with some lines, expressive -of his decided opinion that I belonged to the family of Robert le Diable -and Robert Macaire.</p> - -<p>Finally, the <i>Illustration</i>, desirous of evincing its sympathy, engaged -Eugène Forey to draw a sketch of my theatre. Such publicity soon -attracted the attention of the first Parisian circles: people came to -see my performances: they appointed to meet at my room, and from this -moment commenced that reputation which has never left me since.<a name="page_253" id="page_253"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">New Studies—A Comic Journal—Invention of Second Sight—Curious -Experiments—An enthusiastic Spectator—Danger of being a -Sorcerer—A Philter or your Life—Way to get rid of Bores—An -Electric Touch—I perform at the Vaudeville—Struggles with the -Incredulous—Interesting Details.</p></div> - -<p>F<small>ONTENELLE</small> says, somewhere or other, “There is no success, however -merited, in which luck does not have a share;” and, although I was of -the same opinion as the illustrious Academician, I determined by sheer -toil to diminish as much as in me lay the share luck could claim in <i>my</i> -success. In the first place, I redoubled my efforts to improve the -execution of my tricks, and when I believed I had attained that result, -I tried to correct a fault which, I felt, must injure my performance. -This was speaking too rapidly; and my “patter,” recited in a schoolboy -tone, thus lost much of its effect. I was drawn in this false direction -by my natural vivacity, and I had great trouble in correcting it; -however, by resolutely attacking my enemy, I managed to conquer it.</p> - -<p>This victory was doubly profitable to me: I performed with much less -fatigue, and had the pleasure of noticing, in the calmness of my -audience, that I had realized the scenic truth, “the more slowly a story -is told, the shorter it seems.” In fact, if you pronounce slowly, the -public, judging from your calmness that you take an interest in what you -are saying, yield to your influence and listen to<a name="page_254" id="page_254"></a> you with sustained -attention. If, on the contrary, your words reveal a desire to finish -quickly, your auditors gradually submit to the influence of this -restlessness, and they are as anxious as yourself to hear the end of -your story.</p> - -<p>I have said that people of the first rank came to my theatre, but I -noticed, on the other hand, to my regret, that my pit was scantily -filled. As I was ambitious to have my room thronged, I thought I could -not effect this more easily than by making my theatre better known than -I had hitherto done.</p> - -<p>From time immemorial it has been the custom, at conjuring performances, -to distribute small presents to the audience, in order to “maintain -their friendship.” Toys were generally selected, which spectators of all -ages contended for; and this often made Comte say at the moment of -distribution, “Here are toys for great children and small.” These toys -had a very ephemeral existence, and as nothing indicated their origin, -they could attract no attention to the giver. While, then, I was as -liberal as my predecessors, I wished that my little presents should keep -up for a longer period the remembrance of my name and experiments. -Instead of dolls and other similar objects, I distributed to my -spectators, under the form of presents produced by magic, illustrated -comic journals, elegant fans, albums, and rebuses, all accompanied by -bouquets and excellent bonbons. Each article bore, not only the -inscription “Recollections of Robert-Houdin’s fantastic soirĂ©es,” but -also details of my performances, according to the nature of the article. -These were generally presented in the shape of verses. The thing that -caused me the most trouble was my comic journal, the “Cagliostro,” which -I was forced to edit at the expense of my night’s rest. The audience -were amused by my jests, and<a name="page_255" id="page_255"></a> the perusal of the paper between the acts -gave me a little time to make my preparations.</p> - -<p>The experiment, however, to which I owed my reputation was one inspired -by that fantastic god to whom Pascal attributes all the discoveries of -this sublunary world: chance led me straight to the invention of <i>second -sight</i>.</p> - -<p>My two children were playing one day in the drawing-room at a game they -had invented for their own amusement. The younger had bandaged his elder -brother’s eyes, and made him guess the objects he touched, and when the -latter happened to guess right, they changed places. This simple game -suggested to me the most complicated idea that ever crossed my mind.</p> - -<p>Pursued by the notion, I ran and shut myself up in my workroom, and was -fortunately in that happy state when the mind follows easily the -combinations traced by fancy. I rested my head in my hands, and, in my -excitement, laid down the first principles of second sight.</p> - -<p>It would require a whole volume to describe the numberless combinations -of this experiment; but this description, far too serious for these -memoirs, will find a place in a special work, which will also contain -the explanation of my theatrical tricks. Still, I cannot resist the -desire of cursorily explaining some of the preliminary experiments to -which I had recourse before I could make the trick perfect.</p> - -<p>My readers will remember the experiment suggested to me formerly by the -pianist’s dexterity, and the strange faculty I succeeded in attaining: I -could read while juggling with four balls. Thinking seriously of this, I -fancied that this “perception by appreciation” might be susceptible of -equal development, if I applied its principles to the memory and the -mind.<a name="page_256" id="page_256"></a></p> - -<p>I resolved, therefore, on making some experiments with my son Emile, -and, in order to make my young assistant understand the nature of the -exercise we were going to learn, I took a domino, the cinq-quatre for -instance, and laid it before him. Instead of letting him count the -points of the two numbers, I requested the boy to tell me the total at -once.</p> - -<p>“Nine,” he said.</p> - -<p>Then I added another domino, the quarter-tray.</p> - -<p>“That makes sixteen,” he said, without any hesitation.</p> - -<p>I stopped the first lesson here; the next day we succeeded in counting -at a single glance four dominoes, the day after six, and thus we at -length were enabled to give instantaneously the product of a dozen -dominoes.</p> - -<p>This result obtained, we applied ourselves to a far more difficult task, -over which we spent a month. My son and I passed rapidly before a -toy-shop, or any other displaying a variety of wares, and cast an -attentive glance upon it. A few steps further on we drew paper and -pencil from our pockets, and tried which could describe the greater -number of objects seen in passing. I must own that my son reached a -perfection far greater than mine, for he could often write down forty -objects, while I could scarce reach thirty. Often feeling vexed at this -defeat, I would return to the shop and verify his statement, but he -rarely made a mistake.</p> - -<p>My male readers will certainly understand the possibility of this, but -they will recognize the difficulty. As for my lady readers, I am -convinced beforehand they will not be of the same opinion, for they -daily perform far more astounding feats. Thus, for instance, I can -safely assert that a lady seeing another pass at full speed in a -carriage, will have had time to analyze her toilette from<a name="page_257" id="page_257"></a> her bonnet to -her shoes, and be able to describe not only the fashion and quality of -the stuffs, but also say if the lace be real, or only machine made. I -have known ladies do this.</p> - -<p>This natural, or acquired, faculty among ladies, but which my son and I -had only gained by constant practice, was of great service in my -performances, for while I was executing my tricks, I could see -everything that passed around me, and thus prepare to foil any -difficulties presented me. This exercise had given me, so to speak, the -power of following two ideas simultaneously, and nothing is more -favorable in conjuring than to be able to think at the same time both of -what you are saying and of what you are doing. I eventually acquired -such a knack in this, that I frequently invented new tricks while going -through my performances. One day, even, I made a bet I would solve a -problem in mechanics while taking my part in conversation. We were -talking of the pleasure of a country life, and I calculated during this -time the quantity of wheels and pinions, as well as the necessary cogs, -to produce certain revolutions required, without once failing in my -reply.</p> - -<p>This slight explanation will be sufficient to show what is the essential -basis of second sight, and I will add that a secret and unnoticeable -correspondence existed between my son and myself, by which I could -announce to him the name, nature, and bulk of objects handed me by -spectators.</p> - -<p>As none understood my mode of action, they were tempted to believe in -something extraordinary, and, indeed, my son Emile, then aged twelve, -possessed all the essential qualities to produce this opinion, for his -pale,<a name="page_258" id="page_258"></a> intellectual, and ever thoughtful face represented the type of a -boy gifted with some supernatural power.</p> - -<p>Two months were incessantly employed in erecting the scaffolding of our -tricks, and when we were quite confident of being able to contend -against the difficulties of such an undertaking, we announced the first -representation of second sight. On the 12th of February, 1846, I printed -in the centre of my bill the following singular announcement:</p> - -<p>“<i>In this performance M. Robert-Houdin’s son, who is gifted with a -marvellous second sight, after his eyes have been covered with a thick -bandage, will designate every object presented to him by the audience</i>.”</p> - -<p>I cannot say whether this announcement attracted any spectators, for my -room was constantly crowded, still I may affirm, what may seem very -extraordinary, that the experiment of second sight, which afterwards -became so fashionable, produced no effect on the first performance. I am -inclined to believe that the spectators fancied themselves the dupes of -accomplices, but I was much annoyed by the result, as I had built on the -surprise I should produce; still, having no reason to doubt its ultimate -success, I was tempted to make a second trial, which turned out well.</p> - -<p>The next evening I noticed in my room several persons who had been -present on the previous night, and I felt they had come a second time to -assure themselves of the reality of the experiment. It seems they were -convinced, for my success was complete, and amply compensated for my -former disappointment.</p> - -<p>I especially remember a mark of singular approval with which one of my -pit audience favored me. My son had named to him several objects he -offered in succession; but<a name="page_259" id="page_259"></a> not feeling satisfied, my incredulous -friend, rising, as if to give more importance to the difficulty he was -about to present, handed me an instrument peculiar to cloth merchants, -and employed to count the number of threads. Acquiescing in his wish, I -said to my boy, “What do I hold in my hand?”</p> - -<p>“It is an instrument to judge the fineness of cloth, and called a thread -counter.”</p> - -<p>“By Jove!” my spectator said, energetically, “it is marvellous. If I had -paid ten francs to see it, I should not begrudge them.”</p> - -<p>From this moment my room was much too small, and was crowded every -evening.</p> - -<p>Still, success is not entirely rose-colored, and I could easily narrate -many disagreeable scenes produced by the reputation I had of being a -sorcerer; but I will only mention one, which forms a rĂ©sumĂ© of all I -pass over:</p> - -<p>A young lady of elegant manners paid me a visit one day, and although -her face was hidden by a thick veil, my practised eyes perfectly -distinguished her features. She was very pretty.</p> - -<p>My incognita would not consent to sit down till she was assured we were -alone, and that I was the real Robert-Houdin. I also seated myself, and -assuming the attitude of a man prepared to listen, I bent slightly to my -visitor, as if awaiting her pleasure to explain to me the object of her -mysterious visit. To my great surprise, the young lady, whose manner -betrayed extreme emotion, maintained the most profound silence, and I -began to find the visit very strange, and was on the point of forcing an -explanation, at any hazard, when the fair unknown timidly ventured these -words:</p> - -<p>“Good Heavens! sir, I know not how you will interpret my visit.<a name="page_260" id="page_260"></a>”</p> - -<p>Here she stopped, and let her eyes sink with a very embarrassed air; -then, making a violent effort, she continued:</p> - -<p>“What I have to ask of you, sir, is very difficult to explain.”</p> - -<p>“Speak, madam, I beg,” I said, politely, “and I will try to guess what -you cannot explain to me.”</p> - -<p>And I began asking myself what this reserve meant.</p> - -<p>“In the first place,” the young lady said, in a low voice, and looking -round her, “I must tell you confidentially that I loved, my love was -returned, and I—I am betrayed.”</p> - -<p>At the last word the lady raised her head, overcame the timidity she -felt, and said, in a firm and assured voice,</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir—yes, I am betrayed, and for that reason I have come to you.”</p> - -<p>“Really, madam,” I said, much surprised at this strange confession, “I -do not see how I can help you in such a matter.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, sir, I entreat you,” said my fair visitor, clasping her hands—“I -implore you not to abandon me!”</p> - -<p>I had great difficulty in keeping my countenance, and yet I felt an -extreme curiosity to know the history concealed behind this mystery.</p> - -<p>“Calm yourself, madam,” I remarked, in a tone of tender sympathy; “tell -me what you would of me, and if it be in my power——“</p> - -<p>“If it be in your power!” the young lady said, quickly; “why, nothing is -more easy, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Explain yourself, madam.”</p> - -<p>“Well, sir, I wish to be avenged.”</p> - -<p>“In what way?<a name="page_261" id="page_261"></a>”</p> - -<p>“How, you know better than I, sir; must I teach you? You have in your -power means to——“</p> - -<p>“I, madam?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, you! for you are a sorcerer, and cannot deny it.”</p> - -<p>At this word sorcerer, I was much inclined to laugh; but I was -restrained by the incognita’s evident emotion. Still, wishing to put an -end to a scene which was growing ridiculous, I said, in a politely -ironical tone:</p> - -<p>“Unfortunately, madam, you give me a title I never possessed.”</p> - -<p>“How, sir!” the young woman exclaimed, in a quick tone, “you will not -allow you are——“</p> - -<p>“A sorcerer, madam? Oh no, I will not.”</p> - -<p>“You will not?”</p> - -<p>“No, a thousand times no, madam.”</p> - -<p>At these words my visitor rose hastily, muttered a few incoherent words, -appeared suffering from terrible emotion, and then drawing near me with -flaming eyes and passionate gestures, repeated:</p> - -<p>“Ah, you will not! Very good; I now know what I have to do.”</p> - -<p>Stupefied by such an outbreak, I looked at her fixedly, and began to -suspect the cause of her extraordinary conduct.</p> - -<p>“There are two modes of acting,” she said, with terrible volubility, -“towards people who devote themselves to magic arts—entreaty and -menaces. You would not yield to the first of these means, hence, I must -employ the second. Stay,” she added, “perhaps this will induce you to -speak.”</p> - -<p>And, lifting up her cloak, she laid her hand on the hilt of a dagger -passed through her girdle. At the same time<a name="page_262" id="page_262"></a> she suddenly threw back her -veil, and displayed features in which all the signs of rage and madness -could be traced. No longer having a doubt as to the person I had to deal -with, my first movement was to rise and stand on my guard; but this -first feeling overcome, I repented the thought of a struggle with the -unhappy woman, and determined on employing a method almost always -successful with those deprived of reason. I pretended to accede to her -wishes.</p> - -<p>“If it be so, madam, I yield to your request. Tell me what you require.”</p> - -<p>“I have told you, sir; I wish for vengeance, and there is only one -method to——“</p> - -<p>Here there was a fresh interruption, and the young lady, calmed by my -apparent submission, as well as embarrassed by the request she had to -make of me, became again timid and confused.</p> - -<p>“Well, madam?”</p> - -<p>“Well, sir, I know not how to tell you—how to explain to you—but I -fancy there are certain means—certain spells—which render it -impossible—impossible for a man to be—unfaithful.”</p> - -<p>“I now understand what you wish, madam. It is a certain magic practice -employed in the middle ages. Nothing is easier, and I will satisfy you.”</p> - -<p>Decided on playing the farce to the end, I took down the largest book I -could find in my library, turned over the leaves, stopped at a page -which I pretended to scan with profound attention, and then addressing -the lady, who followed all my movements anxiously,</p> - -<p>“Madam,” I said, confidentially, “the spell I am going to perform -renders it necessary for me to know the name of the person; have the -kindness, then, to tell it me.<a name="page_263" id="page_263"></a>”</p> - -<p>“Julian!” she said, in a faint voice.</p> - -<p>With all the gravity of a real sorcerer, I solemnly thrust a pin through -a lighted candle, and pronounced some cabalistic words. After which, -blowing out the candle, and turning to the poor creature, I said:</p> - -<p>“Madam, it is done; your wish is accomplished.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, thank you, sir,” she replied, with the expression of the -profoundest gratitude; and at the same moment she laid a purse on the -table and rushed away. I ordered my servant to follow her to her house, -and obtain all the information he could about her, and I learned she had -been a widow for a short time, and that the loss of an adored husband -had disturbed her reason. The next day I visited her relatives, and, -returning them the purse, I told them the scene the details of which the -reader has just perused.</p> - -<p>This scene, with some others that preceded and followed it, compelled me -to take measures to guard myself against bores of every description. I -could not dream, as formerly, of exiling myself in the country, but I -employed a similar resource: this was to shut myself up in my workroom, -and organize around me a system of defence against those whom I called, -in my ill-temper, thieves of time.</p> - -<p>I daily received visits from persons who were utter strangers to me; -some were worth knowing, but the majority, gaining an introduction under -the most futile pretexts, only came to kill a portion of their leisure -time with me. It was necessary to distinguish the tares from the wheat, -and this is the arrangement I made:</p> - -<p>When one of these gentlemen rang at my door, an electric communication -struck a bell in my workroom; I was thus warned and put on my guard. My -servant<a name="page_264" id="page_264"></a> opened the door, and, as is customary, inquired the visitor’s -name, while I, for my part, laid my ear to a tube, arranged for the -purpose, which conveyed to me every word. If, according to his reply, I -thought it as well not to receive him, I pressed a button, and a white -mark that appeared in a certain part of the hall announced I was not at -home to him. My servant then stated I was out, and begged the visitor to -apply to the manager.</p> - -<p>Sometimes it happened that I erred in my judgment, and regretted having -granted an audience; but I had another mode of shortening a bore’s -visit. I had placed behind the sofa on which I set an electric spring, -communicating with a bell my servant could hear. In case of need, and -while talking, I threw my arm carelessly over the back of the sofa, -touching the spring, and the bell rang. Then my servant, playing a -little farce, opened the front door, rang the bell, which could be heard -from the room where I sat, and came to tell me that M. X—— (a name -invented for the occasion) wished to speak to me. I ordered M. X—— to -be shown into an adjoining room, and it was very rare that my bore did -not raise the siege. No one can form an idea how much time I gained by -this happy arrangement, or how many times I blessed my imagination and -the celebrated savant to whom the discovery of galvanism is due!</p> - -<p>This feeling can be easily explained, for my time was of inestimable -value. I husbanded it like a treasure, and never sacrificed it, unless -the sacrifice might help me to discover new experiments destined to -stimulate public curiosity.</p> - -<p>To support my determination in making my researches, I had ever before -me this maxim:</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">It is more difficult to support admiration than to excite it.</span><a name="page_265" id="page_265"></a></p> - -<p>And this other, an apparent corollary of the preceding:</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">The fashion an artiste enjoys can only last as his talent daily -increases</span>.</p> - -<p>Nothing increases a professional man’s merit so much as the possession -of an independent fortune; this truth may be coarse, but it is -indubitable. Not only was I convinced of these principles of high -economy, but I also knew that a man must strive to profit by the fickle -favor of the public, which equally descends if it does not rise. Hence I -worked my reputation as much as I could. In spite of my numerous -engagements, I found means to give performances in all the principal -theatres, though great difficulties frequently arose, as my performance -did not end till half-past ten, and I could only fulfil my other -engagements after that hour.</p> - -<p>Eleven o’clock was generally the hour fixed for my appearance on a -strange stage, and my readers may judge of the speed required to proceed -to the theatre in so short a time and make my preparations. It is true -that the moments were as well counted as employed, and my curtain had -hardly fallen than, rushing towards the stairs, I got before my -audience, and jumped into a vehicle that bore me off at full speed.</p> - -<p>But this fatigue was as nothing compared to the emotion occasionally -produced by an error in the time that was to elapse between my two -performances. I remember that, one night, having to wind up the -performances at the Vaudeville, the stage-manager miscalculated the time -the pieces would take in performing, and found himself much in advance. -He sent off an express to warn me that the curtain had fallen, and I was -anxiously expected. Can my readers comprehend my wretchedness? My -experiments,<a name="page_266" id="page_266"></a> of which I could omit none, would occupy another quarter -of an hour; but instead of indulging in useless recriminations, I -resigned myself and continued my performance, though I was a prey to -frightful anxiety. While speaking, I fancied I could hear that cadenced -yell of the public to which the famous song, “<i>Des lampions, des -lampions</i>,” was set. Thus, either through preoccupation, or a desire to -end sooner, I found when my performance was over I had gained five -minutes out of the quarter of an hour. Assuredly, it might be called the -quarter of an hour’s grace.</p> - -<p>To jump into a carriage and drive to the Place de la Bourse was the -affair of an instant; still, twenty minutes had elapsed since the -curtain fell, and that was an enormous time. My son Emile and I -proceeded up the actors’ stairs at full speed, but on the first step, we -had heard the cries, whistling, and stamping of the impatient audience. -What a prospect! I knew that frequently, either right or wrong, the -public treated an artiste, no matter whom, very harshly, to remind him -of punctuality. That sovereign always appears to have on its lips the -words of another monarch: “I was obliged to wait.” However, we hurried -up the steps leading to the stage.</p> - -<p>The stage-manager, who had been watching, on hearing our hurried steps, -cried from the landing:</p> - -<p>“Is that you, M. Houdin?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir—yes.”</p> - -<p>“Raise the curtain!” the same voice shouted.</p> - -<p>“Wait, wait, it is imp——“</p> - -<p>My breath would not allow me to finish my objection; I fell on a chair, -unable to move.</p> - -<p>“Come, M. Houdin,” the manager said, “<i>do</i> go on the stage, the curtain -is up, and the public are so impatient.<a name="page_267" id="page_267"></a>”</p> - -<p>The door at the back of the stage was open, but I could not pass through -it, fatigue and emotion nailed me to the spot. Still, an idea occurred -to me, which saved me from the popular wrath.</p> - -<p>“Go on to the stage, my boy,” I said to my son, “and prepare all that is -wanting for the second-sight trick.”</p> - -<p>The public allowed themselves to be disarmed by this youth, whose face -inspired a sympathizing interest; and my son, after gravely bowing to -the audience, quietly made his slight preparations, that is to say, he -carried an ottoman to the front of the stage, and placed on a -neighboring table a slate, some chalk, a pack of cards, and a bandage.</p> - -<p>This slight delay enabled me to recover my breath and calm my nerves, -and I advanced in my turn with an attempt to assume the stereotyped -smile, in which I signally failed, as I was so agitated. The audience at -first remained silent, then their faces gradually unwrinkled, and soon, -one or two claps having been ventured, they were carried away and peace -was made. I was well rewarded, however, for this terrible ordeal, as my -“second-sight” never gained a more brilliant triumph.</p> - -<p>An incident greatly enlivened the termination of my performance.</p> - -<p>A spectator, who had evidently come on purpose to embarrass us, had -tried in vain for some minutes to baffle my son’s clairvoyance, when -turning to me, he said, laying marked stress on his words:</p> - -<p>“As your son is a soothsayer, of course he can guess the number of my -stall?”</p> - -<p>The importunate spectator doubtlessly hoped to force us into a -confession of our impotence, for he covered his number and the adjacent -seats being occupied, it was apparently<a name="page_268" id="page_268"></a> impossible to read the numbers. -But I was on my guard against all surprises, and my reply was ready. -Still, in order to profit as much as possible by the situation, I -feigned to draw back.</p> - -<p>“You know, sir,” I said, feigning an embarrassed air, “that my son is -neither sorcerer nor diviner; he reads through my eyes, and hence I have -given this experiment the name of second-sight. As I cannot see the -number of your stall, and the seats close to you are occupied, my son -cannot tell it you.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! I was certain of it,” my persecutor said, in triumph, and turning -to his neighbors: “I told you I would pin him.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, sir! you are not generous in your victory,” I said, in my turn, in -a tone of mockery. “Take care; if you pique my son’s vanity too sharply, -he may solve your problem, though it is so difficult.”</p> - -<p>“I defy him,” said the spectator, leaning firmly against the back of his -seat, to hide the number better—“yes, yes—I defy him!”</p> - -<p>“You believe it to be difficult, then?”</p> - -<p>“I will grant more: it is impossible.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then, sir, that is a stronger reason for us to try it. You will -not be angry if we triumph in our turn?” I added, with a petulant smile.</p> - -<p>“Come, sir; we understand evasions of that sort. I repeat it—I -challenge you both.”</p> - -<p>The public found great amusement in this debate, and patiently awaited -its issue.</p> - -<p>“Emile,” I said to my son, “prove to this gentleman that nothing can -escape your second sight.”</p> - -<p>“It is number sixty-nine,” the boy answered, immediately.<a name="page_269" id="page_269"></a></p> - -<p>Noisy and hearty applause rose from every part of the theatre, in which -our opponent joined, for, confessing his defeat, he exclaimed, as he -clapped his hands, “It is astounding—magnificent!”</p> - -<p>The way I succeeded in finding out the number of the stall was this: I -knew beforehand that in all theatres where the stalls are divided down -the centre by a passage, the uneven numbers are on the right, and the -even on the left. As at the Vaudeville each row was composed of ten -stalls, it followed that on the right hand the several rows must begin -with one, twenty-one, forty-one, and so on, increasing by twenty each. -Guided by this, I had no difficulty in discovering that my opponent was -seated in number sixty-nine, representing the fifth stall in the fourth -row. I had prolonged the conversation for the double purpose of giving -more brilliancy to my experiment, and gaining time to make my -researches. Thus I applied my process of two simultaneous thoughts, to -which I have already alluded.</p> - -<p>As I am now explaining matters, I may as well tell my readers some of -the artifices that added material brilliancy to the second sight. I have -already said this experiment was the result of a material communication -between myself and my son, which no one could detect. Its combinations -enabled us to describe any conceivable object; but, though this was a -splendid result, I saw that I should soon encounter unheard-of -difficulties in executing it.</p> - -<p>The experiment of second sight always formed the termination of my -performance. Each evening I saw unbelievers arrive with all sorts of -articles to triumph over a secret which they could not unravel. Before -going to see Robert-Houdin’s son a council was held, in which an object -that must embarrass the father was chosen. Among these<a name="page_270" id="page_270"></a> were -half-effaced antique medals, minerals, books printed in characters of -every description (living and dead languages), coats-of-arms, -microscopic objects, &c.</p> - -<p>But what caused me the greatest difficulty was in finding out the -contents of parcels, often tied with a string, or even sealed up. But I -had managed to contend successfully against all these attempts to -embarrass me. I opened boxes, purses, pocket-books, &c., with great -ease, and unnoticed, while appearing to be engaged on something quite -different. Were a sealed parcel offered me, I cut a small slit in the -paper with the nail of my left thumb, which I always purposely kept very -long and sharp, and thus discovered what it contained. One essential -condition was excellent sight, and that I possessed to perfection. I -owed it originally to my old trade, and practice daily improved it. An -equally indispensable necessity was to know the name of every object -offered me. It was not enough to say, for instance, “It is a coin;” but -my son must give its technical name, its value, the country in which it -was current, and the year in which it was struck. Thus, for instance, if -an English crown were handed me, my son was expected to state that it -was struck in the reign of George IV., and had an intrinsic value of six -francs eighteen centimes.</p> - -<p>Aided by an excellent memory, we had managed to classify in our heads -the name and value of all foreign money. We could also describe a -coat-of-arms in heraldic terms. Thus, on the arms of the house of X—— -being handed me, my son would reply: “Field gules, with two croziers -argent in pale.” This knowledge was very useful to us in the <i>salons</i> of -the Faubourg Saint Germain, where we were frequently summoned.</p> - -<p>I had also learned the characters—though unable to<a name="page_271" id="page_271"></a> translate a -word—of an infinity of languages, such as Chinese, Russian, Turkish, -Greek, Hebrew, &c. We knew, too, the names of all surgical instruments, -so that a surgical pocket-book, however complicated it might be, could -not embarrass us. Lastly, I had a very sufficient knowledge of -mineralogy, precious stones, antiquities, and curiosities; but I had at -my command every possible resource for acquiring these studies, as one -of my dearest and best friends, Aristide le Carpentier, a learned -antiquary, and uncle of the talented composer of the same name, had, and -still has, a cabinet of antique curiosities, which makes the keepers of -the imperial museums fierce with envy. My son and I spent many long days -in learning here names and dates, of which we afterwards made a learned -display. Le Carpentier taught me many things, and, among others, he -described various signs by which to recognise old coins when the die is -worn off. Thus, a Trajan, a Tiberius, or a Marcus Aurelius became as -familiar to me as a five-franc piece.</p> - -<p>Owing to my old trade, I could open a watch with ease, and do it with -one hand, so as to be able to read the maker’s name without the public -suspecting it: then I shut up the watch again and the trick was ready; -my son managed the rest of the business.</p> - -<p>But that power of memory which my son possessed in an eminent degree -certainly did us the greatest service. When we went to private houses, -he needed only a very rapid inspection, in order to know all the objects -in a room, as well as the various ornaments worn by the spectators, such -as châtelaines, pins, eye-glasses, fans, brooches, rings, bouquets, &c. -He thus could describe these objects with the greatest ease, when I -pointed them out to him by our secret communication. Here is an -instance:<a name="page_272" id="page_272"></a></p> - -<p>One evening, at a house in the ChaussĂ©e d’Antin, and at the end of a -performance which had been as successful as it was loudly applauded, I -remembered that, while passing through the next room to the one we were -now in, I had begged my son to cast a glance at a library and remember -the titles of some of the books, as well as the order they were arranged -in. No one had noticed this rapid examination.</p> - -<p>“To end the second sight experiment, sir,” I said to the master of the -house, “I will prove to you that my son can read through a wall. Will -you lend me a book?”</p> - -<p>I was naturally conducted to the library in question, which I pretended -now to see for the first time, and I laid my finger on a book.</p> - -<p>“Emile,” I said to my son, “What is the name of this work?”</p> - -<p>“It is Buffon,” he replied, quickly.</p> - -<p>“And the one by its side?” an incredulous spectator hastened to ask.</p> - -<p>“On the right or left?” my son asked.</p> - -<p>“On the right,” the speaker said, having a good reason for choosing this -book, for the lettering was very small.</p> - -<p>“The Travels of Anacharsis the Younger,” the boy replied. “But,” he -added, “had you asked the name of the book on the left, sir, I should -have said Lamartine’s Poetry. A little to the right of this row, I see -CrĂ©billon’s works; below, two volumes of Fleury’s Memoirs;” and my son -thus named a dozen books before he stopped.</p> - -<p>The spectators had not said a word during this description, as they felt -so amazed; but when the experiment had ended, all complimented us by -clapping their hands.<a name="page_273" id="page_273"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">Seductions of a Theatrical Agent—How to gain One Hundred Thousand -Francs—I start for Brussels—A lucky Two-Sou Piece—Miseries of -professional Travelling—The Park Theatre—Tyranny of a -Porter—Full House—Small Receipts—Deceptions—Return to Paris.</p></div> - -<p>H<small>AD</small> it not been for my constant toil and the inconveniences attached to -it, I should have been quite happy and satisfied with the daily profit -my performances brought me in. But one fine day the demon of seduction -presented himself before me in the obsequious form of a theatrical -agent.</p> - -<p>“Monsieur Robert-Houdin,” he said, with a smile on his lips, as if we -were old friends, “I am commissioned by M. X——, manager of the royal -theatres of Brussels, to offer you an engagement for the summer season.”</p> - -<p>My first answer was a refusal, which I based on excellent reasons. As I -was very successful, it would not be prudent to break the vein, while I -saw no occasion to go a long distance in search of advantages I could -secure at home. This reasoning would have settled any one but a -theatrical agent; but nothing, it is well known, can shake off the grip -of these skillful crimps.</p> - -<p>“Permit me, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, not to be quite of your opinion. I -allow, of course, that with your talents you are always secure of good -receipts, but you should bear in mind that the dog-days are approaching, -and your<a name="page_274" id="page_274"></a> room is stifling in summer. This consideration might induce -the Parisian public to defer till autumn the pleasure of witnessing your -performances, while, by going to Brussels, where the theatres are large -and airy, you would have no reason to fear such a result. Come,” the -plenipotentiary continued, in a most candid tone, “I must tell you, -without wishing to flatter you the least in the world, that everybody is -talking about you in Belgium; I may add, even, that the manager has been -urged to make you offers by a great number of his subscribers.”</p> - -<p>This flattering insinuation began to shake my decision, and I offered in -my defence reasons whose weakness only attested to my indecision. My -clever touter noticed this, and thinking the moment arrived to strike -his great blow, said:</p> - -<p>“Do you know, sir, the probable proceeds of my offer?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir.”</p> - -<p>“Well, make an estimate.”</p> - -<p>“It is impossible.”</p> - -<p>“Then, approximate.”</p> - -<p>“I must decline; for I understand nothing of such calculations.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then, I understand them, and am rarely mistaken,” said the agent, -stroking his chin, “and I tell you it is an affair to you” (here my -seducer stopped, as if to make a most accurate calculation)—“an affair -of one hundred thousand francs.”</p> - -<p>“One hundred thousand francs!” I exclaimed, dazzled at such a prospect, -“you cannot mean it.”</p> - -<p>“It is precisely because I mean it that I tell you, and repeat it again: -you will clear one hundred thousand francs by your trip. Add to this, -the advantage of having seen a splendid country, and being received with -all the<a name="page_275" id="page_275"></a> attention due to an artist of your merit. You will then return -to your impatient spectators, whose curiosity, heightened by their long -privation, will produce you receipts far more brilliant than any you -might have expected by remaining in Paris.”</p> - -<p>Being little conversant at that period with theatrical matters, and -having no reason to doubt the honesty of my eloquent “humbugger,” I -easily believed his fine promises. The chink of one hundred thousand -francs still ringing in my ears fascinated me; and I gave way -unconsciously to the same mode of reasoning the inkstand inventor had -employed.</p> - -<p>“And, really,” I said to myself, “supposing, for instance, that——“ -And, leaping from supposition to supposition, my calculations exceeded -those of the agent. But, in order to be reasonable, I concluded, like my -friend the inventor, in this way: “Well, to prevent any -misunderstanding, suppose we say only fifty thousand francs—surely -nobody can accuse me with exaggeration.”</p> - -<p>Though dazzled by this brilliant calculation, I strove to conceal my -desire of accepting the offer.</p> - -<p>“It is all very well,” I said, in my turn, after the style of a perfect -man of business, “but what are the conditions?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, most simple!” the crafty fellow said; “the same as are made with -all distinguished artists. Monsieur X—— will pay all the expenses, but -to cover those, he will deduct three hundred francs from the gross -receipts, exclusive of the claim of the poor, and the rest will be -fairly divided between him and yourself.”</p> - -<p>“Still, I should like to know how much the sum to be divided will amount -to?”</p> - -<p>“How is it possible to say?” the agent exclaimed, with<a name="page_276" id="page_276"></a> an aspect of the -greatest sincerity. “With such success as awaits you, it will be -enormous.”</p> - -<p>In spite of my pressing, the agent always entrenched himself in his -exclamations, and the impossibility of making such an estimate. Tired of -the struggle, I at length formed my decision.</p> - -<p>“I will go to Brussels,” I said, in a resolute tone.</p> - -<p>The theatrical agent immediately drew from his pocket a printed form, -which he had brought in case of our coming to terms, and we had only to -add the stipulations to it.</p> - -<p>“Tell me, sir,” the manager’s representative said, in a conscientious -tone, “will you have any objection to a forfeit of six thousand francs? -As the engagement is reciprocal, you must find this but fair.”</p> - -<p>I only saw in the agent’s request a very natural desire to defend his -employer’s interests; and I drew this conclusion from it: if the -agreement was advantageous for the manager, it must be equally so for -me, as we were to share the receipts. I consented to the clause, and -affixed my signature. The agent could not repress his satisfaction, but -he cleverly ascribed it to the interest he felt in me.</p> - -<p>“I congratulate you sincerely on the engagement you have just made,” he -said, as he offered me his hand; “you will soon be able to tell me of -the results you will draw from it. By the way,” he added, in a friendly -tone, after a pause, “will you now permit me to give you a piece of -advice?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly, sir—certainly.”</p> - -<p>“I would recommend you, then, to take a collection of showy bills and -posters with you to Belgium. They do not know how to get them up in -Brussels, and they will produce a prodigious effect. It would be also as -well to have a handsome lithograph, representing your stage; it<a name="page_277" id="page_277"></a> can be -put up in the various picture-shops, and you will obtain increased -publicity.”</p> - -<p>These counsels, and the familiar, almost protecting, tone in which they -were given, appeared to me strange; and I could not refrain from -expressing my surprise to the man of business.</p> - -<p>“What need of all these precautions? I fancied I understood you -that——“</p> - -<p>“Good gracious me! all professionals are alike,” the giver of advice -interrupted me; “absorbed in their art, they understand nothing of -business. But tell me, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, would you feel annoyed at -netting one hundred and fifty thousand francs, instead of the one -hundred thousand I promised you?”</p> - -<p>“On my word, no,” I said, with a smile; “and I confess that, far from -feeling vexed, I should be very pleased at it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, then, the more you make yourself known, the more you will add to -the amount I stated.”</p> - -<p>“But I thought that notoriety was generally the business of managers.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly, ordinary publicity, but not extraordinary. You must see that -is unlikely, as it will be all for your advantage.”</p> - -<p>Though little conversant with business, as the agent had just remarked, -I saw that his arguments were not always in accordance with logic. -However, I consented to the posters and the lithograph, in consideration -of the promised results.</p> - -<p>“That is right,” the agent said, his familiarity sensibly increasing -since the signature of the contract—“that is right: that is what I call -managing things properly.”</p> - -<p>And my man left me, after complimenting me once more on the arrangement -I had made.<a name="page_278" id="page_278"></a></p> - -<p>When left to myself, I indulged at my ease in daydreams about the -magnificent result promised me, and this anticipated joy was probably -all I tasted from the moment of signing this engagement to its -termination. The first unpleasantness it occasioned me was a slight -discussion with my cashier, that is to say, my wife, who, in -consideration of her employment, had a deliberative voice in all -theatrical matters. I could not certainly have found an employĂ©e of -greater probity, or a more devoted clerk, but I am bound to say that -this clerk, probably through her intimate connexion with her employer, -sometimes ventured to contradict him. Thus I feared when I described to -that functionary the brilliant perspective of my agreement.</p> - -<p>Although I finished my statement with this harmonious phrase, on every -word of which I laid a heavy stress, in order to give it more value, -“and we shall return to France with one—hundred—thousand—francs clear -profit,” my wife, or rather my cashier, coolly said to me:</p> - -<p>“Well, in your place, I should not have made such a bargain.”</p> - -<p>“But why not?” I said, piqued by this unexpected opposition.</p> - -<p>“Why? because nothing guarantees you the promised profits, while you are -perfectly certain as to your expenses.”</p> - -<p>Wishing to cut short a discussion from which I did not see my way out -with honor:</p> - -<p>“Women are all alike,” I said, employing the phrase of the theatrical -agent; “understanding nothing of business, they oppose one out of -obstinacy. But,” I added, tossing my head, “we shall soon see which of -us is in the right.”</p> - -<p>I confess that in this instance I allowed myself too<a name="page_279" id="page_279"></a> easily to be led -astray by flattering illusions; but I must add, that it was for the last -time; for, thenceforth, I was so skeptical as regarded calculations, -that my modest expectations always remained below the reality.</p> - -<p>The period for starting soon arrived, and we made our preparations with -incredible activity, for I desired to lose as little time as possible -between the closing of my performances at Paris and their commencement -in Brussels.</p> - -<p>The Great Northern line not being open at that period, I was obliged to -content myself with a post-chaise. Consequently, I hired from a builder -of public conveyances, for two hundred francs a month, a diligence which -had formerly been used in the environs of Paris; it was composed of a -coupĂ© and a vast rotonde, over which was an impĂ©riale for the luggage. -On the 25th of May, the day fixed for our departure, my carriage was -loaded with an immense number of chests, containing my apparatus, and -after we had taken our places, the postillion’s whip cracked, and we -started.</p> - -<p>We took with us on this trip, besides my two boys who performed with me, -a manager, a workman, also acting as servant, and my wife’s mother, who -came partly for pleasure, and partly to help her daughter in her -theatrical details. Galloping through Paris, we soon left the Faubourg -and the Barrière St. Denis behind us. The weather was splendid—a -perfect spring evening; my wife and I, with the children, were -comfortably established in the coupĂ©, and as it was Madame -Robert-Houdin’s first journey, she was so delighted with it, that I -believe, if I had then offered her the calculation of my presumed -profits, she would probably have herself augmented it. For my own part, -I was plunged in a delicious reverie. I recalled my journey with -Torrini, and while giving a thought of<a name="page_280" id="page_280"></a> regret to that excellent friend, -I compared his carriage with my brilliant equipage, his modest claims on -fortune with the magnificent prospects promised me; and I could not help -yielding to a feeling of noble pride when I remembered I owed this -position solely to my labor and to my energy. Then, finding myself freed -from the annoyance of any theatrical administration, and my inventive -ideas abandoned, I experienced an undefinable comfort, and were it not -for the fear of making a pun, I would add, at this moment I was really -transported.</p> - -<p>What would I have given to see myself thus bowling along in my own -carriage! I fancied that the very passers-by regarded us with a certain -degree of satisfaction; and in this infantile illusion I smiled upon -them most benignantly.</p> - -<p>At some distance from the barrier we stopped.</p> - -<p>“Will you please to get out and have your carriage weighed? Here is the -office.”</p> - -<p>“Before proceeding to weigh,” the receiver of the toll said, approaching -me, “I warn you that I shall summons you for carrying a heavier weight -than the law allows.”</p> - -<p>I could not appeal to my ignorance of this, for no one ought to be -ignorant of the law; I therefore submitted philosophically enough to the -threatened summons, and we soon recommenced our journey, laughing -heartily at the incident. The shades of night began to cover the country -when we reached the environs of Senlis. An old beggar, seeing us -approaching, held out his hat; I understood this expressive gesture, and -had the satisfaction of doing a clever trick and a good action at the -same time; for I threw out a penny, which fell in his hat.</p> - -<p>I had hardly executed this adroit manĹ“uvre, when cries of “Stop! -stop!” reached my ear; and at the same time<a name="page_281" id="page_281"></a> I saw the old man running -panting after the carriage, and shouting. The postillion at length -stopped the horses, and he was just in time—a few paces further on, and -our heavy carriage would have been upset. The worthy beggar had -perceived that one of our wheels was on the point of losing its tire, -and as the old man in his haste had lost his coin, and was beginning to -look for it, I spared him this trouble by giving him a five-franc piece.</p> - -<p>How true it is that an act of kindness is never lost: to a simple penny -we owed our escape from an accident, the consequences of which would -have been incalculable. A neighboring cartwright soon came up and told -us it was necessary to have the two wheels of the carriage repaired; and -he gave us the following explanation of the accident that had occurred:</p> - -<p>The diligence had been standing for a long time in a damp coach-house, -and the felloes had swollen. The heat produced by our rapid locomotion -had dried them, and they had caught fire under the tire. The operation -lasted four hours, and cost me forty francs; this was, perhaps, twenty -more than it was worth, but what could I do but pay, as I should have -lost precious time by appealing to the law?</p> - -<p>I was beginning to understand that travelling impressions in a diligence -are not at all of a nature to enrich a traveller; but the reflection -came too late, and I could only continue my journey. I, therefore, did -so, not very gaily, perhaps, but at any rate with a degree of careless -resignation.</p> - -<p>I will pass over the details of a thousand petty miseries we had to -undergo, like so many pin-pricks echeloned on our passage to prepare us -for more bitter deceptions. We at length reached QuiĂ©vrain, the frontier -town of Belgium,<a name="page_282" id="page_282"></a> where we were to give up our horses and put our -carriage on the railway running to Brussels; beforehand, however, we had -to endure the formalities of the custom-house.</p> - -<p>I hoped, as the theatrical agent had informed me, to pass all my traps -summarily, by declaring the nature of my apparatus, and hence I went to -the office and made my declaration.</p> - -<p>“There is only one way of passing your luggage, sir,” a clerk said to -me, very politely. (Belgian officials are generally very gentle and -civil—at least, I always found them so.)</p> - -<p>“Then,” I replied, in the same tone, “will you have the kindness, sir, -to tell me the way, that I may profit by it as speedily as possible?”</p> - -<p>“You must unpack your instruments, put an <i>ad valorem</i> duty on them, -which the comptroller will verify, and pay 25 per cent. on the amount, -after which you can start as soon as you please.”</p> - -<p>“But, sir, that is not possible,” I said, greatly annoyed at this -<i>contretemps</i>.</p> - -<p>“And why not?”</p> - -<p>“Because my instruments are not merchandise.”</p> - -<p>I then explained to my clerk that I was going to Brussels to give some -performances, after which I intended to return to France with the same -luggage. According to the information the official gave me, it seems I -had neglected to fulfil a simple formality, through the want of which -the office at QuiĂ©vrain would not let me go on without payment. To pass -my instruments duty free, I ought to have applied to the Belgian -Minister, who would willingly have granted me the permission. I could -certainly do so still, but I could not receive an answer under a week,<a name="page_283" id="page_283"></a> -and that was just three days after the period fixed for my commencing at -Brussels.</p> - -<p>Hence I found myself between the horns of a dilemma. I must either, -after paying a heavy duty, lose precious time in packing, valuing and -unpacking my instruments, or forfeit six thousand francs to my manager -while awaiting a ministerial reply. Although I made all sorts of -supplications to the different custom officials, I could only obtain -this answer, dictated by their inflexible orders, “We can do nothing.”</p> - -<p>I was in despair; in vain, conforming to the maxim, “It is better to -address the king than his officials,” I pursued the director himself -with my entreaties; he would not hear a word. He was a stout, -good-looking man, of some fifty years of age, dressed in an enormous -paletot, much resembling in cut the one I have described as my costume -when learning my sleight-of-hand tricks at Tours.</p> - -<p>We were both standing at the door of the custom-house, near the high -road, where my chests had been deposited. Wearied with listening to my -eternal remonstrances, the director began talking to me about -indifferent matters; but I always led the conversation back to the same -subject.</p> - -<p>“You are a prestidigitator, then?” my stout Belgian said to me, laying a -stress on this word, to prove to me that he knew the pompous title by -which the juggler is distinguished.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, that is my profession.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, ah! very good; I know several celebrities in that art. I have even -witnessed their performances with a great deal of pleasure.”</p> - -<p>While my amateur was thus talking, an idea occurred to me, which I -immediately put in execution, for I trusted<a name="page_284" id="page_284"></a> the result of it would -powerfully aid in favoring my entreaties.</p> - -<p>“What are your most striking tricks?” the stout man added, in the tone -of a perfect connoisseur.</p> - -<p>“I really cannot describe them to you, it would be too difficult. There -is one which can only be appreciated when seen; but I can easily give -you a specimen.”</p> - -<p>“I should much like it, if you would,” the official said, not sorry thus -to console himself for the trouble I had caused him. My son, at this -moment, was playing some distance off on the high road, and kicking a -pebble about.</p> - -<p>“Emile!” I cried, hailing him, “can you tell us what this gentleman has -in his pocket?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly!” the boy replied, without leaving off his game; “he has a -blue-striped handkerchief.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, oh!” the stout gentleman said, with an air of astonishment. Then he -recovered, and putting his hands in both pockets to conceal their -contents,</p> - -<p>“That’s all very good!” he added, with an air of doubt; “but chance may -have aided that discovery.”</p> - -<p>After a slight pause, during which he seemed considerably bothered, he -continued!</p> - -<p>“Can he tell me, though, what is under the handkerchief?”</p> - -<p>“The gentleman asks what is under the handkerchief?” I shouted to my -son.</p> - -<p>“There is,” he replied, in the same loud voice, “a green morocco -spectacle case, without the spectacles.”</p> - -<p>“That’s really curious—very curious!” said the man of the paletot. -“But,” he added, shrugging his shoulders, “I should much like him to -mention the article under the spectacle case.”</p> - -<p>And my incredulous friend shoved his hands in his<a name="page_285" id="page_285"></a> pockets. I drew a -good omen from this last exclamation, and so, desirous to ensure my -success, I took my precautions that my son should answer correctly, and -I transmitted him the question just asked me.</p> - -<p>Emile, who had not left off his game for a moment, exclaimed, as if -anxious to get rid of us, “It is a piece of sugar which the gentleman -saved from his cup of coffee.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! that is too fine!” the director exclaimed, in a tone of admiration; -“the lad is a sorcerer.”</p> - -<p>My second-sight performance was at an end; still I saw with pleasure -that it produced a lively impression on the director of the customs, -who, after some moments’ reflection, himself returned to the subject we -had left.</p> - -<p>“Come, sir,” he remarked, “I will infringe my regulations for your sake. -We will not open your chests; I will rely on your statement of their -contents and value, and you will pay the duty according to the tariff. -When you have reached Brussels, and have obtained the ministerial -authority to introduce your instruments duty free, I will return you the -money you have paid.”</p> - -<p>I thanked my new protector, and, a few hours later, personnel and -luggage had reached the station at Brussels.</p> - -<p>Before leaving QuiĂ©vrain for ever, I will give my reader an idea of the -conjuring trick which enabled me to produce those startling instances of -second sight to which I owed my deliverance.</p> - -<p>I have already said that the director wore a paletot, with large -pockets, so, profiting by the art by which I had so cleverly emptied -Comte’s pockets some time before, I found out what he had in them, and -my son consequently learned it from me. As for the piece of sugar, it -was easy enough to perceive by its regular shape that it had come<a name="page_286" id="page_286"></a> from -a cafĂ©—besides, I could have no doubt that a lump of sugar, taken from -the pocket of a man of fifty, and, above all, a Belgian, must be saved -from his after-dinner coffee.</p> - -<p>At the Brussels station, a postillion who had three horses out of work, -offered to take our heavy carriage to the Tirlemont Hotel, and I -consented, for I really knew not what hotel to go to. After driving -through the city at full speed, we entered a winding street, in the -midst of which our driver began smacking his whip loudly to announce our -arrival, and with the skill of a practised driver, he turned into an -archway that opened on to the hotel yard. We made a princely entrĂ©e -here, which reminded me of our departure from Paris, for the master of -the hotel, his wife, and the servants, were all at their posts ready to -receive us worthily. We had gone safely through about half the narrow -entry, when our vehicle suddenly stopped, as if riveted to the pavement: -blows fell like hail on the unhappy steeds, but these, though -accompanied by vigorous oaths and stimulants of every description, could -not conquer the unknown obstacle.</p> - -<p>Being quite convinced that the road was clear on either side, our -postillion decided on trying a final effort; so he got down rapidly from -his seat, took the horses by the bit, and drew them forward sharply. The -carriage appeared to yield to this powerful attraction, and began to -move slowly. All at once a sound of breaking was heard, while at the -same moment cries of alarm issued from both compartments of the -carriage.</p> - -<p>The doors were hurriedly opened, women and children emerged, and the -last of our party was still on the step, when the impĂ©riale gave way, -and the numerous heavy trunks crashed into the centre of the carriage. -In the emotion produced by such danger, I looked round my<a name="page_287" id="page_287"></a> party, and -thanks to Heaven, we were all safe and sound.</p> - -<p>My wife and children were carefully attended to, while I, though not -entirely recovered from my terror, sought the cause of this unforeseen -catastrophe. I soon discovered that our carriage, being too highly -loaded, had caught in the projecting sides of the archway, and that this -gradual and powerful pressure had forced the mouldering framework of our -old vehicle to give way.</p> - -<p>In comparison with the misfortune from which we had so miraculously -escaped, the injury to the carriage was an accident of no importance—a -loss which would be quickly forgotten in the success that awaited us. -The carriage was sent to be repaired, and the accident was soon a thing -of the past, as we sought to recover from the fatigue of our long and -wearying journey.</p> - -<p>My first walk in Brussels led me straight to the manager, who appeared -delighted at my keeping my word, and gave me a most polite reception: -thence, I proceeded to the Park Theatre, where I was to give my -performances.</p> - -<p>This building, lately destroyed by fire, was situated on one of the most -agreeable sites in the city, for it formed the angle of a magnificent -park, which is to Brussels what the Tuilleries are to Paris.</p> - -<p>During the summer no theatrical performance took place, and it was to -fill up this gap that the engagement had been formed with me.</p> - -<p>This theatre was city property, and I learned the fact in the following -way. The porter, whom the manager ought to have recommended to give me -all necessary information, stated to me that he was attached to the -theatre, both as keeper and head machinist. He also told me, with -pedantic gravity, that I could not drive in a nail, form an opening in -the stage, or, in a word, make the<a name="page_288" id="page_288"></a> slightest change, until he, as -responsible official, had referred the point to the city architect.</p> - -<p>“Such supervision is not possible,” I said to this important personage. -“How do you manage, then, when the theatrical performances are on?”</p> - -<p>“Ah, that is different. As the architect places confidence in me, he -allows me to do whatever I think proper, and I am responsible for -everything.”</p> - -<p>“If that is all, I can take the responsibility on myself, and the matter -can be settled at once.”</p> - -<p>“If you think so,” the porter replied, in an ironical tone, “you can -apply to the city authorities; the council will take it into -consideration, and you will receive permission in a fortnight.”</p> - -<p>I saw that the crafty gentleman wished to force himself upon me, but I -soon destroyed his hopes by making him understand I would allow no -stranger to be initiated into my mysterious arrangements.</p> - -<p>This conversation had taken place on the stage, by the light of a candle -which the conservator of the royal theatre held in his hand, but so soon -as I had intimated my intention of doing without him, he turned on his -heel and retired to his den, leaving us in perfect darkness.</p> - -<p>“Wait a moment, sir,” I cried to him; “we cannot be groping about in -this way; so, open the windows.”</p> - -<p>“Windows!” the machinist said, with a laugh; “who ever heard of windows -in a theatre? What use would they be when the rehearsals always take -place by candle-light?”</p> - -<p>“Excellently reasoned, my worthy man,” I replied, checking my -inclination to laugh; “I always thought like you that windows could be -done without if you had lights, but when you have no lights——“</p> - -<p>“Why, then, you do as I do, you go money in hand to<a name="page_289" id="page_289"></a> the grocer’s and -buy candles; I see no difficulty in that.”</p> - -<p>And, while making this reply, the porter and his candle were gradually -eclipsed. I had no time to lose in arguing, and besides, this man, whom -I would have gladly brought to his senses under other circumstances, -might play me some trick that might prevent me performing <i>mine</i>. My -instruments would remain, so to speak, at his mercy during the night, -and he would have all possible facility to do me some injury, which he -could deny in safety. Hence, I sent my servant straight to the grocer’s, -that natural providence of any one who wants a light.</p> - -<p>All my readers have probably read descriptions of theatrical interiors, -and they are all much alike, although their cleanliness and arrangement -vary according to the intelligence of the stage-manager. Nor is the same -luxury of decorations and accessories visible in all theatres; some are -literally encumbered with them, while others are almost entirely wanting -in these qualities.</p> - -<p>I remember that, when giving a dozen performances at Chester, I found -the theatrical decorations charmingly original. Properly speaking, there -was only one scene; but, as it would have been impossible to produce the -scenic effect with this, the machinist had very cleverly painted a -forest on the back, and the scene moved on a pivot, which my friend -turned by the aid of a winch, and thus could display a hall or a forest -at will.</p> - -<p>With such feeble resources, the scenic illusion was often compromised, -but, according to the machinist, the actors corrected any glaring -anachronisms of place by ingenious new readings, and sometimes, too, by -the <i>expression of their faces</i>.</p> - -<p>This machinist was like his scenery, for he filled many parts; he was in -turn porter, painter, wig-maker, property<a name="page_290" id="page_290"></a> man, tailor, and -ticket-taker; but with so many strings to his bow, this worthy man found -himself out of work during three parts of the year, for during that -period there were no performances at Chester.</p> - -<p>But to return to the porter, machinist, and keeper of the Park Theatre. -This man could never forgive my refusal of his services, and his -impertinence and ill-will pursued me to the close, and occasioned me -continual annoyance; and although I complained to the manager, I could -obtain no redress. The porter, being paid by government, claimed the -right, like his brethren the porters of Paris, of making his tenants -feel his power and his independence.</p> - -<p>I have performed in many royal theatres, but I never had to deal with -any but most polite machinists and managers, who could flatter -themselves they were masters in their own house.</p> - -<p>However, I managed to surmount difficulties of every description, and -the day of my first representation arrived.</p> - -<p>On this very day was opened that fiery furnace which was called “the -summer of 1846;” and the heat was astounding. Still, the theatre was -full, and the success of my experiments was as great as I could desire. -The second sight, especially, produced an enthusiasm which the generally -cold inhabitants of Brussels expressed by noisy bravos.</p> - -<p>I was proud and happy, for, in addition to the satisfaction success -always produces, I foresaw the realization of the theatrical agent’s -brilliant promises. Thus, to take a slight revenge for my cashier’s -obstinacy, I never failed, each time I left the stage, to say to her in -a tone of triumph:</p> - -<p>“Well! do you believe in the one hundred thousand francs now? That’s how -I like business.<a name="page_291" id="page_291"></a>”</p> - -<p>And I returned on the stage with a smiling and animated face.</p> - -<p>The performance over, the curtain fell on the illusions I had produced, -as well as on those I had nursed as to my receipts. They were equally -ephemeral in either case, for I had scarcely left the stage when I saw -my manager coming towards me in the attitude once assumed by the steeds -of Hippolytus, according to Theramene’s recital. He, so joyous at the -commencement of the performance,</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">L’œil morne maintenant et la tĂŞte baissĂ©e,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Semblait se conformer Ă sa triste pensĂ©e.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>“Here, sir,” he said, pointing to a small rouleau, “is your share.”</p> - -<p>“What! my share?” I exclaimed, in a tone of indescribable -disappointment; “and the rest?”</p> - -<p>“The rest, sir, has gone in the expenses, and the poor-rate.”</p> - -<p>“But the rest,” I still insisted—“the rest, what has become of it?”</p> - -<p>“Well, sir,” my manager replied, in a lamentable tone, “the cashier -states that the greater part of the audience received free admissions.”</p> - -<p>Irritated by such an explanation, I hurried to the office, and opened -and closed the door violently. The employĂ© turned towards me, and -without being affected by my abruptness, he bowed to me politely -(another instance of Belgian courtesy).</p> - -<p>“How is it,” I said, without replying to his bow, “that so many free -admissions were given without my sanction?”</p> - -<p>“They were given, sir, by the manager’s orders,” the man replied, with a -calmness that made me believe he was used to such scenes, “and you must -be aware,” he added,<a name="page_292" id="page_292"></a> in a conciliatory tone, “that there are numerous -claims on the first night of a new performance at a royal theatre. Thus -we have, for instance, the authorities, the city architect, the manager -of the gas company, the newspaper writers, the manager’s relations and -friends, the police inspector, who has a right to a box; and all these -gentlemen, as you may suppose, bring their families with them. We have, -again——“</p> - -<p>“Oh, sir,” I replied, ironically, “for goodness’ sake, stop, for if you -go on at that rate I shall begin to fear you had not a seat left for the -paying public. To-morrow, I presume, I shall have to hand you back the -modest sum you have just sent me. However, I shall certainly insist on -an explanation with the manager.”</p> - -<p>The next day I proceeded to call on M. X——, with the firm intention of -evincing to him my dissatisfaction; but he was so ready with his -explanations that I could not be angry, and we ended by agreeing that, -henceforth, all free admissions should have my signature, and that they -should not be dispensed quite so liberally.</p> - -<p>This measure, perhaps, checked some new abuses, but was not enough to -suppress them all, for though the theatre grew more and more crowded, my -strong-box did not follow the same progression.</p> - -<p>Far from netting the fabulous sum which had so dazzled me, I only -brought back from my trip to Brussels an illusion dispelled and -experience, while, as my cashier had predicted, my expenses rather more -than balanced my receipts.</p> - -<p>I have great reason for believing that, during my stay at the Park -Theatre, I was cheated out of my proper share. It was my first affair of -the kind, and I was obliged to study at my own expense; but, from that -period,<a name="page_293" id="page_293"></a> I was on my guard, and evaded every attempt at fraud. I will -add, too, that at a later date I had the satisfaction of dealing only -with managers of well-known probity, to whom I gave my entire confidence -without ever having any reason to regret it.<a name="page_294" id="page_294"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">Reopening of my Fantastic SoirĂ©es—Minor Miseries of Good -Luck—Inconvenience of a small Theatre—My Room taken by Storm—A -gratuitous Performance—A conscientious Audience—Pleasant Story -about a Black Silk Cap—I perform at the Château of St. -Cloud—Cagliostro’s Casket—Holidays.</p></div> - -<p>T<small>HE</small> recommencement of the performances on my own stage largely -recompensed me for my bitter <i>impressions de voyage</i>. My room was taken -a week beforehand for my first performance, as well as for the -following, and I had to send away four times as many persons as I could -receive.</p> - -<p>This success had been foreseen by the theatrical agent, and I owed it as -much to my absence from the capital as to the attraction my experiments -held out. My repertory was still a novelty to the Parisian public, as I -had started for Brussels at the height of my success. This did not -prevent me, however, from offering some new tricks, one of which more -especially produced a striking effect.</p> - -<p>After my son had mounted on a very small table, I covered him with an -enormous stuffed cone, which concealed him from sight, and then, at the -sound of a pistol, the cone was thrown over, and at the same instant the -lad appeared at my side. Afterwards, in large theatres, and especially -in London, this trick was improved upon, and seemed more marvellous -still. Instead of appearing by<a name="page_295" id="page_295"></a> my side, the boy was instantaneously -transported to a box at a long distance from the stage, where every body -could easily see him.</p> - -<p>It is a well-known fact that a man cannot enjoy perfect happiness in -this world, and that the greatest prosperity has its disagreeable side; -this is what is called “the minor evils of good luck.” One of my special -annoyances was having a room much too small, which disabled me from -satisfying all the demands made for places, and, though I racked my -brain, I could hit on no expedient to remedy this inconvenience.</p> - -<p>As I have already said, my room was often taken beforehand; in that case -the office was not opened, and a placard on the door announced it was -useless for any non-holders of tickets to apply. But it daily happened -that persons, annoyed at being unable to enjoy a promised treat, took no -heed of the notice and went straight to the pay place. On being refused -admission, they abused the money-taker, and still more the management.</p> - -<p>These complaints were generally absurd, and of the following -description:</p> - -<p>“Such an abuse is most improper,” one of these disappointed persons -said, with great simplicity; “I will certainly go to-morrow and complain -to the prefect of police, and we shall see whether Monsieur -Robert-Houdin has a right to have too small a theatre.”</p> - -<p>When these recriminations went no further, I confess I laughed at them, -but they did not always end in such a pacific manner. My employĂ©s were -sometimes personally attacked, and on one occasion my theatre was taken -by storm. The story is worth telling:</p> - -<p>One evening a dozen young men, after heating their brains by an -excellent dinner, presented themselves at the<a name="page_296" id="page_296"></a> door of my theatre; the -notice they read only appeared to them an excellent jest. Consequently, -paying no attention to the observations made to them, they collected -round the door, and to employ the usual expression in such cases, they -began to form “the head of the tail.” Other visitors, encouraged by -their example, collected, and gradually a considerable crowd assembled -in front of the theatre.</p> - -<p>The manager, informed of what was happening, came forward, and prepared -to address the crowd from the head of the stairs, after coughing to -render his voice clearer. But he had scarce commenced his address, when -his voice was drowned by derisive laughter and shouts, which compelled -his silence. In his despair, he came to tell me the dilemma, and ask -what he had better do.</p> - -<p>“Do not disturb yourself,” I said; “all will end better than you expect. -Stay,” I added, looking at my watch; “it is now half-past seven, and the -ticket-holders will begin to arrive; so, open the doors, and, as soon as -the room is full the public outside will be compelled to abandon the -ground.”</p> - -<p>I had scarcely uttered the words, when a servant came in all haste to -tell me that the crowd had broken down the barrier, and rushed into the -room. I hastened on to the stage, and through the hole in the curtain, -could assure myself of the truth of the statement: the room was full.</p> - -<p>I confess I was much embarrassed as to what I should do. To have the -room cleared by the neighboring guard was a scandal I wished to avoid, -and I could not calculate the consequences. Besides, if the police -interfered, I should have to attend at the court, and thus lose precious -time. Lastly, the Prefecture, which had hitherto imposed but a single -sentry on me, would not fail to send a corporal<a name="page_297" id="page_297"></a>’s guard, at least, to -the great increase of my daily expenses.</p> - -<p>I immediately formed a decision.</p> - -<p>“Have the doors closed,” I said to my manager, “and put up a notice -that, owing to a sudden indisposition, the evening’s performance is -postponed till to-morrow. As this measure applies to the ticket-holders, -be in readiness to return the money to those who will not exchange their -tickets. As for me,” I continued, “I have made up my mind. I will give a -gratis performance, and my revenge will consist in compelling the public -to be ashamed of the schoolboy trick they have played.”</p> - -<p>This plan arranged, I prepared to do the honors of my house properly, -and the curtain soon rose.</p> - -<p>When I appeared on the stage, I noticed that the greater number of the -spectators evinced considerable embarrassment; still, I soon put them at -their ease by the nonchalant air I assumed, as if ignorant of what had -occurred. I did even more. I performed with an unusual amount of dash; -and when the time arrived to offer my small presents, I was so liberal -with them that not a single spectator was overlooked.</p> - -<p>I need not say that I was heartily applauded. The public vied with me in -“reciprocating” compliments, and thus hoped to compensate me for the -annoyance they fancied they had caused me.</p> - -<p>An original and extremely comic scene was performed when my audience -lingeringly departed.</p> - -<p>Nearly all the persons present had only seen in this assault on my room -a means to obtain places, and each intended to pay for his seat after -having occupied it.</p> - -<p>But, for my part, I determined on maintaining the original character of -my gratuitous performance, even if my<a name="page_298" id="page_298"></a> pocket suffered. Thus, foreseeing -this feeling of delicacy, I had ordered all my attendants to leave -before the performance was over, and they had obeyed me so well, that -manager, money-taker, and box-openers had disappeared.</p> - -<p>I then posted myself where I could see everything without being noticed. -The spectators looked for the office; searched all around to find some -official; thrust their hands in their pockets, and collected in small -groups, until, worn out, they went away.</p> - -<p>Still, the public would not allow themselves to be beaten, and for -several days I had a regular procession of people coming to pay their -debt. Some persons added their apologies, and I also received by post a -note for 100 fr., with the following letter:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“<span class="smcap">Sir</span>,—Having been dragged into your room last night by a party of -thoughtless young men, I tried in vain, after the performance, to -pay for the seat I had occupied.</p> - -<p>“I do not wish, however, to quit France without paying the debt I -have contracted. In consequence, estimating the price of my stall -by the pleasure you caused me, I send you a hundred-franc note, -which I beg you to accept in payment of the debt I involuntarily -contracted.</p> - -<p>“Still, I should not consider myself out of your debt were I not -also to offer you my compliments for your interesting performance, -and beg you to accept, sir, the assurance of my consideration.”</p></div> - -<p>As the loss entailed on me by the assault on my room was light, I had no -cause to repent the decision I had formed. On the other hand, the -adventure became known, and added still more to my credit, as it is -notorious the public prefer going to theatres where they are certain of -finding no room.<a name="page_299" id="page_299"></a></p> - -<p>As a general rule, family parties came to see me, but it was not unusual -for a number of persons to form a rendezvous at my theatre. The -following incident will offer an instance:</p> - -<p>The ingenious author of those eccentric caricatures, which delight -everybody who is not himself attacked, Dantan the younger, came one day -to my box-office.</p> - -<p>“Madam,” he said to the lady in command, “how many stalls have you to -let?”</p> - -<p>“I will consult my book,” the lady replied. “Do you wish them for -to-night?”</p> - -<p>“No, madam, for this day week.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, in that case, you can have as many as you like.”</p> - -<p>“How, as many as I like? Why, your room must be made of india-rubber.”</p> - -<p>“No, sir, I merely mean to say that of fifty stalls I have at my -disposal, you can take as many as you please.”</p> - -<p>“Very good, madam, I now understand,” Dantan continued, laughingly; -“then, if I can have as many as I please, have the goodness to keep me -sixty.”</p> - -<p>The lady, much embarrassed to solve this problem, sent for me, and I -easily arranged the affair by converting the first pit row into stalls.</p> - -<p>The reason why the sculptor required so many seats was as follows:</p> - -<p>Dantan, junior, has an enormous number of friends, and the original idea -had occurred to him of inviting a certain number of them to -Robert-Houdin’s performance, and for that purpose he had engaged these -sixty seats.</p> - -<p>I have mentioned this incident, because it both proves the renown my -theatre enjoyed at that time, and reminds me of the commencement of one -of the most agreeable acquaintances I ever made in my life. From this -moment I<a name="page_300" id="page_300"></a> became, and have always remained, one of the intimate friends -of the celebrated sculptor.</p> - -<p>Before knowing him personally, like the majority of his admirers, I was -unacquainted with his serious works, but when I was admitted to his -studio, I could appreciate the full extent of his talent.</p> - -<p>Dantan has in this room, arranged on enormous shelves, the most perfect -collection of busts of contemporary celebrities. I do not think a single -illustrious person of the age is missing. Each is properly classified -and arranged as in a museum; monarchs and statesmen, less numerous than -the others, are collected on one shelf; then come authors, musicians, -singers, composers, physicians, warriors, dramatic artists—in a word -great men of every description and country. But the most interesting -thing in the gallery is that every bust is accompanied by its -caricature, so that, after admiring the original, you laugh heartily at -noticing all the comic details of the other.</p> - -<p>On seeing these numberless heads, it is difficult to imagine that one -man’s life could suffice for such a toil. Dantan, however, has a -remarkable talent in catching the characteristic features of a face, and -often enough he need only see a person once in order to produce an -extraordinary likeness. Witness the following fact, which I will cite as -much for its singularity as because it bears an affinity, in some -degree, to sleight-of-hand:</p> - -<p>The son of Lieutenant-General Baron D—— came one day to Dantan, -begging him to make a bust of his father. “I will not hide from you,” he -said to the artist, “that you will encounter an almost insurmountable -difficulty in performing your task. Not only would the general never -consent to sit to you, but you cannot even be introduced to him at home. -As my father has been ill for many years,<a name="page_301" id="page_301"></a> he sees no other persons than -his servants, and he keeps almost always alone. Hence, you will have to -manage to catch a glimpse at him unawares, but I do not know how.”</p> - -<p>“Does your father never go out?” the sculptor asked.</p> - -<p>“Oh yes, sir; every afternoon at four my father takes the â€bus and goes -to read the papers at a room in the Place de la Madeleine, after which -he comes back and shuts himself up again.”</p> - -<p>“I require no more,” the artist said. “I will begin making my -observations to-day, and set to work to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>In fact, at four o’clock precisely, Dantan posted himself before a house -forming the corner of the Boulevards and the Rue Louis-le-Grand, and -soon saw the general come out and walk to an omnibus. The sculptor -followed his model and entered the vehicle with him, but, unfortunately, -the only two seats vacant were on the same side, and the artist could -only make profile studies, being very careful not to attract attention.</p> - -<p>At last the â€bus stopped before the Madeleine church; pursuer and -pursued went in together to the same reading-room, where each took up -his favorite paper, and was soon lost in the perusal.</p> - -<p>Dantan had taken a seat opposite the general, and, while apparently -absorbed in a leader, took stealthy glances at his model.</p> - -<p>All was going on favorably, and the artist continued his studies quietly -for some moments, until the general, already surprised that his -fellow-passenger should come to the same reading-room, caught his eye -fixed upon himself.</p> - -<p>Annoyed by this impertinent curiosity, for which he could assign no -reason, he attempted to foil it by forming a rampart of his enormous -paper.<a name="page_302" id="page_302"></a></p> - -<p>The face of the old baron disappeared, but the top of his head was still -visible, and Dantan would have been able to continue his task -satisfactorily, had it not been for a frightful silk cap he wore.</p> - -<p>Many a conjurer, even the most famous, would have been checked by such a -difficulty; but Dantan did not long rack his brains, which renders his -trick only the more striking.</p> - -<p>He went up to the lady at the counter, spoke with her for a few moments, -and then quietly returned to his post of observation.</p> - -<p>It is necessary to state that the reading-room, heated by a large stove, -was already quite warm enough; but suddenly an insupportable degree of -heat filled the room, and drops of perspiration stood on the foreheads -of several persons.</p> - -<p>The general, who at this moment held the <i>Gazette des Tribunaux</i> in his -hand, and was doubtlessly amusing himself with some lugubrious drama, -was one of the last to notice the heightened temperature. Even he, -though, at length found it necessary to remove his silk cap, and put it -in his pocket, growling, “Confound it, how hot the room is!”</p> - -<p>The trick was done.</p> - -<p>The reader has already guessed that the clever sculptor was the cause of -this vapor-bath, which he induced the lady to produce by explaining to -her his important mission.</p> - -<p>This result once obtained, Dantan hastily made his phrenological studies -on the venerable head of the old warrior; then, rising from the table, -he cast a final glance over his features, photographed him, so to speak, -in his mind, and ran off to set to work.</p> - -<p>A short time after, the sculptor sent the general<a name="page_303" id="page_303"></a>’s family the most -perfect bust possibly ever produced by his chisel.</p> - -<p>Here I will close the parenthesis I commenced with reference to the -evils the smallness of my theatre entailed on me; and I will now begin -another about the pleasures my success procured me.</p> - -<p>At the beginning of November, I received a “command” to St. Cloud, to -give a performance before Louis Philippe and his family. I accepted the -invitation with the greatest pleasure; for as I had never yet performed -before a crowned head, this was an important event for me.</p> - -<p>I had six days before me to make my preparations, and I took all -possible pains, even arranging a trick for the occasion, from which I -had reason to expect an excellent result.</p> - -<p>On the day fixed for my performance, a fourgon came at an early hour to -fetch me and my apparatus, and we were conveyed to the château. A -theatre had been put up in a large hall selected by the king for the -representation, and in order that I might not be disturbed in my -preparations, a guard was placed at one of the doors leading into the -corridor. I also noticed three other doors in this apartment; one, -composed of glass, opened on to the garden opposite a passage filled -with splendid orange-trees; the two others, to the right and left, -communicated with the apartments of the king and the Duchess of Orleans.</p> - -<p>I was busy arranging my apparatus, when I heard one of the doors I have -just mentioned open quietly, and directly a voice made the following -inquiry in the most affable manner:</p> - -<p>“Monsieur Robert-Houdin, may I be permitted to come in?<a name="page_304" id="page_304"></a>”</p> - -<p>I turned my head in the direction, and recognized the king, who, having -asked this question merely as a form of introduction, had not waited for -my reply to walk towards me.</p> - -<p>I bowed respectfully.</p> - -<p>“Have you all you require for your preparations?” the king asked me.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sire; the steward of the château supplied me with skilled workmen, -who speedily put up this little stage.”</p> - -<p>My tables, consoles and tabourets, as well as the various instruments -for my performance, symmetrically arranged on the stage, already -presented an elegant appearance.</p> - -<p>“This is all very pretty,” the king said to me, drawing near the stage, -and casting a stealthy glance on some of my apparatus; “I see with -pleasure that the artist of 1846 will justify the good opinion produced -by the mechanician of 1844.”</p> - -<p>“Sire,” I replied, “on this day I will strive, as I did two years ago, -to render myself worthy of the great favor your majesty deigns to bestow -on me, by witnessing my performance.”</p> - -<p>“Your son’s second-sight is said to be very surprising,” the king -continued: “but I warn you, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, to be on your guard, -for we intend to cause you considerable difficulties.”</p> - -<p>“Sire,” I replied, boldly, “I have every reason for believing that my -son will surmount them.”</p> - -<p>“I should be vexed were it otherwise,” the king said, with a tinge of -incredulity, as he retired. “Monsieur Robert-Houdin,” he added, as he -closed the door after him, “I shall feel obliged by your punctuality.<a name="page_305" id="page_305"></a>”</p> - -<p>At four o’clock precisely, when the royal family and the numerous guests -were assembled, the curtains that concealed me opened, and I appeared on -the stage. Owing to my repeated performances, I had fortunately acquired -an imperturbable assurance and a confidence in myself which the success -of my experiments fully justified.</p> - -<p>I began in the most profound silence, for the party evidently wished to -see and judge before giving me any encouragement. But, insensibly, they -became excited, and I heard several exclamations of surprise, which were -soon followed by still more expressive demonstrations.</p> - -<p>All my tricks were very favorably received, and the one I had invented -for the occasion gained me unbounded applause.</p> - -<p>I will give a description of it:</p> - -<p>I borrowed from my noble spectators several handkerchiefs, which I made -into a parcel, and laid on the table. Then, at my request, different -persons wrote on the cards the names of places whither they desired -their handkerchiefs to be invisibly transported.</p> - -<p>When this had been done, I begged the king to take three of the cards at -hazard, and choose from them the place he might consider most suitable.</p> - -<p>“Let us see,” Louis Philippe said, “what this one says: â€I desire the -handkerchiefs to be found beneath one of the candelabra on the -mantelpiece.’ That is too easy for a sorcerer; so we will pass to the -next card: â€The handkerchiefs are to be transported to the dome of the -Invalides.’ That would suit me, but it is much too far, not for the -handkerchiefs, but for us. Ah, ah!” the king added, looking at the last -card, “I am afraid, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, I am about to embarrass you. -Do you know what this card proposes?<a name="page_306" id="page_306"></a>”</p> - -<p>“Will your majesty deign to inform me?”</p> - -<p>“It is desired that you should send the handkerchiefs into the chest of -the last orange-tree on the right of the avenue.”</p> - -<p>“Only that, sire? Deign to order, and I will obey.”</p> - -<p>“Very good, then; I should like to see such a magic act: I, therefore, -choose the orange-tree chest.”</p> - -<p>The king gave some orders in a low voice, and I directly saw several -persons run to the orange-tree, in order to watch it and prevent any -fraud.</p> - -<p>I was delighted at this precaution, which must add to the effect of my -experiment, for the trick was already arranged, and the precaution hence -too late.</p> - -<p>I had now to send the handkerchiefs on their travels, so I placed them -beneath a bell of opaque glass, and, taking my wand, I ordered my -invisible travellers to proceed to the spot the king had chosen.</p> - -<p>I raised the bell; the little parcel was no longer there, and a white -turtle-dove had taken its place.</p> - -<p>The king then walked quickly to the door, whence he looked in the -direction of the orange-tree, to assure himself that the guards were at -their post; when this was done, he began to smile and shrug his -shoulders.</p> - -<p>“Ah! Monsieur Robert-Houdin,” he said, somewhat ironically, “I much fear -for the virtue of your magic staff.” Then he added, as he returned to -the end of the room, where several servants were standing, “Tell William -to open immediately the last chest at the end of the avenue, and bring -me carefully what he finds there—if he <i>does</i> find anything.”</p> - -<p>William soon proceeded to the orange-tree, and though much astonished at -the orders given him, he began to carry them out.<a name="page_307" id="page_307"></a></p> - -<p>He carefully removed one of the sides of the chest, thrust his hand in, -and almost touched the roots of the tree before he found anything. All -at once he uttered a cry of surprise, as he drew out a small iron coffer -eaten by rust.</p> - -<p>This curious “find,” after having been cleaned from the mould, was -brought in and placed on a small ottoman by the king’s side.</p> - -<p>“Well, Monsieur Robert-Houdin,” Louis Philippe said to me, with a -movement of impatient curiosity, “here is a box; am I to conclude it -contains the handkerchiefs?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sire,” I replied, with assurance, “and they have been there, too, -for a long period.”</p> - -<p>“How can that be? the handkerchiefs were lent you scarce a quarter of an -hour ago.”</p> - -<p>“I cannot deny it, sire; but what would my magic powers avail me if I -could not perform incomprehensible tricks? Your majesty will doubtlessly -be still more surprised, when I prove to your satisfaction that this -coffer, as well as its contents, was deposited in the chest of the -orange-tree sixty years ago.”</p> - -<p>“I should like to believe your statement,” the king replied, with a -smile; “but that is impossible, and I must, therefore, ask for proofs of -your assertion.”</p> - -<p>“If your majesty will be kind enough to open this casket they will be -supplied.”</p> - -<p>“Certainly; but I shall require a key for that.”</p> - -<p>“It only depends on yourself, sire, to have one. Deign to remove it from -the neck of this turtle-dove, which has just brought it you.”</p> - -<p>Louis Philippe unfastened a ribbon that held a small rusty key, with -which he hastened to unlock the coffer.</p> - -<p>The first thing that caught the king’s eye was a parchment, on which he -read the following statement:<a name="page_308" id="page_308"></a></p> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p class="c"> -<span class="smcap">This day, the 6th June, 1786,</span><br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind"><span class="smcap">This iron box, containing six handkerchiefs, was placed among the -roots of an orange-tree by me, Balsamo, Count of Cagliostro, to -serve in performing an act of magic, which will be executed on the -same day sixty years hence before Louis Philippe of Orleans and his -family.</span></p></div> - -<p>“There is decidedly witchcraft about this,” the king said, more and more -amazed. “Nothing is wanting, for the seal and signature of the -celebrated sorcerer are placed at the foot of this statement, which, -Heaven pardon me, smells strongly of sulphur.”</p> - -<p>At this jest, the audience began to laugh.</p> - -<p>“But,” the king added, taking out of the box a carefully sealed packet, -“can the handkerchiefs by possibility be in this?”</p> - -<p>“Indeed, sire, they are; but, before opening the parcel, I would request -your majesty to notice that it also bears the impression of Cagliostro’s -seal.”</p> - -<p>This seal once rendered so famous by being placed on the celebrated -alchemist’s bottles of elixir and liquid gold, I had obtained from -Torrini, who had been an old friend of Cagliostro’s.</p> - -<p>“It is certainly the same,” my royal spectator answered, after comparing -the two seals. Still, in his impatience to learn the contents of the -parcel, the king quickly tore open the envelope, and soon displayed -before the astonished spectators the six handkerchiefs which, a few -moments before, were still on my table.</p> - -<p>This trick gained me lively applause, but in my second sight, which was -to terminate the performance, I had really to sustain a terrible -struggle, as the king had warned me.<a name="page_309" id="page_309"></a></p> - -<p>Among the objects handed me, there was, I remember, a medal, which it -was expected would embarrass me. Still, I had no sooner taken it in my -hand than my son described it in the following terms:</p> - -<p>“It is,” he said, confidently, “a Greek medal of bronze, on which is a -word composed of six letters, which I will spell: <i>lamba</i>, <i>epsilon</i>, -<i>mu</i>, <i>nu</i>, <i>omicron</i>, <i>sigma</i>, which makes <i>Lemnos</i>.”</p> - -<p>My son knew the Greek alphabet; hence, he could read the word Lemnos, -although he could not possibly have translated it.</p> - -<p>This was in itself a severe trial for so young a lad; but it did not -satisfy the royal family.</p> - -<p>I was handed a small Chinese coin with a hole through the centre, and -its name and value were immediately indicated; and, lastly, a -difficulty, from which I managed to escape successfully, was the -brilliant finale of my performance.</p> - -<p>I had been surprised to see the Duchess of Orleans, who took a lively -interest in the second sight, retire to her apartments; but she soon -returned, and handed me a small case, the contents of which she wished -my son to describe, but I must be careful not to open it.</p> - -<p>I had foreseen this prohibition; so, while the princess was speaking to -me, I opened the case with one hand, and, by a rapid glance, satisfied -myself as to its contents. Still, I pretended for a moment to be -startled by the proposal, in order to produce a greater effect.</p> - -<p>“Your highness,” I remarked, as I returned the case, “will allow me to -appeal against such a proposal, for you must have remarked that, until -now, I required to see the object before my son could name it.”</p> - -<p>“Yet you have surmounted greater difficulties,” the<a name="page_310" id="page_310"></a> amiable duchess -retorted. “However, if it is not possible, let us say no more about it, -for I should be grieved to cause you any embarrassment.”</p> - -<p>“What your highness wishes is, I repeat, impossible; and yet my son, -feeling anxious to justify the confidence you place in his clairvoyance, -will attempt to see through the case, and describe its contents.</p> - -<p>“Can he do so even through my hands?” the duchess continued, trying to -conceal the case.</p> - -<p>“Yes, madam, and even if your highness were in the next room, my son -would be able to see it.”</p> - -<p>The duchess, declining the new trial I proposed, satisfied herself by -questioning my son with her own lips.</p> - -<p>The boy, who had long received his instructions, replied, without -hesitation, “There is in the case a diamond pin, the stone being -surrounded by a garter of sky-blue enamel.”</p> - -<p>“That is perfectly correct,” the duchess said, as she showed the -ornament to the king. “Judge for yourself, sire;” then, turning to me, -she added, with infinite grace, “Monsieur Robert-Houdin, will you accept -this pin in remembrance of your visit to St. Cloud?”</p> - -<p>I thanked her highness sincerely, as I assured her of my gratitude.</p> - -<p>The performance was over: the curtain fell, and, in my turn, I was -enabled to enjoy a curious scene at my ease; it was to look through a -small hole at my audience, who had assembled in groups, and were talking -about the impression I had produced.</p> - -<p>Before leaving the château, the king and queen again sent me the most -flattering messages by the person charged to hand me a souvenir of their -munificence.</p> - -<p>This representation could not increase my reputation—<a name="page_311" id="page_311"></a>that was not -possible—but it helped powerfully to maintain it. My performance at St. -Cloud, more especially, created a sensation among the aristocracy, who, -until that moment, had hesitated about visiting my small room. Their -curiosity overcame other considerations, and they came in their turn to -assure themselves of the reality of the marvels attributed to me.</p> - -<p>The summer heats were, however, beginning to be felt: we had reached the -commencement of July, and I had to think about closing my theatre. -However, instead of running after fortune, as in the previous year, I -occupied myself with changing and improving my performance. The task was -heavy; for I was filled with bold emulation, as I could not conceal from -myself that my success imposed certain duties on me, and that, in order -to keep it up, I must be constantly deserving of it.</p> - -<p>The most painful part of my inquiries was, that my inventions must be -completed by a certain day and hour, for the reopening of my theatre was -fixed for the first of the next September, and, for many reasons, I -determined on being punctual.</p> - -<p>For two months I worked with great ardor, granting myself no rest or -pleasure. Sometimes, however, after dinner on Sunday, I allowed myself a -recreation which may seem strange to many of my readers: I went to the -fairs round Paris, and studied the mountebanks. There I amused myself, I -may say, as much as any of the spectators around me; though the pleasure -I felt was not of the same nature as that of my neighbors. I amused -myself by seeing their amusement, and nothing more; for any one who has -seen this style of spectacle must have noticed that the mountebank gives -his public very little for their money. The best part of the sight is -often seen outside.<a name="page_312" id="page_312"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">New Experiments—AĂ«rial Suspension, &c.—A Performance at the -OdĂ©on—A Friend in Need—1848—The Theatre deserted—I leave Paris -for London—Manager Mitchell—Publicity in England—The Great -Wizard—A Butter-mould used as a Puff—Singular Bills—A Prize for -the best Pun.</p></div> - -<p>I<small>NSTEAD</small> of being able to recommence my performances on the 1st of -September, as I had hoped, my compulsory holidays, which might be called -my “penal servitude,” were prolonged another month, and it was not till -the 1st of October that I was prepared to offer my new experiments to -the public.</p> - -<p>My pecuniary interests were much affected by this delay, but I trusted, -correctly enough, to the zeal of the public to visit me, as a -compensation.</p> - -<p>My new repertory contained the <i>Crystal Box</i>, the <i>Fantastic Portfolio</i>, -the <i>Trepèze Tumbler</i>, the <i>Garde Française</i>, the <i>Origin of Flowers</i>, -the <i>Crystal Balls</i>, the <i>Inexhaustible Bottle</i>, the <i>Ethereal -Suspension</i>, &c.</p> - -<p>I had devoted especial care to the last experiment, on which I built -great hopes. Surgery had supplied me with the first idea of it.</p> - -<p>It will be remembered that in 1847 the insensibility produced by -inhaling ether began to be applied in surgical operations; all the world -talked about the marvellous<a name="page_313" id="page_313"></a> effect of this anæsthetic, and its -extraordinary results. In the eyes of many people it seemed much akin to -magic.</p> - -<p>Seeing that the surgeons had invaded my domain, I asked myself if this -did not allow me to make reprisals. I did so by inventing my <i>ethereal -suspension</i>, which, I believe, was far more surprising than any result -obtained by my surgical brethren.</p> - -<p>The subject I intended to operate on was my younger son, and I could not -have selected one better suited for the experiment. He was a stout lad -of about six years of age, and his plump and rosy face was the picture -of health. In spite of his youth, he displayed the greatest intelligence -in learning his part, and played it with such perfection, that the most -incredulous were duped.</p> - -<p>This trick was very much applauded, and I am bound to say that my -arrangements were excellently made: this was the first time I tried to -direct the surprise of my spectators by gradually heightening it up to -the moment when, so to speak, it exploded.</p> - -<p>I divided my experiment into three parts, each more surprising than the -former.</p> - -<p>Thus, when I removed the stool from beneath the child’s feet, the -public, who had smiled during the preparations for the suspension, -became thoughtful.</p> - -<p>When I next removed one of the canes, exclamations of surprise and fear -were heard.</p> - -<p>Lastly, at the moment when I raised my son to an horizontal position, -the spectators, at this unexpected result, crowned the experiment with -hearty applause.</p> - -<p>Still, it sometimes happened that sensitive persons, regarding the -etherization too seriously, protested in their hearts against the -applause, and wrote me letters in which they severely upbraided the -unnatural father who sacrificed<a name="page_314" id="page_314"></a> the health of his poor child to the -pleasures of the public. Some went so far as to threaten me with the -terrors of the law if I did not give up my inhuman performance.</p> - -<p>The anonymous writers of such accusations did not suspect the pleasure -they caused me. After amusing the family circle, I kept the letters -preciously as proofs of the illusion I had produced.</p> - -<p>The fashion this performance raised could not surpass that of the -previous year: I could not expect any other result than filling my -theatre, and that occurred every evening.</p> - -<p>The royal family also wished to see my new experiments; and for this -purpose the whole room was taken for the afternoon, so that my evening -performances were not interrupted.</p> - -<p>This performance, which the Queen of the Belgians witnessed with her -family, was only so far peculiar, that my little room was filled with -exalted personages. All the seats were occupied, for their majesties -were accompanied by their respective courts, and a great number of -ambassadors and royal dignitaries.</p> - -<p>As I had reason to hope, my noble spectators were satisfied, and deigned -to thank me in person.</p> - -<p>In the midst of this gentle satisfaction, I had every reason to believe -that I possessed the favor of the public; I learned, though, at a heavy -penalty, that even if the favor of that sovereign may appear secured, a -trifle will cause it almost to expire.</p> - -<p>On the 18th of February, 1848, Madame Dorval took her benefit at the -OdĂ©on, and I promised that eminent actress to perform some of my tricks -as an interlude.</p> - -<p>I was punctual to my appointment across the water;<a name="page_315" id="page_315"></a> half-past eleven -struck, when the curtain fell just prior to my performance. As I had -been ready to begin for some time, ten minutes were sufficient to give a -final glance to my preparations.</p> - -<p>My first care, on taking possession of the stage, had been to conceal my -operations from indiscreet eyes; hence, I had dismissed everybody. -Unfortunately, I had not even made an exception in favor of the -stage-manager, and the sorrowful effects of this measure will now be -seen.</p> - -<p>In most excellent humor, I ordered my servant to give the three usual -taps, and the orchestra began playing while I walked to the side-scene, -prior to making my appearance. But at the moment the curtain rose, I -remembered I had forgotten one of my “accessories,” and I ran to my -dressing-room to fetch it. Unfortunately, in my hurry, I did not notice -that the machinist had inadvertently left a small trap open, and my leg -slipped into it up to the knee.</p> - -<p>The pain drew from me a sharp cry of distress; my servant ran up, and he -could only release me with some difficulty. But I was in a sad state, -for my trouser was torn completely up, exposing my bleeding and -lacerated leg.</p> - -<p>In this unhappy condition, I could not possibly return to the stage; -hence I looked around in search of some one to announce to the public -the accident that had happened to me, but I could only see two firemen. -They would not do for so delicate a mission, and although I had my -servant, this worthy lad was a negro with woolly head, blubber lips, and -an ebony skin, whose simple language would not have failed to raise a -laugh at my painful position.</p> - -<p>The stage-manager alone could undertake the mission; but where should I -find him?</p> - -<p>These reflections, prompt as lightning, were interrupted<a name="page_316" id="page_316"></a> by the -commencement of a storm in the theatre; the public summoned me, for it -must be remembered the curtain had risen, and in the eyes of the public -I had missed my entrance; this was disrespect, and, therefore, -unpardonable!</p> - -<p>My negro, without caring for what was passing elsewhere, tore up his -handkerchief and mine, and bound my wound with considerable skill. This -did not prevent me suffering severe pain, but I soon experienced a -torture a thousand-fold greater when I heard a violent storm burst out -in the house. The public, who had begun by stamping, were now hissing, -shouting, and yelling in all the discordant tones of dissatisfaction.</p> - -<p>Overcoming my pain, I changed my trousers in haste, and decided on going -myself to describe my accident. I therefore walked slowly to the door of -the stage, and I was just going to open it, when a frightful noise -turned me cold with terror, and checked me. My heart failed me. Still, I -put a stop to this. “Courage,” I said to myself, with a supreme -effort—“courage!” and straight-way throwing open the folding doors, I -walked on the stage.</p> - -<p>I shall never forget my reception. On one hand, cries, hisses, yells; on -the other, clapping of hands and applause, enough to wake the dead. The -two parties were apparently attempting to conquer each other in making a -noise.</p> - -<p>Pale and trembling at such a rough reception, I waited patiently for a -moment when the combatants, wearied with the contest, would allow me to -explain my delay. This moment at length arrived, and I was enabled to -describe my painful adventure. My paleness testified to the truth of my -words. The public allowed themselves to be disarmed,<a name="page_317" id="page_317"></a> and hisses were no -longer mingled with the applause which greeted my explanation.</p> - -<p>Any one who knows the relief and comfort bravos and hearty applause -arouse in the heart of an actor, will understand the sudden change they -produced in me. The blood rushed to my cheeks and restored my color, my -strength returned, and, possessed by fresh energy, I stated to the -public that I found myself so much recovered that I would go on with my -performance. I did so; and such was the power of my excitement, that I -scarce felt the pain produced by my wound.</p> - -<p>I have said that, on my appearance, I was saluted by demonstrations of a -very different nature. Although many of my spectators hissed, others -applauded me. Truth extorts a confession from me. I was supported on -this evening by an omnipotent protector.</p> - -<p>This requires an explanation. Hence, that my readers may solve the -enigma, I am obliged to narrate a slight anecdote:</p> - -<p>At the period when I invented my experiment of second sight, several -Parisian managers proposed to me to perform, as an interlude, in their -theatres, but I had refused, because, as I was tired by my own -performances, I did not wish to prolong them. My determination on this -point was quite formed, when I received a visit from an actress of the -Palais Royal, Madame M——, who performed the part of duennas.</p> - -<p>“I have not the honor of your acquaintance, sir,” she said, with a -certain degree of hesitation, “hence I am almost afraid to ask you to -render me a great service. These are the circumstances of the case: our -excellent manager, Dormeuil, has offered me a benefit, the profits of -which are intended to release my son from the conscription.<a name="page_318" id="page_318"></a> It only -depends on you, sir, to ensure the success of the performance by giving -me your assistance.” And the poor mother, deriving her eloquence from -her love for her son, painted in such lively colors the distress she -would feel from a failure, that, touched by her grief, I rescinded my -determination, and consented to add my performance of the “second sight” -to her bill.</p> - -<p>I dare not form the flattering idea that my name had any share in the -success of the performance; still, the house was crowded, and the -receipts more than covered the price of a substitute.</p> - -<p>The next day the happy mother called to tell me of her good fortune, and -thank me. She was accompanied by a gentleman I did not know, but who, so -soon as Madame M—— had ceased speaking, told me in his turn the object -of his visit.</p> - -<p>“I have taken the liberty of accompanying Madame M—— to compliment you -on what you have done for her. It is a good action, for which all her -theatrical friends owe you abundant thanks; and, for my part, I hope, -sooner or later, to evidence my gratitude in my own way.”</p> - -<p>While flattered at my visitor’s remarks, I was much puzzled as to the -sense of his last sentence. He noticed it, and, giving me no time to -reply, continued:</p> - -<p>“Ah! I forgot to tell you who I am, and I ought to have begun with that. -My name is Duhart, and I manage theatrical successes at the Palais -Royal. By the way,” he added, “were you satisfied with the reception you -had last night?”</p> - -<p>This confession, I grant, robbed me of a sweet illusion. I had fancied I -owed my reception to my own merits, and I now could not guess what share -of the applause legitimately belonged to me. Still, I thanked M. Duhart -for<a name="page_319" id="page_319"></a> his kindness, both past and to come. Three months later, I had -almost forgotten this incident, when one day, as I was going to give a -performance at the Porte Saint-Martin, my friend Duhart called on me.</p> - -<p>“Only one word, Monsieur Houdin,” he said, without taking the trouble to -sit down. “I read in the bills that you are going to perform for -Raucourt’s benefit, and I have recommended you to P——, who will â€take -care of you.’”</p> - -<p>I was in fact, “taken care of,” for when I appeared on the stage, I was -greeted by a reception worthy of the highest artistic celebrities. It -was easy to recognize an ovation warmly recommended, but I was glad to -notice that the public “followed suit,” and that the bravos emanating -from the pit radiated through the whole house.</p> - -<p>A few months later, when about to perform at the Gymnase, came another -visit from Duhart, the same recommendation to his comrade, and a similar -result. In short, I rarely quitted my own stage but my grateful -protector interested himself in my success.</p> - -<p>I am forced to say that I let him do so, and saw no harm in it; far from -that, these encouragements were a stimulant for me, and I always -redoubled my efforts to deserve them.</p> - -<p>I have taken a pride in relating this incident, for it admirably depicts -the character of a man capable of being so long grateful for a slight -service rendered to a friend. However, the performance at the OdĂ©on was -the last in which the worthy Duhart went out of his way for me, as the -revolution of February arrived a few days later.</p> - -<p>It will be remembered that this event was an utter “smasher” for all the -theatres.</p> - -<p>After exhausting all the attractive baits of their repertory,<a name="page_320" id="page_320"></a> the -managers, finding all their attractions fail, vainly formed a congress -to relieve them from such a disastrous situation.</p> - -<p>I was invited to the meeting, but, though I put in an appearance, it was -merely through politeness, as I was in a position very different from -that of my brethren.</p> - -<p>This position depended simply on the fact that my establishment, instead -of having the name of a theatre, was called a “spectacle.” Through this -slight difference of title I enjoyed rights infinitely more extended.</p> - -<p>Thus, while the theatres could only have bills of a size arranged by a -police decree, I was at liberty, as the manager of a spectacle, to -announce my performances in unbounded proportions.</p> - -<p>I could also lessen or increase the number of my performances at my -pleasure, which was not one of the slightest advantages of my -management.</p> - -<p>Lastly, I had a right, whenever I thought proper, to put the key of my -room in my pocket, dismiss my staff, and walk about at my leisure in -expectation of better times.</p> - -<p>All these advantages, to which I will add that of being burdened with -very slight expenses compared with my brethren, offered me no other -result than that of not losing my money. However I might try, the public -remained deaf to my appeal as to theirs.</p> - -<p>I am mistaken though; for some days I received very polite letters from -the Provisional Government, in the shape of “free passes,” which begged -me to find room in my hall for the students of the Polytechnic and St. -Cyr schools, accompanied by their tutors.</p> - -<p>I was enchanted, it is true, by this amiable act of politeness, which -augmented the number of my scanty spectators;<a name="page_321" id="page_321"></a> for I performed, at -least, before a well-filled room, and I had no longer the annoyance of -seeing those unlucky benches empty—a sight which usually paralyzes the -most philosophic performers.</p> - -<p>This illusion was, in truth, very ephemeral, for each evening, after the -performance, my cashier assumed a very gloomy face on approaching me.</p> - -<p>What disenchantment! What bitter reprisals on the part of the blind -goddess who, for some time, had granted me such sweet favors!</p> - -<p>Still, in these moments of distress, I may say with perfect sincerity -deceptions and torment were not confined to the profit and loss account; -and though a manager does not take money, he desires to conceal his -misery. In order to produce a deception, he tries to furnish his -theatre, and he gives free admissions. I had recourse to this measure; -but, what will appear strange, these tickets, which, a month earlier, -would have been regarded as an immense favor, were viewed with -considerable indifference, and it often happened that people did not -take the trouble to accept my invitation.</p> - -<p>Having become a philosopher through necessity, I ended by resigning -myself to seeing my room nearly empty, and I sent out no more -invitations. Besides, I had enjoyed an opportunity of studying the “free -admissions,” and I had remarked that this class of spectators is, or -pretends to be, quite indifferent to the performance. In fact, the “free -admission,” when he believes the theatre short of spectators, imagines -he is doing an act of kindness by accepting the invitation offered him. -If he find the house full, he fancies all the places are occupied by -gratis tickets (and he is sometimes correct), and he concludes from it -that the performance cannot be very amusing. If he<a name="page_322" id="page_322"></a> happen to be -mistaken, he does not applaud, in his fear of being taken for a -gratuitous visitor, and pass for an accomplice paying for his seat in -applause.</p> - -<p>I was in the thick of my managerial troubles when, one morning, I -received a visit from the manager of the French theatre in London. -Mitchell (that is his name), far from seeking to delude me by false -promises, like my Brussels theatrical agent, merely made me the -following simple proposal:</p> - -<p>“Monsieur Robert-Houdin,” he said to me, “you are well known in London; -come and perform at the St. James’ Theatre, and I have every reason to -believe you will be successful. Besides, we shall be equally interested, -for we will share the gross receipts, and I will pay all the expenses. -You will perform alternately with my OpĂ©ra Comique, that is to say, on -Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and you will begin, if you please, on -the 7th of May next, or a month from to-day.”</p> - -<p>These conditions appearing to me very acceptable, I may add, most -advantageous, I agreed to them most readily. Mitchell, then, offered me -his hand, I gave him mine, and this friendly sanction was the only -agreement we made for this important affair. Though there was no forfeit -on either side, no arrangement or signature, never was a bargain better -cemented.</p> - -<p>From that time, during all my long connection with Mitchell, I had many -occasions of appreciating all the value of his word. I may say loudly -that he is one of the most conscientious managers I ever had dealings -with. In addition, Mitchell adds an extreme affability, and a remarkable -degree of generosity and disinterestedness to the merit of keeping his -word. Under all circumstances, he will be found to act as a perfect -gentleman, and one of the<a name="page_323" id="page_323"></a> most brilliant qualities he possesses as -manager, is his courteous behavior to his performers. The following -instance will serve as a proof:</p> - -<p>Jenny Lind was singing at Her Majesty’s Theatre on the same evenings I -performed at St. James’s, so that, despite all the wish I felt to go and -hear her, I could not make up my mind to sacrifice a performance for -this attractive pleasure. However, in consequence of a circumstance too -lengthy to detail here, I happened to find myself free on one of the -nights when Jenny Lind sang. I must add that, besides managing the St. -James’s Theatre, Mitchell had hired a certain number of boxes at Her -Majesty’s by the year, and, according to the English custom, let them -out to the highest bidders. It happened at times that all the tickets -were not sold, and in that case Mitchell gave them to a few privileged -friends. I was aware of this circumstance, and intended to ask him a -similar favor for this evening.</p> - -<p>At the moment I was going out to seek my manager, he came into my room.</p> - -<p>“By Jove, my dear Mitchell,” I said to him, “I was just going to prefer -a request to you.”</p> - -<p>“Whatever it may be, my dear friend,” he replied, politely, “be assured -it will be willingly heard.”</p> - -<p>And when I explained to him what I wanted,</p> - -<p>“Good Heavens! Houdin,” he said, in a tone of real annoyance, “how -unlucky you should ask that of me.”</p> - -<p>“Why so?” I replied, in the same tone; “if it is not possible, my dear -friend, pray let me withdraw my request.”</p> - -<p>“On the contrary, my dear Houdin—on the contrary, it is very easy; I am -only vexed at missing the surprise I intended to offer you: I was going -to give you an excellent box for to-night: here it is.<a name="page_324" id="page_324"></a>”</p> - -<p>A more delicate and amiable way of behaving could hardly be suggested.</p> - -<p>A fortnight had scarce elapsed since my interview with Mitchell, when, -after a most successful passage, I disembarked at London. On the moment -of my arrival, my manager led me to a delightful lodging close to the -theatre, and showed me all the rooms. On reaching the sleeping -apartment, he said:</p> - -<p>“You have a celebrated bed before you: it is the one in which Rachel, -DĂ©jazet, Jenny Colon, and many other artistic celebrities, rested after -the emotion produced by their successes. You cannot but enjoy the ideas -which the remembrance of these illustrious guests will summon up in your -dreams. To any other than you, my dear Houdin, I would say that these -celebrated predecessors must bring good luck; but your success depends -on the virtue of your magic staff.”</p> - -<p>Mitchell, feeling desirous to add all desirable attraction to my -performances, had ordered a scene in the Louis XV. style, as well as a -curtain, on which was painted, in letters of gold, the title adopted for -my Paris theatre, “<i>SoirĂ©es Fantastiques de</i> <span class="smcap">Robert-Houdin</span>;” -consequently, I could not begin my arrangements till all these -preparations had been completed.</p> - -<p>In the meanwhile, having nothing better to do, I walked about daily in -the magnificent parks, and collected my strength, in preparation for the -fatigues I was about to undergo in my performances.</p> - -<p>At this word “fatigues,” my reader will be doubtlessly surprised, for he -has every reason to suppose that my stay in London would be in some -degree a period of rest, as, instead of playing seven times a week, as -in Paris, I was only to give three performances in the same period.<a name="page_325" id="page_325"></a></p> - -<p>To explain this apparent contradiction, it will be enough for me to -state that the work and fatigue are less in the performance than its -preparation. As at St. James’s Theatre I had to perform alternately with -the Comic Opera, I was obliged, lest I might impede these artists in -their studies, to give them all necessary time for their rehearsals, -which, as is well known, occupy the greater portion of the day. -Consequently, I had promised to clear the stage so soon as my -performance was over, and not occupy it again till the middle of the day -on which I performed. Add to this, that in my labor of preparing and -removing, the master’s eye was not sufficient, but I had for various -reasons to set to work myself, and it may be easily understood that this -caused me enormous fatigue.</p> - -<p>It caused me at the outset a species of comical regret to find that my -performances would not owe their success entirely to my own merits. In -England it is almost impossible to gain the ear of the public unless -every possible form of notoriety be resorted to, and the change from my -peaceful retirement in Paris was very startling. Whenever I took my -walks abroad, my name in gigantic letters stared me in the face, while -enormous posters, on which my various tricks were represented, covered -the walls of London, and, according to the English fashion, were -promenaded about the streets, by the help of a vehicle like those we -employ in Paris for removing furniture.</p> - -<p>But, however great this publicity might be, it was quite modest when -compared to that opposed to us by a rival, who may be justly regarded as -the most ingenious and skillful puffer in England.</p> - -<p>On my arrival in England, a conjurer of the name of Anderson, who -assumed the title of <i>Great Wizard of the North</i>, had been performing -for a long period at the little Strand Theatre.<a name="page_326" id="page_326"></a></p> - -<p>This artist, fearing, doubtlessly, that public attention might be -divided, tried to crush the publicity of my performances; hence, he sent -out on London streets a cavalcade thus organized:</p> - -<p>Four enormous carriages, covered with posters and pictures representing -all sorts of witchcraft, opened the procession. Then followed -four-and-twenty merry men, each bearing a banner, on which was painted a -letter a yard in height.</p> - -<p>At each cross-road the four carriages stopped side by side and presented -a bill some twenty-five yards in length, while all the men, I should say -letters, on receiving the word of command, drew themselves up in a line, -like the vehicles.</p> - -<p>Seen in front, the letters formed this phrase:</p> - -<p class="c"> -<span class="smcap">The Celebrated Anderson!!!</span><br /> -<br /> -while, on the other side of the banners could be read:<br /> -<br /> -<span class="smcap">The Great Wizard of the North.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>Unfortunately for the Wizard, his performances were attacked by a mortal -disease; too long a stay in London had ended by producing satiety. -Besides, his repertory was out of date, and could not contend against -the new tricks I was about to offer. What could he present to the public -in opposition to the second sight, the suspension, and the inexhaustible -bottle? Hence, he was obliged to close his theatre and start for the -provinces, where he managed, as usual, to make excellent receipts, owing -to his powerful means of notoriety.</p> - -<p>I have met many “puffers” in my life, but I may say I never saw one who -attained the elevation Anderson reached. The instance I have quoted will -give some idea of<a name="page_327" id="page_327"></a> his manner, but I will add a few others, to supply a -perfect idea of the man.</p> - -<p>Whenever his performances are going to be given in a large town, though -they are announced with extreme publicity, Anderson contrives to bring -his wonders to the notice even of those who never read the newspapers or -posters.</p> - -<p>For this purpose, he sends to all the buttermen in the town moulds on -which his name, title, and the hour of his performance are engraved, -begging them to imprint his stamp on their butter-pats, in lieu of the -cow ordinarily represented. As every family in England eats butter at -breakfast, it follows that each receives, at no expense to the conjurer, -an invitation to pay a visit to the illustrious Wizard of the North.</p> - -<p>Again, too, Anderson sends out into the streets, before daybreak, a -dozen men, carrying those open frames, by means of which, and with a -brush and lamp-black, the walls of Paris have been so long covered with -puffs. These people print the announcement of the Wizard’s performance -on the pavement, which is always kept remarkably clean in England. In -spite of himself, every tradesman on opening his shop, and every -inhabitant proceeding to business, cannot but read the name of Anderson, -and the announcement of his performance. It is true that a few hours -later these puffs are effaced by the footsteps of the passers-by, but -thousands of persons have read them, and the Wizard requires no more.</p> - -<p>His posters are equally original, and I was shown one of a gigantic size -put out on the occasion of his return to London after a lengthened -absence in the provinces. It was a caricature imitation of the famous -picture “Napoleon’s Return from Elba.<a name="page_328" id="page_328"></a>”</p> - -<p>In the foreground Anderson was seen affecting the attitude of the great -man; above his head fluttered an enormous banner, bearing the words “The -Wonder of the World;” while, behind him, and somewhat lost in the shade, -the Emperor of Russia and several other monarchs stood in a respectful -posture. As in the original picture, the fanatic admirers of the Wizard -embraced his knees, while an immense crowd received him triumphantly. In -the distance could be seen the equestrian statue of the Iron Duke, who, -hat in hand, bowed before him, the Great Wizard; and, lastly, the very -dome of St. Paul’s bent towards him most humbly.</p> - -<p>At the bottom was the inscription,</p> - -<p class="c"> -“<span class="smcap">Return of the Napoleon of Necromancy.</span>”<br /> -</p> - -<p>Regarded seriously, this picture would be found a puff in very bad -taste; but, as a caricature, it is excessively comic. Besides, it had -the double result of making the London public laugh, and bringing a -great number of shillings into the skillful puffer’s pockets.</p> - -<p>When Anderson is about to leave a town where he has exhausted all his -resources, and has nothing more to hope, he still contrives to make one -more enormous haul.</p> - -<p>He orders from the first jeweller in the town a silver vase, worth -twenty or twenty-five pounds; he hires, for one evening only, the -largest theatre or room in the town, and announces that in the Wizard’s -parting performance the spectators will compete to make the best pun.</p> - -<p>The silver vase is to be the prize of the victor.</p> - -<p>A jury is chosen among the chief people of the town to decide with the -public on the merits of each pun.</p> - -<p>It is agreed that they will applaud if they think a pun good; they will -say nothing to a passable one, but groan at a bad one.<a name="page_329" id="page_329"></a></p> - -<p>The room is always crowded, for people come less to see the performance, -which they know by heart, than to display their wit publicly. Each makes -his jest, and receives a greeting more or less favorable; and, lastly, -the vase is decreed to the cleverest among them.</p> - -<p>Any other than Anderson would be satisfied with the enormous receipts -his performance produces; but the Great Wizard of the North has not -finished yet. Before the audience leaves the house he states that a -short-hand writer had been hired by him to take down all the puns, and -that they will be published as a Miscellany.</p> - -<p>As each spectator who has made a joke likes to see it in print, he -purchases a copy of the book for a shilling. An idea of the number of -these copies may be formed from the number of puns they contain. I have -one of these books in my possession, printed at Glasgow in 1850, in -which there are 1091 of these facetiæ.</p> - -<p>The charlatan style of Anderson’s bills is most amusing—at least I -regard it as such; for it is not presumable that Anderson ever intended -sincerely to praise himself in such an outrageous way. If I am mistaken, -it would be more than vanity on his part, when I take into consideration -his conjuring talent. Hence I believe him to be very modest at heart.<a name="page_330" id="page_330"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">The St. James’s Theatre—Invasion of England by French -Performers—A FĂŞte patronised by the Queen—The Diplomatist and the -Sleight-of-Hand Man—Three Thousand Pounds taken at one Haul—I -perform at Manchester—The Spectators in the Pillory—What capital -Curaçoa!—A Torrent of Wine—A Catastrophe—Performance at -Buckingham Palace—A Wizard’s Repast.</p></div> - -<p>B<small>UT</small> it is time to return to St. James’s: the machinists, painters, and -decorators have finished their work, for the 2nd of May has arrived, the -day fixed for my stage being handed over to me.</p> - -<p>In fact, every one was admirably punctual: the new scenery was in its -place at an early hour, and as, at Mitchell’s request, the rehearsals -were suspended for that day, the theatre was entirely at my service; -hence I could devote myself quietly to the preparations for my -performance. However, all had been so well arranged beforehand, that I -was in perfect readiness when the audience began entering the house.</p> - -<p>It may be supposed I had taken every possible precaution to insure -success, for an experiment which must excite astonishment if it succeed, -in the event of failure is ruin to the operator. Hence I sincerely pity -those sorcerers whose supernatural power hangs on a thread.</p> - -<p>It is true that a skillful conjurer ought always to be able to escape -any difficulty that may occur to him; still, this sort of repairs very -rarely meets with success, for,<a name="page_331" id="page_331"></a> after all, it is only a patching -together, in which the cracks are only too visible.</p> - -<p>I had a mode of escape always at hand in any emergency, but I confess I -was much vexed when compelled to have recourse to these secondary means, -which, by prolonging the experiment, render it far less striking.</p> - -<p>When a failure happens in tricks of skill an escape is impossible, for a -conjurer ought no more to fail in these than a good musician play a -false note. Whenever he makes a mistake in such a case, it results from -his want of adroitness, which only time can correct; but in our -experiments accidents at times happen which the most careful man cannot -foresee. In such an event, you can only trust to the expedients which -presence of mind suggests.</p> - -<p>Thus, one day, I happened to break the glass of a watch lent me for a -trick. My position was awkward, for it is a very clumsy termination to a -trick to return an object lent you in any way injured.</p> - -<p>I quietly walked up to the gentleman who had lent me the watch, and -offered it to him, while being very careful to keep the face downwards; -but, at the moment he was going to take it, I drew it back.</p> - -<p>“This is your watch?” I said, confidently.</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, it is.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I merely wished to prove the fact; will you, sir,” I added, -sinking my voice, to a whisper, “lend it to me for another trick which I -intend to perform presently?”</p> - -<p>“Willingly,” the obliging spectator replied.</p> - -<p>I then carried the watch on the stage, and, handing it secretly to my -servant, I bade him go at full speed to a watchmaker’s, and have a new -glass put in.</p> - -<p>Half an hour later, I returned the watch to its owner, saying:<a name="page_332" id="page_332"></a></p> - -<p>“I have just noticed to my regret that the lateness of the hour will -preclude me from performing the trick I promised you; but as I hope to -have the pleasure of seeing you again at my performances, please to -remind me the first time you come, and I shall then be able to perform -the interesting trick.”</p> - -<p>I was saved.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>In the meanwhile, the public were entering the theatre, but so quietly -that, although my dressing-room was close to the stage, I heard scarcely -any noise in the house. I was frightened at this, for such a quiet entry -is in France a sure prognostic of bad receipts for the manager, and -sinister foreboding of a failure to the performer.</p> - -<p>When I was able to proceed on the stage, I ran to the curtain-hole, and -I saw with as much surprise as pleasure the house completely filled, and -presenting, in addition, the most charming company I had ever yet -performed before.</p> - -<p>I must say, too, that the St. James’s Theatre is a splendid -establishment, for it is in some degree the gathering-place of the -flower of the English aristocracy, who visit it not merely to enjoy the -performances, but also to improve their pronunciation of French.</p> - -<p>One fact will give an idea of the elegance and fashion of my spectators; -no lady is allowed to keep on her bonnet, however elegant it may be; she -is obliged to leave it in the saloon. This is, indeed, a thorough -English fashion, for the ladies come to the theatre in evening costume, -with their hair beautifully arranged, and low-necked dresses, while the -gentlemen are attired in black, with white neck-handkerchiefs and -gloves.</p> - -<p>At St. James’s, the pit only exists traditionally; it is<a name="page_333" id="page_333"></a> driven under -the boxes, and its presence is scarcely noticed. All the body of the -house is filled with stalls, or rather elegant arm-chairs, to which -ladies are admitted.</p> - -<p>The price of the seats is in proportion to the comfort they offer; each -stall costs seven shillings, and you can enter the modest pit for three -shillings; but this is no dearer than at the Opera.</p> - -<p>While I was surveying this elegant assembly with delight, I felt a -gentle tap on my shoulder. It was Mitchell, who came to give me a -delicate hint about some invitations he had thought it advisable to send -out.</p> - -<p>“Well, Houdin,” he said to me, “how do you like your examination? does -the audience please you?”</p> - -<p>“It is delightful, my dear Mitchell; I may add, it is the first time I -ever performed in a theatre to such a brilliant audience.”</p> - -<p>“Brilliant is the very word, my friend, for you must know that, among -your admirers” (pardon me this word of praise, but I am quoting -Mitchell), “is the whole of the English Press, which possesses a -numerous staff. We shall also have as spectators some gentlemen whose -opinion exercises a very great influence in London drawing-rooms. And -lastly, a great number of places are occupied by artistic celebrities, -who will justly appreciate the Robert-Houdin whom, to employ the -champagne phrase, we have made â€sparkle’ as he deserves.”</p> - -<p>It may be imagined that, after this explanation, my performance seemed -to me a solemnity, and that I employed the utmost care and zeal in -executing my tricks. I am justified in stating that I obtained a -legitimate success.</p> - -<p>Shall I now speak of the kindness and encouragement I received from the -audience of St. James’s Theatre? I<a name="page_334" id="page_334"></a> will appeal to the celebrated -artistes who have performed on this stage before me: Rachel, Roger, -Samson, Regnier, Duplessis, DĂ©jazet, BouffĂ©, Levassor, &c.; have they -ever found in Europe spectators comparable to those of St. James’s? Here -there are no paid clappers; they would be superfluous, for the audience -take upon themselves to encourage the performers. The gentlemen are not -afraid of bursting their gloves, while the ladies make as much noise -with their tiny hands as their strength allows.</p> - -<p>But I must stop, for I should fear, were I to continue, drifting into -the style of the Great Wizard.</p> - -<p>My performances went on at St. James’s, and amply consoled me for my -losses in Paris. Although I only performed three times a week, their -produce exceeded that of my best days at home. My readers might imagine -that such unequivocal success ought to have satisfied me, but, as I have -said before, I am naturally ambitious, and I longed for one decisive -triumph—I wished to have my performance honored by the presence of the -Queen. Under happier auspices I doubt not that the honor would have -fallen to my share, but at the moment there was a peculiar difficulty, -which I saw no mode of overcoming. I will describe it in as summary a -manner as I can.</p> - -<p>After the revolution, the French theatres, as I have already said, found -their receipts reduced to worthless free tickets; hence they sought in -neighboring countries, just as I had done myself, a public less engaged -with politics, and consequently more apt to yield to the attraction of -amusement.</p> - -<p>England was the only country that had made no change in its habits of -luxury and pleasure, and hence many managers turned their longing eyes -towards this El Dorado.<a name="page_335" id="page_335"></a></p> - -<p>The Palais Royal Theatre, which, by the way, was not the worst off, was -one of the first to draw a bill at sight upon the rich metropolis of -England.</p> - -<p>Dormeuil, its skillful manager, divided his company into two parts, one -remaining at Paris, while the other came to the St. James’s Theatre in -the place of the OpĂ©ra Comique, which had ended its engagement with -Mitchell. Levassor, Grassot, Ravel, M’lle Scrivaneck, &c., received a -brilliant reception from our mutual audience.</p> - -<p>This success became known in Paris, and turned the head of M. H——, -manager of the Historic Theatre.</p> - -<p>After making arrangements with the proprietors of a London theatre -(Covent Garden, I think), the impresario also came across with a portion -of his company to perform his play of <i>Monte Christo</i>, which lasted two -evenings.</p> - -<p>The arrival of these performers, all of great merit generally, disturbed -the peace of the English managers, who, fearing with some reason the -entire loss of their audiences, resolved to oppose this dangerous -invasion.</p> - -<p>“The French and Italian theatres in London,” they said in their attacks, -“can play on their boards whatever pieces they like; they are privileged -to do so, and we respect their right. But we will not permit all our -theatres to be thus invaded, or Shakspeare be dethroned by foreign -playwrights.”</p> - -<p>The question of theatrical rivalry soon assumed the character of a -national one. The papers took up the cause of the theatres, while the -public adopted the opinion of the press writers, and formed an army to -fight against the new comers.</p> - -<p>M. H—— attempted, however, to perform Alexandre Dumas’s master-piece; -but it was impossible to hear a word, so great were the noise and -confusion in the house<a name="page_336" id="page_336"></a> during the whole time the performance lasted. -Although the manager persevered in his enterprise, he was at length -obliged to yield to this imposing protest, which threatened to -degenerate into a collision, and he decided on closing the theatre.</p> - -<p>Mitchell held out his hand to the unlucky manager, and offered him the -hospitality of his theatre, that he might at least play his double piece -once before he left London. For this purpose he granted him one night of -the Palais Royal performances, and promised to arrange with me for the -next night.</p> - -<p>I could refuse Mitchell nothing, and the drama was represented in its -entirety, after which the company returned to France.</p> - -<p>I granted this favor with the greatest pleasure, as it obliged many -amiable performers, and I will add that, were a similar occasion offered -me to oblige M. H—— again, I would gladly accept it, if only to remind -him about thanking me for the first service I did him.</p> - -<p>Fortunately for my hopes, an occasion was offered me for performing -before her Majesty, of which I gladly availed myself, as it enabled me, -at the same time to do some slight service in the cause of charity. The -occasion I will here describe, as it affords a pleasing trait of English -manners and customs.</p> - -<p>A benevolent fĂŞte, the object of which was to open baths for the poor, -had been organized by the first ladies in the land, and it was to be -held at a delicious villa at Fulham, belonging to Sir Arthur Webster, -who had kindly placed it at the disposal of the lady patronesses.</p> - -<p>This graceful swarm of sisters of charity was composed of ten duchesses, -fifteen marchioness, and some thirty countesses, viscountesses and -baronesses, at the head of<a name="page_337" id="page_337"></a> whom was the Queen, who intended to honor -the fĂŞte by her presence. This was more than sufficient to dispose of -the tickets, however high the price might be. Still, the ladies -conscientiously desired to add some attraction, which would occupy the -afternoon agreeably. The first idea was to arrange a concert, and, of -course, the chief singers in the metropolis must be invited to join, as -the company was so select; hence the committee turned their eyes to Her -Majesty’s Theatre.</p> - -<p>But there a difficulty arose: they must ask each artiste to display his -talent gratuitously, and as this was begging a favor, the embassy placed -the fair promoters in a delicate position which they hesitated to -accept.</p> - -<p>Fortunately for them, these ladies had taken care to enlist the services -of my manager, whose intelligent advice would be most useful in -arranging the fĂŞte.</p> - -<p>Mitchell was requested to call on the artistes, and he soon drew up a -most remarkable list: it contained Madame Grisi, Madame Castellan, -Madame Alboni, Mario, Roger (then engaged at Her Majesty’s Theatre), -Tamburini, and Lablache.</p> - -<p>After the concert a divertissement was to take place which must excite -the public curiosity. A large number of ladies, dressed in costumes -selected from all parts of the world, had promised to form fancy -quadrilles on the lawn, in which they would perform character dances, -and for this purpose elegant and spacious tents were erected.</p> - -<p>But this spectacle could only last an hour, and there were still two to -be filled up, in which the guests could only be offered the pleasure of -walking about. It was evident this was not enough, especially when we -remember the price of the tickets was two pounds. Hence the committee -naturally thought of my performance.<a name="page_338" id="page_338"></a></p> - -<p>Mitchell had expected this, so he took on himself, owing to our friendly -connexion, to obtain my consent. He did more, for wishing in his turn to -offer his alms to the poor, he offered to build, at his own expense, a -theatre in the ground, and transfer to it the scenery I had at the -theatre. This was, in some respects, removing St. James’s Theatre to -Fulham.</p> - -<p>Mitchell told me of this lucky event, from which he expected the best -results, and I may say at once that his expectations were realized. As -soon as it was known that the Queen would deign to be present at one of -my performances, many members of the aristocracy, who had not yet -visited the St. James’s Theatre, sent to order boxes.</p> - -<p>On the day fixed for the Fulham festival, I started after breakfast for -Sir Arthur Webster’s residence. My manager, with the machinist of the -theatre, had been at work there from an early hour, so that, when I -arrived I found the theatre quite in readiness for me. Scenery, drops, -and curtain, everything, in short, was there, excepting the foot-lights, -for which the sun was an admirable substitute.</p> - -<p>The public were to be admitted at one, and though I was not to give my -performance till nearly four o’clock, all my preparations were made by -the time the doors opened. The lady patronesses were already at their -posts to receive the Queen and the royal family, and were assisted by -stewards selected from the highest members of the aristocracy; among -them being the Duke of Beaufort, the Marquis of Abercorn, the Marquis of -Douglas, &c.</p> - -<p>While waiting my turn to act, I thought I might as well take part in the -fĂŞte as a simple spectator; hence I went first to the entrance gates.</p> - -<p>I had scarce reached them when I saw the Duke of Wellington get out of -his carriage, the popular hero before<a name="page_339" id="page_339"></a> whom gentle and simple bowed with -respectful deference.</p> - -<p>A few moments later appeared the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, -accompanied by his Highness Prince Frederick William of Hesse, and in a -group immediately following these high personages, the Duchess of Kent, -the Duchess Bernhard of Saxe Weimar, and the Princesses Anne and Amelia -were pointed out to me.</p> - -<p>These illustrious visitors were received by the lady patronesses with -the honors due to their rank, while the band of the Royal Horse Guards -played national airs.</p> - -<p>Outside could be heard the noisy and animated crowd, pressing forward, -at the risk of their lives, to see the carriages with the powdered and -gorgeous footmen whose heads are taxed so highly by the government.</p> - -<p>The numerous subscribers flocked in: all wished to be punctual, for it -was known the Queen would grace the fĂŞte by her presence, and an -Englishman, great or small, would not at any price miss the pleasure of -seeing once again the features of her most gracious Majesty.</p> - -<p>The place I had selected was most favorable for observing the new -arrivals and not missing a single person. Still, whatever attraction -this brilliant panorama might offer me, I was equally anxious to see the -interior of the fairy palace, and I was just turning away, after -directing a parting glance to the entrance gates. I was glad I did so, -for at this moment arrived, close after each other, Prince Louis -Napoleon, our present Emperor; Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar; Prince -LĹ“wenstein, and several other great personages whose names have -escaped my memory.</p> - -<p>The gardens, the conservatories, and apartments, were already crowded by -all the rank and fashion of London, and it was a hard matter to move -about at one’s ease. At<a name="page_340" id="page_340"></a> each moment a formidable swarm of marchionesses -and ladies stopped the way, and forced me to yield the road to them, in -my fear of crushing the most dazzling dresses I had ever seen. This was -difficult enough, for whatever way I might turn in my politeness, I ran -the risk of finding myself in the same dilemma, so numerous and compact -was the assemblage at Fulham.</p> - -<p>At half-past two the Queen had not yet arrived, and there was a -hesitation about waiting any longer, when frenzied hurrahs, rending the -air for the length of a mile, announced her Majesty’s speedy arrival.</p> - -<p>The church-bells immediately began ringing, the band struck up “God save -the Queen,” while the youngest and fairest ladies formed a double avenue -along her Majesty’s route.</p> - -<p>These preparations were scarce made ere the Queen left her carriage, and -moving along an immense avenue, covered with red cloth, and sheltered -overhead by a gay awning, she walked towards the room where her arrival -was only awaited to commence the concert.</p> - -<p>On reaching the room, the Queen took her place in the midst of a circle -formed by the lady patronesses, and the concert began.</p> - -<p>I should have gladly listened to the dulcet sounds, but, unfortunately, -the hall, in spite of its vast proportions, could not contain all the -spectators, and the crush was so great that it was not only crowded, but -the approaches were invaded to the point where the vibration of the -voices finally died away.</p> - -<p>Hence, I was obliged to content myself with hearing outside the repeated -applause bestowed on the talented singers. Roger, especially, obtained a -real triumph by his aria from Lucia di Lammermoor, and the exquisite<a name="page_341" id="page_341"></a> -way in which he sings it is well known. The Queen herself commanded an -encore.</p> - -<p>The concert was scarcely over when, in accordance with the programme, -the Queen proceeded to see the quadrilles, in which magnificently -attired ladies were to take part.</p> - -<p>I should have gladly witnessed this graceful sight, but I thought it -advisable to cast a final glance on my stage.</p> - -<p>Hence, I proceeded towards the theatre, where a private entrance had -been prepared for me, and I was just going up the few steps leading to -it, when some one seized my arm.</p> - -<p>“Ah! Monsieur Robert-Houdin,” a gentleman said to me, with a smile, as -he prepared to follow me up the stairs, “that is capital—we will go in -together.”</p> - -<p>“Where, sir?” I asked, much surprised at this proposal.</p> - -<p>“Why, on your stage,” the unknown said, with an air of authority; “and I -trust you will not refuse me that pleasure.”</p> - -<p>“I am vexed to deny you, sir; but that is impossible,” I said politely, -knowing that in these grounds I could only meet persons who must be -treated with respect.</p> - -<p>“Why so?” the gentleman continued, most pressingly. “I find, on the -contrary, nothing easier. If we cannot go in side by side, we can follow -each other.”</p> - -<p>“Pardon me, sir, if I refuse your request; but no stranger is allowed on -my stage.”</p> - -<p>“Very good,” my assailant then said, pleasantly; “if that is the case, I -will tell you my name, so that I may be no longer a â€stranger’ to you. I -am Baron Brunnow, the Russian ambassador, as great an admirer of your -mysteries as I am desirous to find them out.” And he continued<a name="page_342" id="page_342"></a> his -ascent, while striving to force the barrier. “What, Monsieur -Robert-Houdin,” he added, “do you still refuse me this? I only ask one -or two explanations, nothing more.”</p> - -<p>“I must persist in my refusal, Monsieur le Baron, for several reasons, -and, more especially, for this one——“</p> - -<p>“What?”</p> - -<p>“Your perspicuity and talent are so universally recognized, that I would -not deprive you of the pleasure of yourself detecting these secrets, -which are hardly worthy your powerful intellect.”</p> - -<p>“Ah! ah!” the Baron replied, with a laugh, “how diplomatic we are. Do -you wish to follow in my track?”</p> - -<p>“I am unworthy to do so, Monsieur le Baron.”</p> - -<p>“Very good, very good. In the meanwhile, I am repulsed with loss, and -forced to take my place among the spectators. I yield; but tell me, -Monsieur Robert-Houdin, have you ever been in Russia?”</p> - -<p>“No, sir, never.”</p> - -<p>“Then give me your card.”</p> - -<p>And the ambassador wrote his name below mine.</p> - -<p>“Here,” he said, handing it me back, “if you ever feel an inclination to -visit our country, that card will be very useful to you; and, if I -happen to be at St. Petersburg at the time, come and see me, and I will -procure you the honor of performing before his Majesty the Emperor -Nicholas.”</p> - -<p>I thanked Baron Brunnow, and he left me.</p> - -<p>During this conversation, the quadrilles were being danced, and, before -their termination, the crowd had occupied all the seats for my -performance, save those reserved for the royal family and the court. The -Queen herself soon arrived, and I immediately received orders to begin.<a name="page_343" id="page_343"></a></p> - -<p>Would that I had a more skillful pen with which to depict in its true -colors the picture which revealed itself to my dazzled gaze at this -moment! At any rate, I will attempt to describe it.</p> - -<p>Imagine a large lawn rising before me in an amphitheatrical shape, and -arranged like the pit of a theatre. It would have been impossible to say -whether the ground was covered with grass or gravel, so thronged was it -with ladies, who were alone allowed to sit down.</p> - -<p>In the first row and nearest my theatre, the Queen, having her royal -husband on her right, was surrounded by her young and graceful family. A -little in the rear the ladies in waiting and the lady patronesses formed -the royal escort. At a respectful distance behind, the wives and -daughters of the subscribers took their places, while the gentlemen -formed symmetrical groups round this vast space.</p> - -<p>The sight was truly magnificent; all the ladies, dazzling with youth and -beauty, covered with diamonds and flowers, and rivalling each other in -good taste and brilliancy, resembled a vast enameled prairie, on which -the richest flowers of spring were displayed, while the black coats of -the gentlemen who enframed this smiling picture, far from dulling it, -only heightened the effect.</p> - -<p>On either side of the lawn, old oak-trees lent their refreshing shade to -this improvised theatre.</p> - -<p>I felt a noble pride at that moment, when I thought I held, as it were -at my fingers’ ends, the witching eyes of duchesses, at times so -haughty, but now so gracious, and which seemed at every moment to gain -fresh brilliancy at the sight of the surprises I offered them.</p> - -<p>In this unique performance the time passed so rapidly, that I was quite -astonished when I found myself performing my last trick.<a name="page_344" id="page_344"></a></p> - -<p>Before leaving her seat, the Queen, although she had several times -evinced her satisfaction, sent me her compliments through an -aide-de-camp, who also expressed her Majesty’s desire to have a -performance at Buckingham Palace at a later date.</p> - -<p>I had made every arrangement to start for town immediately my -performance was over, lest I might be delayed by the carriages waiting -at the park gates. An idea of the number of my audience can be formed, -when I say it took me more than a quarter of an hour to pass through the -carriages drawn up in double file along the road. The receipts of the -festival will supply a better proof: they amounted to 2500<i>l.</i>!</p> - -<p>The next day the royal arms appeared at the head of my bills, and below, -the following passage, as a species of baptismal certificate:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“<i>Robert-Houdin, who has had the honor of performing before her -most gracious Majesty the Queen, Prince Albert, the Royal Family, -and the Nobility of the United Kingdom,</i>” &c.</p></div> - -<p>My fashion only become the greater at St. James’s.</p> - -<p>We had now reached the middle of July, and no one but an Englishman can -understand the possibility of obtaining a theatrical success during the -dog-day heats. I must say, then, that among our brethren beyond the -Channel, where all our customs are inverted, the season for concerts is -from May to the end of August. In September the aristocracy retire to -their estates, where they remain the other six months of the year.</p> - -<p>I followed the example of my audience: I quitted London at the beginning -of September, not like them to take rest, but, on the contrary, to -commence a life even more<a name="page_345" id="page_345"></a> agitated than the one I was leaving. I went -to the Manchester Theatre, where Knowles, the manager, had made an -engagement with me for fifteen performances.</p> - -<p>The theatre in this city is immense; like the vast <i>arenæ</i> of ancient -Rome, it can hold an entire people. To give an idea of its size, I need -only say that twelve hundred spectators scarcely filled the pit.</p> - -<p>When I took possession of the stage, I was startled at its huge -proportions; for I feared I should be lost upon it, and my voice be -unheard.</p> - -<p>The reasons for the erection of this immense building were explained to -me afterwards.</p> - -<p>Manchester, as an eminent manufacturing city, counts its workmen by -thousands. Well, these hardy artisans are all fond of the stage, and in -their hand-to-mouth existence they often give up one or two nights a -week to this style of amusement; hence a large space was required to -house them all.</p> - -<p>Judging by the size of the house, I saw that many of the tricks I -performed at St. James’s were unsuited for the Manchester Theatre; -hence, I was obliged to draw up a programme containing merely tricks -that could be seen from a distance, and whose effect would strike the -masses.</p> - -<p>So soon as my performances were announced, the “hands” flocked in in -shoals, and the pit, their favorite place, was literally crammed; while -the rest of the house was nearly empty. This is, however, generally the -case at a first performance in England; for many people wait for the -newspaper critiques, which are sure to appear on the following day, ere -they make up their mind.</p> - -<p>The audience entered the house with a noise unexampled in any French -theatre, except at those gratuitous performances given in Paris on grand -occasions. Before the<a name="page_346" id="page_346"></a> curtain was raised, I was obliged to wait, and -give my noisy public time to cool down, and order and silence being -gradually established, I began my performance.</p> - -<p>Instead of the fashionable world, the elegant toilettes, and those -spectators who seemed to spread an aristocratic perfume over the St. -James’s Theatre, I now found myself in the presence of simple workmen, -modestly and uniformly attired, rough in their manner, and eager for -amusement.</p> - -<p>But this change, far from displeasing me, stimulated my energies and -dash, and I was soon at my ease with my new spectators, when I saw that -they took a lively interest in my experiments. Still, an accident at the -outset nearly aroused the popular dissatisfaction.</p> - -<p>The Manchester artisans, far from coming to my performances to improve -their French accent, were greatly surprised at hearing themselves -addressed in any language but their own. Protests were put in on every -side, and soon shouts were heard of “Speak English!”</p> - -<p>As for my complying with the request, it was simply impossible; for -though I had been six months in London, as I was always among my own -countrymen, or persons who talked French, I had no occasion to apply -myself to the English language. Still, I tried to satisfy a claim that -appeared to me legitimate, and make up for my deficiencies by boldness -and good-will. I began by pronouncing the few English words I knew; when -my vocabulary was at fault, and I was about to run short, I invented -expressions which, owing to their strange shape, greatly amused my -audience. Often, too, when in a difficulty, I boldly asked them to come -to my aid, and it was my turn to feel a great inclination to laugh.</p> - -<p>“How do you call it?” I said, with a serio-comic air, as<a name="page_347" id="page_347"></a> I held up the -article whose name I wished to know; and straightway a hundred voices -responded to my appeal. Nothing could be more pleasant than a lesson -thus taken, when my teachers, contrary to the usual fashion, paid for -the privilege of giving it.</p> - -<p>Through my condescension I succeeded in making peace with my audience, -who warmly cemented it on several occasions by their hearty applause. -The last trick especially created a tremendous excitement—I mean the -<i>inexhaustible bottle</i>, produced with scenery and decorations never -before witnessed on any stage.</p> - -<p>The picture presented by this trick is indescribable, and a skillful -pencil could alone reproduce its numerous details. Here, however, is a -sketch as accurate as possible:</p> - -<p>I have already said that although the spectators were few and far -between in some parts of the house, the pit was crowded, and it -consequently contained more than twelve hundred persons.</p> - -<p>I own it was a really curious sight to see all these heads issuing -invariably from dark-colored waistcoats, heightened by that ruddiness of -face which can be only produced by the beef and porter of Great Britain.</p> - -<p>In order that I might communicate more freely with my numerous -spectators, the machinist had put up a plank running from the stage to -the end of the pit, and as I also wished to address persons at the -sides, two other “practicables,” much shorter than the centre one, ran -across to the boxes. The latter did not occupy room like the first, for -they were just over a passage, while those who entered by it had to -stoop down to reach their seats; but what was that slight inconvenience -to the pleasure they promised themselves in seeing the “French -conjurer?<a name="page_348" id="page_348"></a>”</p> - -<p>The public were still entering the pit after my performance had -commenced, and so many persons were allowed to come in that there was -soon no room for the laggards.</p> - -<p>Several of them had the courage to remain bent under the “practicables,” -and, looking out right and left in turn, they could follow my tricks. -But one of these bold spectators, doubtlessly fatigued by the -inconvenient posture he was obliged to keep, ingeniously passed his head -through the narrow space between the “practicable” and the boxes. He -managed it very cleverly, and his action was precisely that of a button -going into its corresponding hole.</p> - -<p>This innovation was, it may be easily supposed, gaily and noisily -welcomed by the audience, and the unfortunate man had to endure the fate -reserved for all innovators—he was laughed at and “chaffed” -tremendously. But he did not trouble himself about that, and his -coolness disarmed his opponents.</p> - -<p>Encouraged by his example, a neighbor tried the button-hole manĹ“uvre, -then a second and a third, and thus, by the middle of the performance, -half a dozen heads without bodies were symmetrically arranged on either -side the pit, looking for all the world like skittle-pins waiting to be -knocked down.</p> - -<p>I had arrived at the bottle trick, which consists in producing from an -empty bottle every liquor that may be asked for, no matter the number of -drinkers.</p> - -<p>The reputation of this famous bottle was already established in -Manchester, for the London papers had fully described the experiment. -Hence, a general hurrah was heard when I appeared armed with my -marvellous bottle; for, in addition to the merit of the trick itself, -the workmen also counted on the pleasure of drinking a glass of brandy, -or any other liquor.<a name="page_349" id="page_349"></a></p> - -<p>Flattered by this reception, I proceeded to the centre of the pit, -followed by my servant, who carried an enormous tray of wine-glasses. -But I had scarce arrived there when a thousand voices began exclaiming, -“Brandy, whisky, gin, curaçoa, shrub, rum,” &c.</p> - -<p>It was impossible to satisfy all at once; hence, I wished to proceed in -rotation, and, after filling a glass, I offered it to the man who I -thought had made the first claim; but the gentleman was utterly -disappointed. Twenty hands were stretched out to dispute the precious -liquor, and the glass was speedily upset. The spectators, suffering the -punishment of Tantalus, shouted for the liquid, which was not fated to -reach their lips. I filled a second glass—it shared the fate of the -previous one, and was fought for so obstinately that the glass was -broken.</p> - -<p>Further on, the same request was made; I complied, and none could profit -by it.</p> - -<p>Without troubling myself as to the result, I poured out the liquor -profusely, and left my audience to fight for its possession.</p> - -<p>Soon all the glasses had disappeared, and in vain I asked for them back -to continue my bounty; not a trace of them was to be found. My -experiment was, therefore, in danger of sudden termination, when a -clever spectator held out his hand in the shape of a cup.</p> - -<p>The process was as simple as it was ingenious; it was the egg of -Christopher Columbus. The astonishment his neighbors felt permitted the -inventor to profit by his discovery, which is unfortunately a rarity.</p> - -<p>This improvised cup was unanimously accepted, but the imitators saw -their piracy suffer the same fate, minus the breakage, as the glasses.</p> - -<p>Quite tired, I was about to withdraw, when a new improvement<a name="page_350" id="page_350"></a> was -introduced by a spectator, as thirsty as he was obstinate; throwing back -his head and opening an enormous mouth, he made me signs to pour in -curaçoa. Finding the idea original, I immediately complied.</p> - -<p>“What capital curaçoa,” the man said, as he licked his lips.</p> - -<p>This seductive exclamation was scarce heard ere every mouth was open and -heads thrown back; it was enough to make me fly in terror. Still, not to -leave so curious a scene incomplete, I took a watering tour, holding the -mouth of the bottle as straight as I could. At times, the bottle being -pushed by the neighbors, sent the liquor over a man’s coat, but, save -this slight inconvenience, all went on famously, and I fancied I had -fulfilled the rude task of quenching the thirst of my audience. Still, I -heard a few more appeals; and a glass of whisky was earnestly implored -by one of the men who had thrust his head between the plank and the -boxes, and seemed in a perfect state of collapse.</p> - -<p>My son, who helped me on the stage, and was one of the first to hear -this request, understood all the longing the poor suppliant felt; hence -he ran on the stage for a glass, which I filled, and he carried to the -man.</p> - -<p>But a difficulty suddenly arose; the claimant and his comrades were shut -up in their pillory, side by side, and could not raise their arms. My -son, unthinkingly, offered the glass, and seeing no one take it, was -about to carry it back on the stage; but a groan made him turn round, -and, by the patient’s air, he understood he was begging him to stoop -down and place the glass to his lips.</p> - -<p>This delicate operation was performed with considerable skill on both -sides, and, despite the laughter of the public, each of the pilloried -men asked the same service in turn.<a name="page_351" id="page_351"></a></p> - -<p>This little scene appeared to have calmed the ardor of the public; and I -thought it possible to terminate my trick in the usual way. When my -bottle appears exhausted, I end by filling an enormous glass with -liquor, but a scene then began which I had been far from expecting.</p> - -<p>Many writers have described the saturnalia produced by the frightful -distribution of food and wine at the Restoration. Well, these orgies -were respectable meals compared with the assault attempted to reach the -glass I held in my hand.</p> - -<p>A human avalanche suddenly rose before me, and from this living pyramid -emerged two hundred hands to dispute their prey, while a hundred mouths -were opened to swallow it.</p> - -<p>I thought it high time to beat a retreat, in the fear of being buried -beneath this shapeless mass. It was impossible; behind me a file of -thirsty drinkers barred my passage.</p> - -<p>The danger was pressing, for the pyramid was bending forward to reach -me, and might lose its balance at any moment; the cries of the unhappy -beings supporting its weight explained the dangerous position in which I -might soon find myself; hence, I rushed with my head down through the -mass, and reached the stage in time to notice the curious sight of a -falling mountain.</p> - -<p>I will not attempt to describe the cries, shouts, and applauses that -accompanied this fall, while the victims were loud in their abuse, and -found no way of getting up, save by stepping on their companions in -misfortune. The noise was atrocious.</p> - -<p>The curtain fell on this strange scene, but shouts and clapping were -immediately heard: “The conjurer!” Houdin must come out to be -complimented.<a name="page_352" id="page_352"></a></p> - -<p>I obeyed this order, and when I made my appearance, either because I had -been too liberal with my bottle, or because, as I would sooner think, my -spectators were satisfied with my performance, the shouts and applause -broke out in such a formidable manner that I was quite stupefied, while -feeling acutely the pleasure they produced me. For I must say that the -noise of the hands struck together, though so trying in itself, has -nothing to shock the ear of a performer; on the contrary, the more -deafening it becomes, the more harmonious it appears to the recipient.</p> - -<p>The following performances were far from being so tumultuous as the -first, and the reason is very simple. The merchants and traders, who -form the aristocracy of Manchester, having heard of my performances, -came with the families to witness them, and their presence contributed -to keep the workmen in order. The house assumed a different aspect, and -henceforth I could only praise the quietness of the pit.</p> - -<p>Fifteen consecutive performances had not exhausted the curiosity of the -inhabitants, and I could certainly have given fifteen more, at least, -when, to my great regret, I was obliged to make way for two -celebrities—Jenny Lind and Roger—whom Knowles had engaged to follow my -performance.</p> - -<p>Though I felt vexed at throwing such a chance away, on the other hand I -was glad to escape as soon as possible from that heavy and smoky -atmosphere, which makes the industrial capital of England resemble a -city of chimney-sweeps. I could not accustom my lungs to inhale, instead -of air, the flakes of soot constantly floating about. I fell into a -state of melancholy almost akin to spleen, which did not abandon me till -I reached the gay city of Liverpool, where I intended to remain several -weeks.<a name="page_353" id="page_353"></a></p> - -<p>I was at that time at the height of my fashion; my performance began -with applause and ended with famous receipts. I need only add, that, -after performing in turn at the theatres of Liverpool, Birmingham, -Worcester, Cheltenham, Bristol, and Exeter, I returned to London to give -fifteen performances ere I started for France.</p> - -<p>A few days after my return to St. James’s Theatre, the Queen, bearing in -mind the desire she had expressed at Fulham, commanded a performance at -Buckingham Palace.</p> - -<p>This invitation being most agreeable, I willingly accepted it.</p> - -<p>At eight in the morning of the appointed day, I proceeded to the royal -residence, and the steward of the palace, to whom I was directed, led me -to the place selected for my performance. It was a long and magnificent -picture gallery, and a theatre had been put up, on which the scenery -represented a saloon in the Louis Quinze style, white and gold, much -resembling the one I had at St. James’s Theatre.</p> - -<p>My guide then showed me an adjoining dining-room, belonging, he said, to -the ladies of honor, and he begged me to state at what hour I should -like to breakfast.</p> - -<p>I was too busy to think about eating, for I had my performance to -prepare; however, I ordered the meal for one o’clock at any risk, and -set to work directly.</p> - -<p>Aided by my secretary (a species of factotum) and my two boys, who -helped me as well as their strength permitted, I managed to overcome all -the difficulties produced by the provisional arrangement of the stage. -But I had not finished all my preparations till two o’clock, and I was -almost dying of inanition, for, less fortunate than my companions, I had -eaten nothing the whole day. Hence it was with real joy I led the route -to the dining-room.<a name="page_354" id="page_354"></a></p> - -<p>As the performance was not to take place till three, I had just an hour -to recruit my strength.</p> - -<p>I had scarce walked a dozen steps, when I heard some one calling me. It -was a palace official who wanted to speak to me.</p> - -<p>“There will be a ball, sir, in this gallery,” he said, in excellent -French, “after your performance, and consequently preparations will have -to be made which may take more time than has been allowed for them. -Hence, the Queen requests you to begin your performance an hour sooner; -she is quite ready, and will be here directly.”</p> - -<p>“I am very sorry I cannot obey her Majesty’s commands,” I replied; “my -preparations are not yet ended, and I must add, that——“</p> - -<p>“Monsieur Robert-Houdin,” the officer replied, politely, but with all -the coolness of a Briton, “such are her Majesty’s orders, and I can say -no more.” And without awaiting any explanation, he bowed to me and -retired.</p> - -<p>“We shall still have time to take a hasty snack,” I said to my -secretary, “so off to the dining-room as quickly as you please.”</p> - -<p>I had not finished the sentence, when the Queen, Prince Albert and the -royal family entered the gallery, followed by a numerous suit.</p> - -<p>At this sight I had not the courage to go further; I returned, and armed -myself with resignation. Protected by the curtain that concealed me from -the spectators, I hastily made my few remaining preparations, and five -minutes later I received the order to begin.</p> - -<p>When the curtain rose, I was dazzled at the sight that met my gaze.</p> - -<p>Her Majesty, the Prince Consort, the Queen Dowager, the Duke of -Cambridge and the royal children occupied<a name="page_355" id="page_355"></a> the first rank. Behind them -were a portion of the Orleans family; while in the rear sat the highest -functionaries, among whom I recognized ambassadors dressed in their -national costumes, and general officers covered with brilliant -decorations. All the ladies were in ball toilette, and richly adorned -with jewels.</p> - -<p>A wonderful change came over me when I began my performance: all my -languor had been suddenly dispelled, and I felt in excellent spirits.</p> - -<p>Still this change can be easily explained. It is well known that a -performer feels no suffering while on the stage; a species of exaltation -suspends all feelings foreign to his part, and hunger, thirst, cold, or -heat, even illness itself, is forced to retreat in the presence of this -excitement, though it takes its revenge afterwards.</p> - -<p>This slight digression was necessary to explain the spirits I felt in -when I appeared before my noble audience.</p> - -<p>Never, I believe, did I throw such dash and boldness into the -performance of my experiments; never, either, had I an audience which -appreciated them so kindly.</p> - -<p>The Queen deigned to encourage me several times by flattering remarks, -while Prince Albert, ever so kind to professionals, heartily clapped his -hands.</p> - -<p>I had prepared a trick, called the <i>Bouquet Ă la Reine</i>. This is what -the <i>Court Journal</i> says of it when describing my performance:</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>“The Queen evinced an extreme pleasure in these experiments; but the one -which seemed to strike her most was the <i>Bouquet Ă la Reine</i>, a very -graceful surprise, and charmingly Ă propos. Her Majesty having lent her -glove to M. Robert-Houdin, the latter immediately produced<a name="page_356" id="page_356"></a> from it a -bouquet, which soon grew so large that it could be scarcely held in both -hands. Finally, this bouquet, after being placed in a vase, and bedewed -with magic water, was transformed into a garland, in which the flowers -formed the word <span class="smcap">Victoria</span>.</p> - -<p>“The Queen was equally astonished at the surprising lucidity of M. -Robert-Houdin’s son, in the experiment of the second-sight. The most -complicated objects had been prepared in order to embarrass and foil the -sagacity of the father and the marvellous faculty of the son. Both -emerged victoriously from this intellectual combat, and defeated every -scheme.”</p> - -<p>After the performance, the same officer with whom I had already spoken -came to offer me the thanks of the Queen and Prince Albert. The Duchess -of Orleans had also been kind enough to add her compliments and those of -her family.</p> - -<p>So soon as the curtain had fallen, and I was no longer supported by the -presence of my audience, I felt ready to drop. I had taken a seat, and -could hardly rise to go and enjoy the meal which I stood in such need -of.</p> - -<p>Still, I was about to do so, when I was roused from my exhaustion by the -appearance of a large body of workmen, who had come to take down the -theatre in all speed and prepare the gallery for the ball.</p> - -<p>My readers can judge of my embarrassment and trouble when I found I must -pack up all my machinery at once, lest it might be broken.</p> - -<p>I tried to protest and defer the execution of the task, but it was all -in vain: orders had been given, and they must be obeyed. Hence, I was -obliged to summon up fresh energy to finish my packing, which took me an -hour and a half.<a name="page_357" id="page_357"></a></p> - -<p>Six o’clock struck when all was finished. I had taken no food for -exactly four-and-twenty hours.</p> - -<p>Leaning on my manager who had taken the precaution of ordering up the -dinner, I dragged myself as far as the dining-room.</p> - -<p>Twilight had commenced, and the room was not yet lighted, and it was -with some difficulty we could distinguish a table. I fell rather than -sat down upon a chair I found near me, and while my son was ringing for -lights, I commenced a second-sight performance of my own. I succeeded -famously; I laid my hand on a fork, and pricking at whatever might be -before me, found something attached to the instrument. I prudently -raised the object to my nose, and, satisfied with this inspection, I -took a triumphant bite.</p> - -<p>It was delicious; and I fancied I could recognize a <i>salmi</i> of -partridge.</p> - -<p>I made a second exploring tour to assure myself of the truth, and, after -a few mouthfuls, I convinced myself I was not mistaken. My manager and -boys followed my example, and set to work manfully.</p> - -<p>It seems that the attendance must be slow in royal houses, for before -the lights arrived we had plenty of time to grow used to the darkness.</p> - -<p>However, this meal, through its originality, became a delightful -amusement, and I had seized a bottle to pour out some wine, when the -door of the room suddenly opened, and two servants came in bearing -candelabra. On seeing us thus seated at table and eating in the coolest -way, they nearly fell backwards in surprise. I am persuaded they took us -at the moment for real sorcerers, for we had great difficulty in -inducing them to remain in the room and wait on us.<a name="page_358" id="page_358"></a></p> - -<p>We then took our ease. The table was well served, the wines were -excellent, and we could rest from the fatigues and emotions of the day. -At the end of the dinner the palace steward paid us a visit, and on -hearing of my misfortunes, he expressed his deep regret. The Queen, he -assured me, would be the more vexed, if she heard of it, because she had -given the strictest orders that I should want for nothing in her palace.</p> - -<p>I replied, that I was amply repaid for a few moments of pain by the -satisfaction I felt at having been called to perform before his gracious -sovereign. And this was, indeed, the truth.<a name="page_359" id="page_359"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">An Optimist Manager—Three Spectators in a Room—A Magical -Collation—The Colchester Public and the Nuts—I return to -France—I give up my Theatre—A Farewell Tour—I retire to St. -Gervais—An Academician’s Predictions.</p></div> - -<p>A <small>SHORT</small> time after this performance my engagement with Mitchell -terminated.</p> - -<p>Instead of returning to France, as I should much have desired after so -lengthened an absence, I thought it better to continue my excursions in -the English provinces till the end of September, when I hoped to reopen -my theatre at Paris.</p> - -<p>Consequently, I drew up an itinerary, in which the first station would -be Cambridge, celebrated for its university; and set out.</p> - -<p>Possibly the reader may feel no inclination to follow me on this tour, -but he may be assured I will not drag him after me, especially as my -second passage through England presents hardly any details worth -mentioning here. I will content myself with recounting a few incidents, -and among them a small adventure that happened to me, as it may serve -for a lesson for all professionals, that it is dangerous both to their -self-esteem and interests to drain public curiosity too deep in the -various places whither the hope of good receipts attracts them.<a name="page_360" id="page_360"></a></p> - -<p>I intended to go straight from London to Cambridge, but, half way, I -took a fancy to stop and give a few performances at Hertford, a town -containing some ten thousand people.</p> - -<p>My two first performances were most successful, but on the third, seeing -that the number of spectators had greatly fallen off, I decided on -giving no more.</p> - -<p>My manager argued against this resolution, and offered me reasons which -certainly had some value.</p> - -<p>“I assure you, sir,” he said, “that nothing is spoken of in the town but -your performance. Every one is asking if you are going to perform -to-morrow, and two young gentlemen have already begged me to keep them -places if you intend to remain for to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>GĂ©net, my manager, was certainly the best fellow in the world; but I -ought to have distrusted his counsels, knowing, as I did, his -disposition to look at the bright side of everything. He was the -incarnation of optimism, and the calculations he made about this -performance went far beyond those of the inkstand inventor. To hear him -talk, we should have to double the price of places, and increase our -staff to keep back the crowd that would rush to see me.</p> - -<p>While jesting GĂ©net on his exaggerated ideas, I still allowed him to -send out the bills for the performance he so much desired.</p> - -<p>The next evening, at half-past seven, I went, according to my usual -custom, to order the box-office to be opened, and the public allowed -admission. The performance would commence at eight precisely.</p> - -<p>I found my manager quite alone—not a soul had arrived yet. Still, that -did not prevent him greeting me with a radiant air—though that was his -normal condition.</p> - -<p>“No one has yet come to the theatre,” he said, rubbing<a name="page_361" id="page_361"></a> his hands, as if -giving me first-rate intelligence; “but that is a good sign.”</p> - -<p>“The deuce it is! Come, my dear GĂ©net, I must have that proved.”</p> - -<p>“It is easy enough to understand. You must have noticed, sir, that at -our former performances we only had the country gentry.”</p> - -<p>“Nothing proves it was so; still, I will allow it. Now go on.”</p> - -<p>“Well, it is very simple. The tradespeople have not come to see you yet, -and I expect them to-night. They are always so busy, that they usually -defer a pleasure till the last moment. Have patience, and you will soon -see the rush we shall have to contend against.”</p> - -<p>And he looked towards the entrance door like a man perfectly convinced -that his predictions would be fulfilled.</p> - -<p>We had still half an hour—more than sufficient to fill the room—so I -waited. But this half-hour passed in vain expectation. Not a soul came -to the box-office.</p> - -<p>“It is now eight,” I said, drawing out my watch, “and no spectators have -arrived. What do you say to that, GĂ©net?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, sir! your watch is too fast—I am sure of it for——“</p> - -<p>My manager was about to support his allegation by some proof drawn from -his brain, when the town-hall clock struck. GĂ©net, finding his reasons -exhausted, contented himself with silence, while casting a despairing -glance towards the door.</p> - -<p>At length, I saw his face grow purple with delight.</p> - -<p>“Ah! I said so,” he exclaimed, pointing to two young men coming towards -us. “The public are beginning to arrive. They doubtlessly mistook the -hour. Come, every man to his post!<a name="page_362" id="page_362"></a>”</p> - -<p>GĂ©net’s joy did not last long, for he soon recognized in these visitors -the two young gentlemen who had taken their places the previous day.</p> - -<p>“You have kept our seats?” they said to the optimist, as they hurried -in.</p> - -<p>“Yes, gentlemen, yes; you can go in,” GĂ©net replied, making an -imperceptible grimace. And he led them in complacently, while striving -to explain the emptiness of the room by saying it was only momentary. He -had hardly returned to the box-office, when a gentleman of a certain age -hurried up the steps, and rushed towards the pay place with a haste my -previous success probably justified.</p> - -<p>“Is there any room left?” he asked, in a panting voice.</p> - -<p>My poor GĂ©net did not know how to reply to this question, which seemed a -jest; he, therefore, merely muttered one of those common-place phrases -usually employed to gain time.</p> - -<p>“Well, sir, to tell you the truth—I should say——“</p> - -<p>“I know—I know: there are no places left. I expected it. But be kind -enough to let me go in, and I will find some corner to stand in.”</p> - -<p>“But, sir, allow me to tell you——“</p> - -<p>“No matter.”</p> - -<p>“But if, on the contrary——“</p> - -<p>“All the better. There, give me a stall-ticket, and I will see if I can -find room in the passage.”</p> - -<p>Being at the end of his arguments, GĂ©net supplied the ticket.</p> - -<p>You can imagine the surprise of the eager visitor when, on entering the -house, he found that he formed in his own person exactly a third of the -audience.</p> - -<p>For my own part, I soon made up my mind. After<a name="page_363" id="page_363"></a> compounding with my -conscience, by granting the usual quarter of an hour’s grace to the -laggards, and seeing no one come, I informed my three spectators that, -being only anxious to be agreeable to them, I would perform.</p> - -<p>This unexpected news produced a triple hurrah in the house in the shape -of thanks.</p> - -<p>My orchestra consisted of eight amateurs of the town; and these -gentlemen, as a compliment to my French origin, always played as -overture the “Girondins” and the “Marseillaise,” with the assistance of -the big drum, and never failed to terminate the performance with “God -save the Queen.”</p> - -<p>The patriotic introduction over, I began my performance.</p> - -<p>My audience were collected on the first row of stalls, so that, in order -to address my explanations to them, I should have had to keep my head -constantly down, which would have eventually become troublesome. Hence I -determined to look round the house, and address the benches just as if -they were well covered.</p> - -<p>For their part, my audience made all possible row to prove their -satisfaction. They stamped, applauded, shouted, so as almost to make me -believe the house full.</p> - -<p>The whole performance was a mutual exchange of compliments, and the -spectators saw the last of my tricks arrive with considerable regret. -This, however, was not announced on my bills, for I reserved it as the -best of my surprises.</p> - -<p>“Gentlemen,” I said to my audience, “as I require three persons to -assist me in performing this trick, will any gentlemen present have the -kindness to come on the stage?”</p> - -<p>At this comic invitation the public rose <i>en masse</i>, and obligingly -placed themselves at my disposal.<a name="page_364" id="page_364"></a></p> - -<p>After my three assistants had promised to stand at the front of the -stage and not look round, I gave each an empty glass, announcing that it -would be filled with excellent punch so soon as they expressed the wish, -and I added that to facilitate the performance, they must repeat after -me a few cabalistic words borrowed from the enchanter Merlin.</p> - -<p>This jest was only proposed in order to gain time, for while we were -performing it with bursts of laughter, a change was being carried out -behind my kind assistants. The table on which I did my tricks had been -removed, and another brought forward on which an excellent supper was -spread, and a bowl of punch crackled in the centre.</p> - -<p>GĂ©net, clothed in black and a white cravat, and armed with a spoon, was -stimulating a spectral flame, and when my assistants expressed a wish to -see their glasses filled with punch, he said, in his most solemn voice,</p> - -<p>“Turn round, and your wishes will be accomplished.”</p> - -<p>My musicians had been spectators of this little scene, so I begged them -to join us and try the virtues of my inexhaustible bowl. This invitation -was joyfully accepted, the table was surrounded, the glasses were filled -and emptied, and we passed two agreeable hours in performing this -experiment.</p> - -<p>Owing to the prodigality of my “inexhaustible bowl of punch,” my guests -were all affected by a tender expansion. They almost embraced on -parting; however, they contented themselves with shaking hands and -vowing an undying friendship.</p> - -<p>The instruction to be drawn from this anecdote is that, in offering a -farewell to the public, you should not wait till there are none left to -receive it.</p> - -<p>On leaving Hertford, I went to Cambridge, thence to<a name="page_365" id="page_365"></a> Bury St. Edmunds, -Ipswich and Colchester, always taking receipts proportionate to the -importance of the towns. I have only three souvenirs of those five -towns: the failure at Hertford, the enthusiastic reception from the -Cambridge students, and the nuts at Colchester.</p> - -<p>But, it will be asked, what connexion can there be between nuts and a -magical performance. A word will explain the fact to the reader, and all -the tribulations this fruit caused me.</p> - -<p>It is the custom at Colchester that when a body goes to the theatre he -fills his pockets with nuts. These are cracked and eaten during the -performance as a species of refreshment. Men and women both suffer from -this cracking mania, so that a rolling fire is kept up through the -house, often powerful enough to drown the voice.</p> - -<p>Nothing affected my nerves so much as this incessant cracking; my first -performance suffered from it, and despite my efforts to master myself, I -went through the whole performance in a state of irritation. I -consented, however, to perform a second time, but the manager could not -induce me to promise a third. Although he assured me that his actors had -grown quite accustomed to this strange music, and that even a minor -actor might often be seen on the stage calmly cracking a nut while -awaiting the reply, I could not stand it any longer, and left the town.</p> - -<p>Most assuredly, the theatres in the smaller English towns are not equal -to those in the cities.</p> - -<p>At Colchester my tour was to end, and I was about starting for France, -when Knowles, the Manchester director, remembering my success at his -theatre, proposed to me to take a trip with him through Ireland and -Scotland. We had then reached the month of June, 1849, when<a name="page_366" id="page_366"></a> Paris was -more than ever agitated by political questions; and theatres only -existed in France as memorials of the past. I did not waste much time in -forming a decision; I started with my English manager.</p> - -<p>Our excursion lasted no less than four months, and I did not step on -French soil again till the end of October.</p> - -<p>Need I describe the delight with which I presented myself once more -before a Parisian audience, whose kind patronage I had not forgotten? -Those professional men who, like myself, have been long absent from -Paris, will understand it, for they know nothing is so sweet to the -heart as the applause given by a man’s fellow-citizens.</p> - -<p>Unfortunately, when I recommenced my performances, I noticed with sorrow -the change which had taken place in my health: the performances which I -formerly went through with no fatigue, now caused me a painful state of -exhaustion.</p> - -<p>It was easy to find a reason for this disagreeable change; fatigue, the -incessant thought connected with my performances, and still more the -foggy atmosphere of England, had exhausted my strength. My life had been -in some degree used up during my emigration. I should require a -lengthened rest to restore it, and I could not think of it at this -period, the best part of the season. I could only take precautions for -the future, in case I should find myself suddenly compelled by my health -to stop; so I decided on educating a pupil to take my place in case of -need, and whose labor might assist me in the meanwhile.</p> - -<p>A young man of pleasing exterior, and whose talent I was acquainted -with, seemed to offer the conditions I required. My proposals suited -him, and he immediately joined me. The future sleight-of-hand professor -evinced great aptitude and zeal in learning my lessons. I employed<a name="page_367" id="page_367"></a> him -in a short time to prepare my experiments, then he aided me in the -management of my theatre, and when the summer of 1850 arrived, instead -of closing my rooms as usual, I continued to send out my bills; the only -change was that Hamilton’s name was substituted for mine.</p> - -<p>Considering his short period of study, my provisional substitute could -not be yet very expert; still, he pleased, and the public were -satisfied. During this period I enjoyed in the country a repose that had -been long desired.</p> - -<p>A man who has made a long journey never feels the fatigue so acutely as -when he proposes to continue his journey after a few moments of rest. -This was what I experienced when, my holiday being ended, I was obliged -to leave the country to begin again the feverish existence of a theatre. -I never felt such lassitude; never had I a greater desire to enjoy -perfect liberty, to renounce those fatigues of an appointed hour, which -may be justly called the collar of misery.</p> - -<p>At this word, I see many of my readers start. “Why,” they will say, -“thus call a labor whose object is to astonish an audience, and the -result to gain honor and profit?”</p> - -<p>I find myself compelled to prove the justice of the expression.</p> - -<p>The reader will easily understand that the fatigue, preoccupation and -responsibility attached to a magical performance do not prevent the -conjurer being subjected to the ordinary sufferings of humanity. Now, -whatever may be the nature of his sufferings or his grief, he must, at -an appointed hour each night, hide them in his bosom, and assume the -mask of happiness and health.</p> - -<p>This is, in itself, a painful task, but, believe me, reader,<a name="page_368" id="page_368"></a> it is not -all; he must—and this is applicable to all professionals—under penalty -of ruin, enliven, animate and excite the public, or, in other words, -give them pleasure for their money.</p> - -<p>Can this be always equally easy? In truth, the position artists hold -would be intolerable, did not they find in the sympathy and applause of -the public a gentle recompense which makes them forget the minor -miseries of life.</p> - -<p>I may say it with pride, to the last moment of my artist life I only met -with sympathy and kindness; but the more I strove to render myself ever -worthy of them, the more I felt my strength failing me, and the more, -too, increased my desire to live in retirement and freedom.</p> - -<p>At last, in January, 1852, judging Hamilton fit to succeed me, I decided -on giving up my establishment to him, and in order that my theatre, the -fruit of my labors, might remain in the family, two contracts were -signed; and on the same day my pupil became my brother-in-law and my -successor.</p> - -<p>Still, however desirous an actor may be of retiring into private life, -he very rarely renounces at once and for ever the applause which has -become an agreeable stimulant for him. Hence, no surprise will be felt -on learning that, after a few months’ rest, I proposed to give a few -more performances, as a final parting from the public.</p> - -<p>As I had not yet visited Germany, I proceeded to the banks of the Rhine. -Desiring no unnecessary fatigue, I resolved to reserve to myself the -choice of the places where I would perform. I therefore stopped, in -preference, at those festal places called “Baths,” and visited in turn -Baden, Wiesbaden, Homburg, Aix-la-Chapelle, and Spa. Nearly each of my -performances was honored by the presence of one or more of the princes -regnant of the Germanic Confederation.<a name="page_369" id="page_369"></a></p> - -<p>It was my intention to return to France after my performances at Spa, -but, at the request of M. Engel, manager of a theatre at Berlin, I -retraced my steps, and started for the capital of Prussia.</p> - -<p>I had made a six weeks’ engagement with M. Engel; but my success, and -the excellent terms on which I stood with my manager, induced me to -prolong it for three months. I could not have taken a more brilliant -leave of the public: for, probably, I never saw greater crowds run after -my performances. Thus the reception I obtained from the Berliner will -ever remain one of my pleasantest reminiscences.</p> - -<p>From Berlin I proceeded straight to the neighborhood of Blois, to the -retreat I had selected.</p> - -<p>Whatever might be my satisfaction in enjoying the freedom I had so long -desired, it would soon have undergone the fate common to all our -pleasures, and have grown flat by the mere effect of enjoyment, had I -not reserved for these blessed hours of leisure studies in which I hoped -to find a perennial source of amusement. After gaining a fortune by -labors unjustly regarded as futile, I was about to devote myself to -serious researches, as I had been formerly advised by a member of the -Institute.</p> - -<p>The circumstances to which I allude date back to the Exposition of 1844, -when I submitted my automata and mechanical curiosities.</p> - -<p>The jury entrusted with the examination of mechanical instruments, and -designs had come to my productions, and I had repeated the little -performance I had given a few days previously in the presence of Louis -Philippe.</p> - -<p>After listening with interest to the details of the numerous -difficulties I had to overcome in making my automata, one of the members -of the jury said to me:<a name="page_370" id="page_370"></a></p> - -<p>“It is a great pity, Monsieur Robert-Houdin, that you did not apply the -talent you have evinced in fancy objects to serious labors.”</p> - -<p>This criticism wounded me the more, because at that period I considered -nothing superior to my works, and in my fairest dreams of the future I -desired no greater glory than that of the skillful inventor of the -“automaton duck.”</p> - -<p>“Sir,” I replied, in a tone that betrayed my pique, “I know no works -more serious than those which give a man an honest livelihood. Still, I -am ready to change my views, if you give me the same advice after you -have heard me.</p> - -<p>“At the period when I devoted myself to chronometers, I hardly earned -enough to live upon; at present, I have four workmen to help me in -making my automata; and as the least skillful among them earns six -francs a day, you can easily form an idea what I earn myself.</p> - -<p>“Now, sir, I ask you, if I ought to return to my old trade?”</p> - -<p>My critic was silent, but another member of the jury coming up to me, -said, in a low voice,</p> - -<p>“Go on, Monsieur Robert-Houdin—go on; I am convinced that your -ingenious works, after leading you to success, will conduct you straight -to useful discoveries.”</p> - -<p>“Monsieur le Baron SĂ©guier,” I replied, in the same key, “I thank you -for your encouraging prediction, and will do my best to prove its -correctness.”<a name="FNanchor_E_5" id="FNanchor_E_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_E_5" class="fnanchor">[E]</a></p> - -<p>I have followed the advice of the illustrious savant, and find myself -all the better for it.<a name="page_371" id="page_371"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">Travels in Algeria—Convocation of the Chieftains—Performances -before the Arabs—A Kabyle rendered powerless—Invulnerability—A -Moor disappears—Panic and Flight of the -Audience—Reconciliation—The Sect of AĂŻssaoua—Their pretended -Miracles.</p></div> - -<p>I <small>HAVE</small>, then, reached the object of all my hopes: I have bidden an -eternal farewell to professional life, and from my retirement I wave my -hand in parting salutation to my kind and obliging patrons. Henceforth I -shall know no care or anxiety; free and tranquil, I am about to devote -myself to my peaceful studies, and enjoy the pleasantest existence man -ever had on earth.</p> - -<p>I was busily forming my plans of happiness, when, one day, I received a -letter from Colonel de Neveu, head of the political office at Algiers. -This distinguished functionary begged me to proceed to our colony, and -give my performances before the principal chieftains of the Arab tribes.</p> - -<p>This invitation reached me in the full of my honeymoon, if I may employ -the expression. Scarce recovered from the fatigues of my journey, I was -imbibing deep draughts of happiness, and it would have been a heavy -sacrifice to dispel the charm so soon. Hence, I expressed to Colonel de -Neveu my regret at not being able to accept his invitation.</p> - -<p>The colonel noted down my excuses, and, the following year, reminded me -of them. It was in 1855; but I had<a name="page_372" id="page_372"></a> presented at the Universal -Exhibition several new applications of electricity to mechanism, and -having learned that the jury considered me worthy a reward, I would not -quit Paris till I had received it. Such was, at least, the motive on -which I based a new refusal, accompanied by my regret.</p> - -<p>But the colonel kept these excuses still in mind, and in June, 1856, he -presented them to me like a bill to be met. This time I had exhausted my -excuses, and though it cost me much to quit my retreat and brave the -caprices of the Mediterranean in the worst month of the year, I decided -on going.</p> - -<p>It was settled that I should reach Algiers by the next 27th of -September, the day on which the great fĂŞtes annually offered by the -capital of Algeria to the Arabs would commence.</p> - -<p>I must say that I was much influenced in my determination by the -knowledge that my mission to Algeria had a quasi-political character. I, -a simple conjurer, was proud of being able to render my country a -service.</p> - -<p>It is known that the majority of revolts which have to be suppressed in -Algeria are excited by intriguers, who say they are inspired by the -Prophet, and are regarded by the Arabs as envoys of God on earth to -deliver them from the oppression of the <i>Roumi</i> (Christians).</p> - -<p>These false prophets and holy Marabouts, who are no more sorcerers than -I am, and indeed even less so, still contrive to influence the -fanaticism of their co-religionists by tricks as primitive as are the -spectators before whom they are performed.</p> - -<p>The government was, therefore, anxious to destroy their pernicious -influence, and reckoned on me to do so. They hoped, with reason, by the -aid of my experiments, to<a name="page_373" id="page_373"></a> prove to the Arabs that the tricks of their -Marabouts were mere child’s play, and owing to their simplicity could -not be done by an envoy from Heaven, which also led us very naturally to -show them that we are their superiors in everything, and, as for -sorcerers, there are none like the French.</p> - -<p>Presently I will show the success obtained by these skillful tactics.</p> - -<p>Three months were to elapse between the day of my acceptance and that of -my departure, which I employed in arranging a complete arsenal of my -best tricks, and left St. Gervais on the 10th of September.</p> - -<p>I will give no account of my passage, further than to say no sooner was -I at sea than I wished I had arrived, and, after thirty-six hours’ -navigation, I greeted the capital of our colony with indescribable -delight.</p> - -<p>I was expected; an officer came off in an elegant boat and took me to -the HĂ´tel d’Orient, where a handsome suite of rooms was retained for me.</p> - -<p>The government had behaved nobly, for I was lodged like a prince. From -the window of my sitting-room I could survey the roads of Algiers, and -the prospect was only bounded by the horizon. The sea is always lovely -when seen from a window; thus each morning I admired it, and pardoned -its past slight insults.</p> - -<p>From my hotel I also gazed on the magnificent Government-square, planted -with orange trees, such as cannot be seen in France. They were at this -season laden with flowers and perfectly ripe fruit.</p> - -<p>Mme. Robert-Houdin and myself delighted in sitting beneath their shade -at nightfall and eating an ice before the doorway of an Algerian -Tortoni, while inhaling the perfumed breeze borne to us from the sea. -Next to this<a name="page_374" id="page_374"></a> pleasure, nothing interested us so much as observing the -immense variety of persons moving around us.</p> - -<p>The five quarters of the world had sent their representatives to -Algeria: there were French, Spainards, Maltese, Italians, Germans, -Swiss, Prussians, Belgians, Portuguese, Poles, Russians, English and -Americans, all forming a portion of the population of Algeria. Add to -these the different Arabic types, such as Moors, Kabyles, Koulougly, -Biskri, Mozabites, Negroes, Arab Jews, &c., and an idea may be formed of -the sight unrolled before our eyes.</p> - -<p>When I arrived at Algiers, M. de Neveu told me that as a portion of -Kabylia had revolted, the marshal-governor had started with an -expeditionary corps to suppress it. In consequence of this, the fĂŞtes to -which the Arab chiefs were to be invited were deferred for a month, and -my performances put off for the same period.</p> - -<p>“I have now to ask you,” the colonel added, “if you will sign this new -engagement?”</p> - -<p>“Mon colonel!” I replied, in a jocular tone, “I consider myself in -military employ. As I depend on the governor, I will be faithful to my -post, whatever may happen.”</p> - -<p>“Very good, M. Robert-Houdin,” the colonel said with a laugh; “you -behave like a true French soldier, and the colony will owe you thanks -for it. At the same time, we will try to make your service in Algeria as -light as possible. We have given orders at your hotel that madame and -yourself may have no cause to regret the comfort you left to come here.” -(I have forgotten to say that, in signing my engagement, I stipulated -that Mme. Houdin should accompany me.) “If, while awaiting your official -performances, you might like to employ your leisure evenings at the town -theatre, the governor places it at your<a name="page_375" id="page_375"></a> service thrice a week, the -other days belonging to the operatic company.”</p> - -<p>This proposition suited me admirably, and I saw three advantages in it: -the first, to get my hand in, for I had left the stage for two years; -the second, to try the effect of my experiments on the town Arabs; the -third, to pocket a very welcome sum of money. I accepted; but when I -offered my thanks to M. de Neveu, he said,</p> - -<p>“It is our place to thank you, for, by giving performances at Algiers -during the Kabylian expedition, you render us a great service.”</p> - -<p>“How, colonel?”</p> - -<p>“By employing the minds of the Algerines, we prevent them speculating on -the eventualities of the campaign, which might be very injurious to the -government.”</p> - -<p>“That being so, I will set to work at once.”</p> - -<p>The colonel started the next day to join the marshal, having previously -handed me over to the civil authorities; that is to say, he had -introduced me to M. de Guiroye, mayor of the town, who displayed extreme -kindness in facilitating the arrangements for my performances.</p> - -<p>It might be reasonably supposed that, owing to the high patronage that -supported me, I need only follow a path bestrewn with flowers, to use -the language of the poets. But it was not so: I had to endure many -annoyances, which might have vexed me greatly, had I not possessed a -stock of philosophy beyond ordinary mortals.</p> - -<p>M. D——, privileged manager of the Bab-Azoun Theatre, had commenced the -season with an operatic company, and, fearing lest the success of a -stranger on his stage might injure his own prospects, he complained -about it to the authorities.</p> - -<p>The mayor could offer him no other consolation than<a name="page_376" id="page_376"></a> saying the -government ordered it. M. D—— protested, and even threatened to throw -up the management, but the mayor adhered to his inflexible decision.</p> - -<p>The city of Algiers thus suddenly saw itself exposed to a total -managerial eclipse, when, through a spirit of conciliation, I offered to -perform only twice a week, and defer beginning till the operatic dĂ©but -was over.</p> - -<p>This concession slightly calmed the impresario, though it did not gain -me his good graces. M. D—— ever maintained a coldness towards me, -which evidenced his dissatisfaction, but I held an independent position, -and this coolness did not render me wretched.</p> - -<p>I also managed to escape from the annoyances aroused by certain -subalterns of the stage, and, being determined that my voyage to Algiers -should be a real pleasure-trip, I laughed at these puny attacks. -Besides, my attention was directed to a matter far more interesting to -me.</p> - -<p>The journals had announced my performances, and this statement -immediately aroused a paper warfare in the Algerian press, the -strangeness of which contributed no little to give increased publicity -to my representations.</p> - -<p>“Robert-Houdin,” one paper said, “cannot be at Algiers, for we see daily -announced in the Paris papers, â€<i>Robert-Houdin every evening at eight -o’clock</i>.’”</p> - -<p>“And why,” another journal asked, pleasantly, “should not Robert-Houdin -perform in Algiers and yet remain all the while in Paris? Do we not know -that this sorcerer possesses the gift of ubiquity, and that he often -gives performances at Paris, Rome, and Moscow on the same evening?”</p> - -<p>The discussion went on thus, for several days, some denying my presence, -others affirming it.</p> - -<p>The public of Algiers were willing to accept this fact as<a name="page_377" id="page_377"></a> one of those -pleasantries generally denominated <i>canards</i>, but they also wished to be -sure of not being victims of a delusion if they came to the theatre.</p> - -<p>At length the matter was taken up seriously, and the editors explained -that Mr. Hamilton, on succeeding his brother-in-law, had kept up the old -title; so that <i>Robert-Houdin</i> was a term equally applicable to the -performer and to the style of performance.</p> - -<p>This curious discussion, the annoyances occasioned by M. D——, and, as -I hope I may believe, the attraction of my performance, brought me an -enormous audience. All the tickets were bought beforehand, and the house -was stiflingly hot, for the centigrade thermometer denoted 35 deg., and -we were in the middle of September.</p> - -<p>Poor spectators, how I pitied them! To judge from my own sensations, -they must all have been mummified on the spot. I feared that the -enthusiasm, as is the general rule, would be in an inverse ratio to the -temperature; but I had no cause to complain of my reception, and I drew -from this success a happy omen for the future.</p> - -<p>In order not to deprive my “official representations,” as M. de Neveu -termed them, of the interest the reader will expect from them, I will -give no details of those which preceded them, and were so many -trial-balloons. I may say the Arabs who came were very few; for these -men, with their indolent and sensual temper, consider the happiness of -lying on a mat and smoking far above a spectacle.</p> - -<p>Hence the governor, guided by the profound knowledge he had of their -character, never invited them to a fĂŞte: he sent them a military -summons. This occurred for my representations.</p> - -<p>As M. de Neveu had announced to me, the expeditionary<a name="page_378" id="page_378"></a> corps returned to -Algiers on the 20th of October, and the fĂŞtes, suspended by the -campaign, were fixed for the 27th. Messengers were sent off to all parts -of the colony, and on the appointed day the chiefs of the tribes, -accompanied by a numerous suite, found themselves in the presence of the -marshal-governor.</p> - -<p>These autumnal fĂŞtes, the most brilliant held in Algeria, and probably -unrivalled in any country of the world, present a picturesque and really -remarkable scene.</p> - -<p>I should like to be able to paint here the strange aspect the capital -assumed on the arrival of the <i>goums</i> of the Tell and the South. The -native camp, an inextricable pell-mell of huts for men and horses, -offering a thousand contrasts, strange as they were fascinating; the -brilliant cortĂ©ge of the governor-general, in the midst of which the -Arab chiefs, with their stern faces, attracted the eye by the luxury of -their costumes, the beauty of their horses, and the brilliancy of their -gold-broidered trappings; and the marvellous hippodrome, situated -between the sea, the smiling hill of Mustapha, and the plain of -Hussein-Dey, over which gloomy mountains cast a sombre shade. But I will -say nothing about all this. Nor will I describe those military exercises -called a Fantasia, in which twelve hundred Arabs, mounted on splendid -steeds, and uttering wild cries as if on the battle-field, displayed the -utmost vigor, skill, and intelligence men can possess. Nor will I speak -of the admirable exhibition of Arab stallions, each exciting the most -lively satisfaction as it passed; for all this has been already -described, and I am longing to reach my own performances, which, I may -say, formed not the least interesting part of this fĂŞte. I will only -allude to one circumstance, which struck me peculiarly.</p> - -<p>I saw a horseman, mounted on a magnificent Arab steed,<a name="page_379" id="page_379"></a> beat all the -winners in a final heat. This horseman was twelve years of age, and -could pass under his horse without stooping.</p> - -<p>The races lasted three days, and I was to give my performances at the -end of the second and third.</p> - -<p>Before beginning, I will say a word about the Algiers theatre.</p> - -<p>It is a very neat house, in the style of the VariĂ©tĂ©s at Paris, and -decorated with considerable taste. It is situated at the extremity of -the Rue Bab-Azoun, on the <i>place</i> bearing that name, and the façade is -peculiarly elegant.</p> - -<p>On first seeing this immense edifice, it would be assumed that the -interior was enormous: but it is nothing of the sort. The architect has -sacrificed everything to the claims of public order and ventilation, -while the stairs, passages, and green-room occupy as much space as the -house itself. Perhaps the architect took into consideration the limited -number of theatre-going people in Algiers, and thought that a small -house would offer performers a better chance of success.</p> - -<p>On the 28th of October, the day appointed for my first performance -before the Arabs, I reached my post at an early hour, and could enjoy -the sight of their entrance into the theatre.</p> - -<p>Each <i>goum</i>, drawn up in companies, was introduced separately, and led -in perfect order to the places chosen for it in advance. Then came the -turn of the chiefs, who seated themselves with all the gravity becoming -their character.</p> - -<p>Their introduction lasted some time, for these sons of nature could not -understand that they were boxed up thus, side by side, to enjoy a -spectacle, and our comfortable seats, far from seeming so to them, -bothered them strangely. I<a name="page_380" id="page_380"></a> saw them fidgeting about for some time, and -trying to tuck their legs under them, after the fashion of European -tailors.</p> - -<p>Marshal Randon, with his family and suite, occupied the two stage-boxes -to the right of the stage, while the prefect and other civilian -authorities sat exactly facing him. As for Colonel de Neveu, he was -everywhere, as the arranger of the festival.</p> - -<p>The caĂŻds, agas, bash-agas, and other titled Arabs, held the places of -honor, for they occupied the orchestra-stalls and the dress-circle.</p> - -<p>In the midst of them were several privileged officers, and, lastly, the -interpreters were mingled among the spectators, to translate my remarks -to them.</p> - -<p>I was also told that several curious people, having been unable to -procure tickets, had assumed the Arab burnous, and, binding the -camel’s-hair cord round their foreheads, had slipped in among their new -co-religionists.</p> - -<p>This strange medley of spectators was indeed a most curious sight. The -dress-circle, more especially, presented an appearence as grand as it -was imposing. Some sixty Arab chiefs, clothed in their red mantles (the -symbol of their submission to France), on which one or more decorations -glistened, gravely awaited my performance with majestic dignity.</p> - -<p>I have performed before many brilliant assemblies, but never before one -which struck me so much as this. However, the impression I felt on the -rise of the curtain, far from paralyzing me, on the contrary inspired me -with a lively sympathy for the spectators, whose faces seemed so well -prepared to accept the marvels promised them. As soon as I walked on the -stage, I felt quite at my ease, and enjoyed, in anticipation, the sight -I was going to amuse myself with.<a name="page_381" id="page_381"></a></p> - -<p>I felt, I confess, rather inclined to laugh at myself and my audience, -for I stepped forth, wand in hand, with all the gravity of a real -sorcerer. Still, I did not give way, for I was here not merely to amuse -a curious and kind public, I must produce a startling effect upon coarse -minds and prejudices, for I was enacting the part of a French Marabout.</p> - -<p>Compared with the simple tricks of their pretended sorcerers, my -experiments must appear perfect miracles to the Arabs.</p> - -<p>I commenced my performance in the most profound, I might almost say -religious, silence, and the attention of the spectators was so great -that they seemed petrified. Their fingers alone moving nervously, played -with the beads of their rosaries, while they were, doubtlessly, invoking -the protection of the Most High.</p> - -<p>This apathetic condition did not suit me, for I had not come to Algeria -to visit a waxwork exhibition. I wanted movement, animation, life in -fact, around me.</p> - -<p>I changed my batteries, and, instead of generalizing my remarks, I -addressed them more especially to some of the Arabs, whom I stimulated -by my words, and still more by my actions. The astonishment then gave -way to a more expressive feeling, which was soon evinced by noisy -outbursts.</p> - -<p>This was especially the case when I produced cannonballs from a hat, for -my spectators, laying aside their gravity, expressed their delighted -admiration by the strangest and most energetic gestures.</p> - -<p>Then came—greeted by the same success—the bouquet of flowers, produced -instantaneously from a hat; the <i>cornucopia</i>, supplying a multitude of -objects, which I distributed though unable to satisfy the repeated -demands<a name="page_382" id="page_382"></a> made on all sides, and still more by those who had their hands -full already; the <i>five-franc pieces</i>, sent across the theatre into a -crystal box suspended above the spectators.</p> - -<p>One trick I should much have liked to perform was the <i>inexhaustible -bottle</i>, so appreciated by the Parisians and the Manchester “hands;” but -I could not employ it in this performance, for it is well known the -followers of Mohammed drink no fermented liquor—at least not publicly. -Hence, I substituted the following with considerable advantage.</p> - -<p>I took a silver cup, like those called “punch bowls” in the Parisians -cafĂ©s. I unscrewed the foot, and passing my wand through it showed that -the vessel contained nothing; then, having refitted the two parts, I -went to the centre of the pit, when, at my command, the bowl was -<i>magically</i> filled with sweetmeats, which were found excellent.</p> - -<p>The sweetmeats exhausted, I turned the bowl over, and proposed to fill -it with excellent coffee; so, gravely passing my hand thrice over the -bowl, a dense vapor immediately issued from it, and announced the -presence of the precious liquid. The bowl was full of boiling coffee, -which I poured into cups, and offered to my astounded spectators.</p> - -<p>The first cups were only accepted, so to speak, under protest; for not -an Arab would consent to moisten his lips with a beverage which he -thought came straight from Shaitan’s kitchen; but, insensibly seduced by -the perfume of their favorite liquor, and urged by the interpreters, -some of the boldest decided on tasting the magic liquor, and all soon -followed their example.</p> - -<p>The vessel, rapidly emptied, was repeatedly filled again with equal -rapidity; and it satisfied all demands, like my inexhaustible bottle, -and was borne back to the stage still full.<a name="page_383" id="page_383"></a></p> - -<p>But it was not enough to amuse my spectators; I must also, in order to -fulfil the object of my mission, startle and even terrify them by the -display of a supernatural power.</p> - -<p>My arrangements had all been made for this purpose, and I had reserved -for the end of my performances three tricks, which must complete my -reputation as a sorcerer.</p> - -<p>Many of my readers will remember having seen at my performances a small -but solidly-built box, which, being handed to the spectators, becomes -heavy or light at my order; a child might raise it with ease, and yet -the most powerful man could not move it from its place.</p> - -<p>I advanced with my box in my hand, to the centre of the “practicable,” -communicating from the stage to the pit; then, addressing the Arabs, I -said to them:</p> - -<p>“From what you have witnessed, you will attribute a supernatural power -to me, and you are right. I will give you a new proof of my marvellous -authority, by showing that I can deprive the most powerful man of his -strength and restore it at my will. Any one who thinks himself strong -enough to try the experiment may draw near me.” (I spoke slowly, in -order to give the interpreter time to translate my words.)</p> - -<p>An Arab of middle height, but well built and muscular, like many of the -Arabs are, came to my side with sufficient assurance.</p> - -<p>“Are you very strong?” I said to him, measuring him from head to foot.</p> - -<p>“Oh yes!” he replied carelessly.</p> - -<p>“Are you sure you will always remain so?”</p> - -<p>“Quite sure.”</p> - -<p>“You are mistaken, for in an instant I will rob you of your strength, -and you shall become as a little child.<a name="page_384" id="page_384"></a>”</p> - -<p>The Arab smiled disdainfully as a sign of his incredulity.</p> - -<p>“Stay,” I continued; “lift up this box.”</p> - -<p>The Arab stooped, lifted up the box, and said to me, coldly, “Is that -all?”</p> - -<p>“Wait——!” I replied.</p> - -<p>Then, with all possible gravity, I made an imposing gesture, and -solemnly pronounced the words:</p> - -<p>“Behold! you are weaker than a woman; now, try to lift the box.”</p> - -<p>The Hercules, quite cool as to my conjuration, seized the box once again -by the handle, and gave it a violent tug, but this time the box -resisted, and, spite of his most vigorous attacks, would not budge an -inch.</p> - -<p>The Arab vainly expended on this unlucky box a strength which would have -raised an enormous weight, until, at length, exhausted, panting, and red -with anger, he stopped, became thoughtful, and began to comprehend the -influences of magic.</p> - -<p>He was on the point of withdrawing; but that would be allowing his -weakness, and that he, hitherto respected for his vigor, had become as a -little child. This thought rendered him almost mad.</p> - -<p>Deriving fresh strength from the encouragements his friends offered him -by word and deed, he turned a glance round them, which seemed to say: -“You will see what a son of the desert can do.”</p> - -<p>He bent once again over the box: his nervous hands twined round the -handle, and his legs, placed on either side like two bronze columns, -served as a support for the final effort.</p> - -<p>But, wonder of wonders! this Hercules, a moment since so strong and -proud, now bows his head; his arms, riveted<a name="page_385" id="page_385"></a> to the box, undergo a -violent muscular contraction; his legs give way, and he falls on his -knees with a yell of agony!</p> - -<p>An electric shock, produced by an inductive apparatus, had been passed, -on a signal from me, from the further end of the stage into the handle -of the box. Hence the contortions of the poor Arab!</p> - -<p>It would have been cruelty to prolong this scene.</p> - -<p>I gave a second signal, and the electric current was immediately -intercepted. My athlete, disengaged from his terrible bondage, raised -his hands over his head.</p> - -<p>“Allah! Allah!” he exclaimed, full of terror; then wrapping himself up -quickly in the folds of his burnous, as if to hide his disgrace, he -rushed through the ranks of the spectators and gained the front -entrance.</p> - -<p>With the exception of my stage boxes and the privileged spectators who -appeared to take great pleasure in this experiment, my audience had -become grave and silent, and I heard the words “Shaitan!” “Djenoum!” -passing in a murmur round the circle of credulous men, who, while gazing -on me, seemed astonished that I possessed none of the physical qualities -attributed to the angel of darkness.</p> - -<p>I allowed my public a few moments to recover from the emotion produced -by my experiment and the flight of the herculean Arab.</p> - -<p>One of the means employed by the Marabouts to gain influence in the eyes -of the Arabs is by causing a belief in their invulnerability.</p> - -<p>One of them, for instance, ordered a gun to be loaded and fired at him -from a short distance, but in vain did the flint produce a shower of -sparks; the Marabout pronounced some cabalistic words, and the gun did -not explode.<a name="page_386" id="page_386"></a></p> - -<p>The mystery was simple enough; the gun did not go off because the -Marabout had skillfully stopped up the vent.</p> - -<p>Colonel de Neveu explained to me the importance of discrediting such a -miracle by opposing to it a sleight-of-hand trick far superior to it, -and I had the very article.</p> - -<p>I informed the Arabs that I possessed a talisman rendering me -invulnerable, and I defied the best marksman in Algeria to hit me.</p> - -<p>I had hardly uttered the words, when an Arab, who had attracted my -notice by the attention he had paid to my tricks, jumped over four rows -of seats, and disdaining the use of the “practicable,” crossed the -orchestra, upsetting flutes, clarionets, and violins, escaladed the -stage, while burning himself at the foot-lights, and then said, in -excellent French,</p> - -<p>“I will kill you!”</p> - -<p>An immense burst of laughter greeted both the Arab’s picturesque ascent -and his murderous intentions, while an interpreter who stood near me -told me I had to deal with a Marabout.</p> - -<p>“You wish to kill me!” I replied, imitating his accent and the -inflection of his voice. “Well, I reply, that though you are a sorcerer, -I am still a greater one, and you will not kill me.”</p> - -<p>I held a cavalry pistol in my hand, which I presented to him.</p> - -<p>“Here, take this weapon, and assure yourself it has undergone no -preparation.”</p> - -<p>The Arab breathed several times down the barrel, then through the -nipple, to assure himself there was a communication between them, and -after carefully examining the pistol, said:<a name="page_387" id="page_387"></a></p> - -<p>“The weapon is good, and I will kill you.”</p> - -<p>“As you are determined, and for more certainty, put in a double charge -of powder, and a wad on the top.”</p> - -<p>“It is done.”</p> - -<p>“Now, here is a leaden ball; mark it with your knife, so as to be able -to recognize it, and put it in the pistol, with a second wad.”</p> - -<p>“It is done.”</p> - -<p>“Now that you are quite sure your pistol is loaded, and that it will -explode, tell me, do you feel no remorse, no scruple about killing me -thus, although I authorize you to do so?”</p> - -<p>“No, for I wish to kill you,” the Arab repeated, coldly.</p> - -<p>Without replying, I put an apple on the point of a knife, and, standing -a few yards from the Marabout, ordered him to fire.</p> - -<p>“Aim straight at the heart,” I said to him.</p> - -<p>My opponent aimed immediately, without the slightest hesitation.</p> - -<p>The pistol exploded, and the bullet lodged in the centre of the apple.</p> - -<p>I carried the talisman to the Marabout, who recognized the ball he had -marked.</p> - -<p>I could not say that this trick produced greater stupefaction than the -ones preceding it: at any rate, my spectators, palsied by surprise and -terror, looked round in silence, seeming to think, “Where the deuce have -we got to here!”</p> - -<p>A pleasant scene, however, soon unwrinkled many of their faces. The -Marabout, though stupefied by his defeat, had not lost his wits; so, -profiting by the moment when he returned me the pistol, he seized the -apple, thrust it into his waist-belt, and could not be induced to return -it,<a name="page_388" id="page_388"></a> persuaded as he was that he possessed in it an incomparable -talisman.</p> - -<p>For the last trick in my performance I required the assistance of an -Arab.</p> - -<p>At the request of several interpreters, a young Moor, about twenty years -of age, tall, well built, and richly dressed, consented to come on the -stage. Bolder and more civilized, doubtlessly, than his comrades of the -plains, he walked firmly up to me.</p> - -<p>I drew him towards the table that was in the centre of the stage, and -pointed out to him and to the other spectators that it was slightly -built and perfectly isolated. After which, without further preface, I -told him to mount upon it, and covered him with an enormous cloth cone, -open at the top.</p> - -<p>Then, drawing the cone and its contents on to a plank, the ends of which -were held by my servant and myself, we walked to the foot-lights with -our heavy burden, and upset it. The Moor had disappeared—the cone was -perfectly empty!</p> - -<p>Immediately there began a spectacle which I shall never forget.</p> - -<p>The Arabs were so affected by this last trick, that, impelled by an -irresistible feeling of terror, they rose in all parts of the house, and -yielded to the influence of a general panic. To tell the truth, the -crowd of fugitives was densest at the door of the dress circle, and it -could be seen, from the agility and confusion of these high dignitaries, -that they were the first to wish to leave the house.</p> - -<p>Vainly did one of them, the CaĂŻd of the Beni-Salah, more courageous than -his colleagues, try to restrain them by his words:</p> - -<p>“Stay! stay! we cannot thus lose one of our co-religionists.<a name="page_389" id="page_389"></a> Surely we -must know what has become of him, or what has been done to him. Stay! -stay!”</p> - -<p>But the co-religionists only ran away the faster, and soon the -courageous caĂŻd, led away by their example, followed them.</p> - -<p>They little knew what awaited them at the door of the theatre; but they -had scarce gone down the steps when they found themselves face to face -with the “resuscitated Moor.”</p> - -<p>The first movement of terror overcome, they surrounded the man, felt and -cross-questioned him; but, annoyed by these repeated questions, he had -no better resource than to escape at full speed.</p> - -<p>The next evening the second performance took place, and produced nearly -the same effect as the previous one.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>The blow was struck: henceforth the interpreters and all those who had -dealings with the Arabs received orders to make them understand that my -pretended miracles were only the result of skill, inspired and guided by -an art called <i>prestidigitation</i>, in no way connected with sorcery.</p> - -<p>The Arabs doubtlessly yielded to these arguments, for henceforth I was -on the most friendly terms with them. Each time a chief saw me, he never -failed to come up and press my hand. And, even more, these men whom I -had so terrified, when they became my friends, gave me a precious -testimony of their esteem—I may say, too, of their admiration, for that -is their own expression.</p> - -<p>Three days had elapsed since my last performance, when I received a -despatch from the governor, ordering me to be at the palace by twelve -o’clock, <i>military time</i>.</p> - -<p>Of course I kept the appointment, and the last stroke of twelve was -still striking by the clock of the neighboring<a name="page_390" id="page_390"></a> mosque when I sent in my -name at the palace. A staff officer immediately came to me.</p> - -<p>“Come with me, M. Robert-Houdin,” he said, with a half mysterious air. -“I am ordered to conduct you.”</p> - -<p>I followed my conductor, and, as the door of a magnificent room was open -at the end of a gallery we crossed, I saw a strange sight. Some thirty -of the most important Arab chiefs were arranged in a circle, of which I -naturally formed the centre when I entered the room.</p> - -<p>“Salâm aleikoum!” they said, in a grave and almost solemn voice, as they -laid their hands on their hearts.</p> - -<p>I first returned this salutation by bowing in the French fashion, and -then by several hand-shakings, beginning with those chiefs whose -acquaintance I had already formed.</p> - -<p>At the head was the Bash-Aga Bou-Allem, the African Rothschild, in whose -tent I had drunk my coffee at the Arab camp during the races.</p> - -<p>Next came the CaĂŻd Assa, with a wooden leg, who had also offered me -pipes and coffee in the same encampment. As this chief did not -understand a word of French, my friend Boukandoura was enabled, during a -visit we paid him, to tell me the history of the wooden leg in his -presence.</p> - -<p>“Assa,” my friend said, “having had his leg shattered in an affair -against the French, owed his escape to the speed of his horse. Once in a -place of safety, he himself cut off his leg above the knee, and then, in -his wild energy, thrust the mutilated stump into a vessel full of -boiling pitch, in order to stop the hemorrhage.”</p> - -<p>Wishing to return the salutations I had received, I went round the -group, offering my hand to each in turn. But my task was remarkably -abridged, for the ranks thinned<a name="page_391" id="page_391"></a> at my approach, as many of the company -had not the courage to take the hand of a man they had seriously -regarded as a sorcerer or the demon in person.</p> - -<p>This incident, however, did not disturb the ceremony in any way. After a -laugh at the pusillanimity of the fugitives, each re-assumed that -gravity which is the normal condition of the Arab countenance.</p> - -<p>Then the most aged chief in the assembly advanced towards me, and -unrolled an enormous MS. It was an address, written in verse, a perfect -masterpiece of native caligraphy, and adorned with graceful arabesques -drawn by hand.</p> - -<p>The worthy Arab, who was at least seventy years of age, then read, in a -loud voice, the piece of Mussulman poetry, which was perfectly -unintelligible to me, as I knew only three words of Arabic.</p> - -<p>When the reading was ended, the orator drew from his belt the signet of -his tribe, and solemnly placed it at the bottom of the page. The -principal Arab chiefs and dignitaries followed his example, and when all -the seals had been affixed, my old friend took the paper, and after -assuring himself the imprints were quite dry, he rolled it up and -presented it to me, saying, in excellent French, and in a tone that -revealed his sincerity:</p> - -<p>“To a merchant, gold is given; to a warrior, arms are offered; to thee, -Robert-Houdin, we present a testimony of our admiration, which thou -canst hand down to thy children.” And, translating a verse he had just -read in Arabic, he added, “Pardon us for presenting thee with such a -trifle, but is it fitting to offer mother-o’-pearl to the man who -possesses the real jewel?”</p> - -<p>I avow very frankly that never in my life did I experience such sweet -emotion—never had my success penetrated<a name="page_392" id="page_392"></a> so fully to my heart; and, -moved more than I can express, I turned to wipe away a tear of sympathy.</p> - -<p>These details, as well as the following, certainly wound my modesty a -little, but I cannot make up my mind to pass them over in silence; -hence, I must beg the reader to accept them as a mere picture of -manners.</p> - -<p>I declare, too, that the thought never entered my mind of having -deserved such praise, and yet I cannot refrain from feeling as much -flattered as grateful for this homage, and regarding it as the most -precious souvenir of my professional career.</p> - -<p>This declaration made, I will furnish a translation of the address, in -the words used by the caligrapher himself:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>“Homage offered to Robert-Houdin, by the chiefs of the Arab tribes, -after his performances given at Algiers on the 28th and 29th of -October, 1856.</p> - -<p class="c"> -“<span class="smcap">Glory to God</span>,<br /> -</p> - -<p class="nind">who teaches us what we know not, and enables us to express the -treasures of the mind by the flowers of eloquence and the signs of -writing.</p> - -<p>“Generous-handed destiny has sent down from above, in the midst of -lightning and thunder, like a powerful and fertilizing rain, the -marvel of the moment and the age, him who cultivates the surprising -arts and marvellous sciences—the <i>Sid</i>-Robert-Houdin.</p> - -<p>“Our century has seen no one comparable with him. The splendor of -his talent surpasses the most brilliant productions of past ages. -Our age is the more illustrious because it has possessed him.<a name="page_393" id="page_393"></a></p> - -<p>“He has known how to stir our hearts and astonish our minds, by -displaying to us the surprising facts of his marvellous science. -Our eyes were never before fascinated by such prodigies. What he -accomplishes cannot be described. We owe him our gratitude for all -the things by which he has delighted our eyes and our minds; hence, -our friendship for him has sunk into our hearts like a perfumed -shower, and our bosoms preciously conceal it.</p> - -<p>“We shall in vain attempt to raise our praises to the height of his -merit; we must lower our brows before him and pay him homage, so -long as the benevolent shower fertilizes the soil, so long as the -moon illuminates the night, so long as the clouds come to temper -the heat of the sun.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span style="margin-right: 4em;">“Written by the slave of God,</span><br /> -“<span class="smcap">Ali-Ben-el-Hadji Moussa</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p>“Pardon us for presenting thee with,” &c. &c.</p> - -<p>Then follow the seals and signatures of the chiefs of the tribes.</p></div> - -<p>After the ceremony was over, and the Arabs had left us, the -marshal-governor, whom I had not seen since my performances, being -desirous to give me an idea of the effect they had produced on the minds -of the natives, quoted the following incident:</p> - -<p>A Kabyle chief, who had come to Algiers to make his submission, was -taken to my first performance.</p> - -<p>The next day, at an early hour, he went to the palace, and asked to -speak with the governor.</p> - -<p>“I have,” he said to the marshal, “to ask your permission to return -immediately to my tribe.”</p> - -<p>“You must be aware,” the marshal replied, “that the<a name="page_394" id="page_394"></a> forms are not yet -filled up, and the papers will not be in order for three days; you will, -therefore, remain for that period.”</p> - -<p>“Allah is great,” the Arab said, “and if it pleaseth Him I shall go away -before, you will not be able to stop me.”</p> - -<p>“You will not go, I feel certain, if I forbid it. But tell me, why are -you in such a hurry to leave?”</p> - -<p>“After what I saw yesterday I don’t wish to stay in Algiers; a -misfortune would happen to me.”</p> - -<p>“Did you regard the miracles as real?”</p> - -<p>The Kabyle surveyed the marshal with an air of astonishment, and, -without replying directly to the question addressed him, said:</p> - -<p>“Instead of killing your soldiers in conquering the Kabyles, send your -French Marabout to the most rebel tribes, and before a fortnight he will -bring them all to you.”</p> - -<p>The Kabyle did <i>not</i> leave, for the interpreters managed to remove his -fears; still he was one of those who kept furthest aloof from me during -the ceremony I have described.</p> - -<p>Another Arab also said, on leaving one of my performances:</p> - -<p>“Our Marabouts must now do very great miracles to astonish us.”</p> - -<p>These statements from the governor’s own lips were very agreeable to me, -for up to that moment I had felt rather uneasy; and although I was -certain I had produced a startling impression by my performances, I was -enchanted at learning that the object of my mission had been carried out -according to the wishes of government. In addition, before I started for -France, the marshal was<a name="page_395" id="page_395"></a> kind enough to assure me once again that my -performances in Algeria had produced the happiest effect in the minds of -the natives.</p> - -<p>Although my performances were ended, I was in no hurry to return to -France. I was curious, in my turn, to witness a conjuring performance of -the Marabouts, or other native jugglers. I had also promised several -Arab chiefs to visit them in their <i>douars</i>, and I wished to enjoy this -double pleasure.</p> - -<p>There are few Frenchmen who, after a short stay in Algeria, have not -heard of the AĂŻssaoua and their marvels. The stories I had been told of -the experiments performed by the followers of Sid-AĂŻssa had inspired me -with the liveliest desire to see them, and I was persuaded that all -their miracles were only more or less ingenious tricks, which I should -be able to detect.</p> - -<p>As M. le Colonel Neveu had promised me the opportunity of seeing them, -he kept his word.</p> - -<p>On a day chosen by the Mokaddem, the usual president of this sort of -meeting, we went, accompanied by several staff officers and their wives, -to an Arab house, and proceeded through a low archway into the inner -court, where the ceremony was to take place. Lights artistically fixed -on the walls, and carpets spread on the pavement, awaited the arrival of -the brothers, while a cushion was reserved for the Mokaddem.</p> - -<p>We all took our seats where we should not disturb the performance, and -our ladies went up to a gallery on the first floor, and thus represented -our dress-boxes.</p> - -<p>But I will let Colonel Neveu himself describe this scene, by copying -<i>verbatim</i> from his interesting work “The Religious Orders among the -Mussulmans of Algeria:”</p> - -<p>“The AĂŻssaoua entered, formed a circle in the courtyard,<a name="page_396" id="page_396"></a> and soon began -their chants. These were at first slow and solemn chants, and lasted a -long time; then came the praises of Sidi-Muhammad-Ben-AĂŻssa, founder of -the order; after which the Brethren and the Mokaddem, taking up cymbals -and tambourines, gradually increased the speed of the chanting.</p> - -<p>“After about two hours the songs had become wild cries, and the gestures -of the Brethren had followed the same impulse. Suddenly some of them -rose and formed a line, dancing, and pronouncing as gutturally as they -could, and with all the vigor of their energetic lungs, the sacred name -of Allah. This word, issuing from the mouths of the AĂŻssaoua, seemed -rather a savage growl than an invocation addressed to the Supreme Being. -Soon the noise increased, the most extravagant gestures began, while -turbans fell off and exposed their shorn heads, which look like those of -vultures; the long folds of their red sashes became unfastened, -embarrassing their movements and increasing their disorder.</p> - -<p>“Then the AĂŻssaoua moved about on their hands and knees, imitating the -movements of wild animals. They seemed to be acting under the influence -of some muscular force, and they forgot they were men.</p> - -<p>“When the excitement had reached its height, and the perspiration was -running down their bodies, the AĂŻssaoua began their juggling. They -called the Mokaddem their father, and asked him for food; he gave to -some pieces of glass, which they champed between their teeth; he placed -nails in the mouths of others, but, instead of swallowing them, they -carefully hid their heads in the folds of the Mokaddem’s burnous, in -order not to let the audience see them remove them. Some devoured thorns -and thistles; others passed their tongues over a red-hot iron<a name="page_397" id="page_397"></a> and took -them in their hands without burning themselves. One man struck his left -arm with his right hand: the flesh appeared to open, and the blood -poured forth abundantly; then he passed his hand over his arm, the wound -closed, and the blood disappeared. Another leaped on to the edge of a -sabre held by two men, and did not cut his feet, while others produced -from small leathern sacks scorpions and serpents, which they boldly -placed in their mouths.”</p> - -<p>I had concealed myself behind a pillar, whence I could survey everything -without being noticed. I insisted on not being the dupe of these -mysterious tricks: hence I paid the closest attention.</p> - -<p>Both through the remarks I made on the scene of action, and the ulterior -researches I undertook, I am now in a position to give a satisfactory -explanation of the miracles of the AĂŻssaoua. But, not to interrupt my -narrative, I will refer the reader who is anxious for these details to -the end of this volume, and the special chapter I have christened <span class="smcap">A -Chapter of Miracles</span>.</p> - -<p>I believe myself the more competent to supply these explanations, as -some of the tricks belong to conjuring proper, and others are based on -phenomena drawn from the physical sciences.<a name="page_398" id="page_398"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI"></a>CHAPTER XXI.</h2> - -<div class="blockquot1"><p class="hang">Excursion in the Interior of Africa—The Abode of a Bash-Aga—A -comical Repast—A SoirĂ©e of Arab Dignitaries—A Marabout -mystified—Tent-life in Algeria—I return to France—A terrible -Storm—Conclusion.</p></div> - -<p>O<small>NCE</small> possessed of the secret of the juggling performed by the AĂŻssaoua, -I was able to start for the interior of Africa. I therefore set out, -provided with letters from Colonel de Neveu, to several heads of the -Arab department, his subordinates, and I took with me Mme. -Robert-Houdin, who was quite delighted at the thought of making this -excursion.</p> - -<p>We were going to visit the Arab beneath his tent or in his house; eat -his “couscoussou,” which we only knew by name; study for ourselves the -domestic manners and customs of Africa: this was certainly enough to -inflame our imagination. So much was this the case, that I hardly ever -thought that the month in which we should re-embark for France would be -the one in which the Mediterranean is so stormy.</p> - -<p>Among the Arabs who had invited me to visit them, Bou-Allem-Ben-Sherifa, -Bash-Aga of the D’jendel, had pressed me so strongly that I determined -on commencing my round of visits with him.</p> - -<p>Our journey from Algiers to MĂ©dĂ©ah was most prosaic, for a diligence -conveyed us there in two days.</p> - -<p>Apart from the interest inspired in us by the peculiar<a name="page_399" id="page_399"></a> vegetation of -Algeria, as well as the famous peak of the MouzaĂŻa, which we passed at a -gallop, the incidents of the journey were the same as on any French high -road. The hotels were kept by Frenchmen, and you dined at the table -d’hĂ´te on the same fare, at the same price, and with the same -attendance. This bagman’s existence was not what we had anticipated on -leaving Algiers. Hence, we were delighted to get out at MĂ©dĂ©ah, as the -diligence did not follow the same road as ourselves beyond this point.</p> - -<p>Captain Ritter, head of the Arab office at MĂ©dĂ©ah, to whom I went, had -seen my performances at Algiers: hence, I had no occasion to hand him -the letter of recommendation addressed to him by M. de Neveu. He -received me with great affability, and Mme. Ritter joined her entreaties -to her husband’s that we should visit the town. I indeed regretted being -obliged to leave such agreeable persons the next morning; but I was -obliged to hurry my tour over before the autumnal rains set in, which -render the roads impracticable, and often, indeed, very dangerous.</p> - -<p>The captain acceded to my wishes; he lent us two horses from his stable, -and gave us as a guide to Bou-Allem’s a caĂŻd who spoke French -excellently.</p> - -<p>This Arab had been caught when quite a youth in a hut which Abd-ul-Khadr -had been forced to abandon after one of his numerous defeats. The -government sent the lad to the Louis-le Grand College, where he got on -excellently in his studies. But, constantly pursued by the remembrance -of his African sky, and the national “couscoussou” our bachelor of arts -asked the favor of being sent back to Algeria. Owing to his education he -was made caĂŻd of a small tribe, whose name I have forgotten, but which -lay on the route we were going to take.</p> - -<p>My guide—whom I will call Muhammad, because I<a name="page_400" id="page_400"></a> have forgotten his name -also (for Arab names are difficult to remember by those who have not -lived some time in Algeria)—Muhammad, then, was accompanied by four -Arabs of his tribe: two of them were to carry our baggage, and the other -two wait upon us. All were mounted, and proceeded before us.</p> - -<p>We started at eight in the morning, as our first stage was not to be -long, for Muhammad assured me that, if it pleased God (a formula a true -believer never omits in speaking of the future), we should arrive at his -house in time for breakfast. In fact, about three hours after we had set -out, our little caravan reached Muhammad’s modest <i>douar</i>, and we -dismounted in front of a villa, entirely composed of branches, of which -the roof was hardly of man’s height. This was the caĂŻd’s reception-room.</p> - -<p>The door was opened, and our guide showed us the way by walking in -first. Only one piece of furniture ornamented the interior; it was a -small wooden stool, which my wife converted into a seat. Muhammad and I -seated ourselves on a carpet, which an Arab had spread at our feet, and -breakfast was soon served up. Muhammad, who, I fancy, wished to gain our -pardon for a grave crime he was about to commit, treated us sumptuously, -and almost in the French style. A rich soup, roast fowls, various -ragoĂ»ts, which I cannot describe, as my culinary studies have been very -limited, and pastry, which FĂ©lix himself would not have disowned, were -placed before us in turn. More than that, my wife and I had been handed -an iron knife, fork and spoon—an unheard of thing at an Arab’s.</p> - -<p>The meal had been brought from an adjacent <i>gourbi</i>, where the caĂŻd’s -mother resided. This lady had lived in Algiers for a long time, where -she had acquired the skill of which she had just offered us a specimen.<a name="page_401" id="page_401"></a></p> - -<p>As for Muhammad, he had resumed the fashions of his ancestors, with the -Mussulman costume, and lived on dates and “couscoussou,” save when he -had any guests, which was extremely rare.</p> - -<p>Our breakfast over, the host advised to set out again, if we wished to -reach Bou-Allem’s before nightfall; and we followed his advice.</p> - -<p>From MĂ©dĂ©ah to Muhammad’s <i>douar</i> we had followed a tolerable road, but -on leaving his house we entered on a barren and desert country, where we -saw no other signs of a road than those left by ourselves. The sun -poured its most torrid beams upon our heads, and we found no shade along -our route to protect us from it. Frequently, too, our progress became -very laborious, for we came to ravines, into which we had to descend at -the risk of our horses’ knees and our own necks. To restore our -patience, our guide told us we should soon reach more even ground, and -we continued our journey.</p> - -<p>About two hours after leaving our first halt, Muhammad quitted us at -full gallop, saying he would soon return, and disappeared behind a -mound.</p> - -<p>We never saw our caĂŻd again.</p> - -<p>I learned, afterwards, that in his jealousy of Bou-Allem’s wealth, he -preferred incurring a punishment sooner than pay a visit to his rival.</p> - -<p>This flight rendered my wife and myself very uncomfortable, and we -exchanged our ideas on the subject, with no fear of being understood by -our guides. We were alarmed by the bad example given by Muhammad. -Suppose the four Arabs were to imitate their chief, and also abandon us! -What would become of us in a country where, even if we were to meet -anybody, we could not make him understand our wishes?<a name="page_402" id="page_402"></a></p> - -<p>But we escaped with the fear. Our worthy guides remained faithful to us, -and were even very polite and attentive during the journey. Besides, as -Muhammad had told us, we soon reached a road leading us straight to the -abode of Bou-Allem.</p> - -<p>Compared with the caĂŻd’s house, the bash-aga’s might be considered a -princely residence, less, however, through the architectural beauty of -the buildings than through their extent. As in all Arab houses, only -walls could be seen from without; all the windows looked on court-yards -or gardens.</p> - -<p>Bou-Allem and his son, warned of our arrival, came to meet us, and paid -us in Arabic compliments I did not understand, but which I supposed to -be the usual salâmalecks, that is to say:</p> - -<p>“Be ye welcome, oh ye invited of Deity!”</p> - -<p>Such, however, was my confidence, that, whatever might have been said to -me, I should have accepted it as a compliment.</p> - -<p>We dismounted, and sat down upon a stone bench, where coffee was soon -served up to us. In Algeria people drink coffee and smoke the whole day -long. It is true that this beverage is not made so strong as in France, -and the cups are very small.</p> - -<p>Bou-Allem, after lighting a pipe, handed it to me: it was an honor he -did me to let me smoke after him, and I could not decline it, though I -might have preferred it to be just the “other way about.”</p> - -<p>As I have already stated, I only knew three or four words of Arabic, and -with such a poor vocabulary it was difficult to talk with my hosts. -Still, they evidenced great joy at my arrival, for every moment they -renewed their protestations, while laying their hands on their hearts. -I<a name="page_403" id="page_403"></a> replied by similar signs, and hence had not to draw on my imagination -to keep up the conversation.</p> - -<p>Later, however, urged by an appetite whose prompt satisfaction I did not -calculate on, I ventured on a new pantomime. Laying my hand on the pit -of my stomach, and assuming a suffering air, I tried to make Bou-Allem -comprehend that we required more substantial food than civil -compliments. The intelligent Arab understood me, and gave orders for the -meal to be hastened on.</p> - -<p>In the meanwhile, and to keep us quiet, he offered, by gestures, to show -us his apartments.</p> - -<p>We ascended a small stone staircase, and, on arriving at the first -floor, our guide opened a door, which offered this peculiarity, that, to -pass through it, you were obliged to lower your head and lift your foot -simultaneously. In other words, this door was so low, that a man of -ordinary height could not pass through it without stooping, and, as the -floor was raised, you were obliged to step up on it.</p> - -<p>This chamber was the bash-aga’s reception-room; the walls were covered -with red arabesques relieved with gold, and the ground strewn with -magnificent Turkey carpets. Four divans, covered with rich silk stuffs, -completed the entire furniture, with a small mahogany table, on which -were spread pipes, porcelain coffee cups, and other objects especially -used by Mussulmen. Among them, Bou-Allem took up a flask filled with -rose-water, and poured it on our hands. The perfume was delicate; -unfortunately, our host wished to do things grandly, and in order to -show the esteem he held us in, employed the rest of the bottle in -literally sprinkling us from head to foot.</p> - -<p>We visited two other large rooms, more simply decorated than the first, -and in one of them was an enormous divan. Bou-Allem made us comprehend -that was where he slept.<a name="page_404" id="page_404"></a></p> - -<p>These details would have been very interesting at any other moment, but -we were dying of hunger, and, according to the proverb, “a starving -belly has neither eyes nor ears.” I was just going to recommence my -famous pantomime, when, in passing through a small room, in which the -only furniture was a carpet, our cicerone opened his mouth, pointed with -his finger that something was to be placed in it, and thus made us -understand we were in the dining-room. I laid my hand on my heart to -express all the pleasure I experienced.</p> - -<p>By Bou-Allem’s invitation we sat down on the carpet, round a large -waiter put down in place of a table.</p> - -<p>Once seated, two Arabs came in to wait on us.</p> - -<p>In France, servants wait with their heads uncovered; in Algeria, they -keep on their head-covering; but, in return, as a mark of respect, they -leave their shoes at the door, and serve barefooted. Between our -servants and those of the Arabs the only difference is from head to -foot.</p> - -<p>We were the only guests seated with Bou-Allem, for the son had not the -honor of dining with his father, who always ate alone.</p> - -<p>A species of salad-bowl, filled with something like pumpkin soup, was -brought in, and I am very fond of that dish.</p> - -<p>“What a fortunate thing,” I said to my wife, “Bou-Allem has guessed my -taste; how I will do honor to his cook.”</p> - -<p>My host, doubtlessly, understood the meaning of my remark, for, after -offering us each a clumsy wooden spoon, he begged us to follow his -example, and plunged his weapon in up to the wrist. We imitated him.</p> - -<p>I soon took out an enormous spoonful, which I hastily lifted to my -mouth; but I had scarce tasted it ere I exclaimed with a horrible -grimace:<a name="page_405" id="page_405"></a></p> - -<p>“Pouah! what can that be? My mouth is on fire.”</p> - -<p>My wife withdrew the spoonful she had raised to her lips, but either her -appetite or her curiosity induced her to taste it. She did so, but soon -joined me in coughing. It was a regular pepper-pot.</p> - -<p>While apparently vexed at this contretemps, our host swallowed enormous -spoonfuls of the soup, and each time he stretched out his arm with an -air of beatitude, intended to convey to us, “And yet how good it is.”</p> - -<p>The soup-tureen was taken away almost empty.</p> - -<p>“Bueno! bueno!” Bou-Allem exclaimed, pointing to a dish just placed -before us.</p> - -<p>Bueno is Spanish, and the worthy bash-aga, knowing two or three words of -that language, was not vexed to display his learning to us.</p> - -<p>This famous dish was a species of ragoĂ»t, bearing some affinity to -haricot mutton. When I lived at Belleville, this was the masterpiece of -Mme. Auguste, and I always gave it a very good reception. Hence, in -remembrance of my good old cook, I was about to fall on the ragoĂ»t; but -I looked around in vain for a fork, a knife, or even the wooden spoon -handed us for the soup.</p> - -<p>Bou-Allem released me from the dilemma; he showed me, by himself -plunging his fingers into the dish, that a fork was a very useless -instrument.</p> - -<p>As hunger tormented us, we overcame our repugnance, and my wife, to -encourage me, delicately fished up a small piece of mutton. The sauce -was very highly spiced, but still, by eating very little meat and a -great deal of bread, we were enabled to render the poison innocuous.</p> - -<p>That I might be agreeable to my host, I unfortunately repeated the -Spanish words he had taught me. This compliment, which he believed -sincere, caused him extreme<a name="page_406" id="page_406"></a> pleasure, and he drew out from the dish a -bone with meat hanging to it, and after tearing off some pieces with his -nails, offered them politely to my wife.</p> - -<p>I wondered how Madame Houdin would get rid of this singular present; but -she did so much more cleverly than I expected. Bou-Allem having turned -his head to give an order, the piece of meat was restored to the dish -with astounding craft, and we were much inclined to laugh when our host, -unsuspectingly, took this very piece of mutton for his own -gratification.</p> - -<p>We welcomed with great satisfaction a roast fowl served after the -ragoĂ»t; I took on myself to carve it, or, in other words, to tear it -asunder with my fingers, and I did so most delicately. We found it so -much to our taste that not a particle was left.</p> - -<p>Then came other dishes, which we tasted with due care, among them being -the famous “couscoussou,” which I found detestable, and the meal -terminated with sweetmeats.</p> - -<p>Our hands were in a deplorable condition, and an Arab brought us each a -basin and soap to wash them.</p> - -<p>Bou-Allem, after performing the operation, and washing his beard with -the greatest care, took a handful of soapsuds and rinsed his mouth. This -was the only liquor served at table.</p> - -<p>After dinner we proceeded to another room, and, on the road were joined -by a young Arab whom Bou-Allem had sent for. This man had been for a -long time servant at Algiers, and spoke French excellently; hence he -would serve as our interpreter.</p> - -<p>We entered a small room very elegantly decorated, in which were two -divans.</p> - -<p>“This,” our host said, “is the room reserved for guests<a name="page_407" id="page_407"></a> of distinction; -you can go to bed when you like, but if you are not tired, I would ask -your leave to present to you several chief men of my tribe, who, having -heard of you, wish to see you.”</p> - -<p>“Let them come in,” I said, after consulting Madame Houdin, “we will -receive them with pleasure.”</p> - -<p>The interpreter went out, and soon brought in a dozen old men, among -whom were a Marabout and several talebs, whom the bash-aga appeared to -hold in great deference.</p> - -<p>They sat down in a circle on carpets and kept up a very lively -conversation about my performances at Algiers. This learned society -discussed the probability of the marvels related by the chief of the -tribe, who took great pleasure in depicting his impressions and those of -his co-religionists at the sight of the <i>miracles</i> I had performed.</p> - -<p>Each lent an attentive ear to these stories, and regarded me with a -species of veneration; the Marabout alone displayed a degree of -scepticism, and asserted that the spectators had been duped by what he -called a vision.</p> - -<p>Jealous of my reputation as a French sorcerer, I thought I must perform -before the unbeliever a few tricks as a specimen of my late performance. -I had the pleasure of astounding my audience, but the Marabout continued -to offer me a systematic opposition, by which his neighbors were visibly -annoyed; the poor fellow did not suspect, though, what I had in store -for him.</p> - -<p>My antagonist wore in his sash a watch, the chain of which hung outside.</p> - -<p>I believe I have already mentioned a certain talent I possess of -filching a watch, a pin, a pocket-book, &c., with a skill by which -several of my friends have been victimized.<a name="page_408" id="page_408"></a></p> - -<p>I was fortunately born with an honest and upright heart, or this -peculiar talent might have led me too far. When I felt inclined for a -joke of this nature, I turned it to profit in a conjuring trick, or -waited till my friend took leave of me, and then recalled him: “Stay,” I -would say, handing him the stolen article, “let this serve as a lesson -to put you on your guard against persons less honest than myself.”</p> - -<p>But to return to our Marabout. I had stolen his watch as I passed near -him and slipped into its place a five-franc piece.</p> - -<p>To prevent his detecting it, and while waiting till I could profit by my -larceny, I improvised a trick. After juggling away Bou-Allem’s rosary, I -made it pass into one of the numerous slippers left at the door by the -guests; this shoe was next found to be full of coins, and to end this -little scene comically, I made five-franc pieces come out of the noses -of the spectators. They took such pleasure in this trick that I fancied -I should never terminate it. “<i>Douros! douros!</i>” they shouted, as they -twitched their noses. I willingly acceded to their request, and the -<i>douros</i> issued at command.</p> - -<p>The delight was so great that several Arabs rolled on the ground; this -coarsely expressed joy on the part of Mohammedans was worth frenzied -applause to me.</p> - -<p>I pretended to keep aloof from the Marabout, who, as I expected, -remained serious and impassive.</p> - -<p>When calm was restored, my rival began speaking hurriedly to his -neighbors, as if striving to dispel their illusion, and, not succeeding, -he addressed me through the interpreter:</p> - -<p>“You will not deceive me in that way,” he said, with a crafty look.<a name="page_409" id="page_409"></a></p> - -<p>“Why so?”</p> - -<p>“Because I don’t believe in your power.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, indeed! Well, then, if you do not believe in my power, I will -compel you to believe in my skill.”</p> - -<p>“Neither in one nor the other.”</p> - -<p>I was at this moment the whole length of the room from the Marabout.</p> - -<p>“Stay,” I said to him; “you see this five-franc piece.”</p> - -<p>“Yes.”</p> - -<p>“Close your hand firmly, for the piece will go into it in spite of -yourself.”</p> - -<p>“I am ready,” the Arab said, in an incredulous voice, as he held out his -tightly closed fist.</p> - -<p>I took the piece at the end of my fingers, so that the assembly might -all see it, then, feigning to throw it at the Marabout, it disappeared -at the word “Pass!”</p> - -<p>My man opened his hand, and, finding nothing in it, shrugged his -shoulders, as if to say, “You see, I told you so.”</p> - -<p>I was well aware the piece was not there, but it was important to draw -the Marabout’s attention momentarily from the sash, and for this purpose -I employed the feint.</p> - -<p>“That does not surprise me,” I replied, “for I threw the piece with such -strength that it went right through your hand, and has fallen into your -sash. Being afraid I might break your watch by the blow, I called it to -me: here it is!” And I showed him the watch in my hand.</p> - -<p>The Marabout quickly put his hand in his waist-belt, to assure himself -of the truth, and was quite stupefied at finding the five-franc piece.</p> - -<p>The spectators were astounded. Some among them<a name="page_410" id="page_410"></a> began telling their -beads with a vivacity evidencing a certain agitation of mind; but the -Marabout frowned without saying a word, and I saw he was spelling over -some evil design.</p> - -<p>“I now believe in your supernatural power,” he said; “you are a real -sorcerer; hence, I hope you will not fear to repeat here a trick you -performed in your theatre;” and offering me two pistols he held -concealed beneath his burnous, he added, “Come, choose one of these -pistols; we will load it, and I will fire at you. You have nothing to -fear, as you can ward off all blows.”</p> - -<p>I confess I was for a moment staggered; I sought a subterfuge and found -none. All eyes were fixed upon me, and a reply was anxiously awaited.</p> - -<p>The Marabout was triumphant.</p> - -<p>Bou-Allem, being aware that my tricks were only the result of skill, was -angry that his guest should be so pestered; hence he began reproaching -the Marabout. I stopped him, however, for an idea had occurred to me -which would save me from my dilemma, at least temporarily; then, -addressing my adversary:</p> - -<p>“You are aware,” I said, with assurance, “that I require a talisman in -order to be invulnerable, and, unfortunately, I have left mine at -Algiers.”</p> - -<p>The Marabout began laughing with an incredulous air.</p> - -<p>“Still,” I continued, “I can, by remaining six hours at prayers, do -without the talisman, and defy your weapon. To-morrow morning, at eight -o’clock, I will allow you to fire at me in the presence of these Arabs, -who were witnesses of your challenge.”</p> - -<p>Bou-Allem, astonished at such a promise, asked me once again if this -offer were serious, and if he should invite the company for the -appointed hour. On my affirmative,<a name="page_411" id="page_411"></a> they agreed to meet before the stone -bench I have already alluded to.</p> - -<p>I did not spend my night at prayers, as may be supposed, but I employed -about two hours in ensuring my invulnerability; then, satisfied with the -result, I slept soundly, for I was terribly tired.</p> - -<p>By eight the next morning we had breakfasted, our horses were saddled, -and our escort was awaiting the signal for our departure, which would -take place after the famous experiment.</p> - -<p>None of the guests were absent, and, indeed, a great number of Arabs -came in to swell the crowd.</p> - -<p>The pistols were handed me; I called attention to the fact that the -vents were clear, and the Marabout put in a fair charge of powder and -drove the wad home. Among the bullets produced, I chose one which I -openly put in the pistol, and which was then also covered with paper.</p> - -<p>The Arab watched all these movements, for his honor was at stake.</p> - -<p>We went through the same process with the second pistol and the solemn -moment arrived.</p> - -<p>Solemn, indeed, it seemed to everybody—to the spectators who were -uncertain of the issue, to Madame Houdin, who had in vain besought me to -give up this trick, for she feared the result—and solemn also to me, -for as my new trick did not depend on any of the arrangements made at -Algiers, I feared an error, an act of treachery—I knew not what.</p> - -<p>Still I posted myself at fifteen paces from the sheik, without evincing -the slightest emotion.</p> - -<p>The Marabout immediately seized one of the pistols, and, on my giving -the signal, took a deliberate aim at me. The pistol went off, and the -ball appeared between my teeth.<a name="page_412" id="page_412"></a></p> - -<p>More angry than ever, my rival tried to seize the other pistol, but I -succeeded in reaching it before him.</p> - -<p>“You could not injure me,” I said to him, “but you shall now see that my -aim is more dangerous than yours. Look at that wall.”</p> - -<p>I pulled the trigger, and on the newly whitewashed wall appeared a large -patch of blood, exactly at the spot where I had aimed.</p> - -<p>The Marabout went up to it, dipped his finger in the blood, and, raising -it to his mouth, convinced himself of the reality. When he acquired this -certainty, his arms fell, and his head was bowed on his chest, as if he -were annihilated.</p> - -<p>It was evident that for the moment he doubted everything, even the -Prophet.</p> - -<p>The spectators raised their eyes to heaven, muttered prayers, and -regarded me with a species of terror.</p> - -<p>This scene was a triumphant termination to my performance. I therefore -retired, leaving the audience under the impression I had produced. We -took leave of Bou-Allem and his son, and set off at a gallop.</p> - -<p>The trick I have just described, though so curious, is easily prepared. -I will give a description of it, while explaining the trouble it took -me.</p> - -<p>As soon as I was alone in my room, I took out of my pistol-case—without -which I never travel—a bullet mould.</p> - -<p>I took a card, bent up the four edges, and thus made a sort of trough, -in which I placed a piece of wax taken from one of the candles. When it -was melted, I mixed with it a little lamp-black I had obtained by -putting the blade of a knife over the candle, and then ran this -composition in the bullet-mould.</p> - -<p>Had I allowed the liquid to get quite cold, the ball<a name="page_413" id="page_413"></a> would have been -full and solid; but in about ten seconds I turned the mould over, and -the portions of the wax not yet set ran out, leaving a hollow ball in -the mould. This operation is the same as that used in making tapers, the -thickness of the outside depending on the time the liquid has been left -in the mould.</p> - -<p>I wanted a second ball, which I made rather more solid than the other; -and this I filled with blood, and covered the orifice with a lump of -wax. An Irishman had once taught me the way to draw blood from the -thumb, without feeling any pain, and I employed it on this occasion to -fill my bullet.</p> - -<p>Bullets thus prepared bear an extraordinary resemblance to lead, and are -easily mistaken for that metal when seen at a short distance off.</p> - -<p>With this explanation, the trick will be easily understood. After -showing the leaden bullet to the spectators, I changed it for my hollow -ball, and openly put the latter into the pistol. By pressing the wad -tightly down, the wax broke into small pieces, and could not touch me at -the distance I stood.</p> - -<p>At the moment the pistol was fired, I opened my mouth to display the -lead bullet I held between my teeth, while the other pistol contained -the bullet filled with blood, which bursting against the wall, left its -imprint, though the wax had flown to atoms.</p> - -<p>After a pleasant journey, we reached Milianah at four in the afternoon. -The head of the Arab office, Captain Bourseret, received us most kindly, -and begged us to regard his house as our own during the whole time of -our stay.</p> - -<p>M. Bourseret resided with his mother, and that excellent lady showed -Madame Robert-Houdin all those delicate attentions which only a friend -of long standing could have claimed.<a name="page_414" id="page_414"></a></p> - -<p>Our trip across the D’jendel had fatigued us, hence we passed the -greater portion of the next day in resting ourselves.</p> - -<p>At night, the captain gave a grand dinner, to which the general -commanding, the lieutenant-colonel, and some notabilities of the town -were invited. After the repast, I thought I could not better repay my -polite reception than by giving a small performance, in which I -displayed all my skill. As I had told M. Bourseret, during the day, of -my intention, he had invited a large evening party; and I must suppose -my experiments pleased, if I may judge by the greeting they received. -Besides, my public were so favorably disposed towards me, that they -often applauded on trust, as they could not all see very well.</p> - -<p>Milianah was the end of my journey. I could only remain three days, if I -wished to return to Algiers in time for the steamer that would convey us -to France.</p> - -<p>M. Bourseret arranged an excursion for the second day of my stay at his -house to visit the Beni-Menasseh, a nomadic tribe at that time encamped -a few leagues from Milianah.</p> - -<p>At six in the morning we took horse, accompanied by some of the -captain’s friends, and went down the mountain on which the town is -built.</p> - -<p>We were escorted by a dozen Arabs attached to the office, all clothed in -red mantles, and armed with guns.</p> - -<p>Orders had certainly been given beforehand, for, on reaching the plain, -at the first <i>goum</i> we passed through, ten Arabs mounted their horses -and formed our escort. A little further on another troop joined the -first, and our band, acting like a rolling snow-ball, ended by attaining -considerable proportions. It was composed of about two hundred Arabs.<a name="page_415" id="page_415"></a></p> - -<p>After two hours’ march, we quitted the high road, and entered a plain -that extended an immense distance in front of us.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, the Arabs who accompanied us, probably in obedience to a -signal from the chief, started off at a gallop, and proceeded five or -six hundred yards ahead. There the troop divided, formed four deep, and -the men of the first file rushed upon us, uttering frenzied cries as -they held their guns to their shoulders and prepared to fire.</p> - -<p>Our little band happened to be in front at this moment. The Arabs rushed -upon us with the velocity of a steam-engine, and in a few seconds we -should have suffered a collision that must have crushed us all.</p> - -<p>A sound of firing was heard: all the horsemen had discharged their guns -with admirable precision over our heads. Their horses plunged, turned on -their hind legs, and started off at full speed to join the troop.</p> - -<p>The Arab might have been taken for a perfect Centaur, when we saw him, -while riding at this frantic speed, load his gun, and perform with it -all the tricks peculiar to the drum-major.</p> - -<p>The first file of horsemen had scarce retired when the second came -forward, and went through a similar performance, which was repeated at -least twenty times. Our captain had arranged for us the surprise of a -fantasia.</p> - -<p>At the noise of the firing some of our horses had started, but, the -first moment of surprise passed, they remained perfectly quiet. My -wife’s horse was an animal of approved docility, hence it was far less -affected than its rider; still, every one did my wife the justice of -stating that, after the first shock was over, she remained as calm as -the boldest warrior among us.</p> - -<p>The fantasia terminated, the Arabs took their place in<a name="page_416" id="page_416"></a> the escort -again, and within an hour we reached the tents of the Beni-Menasseh.</p> - -<p>The Aga Ben-Amara was awaiting us. On our arrival he advanced towards -us, and humbly kissed the captain’s hand, while other men of his tribe, -in order to do honor to our visit, discharged their guns almost under -our horses’ noses. But men and beasts were case-hardened, and there was -not the slightest movement in our ranks.</p> - -<p>Ben-Amara conducted us into his tent, where each sat down at his ease on -a large carpet.</p> - -<p>Our arrival caused a sensation in the tribe, for while we were smoking -and drinking coffee a large number of Arabs, impelled by curiosity, -ranged themselves in a circle round us, and in their immobility -resembled an avenue of bronze statues.</p> - -<p>We devoted about an hour to the pleasures of conversation, waiting for -the <i>diffa</i> (meal), which we were impatiently desiring. We even began to -find the time very long, when we saw a procession approaching, with -banners at its head.</p> - -<p>These banners puzzled me, and seemed very strange, for they were folded -up. All at once the ranks of our peaceable spectators opened, and my -surprise was great on finding what I took for banners were only sheep -roasted whole and spitted on long poles.</p> - -<p>Two of these sheep-bearers marched in front. They were followed by some -twenty men, ranged in line, each of whom bore one of the dishes intended -to compose our <i>diffa</i>.</p> - -<p>These consisted of ragoĂ»ts and roasts of every description, the -inevitable “couscoussou,” and, lastly, a dozen dishes of dessert, the -handiwork of Ben-Amara’s wives.</p> - -<p>This perambulating dinner was a delicious sight, especially for people -whose appetites had been singularly<a name="page_417" id="page_417"></a> sharpened by the fresh air and the -emotions produced by the fantasia.</p> - -<p>The head cook marched in front, and, like M. Malbroug’s officer, carried -nothing; but, so soon as he joined us, he set to work actively. Seizing -one of the sheep, he unspitted it, and laid it before us on a lordly -dish.</p> - -<p>To my companions, nearly all Algerian veterans, this gigantic roast was -no novelty; as for my wife and myself, the sight of such food would have -been enough to pacify our hunger under other circumstances, but now we -hastened to join the circle round this gigantic dish, which was worthy -of Gargantua.</p> - -<p>We were obliged, as at Bou-Allem’s, to pull the animal piece-meal with -our fingers; each tore up a strip at will—I must confess, at starting, -with some repugnance. Then, impelled by a ferocious appetite, we fell on -the sheep like wolves, and I know not whether it was owing to the sauce -we all had, but the guests unanimously declared they had never eaten -anything so good as this roast mutton.</p> - -<p>When we had selected the most delicate pieces, our cook proposed to -produce the other animal, but, on our refusal, he served up roast fowls, -to which we did our manly devoir. Then, turning up our noses at the -pepper-pot and “couscoussou,” which smelled strongly of rancid butter, -we made up for the want of bread during the meal by nibbling excellent -little cakes.</p> - -<p>There was something really princely about the aga’s reception, so, to -thank him, I proposed to give a small performance before my numerous -spectators, who, in their passionate admiration, could not leave the -ground. By their chief’s orders they drew nearer and formed a circle -round me. The captain was kind enough to act as my interpreter, and -thanks to him, I was enabled to perform<a name="page_418" id="page_418"></a> a dozen of my best tricks. The -effect produced was such that I could not possibly continue, for every -one fled at my approach. Ben-Amara assured us they took me for Shaitan -himself, but, had I worn the Mohammedan costume, they would have cast -themselves at my feet as an envoy from Heaven.</p> - -<p>On our return to Milianah, the captain, to crown this delicious day of -pleasure, gave us the spectacle of a chase, in which the Arabs, -galloping at full speed, caught hares and partridges without once -firing.</p> - -<p>The following day we took leave of M. Bourseret and his excellent -mother, and proceeded towards Algiers, but not by a cross-road, for we -had had enough of them in traversing the D’jendel. This sort of party of -pleasure, in reality a party of pain, may be agreeable for once, for it -serves to revive in our inconstant minds the remembrance of the comfort -we have voluntarily given up. Hence we took the diligence to Algiers, -and on this occasion fully appreciated all the advantage of this mode of -transport.</p> - -<p>The <i>Alexander</i> steamer, which had brought us from France, was to start -within two days, and this was all the time I had to take leave and thank -all those who had shown me so much kindness.</p> - -<p>On quitting Algiers I had the satisfaction of being conducted on board -the vessel by two officers of high rank, whose kindness I can never -repay. M. Palin du Parc, Colonel of the Marine Staff, and Colonel de -Neveu did not leave me until the wheels had begun to turn, and those -gentlemen were the last whose hands I pressed on the African coast.</p> - -<p>Were I to describe all my travelling incidents, I should have a great -deal to narrate before I reached my hermitage<a name="page_419" id="page_419"></a> at St. Gervais; but I -will adhere to my expressed intention of only alluding to events -connected with my professional life.</p> - -<p>A frightful storm at sea—a tornado at the summit of the Pyrenees—death -staring us in the face twenty times—are events as terrible as they are -interesting to relate. But these moving episodes, which affect all -alike, have been already described by far more skillful pens than mine, -hence my description would offer no novelty; I will content myself, -therefore, with giving a summary of this terrible return to France.</p> - -<p>A tempest, assailed us in the Gulf of Lyons, and our engines were -disabled. Our vessel, after being tossed about for nine days by the -winds, at length reached the coast of Spain, and we managed to make the -port of Barcelona, where the authorities would not allow us to land, as -we had no passports for Spain. We coasted this inhospitable country -during a frightful storm, and at length reached the little port of -Rosas, where we intended to ride out the tempest.</p> - -<p>Here I landed, and crossed the Pyrenees in an open carriage, a -hurricane, the result of the tempest at sea, threatening to hurl us into -an abyss at every moment. At last we safely reached France, and -Marseilles, where I was obliged to fulfil a promise made to the managers -of the Grand Theatre on my former passage through the town.</p> - -<p>I was, indeed, famously recompensed for the fatigues and dangers of my -journey; for the Marseillais displayed towards me such unexampled -kindness, that these last performances will ever remain on my mind as -those in which I received the greatest applause. I could not take my -leave of the public in a more solemn way, and I hastened my return to -St. Gervais.<a name="page_420" id="page_420"></a></p> - -<h3>CONCLUSION.</h3> - -<p>I <small>CAN</small>, in ending this work, repeat what I said at the beginning of my -penultimate chapter: “I have reached the object of my every hope.” But -this time, if it pleases God, as my guide Muhammad would say, no -temptation will again come to modify my plans of happiness. I hope still -for a long time (always if it pleases God) to enjoy that gentle and -peaceful existence which I had scarce tasted when ambition and curiosity -took me to Algiers.</p> - -<p>On returning home, I arranged round my study my performing instruments, -my faithful comrades, I may almost say, my dear friends; henceforth I -intended to devote myself to my darling study, the application of -electricity to mechanism.</p> - -<p>It must not be believed that, for that purpose, I disown the art to -which I owe so much pleasure. The thought is far from me; I am more than -ever proud of having cultivated it, as to it alone I owe the happiness -of devoting myself to my new studies. Besides, I diverge from it less -than my readers might be inclined to suppose, for I have, during a long -period, applied electricity to mechanism, and I must confess—if my -readers have not already guessed it—that electricity played an -important part in many of my experiments. In reality, my labors of -to-day only differ from the old ones in the form; but they are still -experiments.<a name="page_421" id="page_421"></a></p> - -<p>A lingering love for my old clockmaking trade has made me choose -chronometro-electrical works as the objects of my study. I have adopted -as my motto, “<i>to popularize electric clocks by making them as simple -and exact as possible</i>.” And as art always supposes an ideal which the -artist seeks to realize, I already dream of the day when the electric -wires, issuing from a single regulator, will radiate through the whole -of France, and bear the precise time to the largest towns and the most -modest villages.</p> - -<p>In the meanwhile, devoted to the sacred cause of progress, I labor -incessantly in the hope that my humble discoveries will be of some -service in the solution of this important problem.</p> - -<p>My performance is ended (I must remind my readers that I offered them my -narrative under this title); but I live in hope to begin it again soon, -for I have still so many mysteries, great and small, to unveil. -Sleight-of-hand is an immense quarry on which public curiosity can work -for a long time; hence I do not take leave of my audience, or rather of -my readers, for in the second form of performance I have adopted, my -farewell will not be definitive, until I have exhausted all that may be -said about <span class="smcap">Sleight-of-hand and its Professors</span>. These two words will -serve as the title of the supplemental part of my Memoirs.<a name="FNanchor_F_6" id="FNanchor_F_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_F_6" class="fnanchor">[F]</a></p> - -<p><a name="page_422" id="page_422"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII"></a>CHAPTER XXII.<br /><br /> -<small>A COURSE OF MIRACLES.</small></h2> - -<p>I<small>T</small> has been said of the augurs, that they could not look at each other -without a laugh; it would be the same with the AĂŻssaoua, if Mussulman -blood did not flow in their veins. At any rate, there is not one among -them who is deceived as to the pretended miracles performed by his -brethren, but all lend a hand to execute them successfully, like a -company of mountebanks, at the head of whom is the Mokaddem.</p> - -<p>Even supposing that their pretended miracles could not be explained, a -simple reflection would destroy their prestige. The AĂŻssaoua call -themselves invulnerable—then, let them ask one of the audience to place -the red-hot iron on their cheeks, or some other part of their persons; -they assert they are invulnerable—then, let them invite some Zouaves to -pass their sabres through them. After such a spectacle, the most -incredulous would bow before them.</p> - -<p>Were I incombustible and invulnerable, I should find a pleasure in -offering undoubted proofs. I would put myself on a spit before a -scorching fire, and while roasting, would amuse myself with eating a -salad of pounded glass, seasoned with oil of vitriol. Such a sight would -attract the whole world, and I should become a prophet.</p> - -<p>But the AĂŻssaoua have reason to be prudent in the performances<a name="page_423" id="page_423"></a> of these -tricks, as I will prove. The principal miracles are as follows:</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>1. Running a dagger into the cheek.</p> - -<p>2. Eating the leaves of the prickly pear.</p> - -<p>3. Laying the stomach on the edge of a sabre.</p> - -<p>4. Playing with serpents.</p> - -<p>5. Striking the arm, causing the blood to flow, and stopping it -instantaneously.</p> - -<p>6. Eating pounded glass.</p> - -<p>7. Swallowing pebbles, bottle-heels, &c.</p> - -<p>8. Walking on red-hot iron, or passing the tongue over a white-hot -plate of iron.</p></div> - -<p>Let us begin with the most simple trick, that of thrusting a dagger into -the cheek.</p> - -<p>The Arab who performed this trick turned his back on me; hence I could -get very near him and watch his movements. He placed against his cheek -the point of a dagger, which was round and blunt as that of a -paper-knife. The flesh, instead of being pierced, went in for about two -inches between the molars, which were kept apart, exactly as a cake of -india-rubber would do.</p> - -<p>This trick is best performed by thin and aged persons, because the flesh -of their cheeks is peculiarly elastic. Now, the AĂŻssaoua fulfilled these -conditions in every respect.</p> - -<p>The Arab who ate the prickly pear leaves gave us no opportunity of -inspecting them, and I am inclined to believe that the leaves had been -prepared so as to do him no injury, otherwise he would not have -neglected this important point, which would have doubled the merit of -the miracle. But even had he shown them to us, this man went through so -many unneccessary manĹ“uvres, that he<a name="page_424" id="page_424"></a> could very easily have changed -them for harmless leaves. In that case, it would be a fifteenth-rate -trick of conjuring.</p> - -<p>In the following experiment, two Arabs held a sabre, one by the hilt, -the other by the point; a third then came forward, and after raising his -clothes so as to leave the abdomen quite bare, laid himself flat on the -edge of the blade, while a fourth mounted on his back, and seemed to -press the whole weight of his body on him.</p> - -<p>This trick may be easily explained.</p> - -<p>Nothing proves to the audience that the sabre is really sharpened, or -that the edge is more cutting than the back, although the Arab who holds -it by the point is careful to wrap it up in a handkerchief; in this -imitating the jugglers who pretend they have cut their finger with one -of the daggers they use in their tricks.</p> - -<p>Besides, in performing this trick, the <i>invulnerable</i> turned his back on -the audience. He knew the advantage to be derived from this -circumstance; hence, at the moment when about to lay himself on the -sabre, he very adroitly pulled back over his stomach that portion of his -clothing he had raised. Lastly, when the fourth actor mounted on his -back, he rested his hands on the shoulders of the Arabs who held the -sabre. The latter apparently maintained his balance, but, in reality, -they supported the whole weight of his body. Hence, the only requirement -for this trick is to have the stomach more or less pressed in, and I -will explain presently that this can be effected without any injury or -danger.</p> - -<p>As for the AĂŻssaoua, who place their hands in a bag filled with -serpents, and play with those reptiles, I will rely on Colonel de -Neveu’s judgment. This is what he says in his work already quoted:<a name="page_425" id="page_425"></a></p> - -<p>“We often pushed our incredulity and curiosity so far as to order the -AĂŻssaoua to come to our house with their menagerie. All the animals they -stated to us were vipers (<i>lifâ</i>), were only innocent lizards -(<i>hanech</i>), and when we offered to put our hand in the bag holding their -reptiles, they hastily retired, convinced that we were not duped by -their tricks.”</p> - -<p>I will add that these serpents, even had they been of a dangerous -character, could have had their teeth pulled out, so as to be harmless. -In support of this assertion, I noticed that these reptiles left no -wound where they bit.</p> - -<p>I did not see the trick performed of striking the arm and making the -blood issue; but it seems to me that a small sponge filled with ruddle -and concealed in the striking hand, would be enough to accomplish the -prodigy. On wiping the arm, the wound is necessarily cured.</p> - -<p>When I was a boy, I often made wine come out of a knife or of my finger, -by pressing a small sponge full of the liquor which I concealed in my -hand.</p> - -<p>I have often seen men champ wine-glasses between their teeth, and not -hurt themselves; but not one of them swallowed the fragments. Hence, it -was difficult for me to explain this trick of the AĂŻssaoua, till, by the -assistance offered me by a physician, I found in the <i>Dictionnaire des -Sciences MĂ©dicales</i> for 1810, No. 1143, a paper written by Dr. Lesauvage -on the harmlessness of powdered glass.</p> - -<p>This gentleman, after quoting various instances of people he had seen -eat glass, thus describes various experiments he made on animals:</p> - -<p>“After placing a great number of dogs, cats and rats on a dietary of -pounded glass, the fragments being two to three lines in length, not one -of the animals was ill, and on opening some of them no injury could be -detected all<a name="page_426" id="page_426"></a> along the alimentary canal. Being convinced, too, of the -harmlessness of swallowing glass, I determined to take some myself in -the presence of my colleague, M. Cagel, of Professor Lallemand, and -several other persons. I repeated this experiment several times, and -experienced not the slightest feeling of pain.”</p> - -<p>These authentic statements ought to have satisfied me; still, I wished -to witness this singular phenomenon with my own eyes. Hence, I gave one -of my house cats an enormous ball of meat seasoned with pounded glass. -The animal swallowed it with the greatest pleasure, and seemed even to -regret the end of this succulent meal. My family thought the cat booked -for death, and began deploring my barbarity, but the next day the animal -was perfectly well, and sniffed the spot where on the previous day it -had enjoyed the meal.</p> - -<p>Since that period, whenever I want to indulge a friend with this sight, -I regale my three cats, in turn, so as not to excite any jealousy among -them.</p> - -<p>It took me some time, I confess, before I could decide on performing Dr. -Lesauvage’s experiment on myself, and, indeed, I saw no necessity for -it. Still, one day, in the presence of a friend, I performed this -bravado, if it be so; I also swallowed my bolus, though I was careful to -pound my glass much finer than what I gave to my cats. I know not -whether it was the effect of imagination, but I fancied I enjoyed my -dinner much more than usual: did I owe this to the pounded glass? At any -rate, it would be a strange way of arousing the appetite.</p> - -<p>When the trick of swallowing bottle-heels and pebbles was to be done, -the AĂŻssaoua really put them in his mouth, but I believe, I may say -certainly, that he removed them at the moment when he placed his head in -the folds of the<a name="page_427" id="page_427"></a> Mokaddem’s burnous. However, had he swallowed them, -there would have been nothing wonderful about this, when we compare it -with what was done some thirty years back in France by a mountebank -called “the sabre swallower.”</p> - -<p>This man who performed in the streets, threw back his head so as to form -a straight line with his throat, and really thrust down his gullet a -sabre, of which only the hilt remained outside the mouth.</p> - -<p>He also swallowed an egg without cracking it, or even nails and pebbles, -which he caused to resound, by striking his stomach with his fist.</p> - -<p>These tricks were the result of a peculiar formation in the mountebank’s -throat, but, if he had lived among the AĂŻssaoua, he would assuredly have -been the leading man of the company.</p> - -<p>Or what would the Arabs have said had they seen the conjurer who passed -a sword right through his body, and when thus spitted, also thrust a -knife into either nostril up to the handle? I witnessed this feat, and -others have probably done the same.</p> - -<p>This trick was, in reality, so terrifying, that the public would implore -the man to leave off; but without troubling himself about their cries, -he would reply, speaking frightfully through his nose, “that it did hib -no harb,” and sing in this singular voice the “<i>Fleuve du Tage</i>,” which -he accompanied on a guitar.</p> - -<p>I could not endure the sight of this trick, and would turn my head away -in horror when the troubadour drew out the sword, and begged us to -notice that it was stained with blood.</p> - -<p>Still, on reflection, I was certain the man could not really pierce his -stomach thus, and that there must be some trick concealed.<a name="page_428" id="page_428"></a></p> - -<p>My love of the marvellous made me desire to know it; hence, I applied to -the <i>invulnerable</i>, and on condition of a certain sum, and promises not -to use it, he sold me his secret.</p> - -<p>I may, in my turn, communicate it to the public without asking from them -the same promise. The trick is, however, rather ingenious.</p> - -<p>The performer was very thin—an indispensable quality for the success of -the trick. He pressed in his stomach very tightly with a waist-belt, and -produced the following result: the vertebral column being unable to -bend, served as a support, and the intestines gave way and fell in about -half the space they originally occupied. The mountebank then substituted -for the suppressed part a card-board stomach which restored him to his -original condition, and the whole being concealed beneath a -flesh-colored <i>tricot</i>, appeared to form part of his body. On either -side, above the hips, two ribbon rosettes hid the apertures by which the -sword-point would go in and out, these openings being connected by a -leathern scabbard which led the weapon securely from one end to the -other, while, in order to produce the blood, a sponge filled with a red -liquid was placed in the middle of the sheath. The knives in the -nostrils were a reality. The <i>invulnerable</i> was very pug-nosed, which -allowed him to draw the cartilage of the nose up prior to the -introduction of the knives.</p> - -<p>I possessed the necessary physical qualifications for the sabre trick, -but none for that of the knives. I did not attempt the first, much less -the second.</p> - -<p>By the way, I may remark that, when a lad, I used to perform two -<i>miracles</i>, which might be useful to the AĂŻssaoua, if they were ever -told of them. I will explain them here.<a name="page_429" id="page_429"></a></p> - -<p>The corn-curer who taught me to juggle, also showed me a very curious -trick, consisting in thrusting a small nail into the right eye, which is -then made to pass into the left eye, thence into the mouth, and end by -returning into the right eye.</p> - -<p>It may be imagined how I burned with the fire of necromancy, since I had -the courage to practise this trick, which I found charming. A very -disagreeable circumstance, however, deprived me of my faith in the -effect produced by it.</p> - -<p>I sometimes spent the evening at a lady’s house who had two daughters. I -thought I could not select a better place for my first performance and -asked leave to do the trick. Of course this permission was granted, and -a circle was formed round me.</p> - -<p>“Ladies,” I said, with a certain degree of emphasis, “I am invulnerable. -To furnish you with a proof, I could easily stab myself with a dagger, a -knife, or any other sharp instrument; but I fear lest the sight of blood -might produce too agitating an effect on you. Hence, I will offer you -another proof of my supernatural powers.” And I performed my famous -trick of “the nail in the eye.”</p> - -<p>The effect of this scene was most unexpected, for the performance was -scarce over ere one of the young ladies was taken ill and fainted. The -evening’s amusement was disturbed, as may be supposed, and fearing some -recriminations, I bolted without saying a word, declaring that I would -never be caught again at such tricks.</p> - -<p>This, however, is the explanation of the trick:</p> - -<p>A small lead or silver pin may be introduced, without the slightest -feeling of pain, in the corner of the eye, near the lacrymal duct, -between the lower eyelid and the pupil; and, strangely enough, this -piece of metal once introduced,<a name="page_430" id="page_430"></a> you do not in the least notice its -presence. To bring it out again, you need only press it with the finger.</p> - -<p>If desirous to perform the trick I have alluded to, you proceed in the -following way:</p> - -<p>After secretly placing one of these small nails in the left eye, and -another in the mouth, you commence as follows:</p> - -<p>You openly thrust a nail into your right eye, then, pressing the skin -with the end of the finger, you pretend to pass it through the nose into -the left eye, whence you withdraw the one put in beforehand. This you -return again to the eye, and the nail appears to pass into the mouth, -whence you produce the one already hidden there, and thence into the -right eye, whence you withdraw the one originally inserted.</p> - -<p>When this is done, you go on one side and remove the nail still -remaining in the left eye.</p> - -<p>But, to return to the last trick of the AĂŻssaoua, which consists in -walking over hot iron, and passing the tongue over incandescent plates -of the same metal.</p> - -<p>The AĂŻssaoua who walks over hot iron does nothing extraordinary, if we -consider the conditions under which the trick is performed.</p> - -<p>He quickly glides his heel along the iron; but the lower-class Arabs, -who all walk with naked feet, have the lower part of the foot as hard as -a horse’s hoof, hence, this horny part burns without occasioning the -slightest pain.</p> - -<p>And, besides, may not chance have taught the AĂŻssaoua certain -precautions known to more than one European juggler, before Dr. -Sementrici proved their use and explained them to the public?</p> - -<p>Let us quote some performances of our own mountebanks,<a name="page_431" id="page_431"></a> and we shall -find that the followers of the AĂŻssa as miracle-mongers are a long way -behindhand in their pretended marvels.</p> - -<p>In February, 1677, an Englishman, of the name of Richardson, came to -Paris, and gave some very curious performances, which proved, according -to his statement, his incombustibility.</p> - -<p>He was seen to roast a piece of meat on his tongue, light a piece of -charcoal in his mouth by means of a pair of bellows, seize a bar of -red-hot iron in his hand, or hold it between his teeth.</p> - -<p>This Englishman’s servant published his master’s secret, which may be -found in the <i>Journal des Sciences</i>.<a name="FNanchor_G_7" id="FNanchor_G_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_G_7" class="fnanchor">[G]</a></p> - -<p>In 1809, a Spaniard, of the name of Leonetto, gave performances at -Paris. He also handled a bar of red-hot iron with impunity, passed it -through his hair, or stepped upon it; drank boiling oil, plunged his -fingers into melted lead, put some on his tongue, and ended his -performance by licking a piece of red-hot iron.</p> - -<p>This extraordinary man attracted the attention of Professor Sementrici, -who began carefully watching him.</p> - -<p>The professor remarked that the tongue of the <i>incombustible</i> was -covered with a grey layer, and this discovery led him to try some -experiments on himself. He discovered that rubbing in a solution of -alum, evaporated to a spongy state, rendered the skin insensible to the -action of red-hot iron. He also rubbed himself with soap, and found that -even the hair did not burn when in that state.</p> - -<p>Satisfied with these investigations, the physician rubbed his tongue -with soap and a solution of alum, and the red-hot iron produced no -sensation on him.<a name="page_432" id="page_432"></a></p> - -<p>The tongue, when thus prepared, could also receive boiling oil, which -grew cold, and could then be swallowed.</p> - -<p>M. Sementrici also detected that the melted lead Leonetto employed was -only Arcet’s metal, fusible at the temperature of boiling water. (For -further details consult the historic notice of M. Julia de Fontenelle, -in Roret’s <i>Manuel des Sorciers</i>, page 181.)</p> - -<p>These explanations may appear sufficient to disprove the pretended -incombustibility of the AĂŻssaoua; still, I will add a personal fact, -whence the conclusion can be drawn that a man need not be inspired by -Allah or AĂŻssa to play with red-hot metals.</p> - -<p>Reading one day the <i>Comus</i>, a scientific review, I found a critique of -a work called <i>Study on Bodies in a Spheroidal Shape</i>, by M. Boutigny -(d’Evreux). The editor of the review, the AbbĂ© Moigno, quotes several of -the most interesting passages, among them being the following:</p> - -<p>“We passed our fingers through jets of red-hot metal” (M. Boutigny is -speaking). “We plunged our hands into moulds and crucibles filled with -metal that had just run from a Wilkinson, and of which the radiation was -insupportable, even at a long distance. We carried on these experiments -for more than two hours, and Madame Coulet, who was present, allowed her -daughter, a child of from eight to ten years, to put her hand in a -crucible of red-hot metal, which caused not the slightest injury.”</p> - -<p>Knowing the character of the learned abbĂ©, as well as that of the -celebrated naturalist and author of the work, it was not possible to -doubt: still, I must say, this fact appeared to me so impossible, that -my mind refused to accept it, and I wished to see, that I might believe.</p> - -<p>I decided on calling on M. Boutigny, and expressed to him my wish to see -so interesting an experiment, while<a name="page_433" id="page_433"></a> carefully avoiding any expression -of doubt on the subject.</p> - -<p>This gentleman received me kindly, and proposed to repeat the experiment -before me, when I might have an opportunity to wash my hands in molten -metal.</p> - -<p>The proposition was attractive, scientifically speaking; but, on the -other hand, I had some fears, which the reader will appreciate, I think. -In the event of a mistake I should reduce my hands to charcoal, and I -was bound to take the greater care of them as they had been such -precious instruments to me. Hence I hesitated with my reply.</p> - -<p>“Do you not place confidence in me?” M. Boutigny asked.</p> - -<p>“Oh, certainly, sir, I have plenty of confidence, but—“</p> - -<p>“But you are afraid—out with it!” the doctor interrupted me, with a -laugh. “Well, to ease your mind, I will try the temperature of the -liquid before you place your hands in it.”</p> - -<p>“And what is about the temperature of molten metal?”</p> - -<p>“Close on one thousand six hundred degrees.”</p> - -<p>“One thousand six hundred degrees?” I exclaimed. “Oh! the experiment -must be splendid: I consent.”</p> - -<p>On the day appointed by M. Boutigny, we proceeded to Mr. Davidson’s -foundry at La Villette, after he had granted us permission to make the -experiment.</p> - -<p>I was strangely affected on entering this vast establishment; the -deafening noise produced by the immense blasts, the flames escaping from -the furnaces, the sparkling jets transported by powerful machines and -running into gigantic moulds, the wiry, muscular workmen, blackened by -smoke and dust,—all this medley of men and things produced a strange -and rather solemn effect upon me.<a name="page_434" id="page_434"></a></p> - -<p>The manager came up to us and pointed out the furnace to which we were -to proceed for our experiment.</p> - -<p>While waiting for a jet of metal to run, we remained for a few moments -in silence near the furnace; then we commenced the following -conversation, which was certainly not of a nature to encourage me:</p> - -<p>“I would only repeat this experiment, which I am not fond of, for your -sake,” M. Boutigny said; “I confess that, though I am morally sure of -the result, I always feel an emotion which I cannot dispel.”</p> - -<p>“If that be the case,” I replied, “suppose we go? I will believe your -word.”</p> - -<p>“No, no; I am bound to show you this curious phenomenon. But, by the -way,” the learned doctor added, “let me see your hands.”</p> - -<p>He took them in his.</p> - -<p>“Hang it,” he went on, “they are very dry for our experiment.”</p> - -<p>“You think so?”</p> - -<p>“Certainly.”</p> - -<p>“Then it is dangerous?”</p> - -<p>“It might be so.”</p> - -<p>“In that case, we will go,” I said, turning to the door.</p> - -<p>“That would be a pity,” my companion replied, holding me back; “stay, -dip your hands in this bucket of water, dry them well, and they will be -sufficiently damp.”</p> - -<p>I must mention that to insure the success of this marvellous experiment -no other condition is requisite than to have the hands slightly damp. I -regret I can offer no explanations as to the principle of the -phenomenon, for this would require many a long chapter; hence I will -refer my readers to M. Boutigny’s work. It will be enough to state that -the metal, when in a state of fusion, is kept at<a name="page_435" id="page_435"></a> a distance from the -skin by a repulsive force, which opposes an insurmountable barrier.</p> - -<p>I had scarce finished wiping my hands when the furnace was opened, and a -jet of molten metal, about the thickness of my arm, burst forth. Sparks -flew in every direction, as if it were a firework performance.</p> - -<p>“Wait a few minutes,” M. Boutigny said, “till the metal is cleansed, for -it would be dangerous to try our experiment at this moment.”</p> - -<p>Five minutes later the stream of liquid fire left off bubbling and -emitting scoriæ; it became, indeed, so limpid and brilliant, that it -scorched our eyes at a few yards off.</p> - -<p>All at once my companion walked up to the furnace, and calmly began -washing his hands in the metal as if it had been lukewarm water.</p> - -<p>I make no pretence to bravery; I confess at this moment my heart beat as -if it would burst, and yet, when M. Boutigny ended his strange -ablutions, I walked forward in my turn with a determination that proved -a certain strength of will. I imitated my professor’s movements, I -literally dabbled in the burning liquid, and, in my joy, inspired by -this marvellous operation, I took a handful of the metal and threw it in -the air, and it fell back in a fire-shower on the ground.</p> - -<p>The impression I felt in touching this molten iron can only be compared -to what I should have experienced in handling liquid velvet, if I may -express myself so.</p> - -<p>I now ask what are the red-hot bars of the AĂŻssaoua, in comparison to -the enormous temperature to which my hands had been exposed?</p> - -<p>The old and new miracles of the incombustibles are, therefore, explained -by the experiments of a skillful naturalist, who, while making no -pretence to trickery, only<a name="page_436" id="page_436"></a> appreciates such phenomena in their relation -to the immutable laws by virtue of which they are accomplished.<a name="page_437" id="page_437"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="INDEX" id="INDEX"></a>INDEX.</h2> - -<p class="cb"><a href="#A">A</a>, -<a href="#B">B</a>, -<a href="#C">C</a>, -<a href="#D">D</a>, -<a href="#E">E</a>, -<a href="#F">F</a>, -<a href="#G">G</a>, -<a href="#H">H</a>, -<a href="#I">I</a>, -<a href="#J">J</a>, -<a href="#K">K</a>, -<a href="#L">L</a>, -<a href="#M">M</a>, -<a href="#N">N</a>, -<a href="#O">O</a>, -<a href="#P">P</a>, -<a href="#R">R</a>, -<a href="#S">S</a>, -<a href="#T">T</a>, -<a href="#U">U</a>, -<a href="#V">V</a>, -<a href="#W">W</a>, -<a href="#Z">Z</a></p> - -<p class="nind"> -<span class="spc"><a name="A" id="A"></a>A.</span><br /> -Academician’s, predictions, <a href="#page_370">370</a>.<br /> -Accident at the OdĂ©on, <a href="#page_315">315</a>.<br /> -Accomplice, a kind, <a href="#page_135">135</a>.<br /> -Acrobatic canaries, <a href="#page_039">39</a>.<br /> -Africa, life in, <a href="#page_373">373</a>.<br /> -AĂŻssaoua, miracles of the sect of, <a href="#page_396">396</a>.<br /> -Alarum, a novel, <a href="#page_037">37</a>.<br /> -Alarum-light, the, <a href="#page_195">195</a>.<br /> -Albertus Magnus and his brazen man, <a href="#page_157">157</a>.<br /> -Alboni, Madame, <a href="#page_337">337</a>.<br /> -Algeria, journey to, <a href="#page_372">372</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">reception in, <a href="#page_373">373</a>.</span><br /> -Ali-Ben-el-Hadji Moussa, “the slave of God,” <a href="#page_393">393</a>.<br /> -Ambassador, Houdin as, <a href="#page_372">372</a>.<br /> -Amputation extraordinary, <a href="#page_390">390</a>.<br /> -Anderson, “Professor,” his flagrant puffery, <a href="#page_326">326</a>.<br /> -Angers, journey to, <a href="#page_058">58</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">arrival at, <a href="#page_061">61</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Fair at, <a href="#page_061">61</a>.</span><br /> -Anthon, Mr., buys Automaton Chess-player, <a href="#page_171">171</a>.<br /> -Antonia, story of, <a href="#page_114">114</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">at Constantinople, <a href="#page_125">125</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">death of, <a href="#page_130">130</a>.</span><br /> -Antonio, the nurse, <a href="#page_056">56</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his confession, <a href="#page_073">73</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">in Paris, <a href="#page_180">180</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his wife, <a href="#page_184">184</a>.</span><br /> -Arab address to Houdin, <a href="#page_391">391</a>.<br /> -Arab chiefs convoked, <a href="#page_378">378</a>.<br /> -Arcet’s metal, <a href="#page_432">432</a>.<br /> -Artificial man, the, <a href="#page_157">157</a>.<br /> -Artist’s home, the, <a href="#page_194">194</a>.<br /> -Asp, automaton, <a href="#page_161">161</a>.<br /> -Athlete, an Arabian, <a href="#page_383">383</a>.<br /> -Aubusson, accident at, <a href="#page_087">87</a>.<br /> -Audience, studying an, <a href="#page_142">142</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">a sleepy, <a href="#page_243">243</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">an indignant, <a href="#page_267">267</a>.</span><br /> -Auguste, the caterer, <a href="#page_203">203</a>.<br /> -Auriol, Houdin’s automaton clown, <a href="#page_179">179</a>.<br /> -Author’s overture, <a href="#page_013">13</a>.<br /> -Automata: Brazen fly, <a href="#page_156">156</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">by Vaucanson, <a href="#page_159">159</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Houdin’s—the pastry cook, <a href="#page_179">179</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Auriol and Debureau, <i>ibid</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">orange-tree, <i>ib.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">time-dial, <i>ib.</i></span><br /> -Automaton, Houdin’s first, <a href="#page_036">36</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Harlequin flute-player, <a href="#page_158">158</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">tambourine-player, <a href="#page_159">159</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">artificial duck, <a href="#page_159">159</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">discovery of its trick, <a href="#page_160">160</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">chess-player, <a href="#page_162">162</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">history of, <a href="#page_162">162</a>.</span><br /> -Autumnal fĂŞtes at Algiers, <a href="#page_378">378</a>.<br /> -Avalanche, the human, <a href="#page_351">351</a>.<br /> -Aviary, a wonderful, <a href="#page_039">39</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="B" id="B"></a>B.</span><br /> -Bab-Azoun Theatre in Algiers, <a href="#page_375">375</a>.<br /> -Bacon, Roger, makes a brazen head, <a href="#page_156">156</a>.<a name="page_438" id="page_438"></a><br /> -Balls, juggling with the, <a href="#page_049">49</a>.<br /> -Baths of Germany, <a href="#page_368">368</a>.<br /> -Belgium, Houdin’s visit to, <a href="#page_201">201</a>.<br /> -Belleville, retreat to, <a href="#page_198">198</a>.<br /> -Benefactor, a public, <a href="#page_029">29</a>.<br /> -Berlin, three months in, <a href="#page_369">369</a>.<br /> -Bernard, Colonel gives lessons to Houdin, <a href="#page_191">191</a>.<br /> -Berthoud on Clock-making, <a href="#page_043">43</a>.<br /> -Black-silk cap, story of, <a href="#page_301">301</a>.<br /> -Blois:—birth-place of Houdin, <a href="#page_017">17</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Houdin retires to, <a href="#page_369">369</a>.</span><br /> -Bores, how to get rid of, <a href="#page_264">264</a>.<br /> -Bosco, the conjurer, <a href="#page_184">184</a>.<br /> -Botany, lessons in, <a href="#page_037">37</a>.<br /> -Bottle-trick at Manchester, <a href="#page_349">349</a>.<br /> -Bou-Allem’s house, <a href="#page_402">402</a>.<br /> -Bought and sold, <a href="#page_031">31</a>.<br /> -Bouquet Ă la Reine, <a href="#page_355">355</a>.<br /> -Boutigny, with red hot metal, <a href="#page_432">432</a>.<br /> -Box, the mysterious, <a href="#page_383">383</a>.<br /> -Brazen automaton fly, <a href="#page_156">156</a>.<br /> -Brazen head, Bacon and Bungey’s, <a href="#page_156">156</a>.<br /> -Brèguet, the Cardinal’s, <a href="#page_110">110</a>.<br /> -Broken-English, Houdin’s, <a href="#page_346">346</a>.<br /> -Broken watch, the, <a href="#page_109">109</a>.<br /> -Brother and sister, <a href="#page_116">116</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">before the Sultan, <a href="#page_125">125</a>.</span><br /> -Brunnow, the Baron, <a href="#page_341">341</a>.<br /> -Brussels Theatre, engagement at, <a href="#page_276">276</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">journey to, <a href="#page_279">279</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">troubles <i>en route</i>, <a href="#page_281">281</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">arrives at, <a href="#page_287">287</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">success, <a href="#page_290">290</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">but no money, <a href="#page_291">291</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">cheated on all sides, <a href="#page_292">292</a>.</span><br /> -Buckingham Palace, Houdin at, <a href="#page_353">353</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">short commons at, <a href="#page_357">357</a>.</span><br /> -Bungey, Thomas, makes a brazen head, <a href="#page_156">156</a>.<br /> -Bush-Aga, abode of a, <a href="#page_402">402</a>.<br /> -Bust-making, extraordinary, <a href="#page_301">301</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="C" id="C"></a>C.</span><br /> -Cagliostro at Rome, <a href="#page_105">105</a>.<br /> -<i>Cagliostro</i>, the Houdin’s comic journal, <a href="#page_254">254</a>.<br /> -Cagliostro’s casket, <a href="#page_309">309</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his seal, <a href="#page_308">308</a>.</span><br /> -Cambridge, Houdin at, <a href="#page_359">359</a>.<br /> -Canard, a real, <a href="#page_160">160</a>.<br /> -Canaries, the cage of, <a href="#page_038">38</a>.<br /> -Candle-lighting, <a href="#page_227">227</a>.<br /> -Caravan, a conjurer’s, <a href="#page_056">56</a>.<br /> -Card-rook, a, <a href="#page_211">211</a>.<br /> -Cards, a duel with, <a href="#page_085">85</a>.<br /> -Cardinal’s watch, <a href="#page_106">106</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">broken, <a href="#page_109">109</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">melted down, <a href="#page_111">111</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">restored whole, <a href="#page_112">112</a>.</span><br /> -Carlosbach, Dr., the conjurer, <a href="#page_027">27</a>.<br /> -Carpentier, Aristide le, the antiquarian, <a href="#page_271">271</a>.<br /> -Carriage smashed, <a href="#page_286">286</a>.<br /> -Castellan, Madame, <a href="#page_337">337</a>.<br /> -Castelli, Signor, eats a man alive, <a href="#page_069">69</a>.<br /> -Catherine II. plays with the automaton chess-player, <a href="#page_169">169</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">attempts to cheat, <a href="#page_170">170</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">wants to buy the figure, <a href="#page_171">171</a>.</span><br /> -Celestial Empire, the, <a href="#page_236">236</a>.<br /> -Challenge to Houdin, <a href="#page_268">268</a>.<br /> -<i>Charivari</i>, the, <a href="#page_252">252</a>.<br /> -Charlatan bills, Anderson’s, <a href="#page_329">329</a>.<br /> -Charles V., iron fly presented to, <a href="#page_155">155</a>.<br /> -ChaussĂ©e d’Antin, scene in, <a href="#page_272">272</a>.<br /> -Cheat, punishment of a, <a href="#page_083">83</a>.<br /> -Cheating cards, diagrams of, <a href="#page_216">216</a>.<br /> -Chess-player, history of the automaton (see <i>Kempelen</i>), <a href="#page_162">162-172</a>.<br /> -Chester Theatre, England, <a href="#page_289">289</a>.<br /> -Chinese and their conjuring tricks, <a href="#page_225">225</a>.<a name="page_439" id="page_439"></a><br /> -Choosing a Profession, <a href="#page_026">26</a>.<br /> -Cleopatra’s asp, <a href="#page_161">161</a>.<br /> -Clipping the coin, <a href="#page_051">51</a>.<br /> -Clock, the mysterious, <a href="#page_195">195</a>.<br /> -Clockmaking, treatise on, <a href="#page_043">43</a>.<br /> -Clowns, Houdin’s automaton, <a href="#page_179">179</a>.<br /> -Coffee, the conjurer’s, <a href="#page_382">382</a>.<br /> -Collation, a magical, <a href="#page_364">364</a>.<br /> -Colchester, audience and the nuts, <a href="#page_365">365</a>.<br /> -Componium, the, <a href="#page_172">172</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">repaired by Houdin, <a href="#page_175">175</a>.</span><br /> -Comte, the magician, <a href="#page_141">141</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his tricks, <a href="#page_143">143</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his cafĂ©, <a href="#page_144">144</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">performs at the Tuilleries, <a href="#page_146">146</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his King of Hearts, <a href="#page_147">147</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">hat-trick, <a href="#page_148">148</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his ventriloquism, <a href="#page_149">149</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">visits Houdin, <a href="#page_150">150</a>.</span><br /> -Comus, the conjurer, <a href="#page_083">83</a>.<br /> -Conjuring bullets, <a href="#page_413">413</a>.<br /> -Conscientious audience, <a href="#page_298">298</a>.<br /> -Constantinople, conjuring at, <a href="#page_121">121</a>.<br /> -Convocation of Arab chiefs, <a href="#page_378">378</a>.<br /> -Cookery and clockwork, <a href="#page_194">194</a>.<br /> -Cossack, the automaton, <a href="#page_227">227</a>.<br /> -Course of miracles, a, <a href="#page_422">422</a>.<br /> -<i>Court Journal</i>, <a href="#page_355">355</a>.<br /> -Cousin Robert, <a href="#page_421">421</a>.<br /> -Covent Garden Theatre, <a href="#page_335">335</a>.<br /> -Critic, a severe, <a href="#page_204">204</a>.<br /> -Cronier, the mechanician, <a href="#page_161">161</a>.<br /> -Crystal Balls, the, <a href="#page_312">312</a>.<br /> -Curaçoa from the bottle, <a href="#page_350">350</a>.<br /> -Curious discussion, <a href="#page_377">377</a>.<br /> -Custom at Colchester, <a href="#page_365">365</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="D" id="D"></a>D.</span><br /> -Dantan, junior, the caricaturist, <a href="#page_299">299</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">makes a bust, <a href="#page_301">301</a>.</span><br /> -D’Avaray, Duc, <a href="#page_037">37</a>.<br /> -Dazzling picture, a, <a href="#page_343">343</a>.<br /> -De Paris, the Count, <a href="#page_231">231</a>.<br /> -Deception, a rival’s, <a href="#page_099">99</a>.<br /> -Delay at Algiers, <a href="#page_375">375</a>.<br /> -Delirium, influence of, <a href="#page_053">53</a>.<br /> -Dial, Houdin’s magic, <a href="#page_179">179</a>.<br /> -Diagrams of cheating cards, 216 and <a href="#page_218">218</a>.<br /> -Diamond cut diamond, <a href="#page_150">150</a>.<br /> -Diplomatist and conjurer, <a href="#page_341">341</a>.<br /> -Director of the Belgian Customs, <a href="#page_283">283</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">tricks upon, <a href="#page_284">284</a>.</span><br /> -Doctor, a strange, <a href="#page_055">55</a>.<br /> -Domingo, the negro, <a href="#page_229">229</a>.<br /> -Dormeuil, theatrical manager, <a href="#page_336">336</a>.<br /> -Dorval, Madame, benefit of, <a href="#page_314">314</a>.<br /> -Doubtful applause, <a href="#page_075">75</a>.<br /> -Dreams, phantasmagoria of, <a href="#page_054">54</a>.<br /> -Debureau, Houdin’s automaton clown, <a href="#page_179">179</a>.<br /> -Duhart, chief of the claquers, <a href="#page_318">318</a>.<br /> -Dumas’ Monte Christo, <a href="#page_336">336</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="E" id="E"></a>E.</span><br /> -Electric shock, <a href="#page_385">385</a>.<br /> -Electric touch, an, <a href="#page_264">264</a>.<br /> -Electric clocks, future of, <a href="#page_421">421</a>.<br /> -Electricity applied to mechanism by Houdin, <a href="#page_370">370</a>.<br /> -Emile-Houdin, <a href="#page_256">256</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">performances by, <a href="#page_258">258</a>.</span><br /> -England invaded by French performers, <a href="#page_334">334</a>.<br /> -English theatrical costume, <a href="#page_332">332</a>.<br /> -Escamoteur, the, <a href="#page_153">153</a>.<br /> -Etherial suspension, <a href="#page_312">312</a>.<br /> -Exhibition of 1844, <a href="#page_231">231</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">medal voted to Houdin, <a href="#page_233">233</a>.</span><br /> -Expedient, an, <a href="#page_331">331</a>.<br /> -Experiments, curious, <a href="#page_256">256</a>.<br /> -Eye and hand, practice of, <a href="#page_049">49</a>.<a name="page_440" id="page_440"></a><br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="F" id="F"></a>F.</span><br /> -Failure, an utter, <a href="#page_247">247</a>.<br /> -Fair-Unknown, a, <a href="#page_258">258</a>.<br /> -Family tickets, <a href="#page_143">143</a>.<br /> -Fancy Fair, Sir A. Webster’s, <a href="#page_337">337</a>.<br /> -Fantasia by Arabs, <a href="#page_378">378</a>.<br /> -Fantastic portfolio, <a href="#page_312">312</a>.<br /> -Fantastic SoirĂ©es, Houdin’s, <a href="#page_244">244</a>.<br /> -Farewell tour, Houdin’s, <a href="#page_368">368</a>.<br /> -Father Roujol, <a href="#page_152">152</a>.<br /> -Faubourg St. Germain, <a href="#page_270">270</a>.<br /> -Festival of Nankin, <a href="#page_228">228</a>.<br /> -Filings, how to make, <a href="#page_042">42</a>.<br /> -Financial crisis, a, <a href="#page_197">197</a>.<br /> -First bill, Houdin’s, <a href="#page_245">245</a>.<br /> -First fruits of labor, <a href="#page_135">135</a>.<br /> -First game played by Automaton chess-player, <a href="#page_163">163</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the Turk beats the Doctor, <a href="#page_164">164</a>.</span><br /> -First magician in France, <a href="#page_181">181</a>.<br /> -First performance at Paris by Houdin, <a href="#page_246">246</a>.<br /> -First public performance, Torrini’s, <a href="#page_097">97</a>.<br /> -Five-franc pieces, the magical, <a href="#page_408">408</a>.<br /> -Flowers, the birth of, <a href="#page_145">145</a>.<br /> -Flute-player, automaton, <a href="#page_159">159</a>.<br /> -Forey, Eugène, his drawing of Houdin’s theatre, <a href="#page_252">252</a>.<br /> -Fortune, a reverse of, <a href="#page_192">192</a>.<br /> -Fortunatus’s hat, <a href="#page_229">229</a>.<br /> -Four balls, juggling with, <a href="#page_049">49</a>.<br /> -Free admissions, <a href="#page_320">320</a>.<br /> -French towns, how lighted, <a href="#page_046">46</a>.<br /> -<i>Fricot</i>, a dish of, <a href="#page_199">199</a>.<br /> -Future experiments, Houdin’s, <a href="#page_420">420</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="G" id="G"></a>G.</span><br /> -Galerie de Valois, <a href="#page_237">237</a>.<br /> -Garde Française, <a href="#page_312">312</a>.<br /> -GĂ©net, an optimist manager, <a href="#page_360">360</a>.<br /> -German-flute-player, automaton, <a href="#page_159">159</a>.<br /> -Germany, Houdin’s tour through, <a href="#page_368">368</a>.<br /> -Giovanni Torrini, <a href="#page_127">127</a>.<br /> -Glove, Victoria’s, <a href="#page_355">355</a>.<br /> -Gold-fish trick, <a href="#page_225">225</a>.<br /> -Grand Turk, the, <a href="#page_122">122</a>.<br /> -Gratuitous performance, <a href="#page_297">297</a>.<br /> -Great personages, <a href="#page_339">339</a>.<br /> -Great Wizard of the North, his frightful puffery, <a href="#page_326">326</a>.<br /> -Greek, a modern, <a href="#page_213">213</a>.<br /> -Grindstone, a nose on the, <a href="#page_043">43</a>.<br /> -Grisi, the Count Edmond de, <a href="#page_090">90</a>.<br /> -Grisi, Madame, <a href="#page_337">337</a>.<br /> -Gun-trick, a tragic, <a href="#page_129">129</a>.<br /> -Gymnastic machinery, <a href="#page_211">211</a>.<br /> -Gymnas, performance of, <a href="#page_319">319</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="H" id="H"></a>H.</span><br /> -Hamilton, successor to Houdin, <a href="#page_367">367</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">becomes his brother-in-law, <a href="#page_368">368</a>.</span><br /> -Happy moment, a, <a href="#page_203">203</a>.<br /> -Harem, the Sultan’s, <a href="#page_124">124</a>.<br /> -Harlequin automata, <a href="#page_077">77</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Philippe’s, <a href="#page_228">228</a>.</span><br /> -Hat, the spoiled, <a href="#page_134">134</a>.<br /> -Hearts, the King of, <a href="#page_147">147</a>.<br /> -Her Majesty’s Theatre, <a href="#page_323">323</a>.<br /> -Hertford, Houdin at, <a href="#page_360">360</a>.<br /> -Hints for sharpers, <a href="#page_219">219</a>.<br /> -Hippodrome of Paris, <a href="#page_244">244</a>.<br /> -Hired applause, <a href="#page_319">319</a>.<br /> -Historic Theatre of Paris, <a href="#page_336">336</a>.<br /> -Home, return to, <a href="#page_136">136</a>.<br /> -Homicide by imprudence, <a href="#page_130">130</a>.<br /> -Houdin, Mademoiselle, <a href="#page_140">140</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the conjurer marries her, <a href="#page_141">141</a>.</span><br /> -Houdin, M., the mechanical artist, <a href="#page_141">141</a>.<a name="page_441" id="page_441"></a><br /> -Houdin-Robert, birth and parentage, <a href="#page_017">17</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">adventures, <i>passion</i>.</span><br /> -Human avalanche, <a href="#page_351">351</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="I" id="I"></a>I.</span><br /> -Idler, a country, <a href="#page_026">26</a>.<br /> -<i>Illustration</i>, the, <a href="#page_252">252</a>.<br /> -Incantation, the, <a href="#page_263">263</a>.<br /> -Inexhaustible bottle, <a href="#page_312">312</a>.<br /> -Ingot, the magic, <a href="#page_112">112</a>.<br /> -Inkstand, to make a fortune by, <a href="#page_177">177</a>.<br /> -Inquisition at Rome, <a href="#page_104">104</a>.<br /> -Interior of Africa, Houdin in the, <a href="#page_398">398</a>.<br /> -Inventor, calculations of an, <a href="#page_177">177</a>.<br /> -Invulnerability, <a href="#page_385">385</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">secret of, <a href="#page_428">428</a>.</span><br /> -Ireland, Houdin in, <a href="#page_366">366</a>.<br /> -Iron automaton fly, <a href="#page_155">155</a>.<br /> -Italian conjurer, <a href="#page_157">157</a>.<br /> -Italy, conjuring in, <a href="#page_090">90-119</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="J" id="J"></a>J.</span><br /> -Jenny Lind, <a href="#page_323">323</a>.<br /> -Judicious puffing, <a href="#page_325">325</a>.<br /> -Jules de Rovère, the conjurer, <a href="#page_153">153</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="K" id="K"></a>K.</span><br /> -Kabyle rendered powerless, <a href="#page_384">384</a>.<br /> -Kabylia, revolt in, <a href="#page_374">374</a>.<br /> -Kitchen of Parafaragarmus, <a href="#page_229">229</a>.<br /> -Kempelen, M. de, Viennese mechanician, <a href="#page_162">162</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">visits Dr. Osloff at Riga, <a href="#page_163">163</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">invents the automaton chess-player, <a href="#page_163">163</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">travels with it to Russia, <a href="#page_168">168</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">baffles the Czarina, <a href="#page_171">171</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">visits England, <a href="#page_171">171</a>.</span><br /> -Knowles, the manager, <a href="#page_345">345</a>.<br /> -Koppen exhibits the Componium, <a href="#page_172">172</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="L" id="L"></a>L.</span><br /> -Lablache, the singer, <a href="#page_337">337</a>.<br /> -Ladies, pleasing the, <a href="#page_145">145</a>.<br /> -Lamp, the stolen, <a href="#page_046">46</a>.<br /> -Larivière, the AbbĂ©, head of Orleans College, <a href="#page_023">23</a>.<br /> -Lawyer’s office, Houdin in, <a href="#page_035">35</a>.<br /> -Le Carpentier, Aristide, <a href="#page_271">271</a>.<br /> -Leclerc invents the MĂ©lephone, <a href="#page_226">226</a>.<br /> -Lemnos, <a href="#page_309">309</a>.<br /> -Lenoir, the dancing master, <a href="#page_064">64</a>.<br /> -Leonetto with red hot iron, <a href="#page_431">431</a>.<br /> -Lesprit, the conjurer, <a href="#page_187">187</a>.<br /> -Life, most important event of, <a href="#page_045">45</a>.<br /> -Linnæus, study of, <a href="#page_038">38</a>.<br /> -Lottery, M. Philippe’s, <a href="#page_223">223</a>.<br /> -Louis Napoleon at Fulham, <a href="#page_339">339</a>.<br /> -Louis Philippe at the Palace of Industry, <a href="#page_231">231</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">and the automaton writer, <a href="#page_238">238</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">at St. Cloud, <a href="#page_303">303</a>.</span><br /> -Louis XVIII. and Comte, <a href="#page_146">146</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="M" id="M"></a>M.</span><br /> -Macalister, the magician, <a href="#page_225">225</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">in Paris, <a href="#page_229">229</a>.</span><br /> -Mâcon, the fair of, <a href="#page_148">148</a>.<br /> -MaĂ«lzel owns the automaton chess-player, and takes it to America, <a href="#page_172">172</a>.<br /> -Magic ingot, <a href="#page_112">112</a>.<br /> -Malice, a conjurer through, <a href="#page_101">101</a>.<br /> -Manchester, a city of chimneysweeps, <a href="#page_352">352</a>.<br /> -Manchester Theatre, Houdin at, <a href="#page_345">345</a>.<br /> -Manipulation, practice makes skill in, <a href="#page_049">49</a>.<br /> -Marabout, shot by one, <a href="#page_387">387</a>.<br /> -Marabout, mystification of one, <a href="#page_408">408</a>.<br /> -Marquis deceived, <a href="#page_117">117</a>.<br /> -Mario, the singer, <a href="#page_337">337</a>.<a name="page_442" id="page_442"></a><br /> -Marseilles, Torrini at, <a href="#page_126">126</a>; Houdin at, <a href="#page_419">419</a>.<br /> -Mechanical snuff-box, <a href="#page_035">35</a>.<br /> -Mechanician’s shop on wheels, <a href="#page_078">78</a>.<br /> -MĂ©lephone, the, <a href="#page_226">226</a>.<br /> -Miette, the conjurer, <a href="#page_187">187</a>.<br /> -Minor miseries, <a href="#page_295">295</a>.<br /> -Miracles, a course of, <a href="#page_422">422</a>.<br /> -Mitchell, London manager, <a href="#page_322">322</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Jenny Lind’s box, <a href="#page_323">323</a>.</span><br /> -Modest living, <a href="#page_199">199</a>.<br /> -Molten metal, washing the hands in, <a href="#page_433">433</a>.<br /> -Monte Christo, at Covent Garden, <a href="#page_335">335</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">at St. James’s Theatre, <a href="#page_336">336</a>.</span><br /> -Moor, disappearance of a, <a href="#page_388">388</a>.<br /> -Morrison’s pills, <a href="#page_223">223</a>.<br /> -Mountebanks in Paris, <a href="#page_311">311</a>.<br /> -Mouse-power to raise water, <a href="#page_021">21</a>.<br /> -Muhammad, the Arab guide, breakfast with, <a href="#page_400">400</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">he deserts, <a href="#page_401">401</a>.</span><br /> -Murderer’s confession, <a href="#page_059">59</a>.<br /> -Music-master, the, <a href="#page_182">182</a>.<br /> -Musky compliments, <a href="#page_151">151</a>.<br /> -Mystification, <a href="#page_151">151</a>.<br /> -Mystification extraordinary, <a href="#page_117">117</a>.<br /> -Mystifier mystified, <a href="#page_150">150</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="N" id="N"></a>N.</span><br /> -Nail in the eye, <a href="#page_429">429</a>.<br /> -Nankin, festival of the Court of, <a href="#page_228">228</a>.<br /> -Naples, the King of, <a href="#page_100">100</a>.<br /> -Napoleon of Necromancy, <a href="#page_328">328</a>.<br /> -Napoleon III. in England, <a href="#page_339">339</a>.<br /> -Necromancy in Rome, <a href="#page_105">105</a>.<br /> -Need, a friend in, <a href="#page_285">285</a>.<br /> -Neptune’s basins, <a href="#page_229">229</a>.<br /> -Nevers, ventriloquism at, <a href="#page_148">148</a>.<br /> -Neveu, Colonel de, <a href="#page_371">371</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his work on Algiers, <a href="#page_396">396</a>.</span><br /> -New Joe Miller, a, <a href="#page_329">329</a>.<br /> -New studies, Houdin’s, <a href="#page_253">253</a>.<br /> -Nightingale, mechanical, its song, <a href="#page_207">207</a>.<br /> -Nomadic life, <a href="#page_078">78</a>.<br /> -Noriet, watchmaker and sculptor, <a href="#page_050">50</a>.<br /> -Novel lottery, a, <a href="#page_223">223</a>.<br /> -Number sixty-nine, <a href="#page_268">268</a>.<br /> -Nuremburg dolls, <a href="#page_200">200</a>.<br /> -Nuts at Colchester, <a href="#page_365">365</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="O" id="O"></a>O.</span><br /> -OdĂ©on, performance at the, <a href="#page_314">314</a>.<br /> -Olivier, the conjurer, <a href="#page_126">126</a>.<br /> -Omelette accident, <a href="#page_133">133</a>.<br /> -Omen, an, <a href="#page_231">231</a>.<br /> -Open-air studies, <a href="#page_311">311</a>.<br /> -Optimist manager, <a href="#page_360">360</a>.<br /> -Orange-tree, Houdin’s mysterious, <a href="#page_179">179</a>.<br /> -Origin of flowers, <a href="#page_312">312</a>.<br /> -Orleans, Houdin at College of, <a href="#page_020">20</a>.<br /> -Orleans, Duchess of, <a href="#page_281">281</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">at St. Cloud, <a href="#page_309">309</a>.</span><br /> -Orleans family in London, <a href="#page_355">355</a>.<br /> -Osloff, Dr., saves Worousky’s life, <a href="#page_162">162</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">plays first game with automaton chess-player, <a href="#page_163">163</a>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="P" id="P"></a>P.</span><br /> -Page, sawing asunder of one, <a href="#page_123">123</a>.<br /> -Palais Royal Theatre, <a href="#page_335">335</a>.<br /> -Panic, Houdin’s, <a href="#page_249">249</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">of an Arab audience, <a href="#page_389">389</a>.</span><br /> -Papin, Denis, inventor of steam engine, <a href="#page_017">17</a>.<br /> -Parafaragarmus, kitchen of, <a href="#page_229">229</a>.<br /> -Paris, Robert-Houdin goes to, <a href="#page_141">141</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">return to, from Brussels, <a href="#page_292">292</a>;<a name="page_443" id="page_443"></a></span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">from England, <a href="#page_366">366</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">retires from, <a href="#page_368">368</a>.</span><br /> -Park Theatre, Brussels, <a href="#page_287">287</a>.<br /> -Pastry-cook, Houdin’s automaton, <a href="#page_179">179</a>.<br /> -Peacock, the magic, <a href="#page_228">228</a>.<br /> -Perambulating house, <a href="#page_061">61</a>.<br /> -Perrault’s fairies, <a href="#page_157">157</a>.<br /> -Philippe Talon, the conjurer, <a href="#page_221">221</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">visits London, <i>ib.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">at Aberdeen, <a href="#page_222">222</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his lottery, <a href="#page_223">223</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">in Paris, <a href="#page_227">227</a>.</span><br /> -Philter, a lady wants a, <a href="#page_262">262</a>.<br /> -Piarot, Bosco’s pigeon, <a href="#page_189">189</a>.<br /> -Pigeon-trick, Bosco’s, <a href="#page_187">187</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">his work, <a href="#page_191">191</a>.</span><br /> -Piller of the State, a, <a href="#page_223">223</a>.<br /> -Pillory, spectators on the, <a href="#page_350">350</a>.<br /> -Pinetti, Chevalier, <a href="#page_092">92</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">treachery of, <a href="#page_094">94</a>.</span><br /> -Pirlemont Hotel, Brussels, <a href="#page_286">286</a>.<br /> -Pistol-trick in Africa, <a href="#page_412">412</a>.<br /> -Piquet, a blind man’s game at, <a href="#page_064">64</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">the game of, <a href="#page_081">81</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">a duel at, <a href="#page_085">85</a>.</span><br /> -Pius VII. and the conjurer, <a href="#page_107">107</a>.<br /> -Pocket, <i>sauter la coupe</i> in the, <a href="#page_050">50</a>.<br /> -Poison in the dish, <a href="#page_052">52</a>.<br /> -Police, the Prefect of, <a href="#page_238">238</a>.<br /> -Poor Piarot, <a href="#page_189">189</a>.<br /> -Pope, conjuring before the, <a href="#page_107">107</a>.<br /> -Porter, tyranny of, <a href="#page_288">288</a>.<br /> -Porter’s power, machine of, <a href="#page_038">38</a>.<br /> -<i>Pot-au-feu</i>, <a href="#page_194">194</a>.<br /> -Powdered glass, an appetiser, <a href="#page_425">425</a>.<br /> -Prepared playing cards, <a href="#page_214">214</a>.<br /> -Press, the English, <a href="#page_333">333</a>.<br /> -Prestidigitateur, title first assumed by Jules de Rovère, <a href="#page_154">154</a>.<br /> -Prodigal son, <a href="#page_136">136</a>.<br /> -Prophet, a fallible, <a href="#page_250">250</a>.<br /> -Protector, a powerful, <a href="#page_318">318</a>.<br /> -Punch’s doings, <a href="#page_223">223</a>.<br /> -Punch bowl, the magic, <a href="#page_382">382</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="R" id="R"></a>R.</span><br /> -Race for time, <a href="#page_265">265</a>.<br /> -RagoĂ»t, the poisoned, <a href="#page_052">52</a>.<br /> -Rat, the captured, <a href="#page_021">21</a>.<br /> -Rat-trap, a novel, <a href="#page_023">23</a>.<br /> -Randon, Marshal, <a href="#page_380">380</a>.<br /> -Recollections of the soirĂ©es, <a href="#page_254">254</a>.<br /> -Red-hot metal, feats with, <a href="#page_432">432</a>.<br /> -Reforms in conjuring, <a href="#page_235">235</a>.<br /> -Rehearsal, Houdin’s first, <a href="#page_241">241</a>.<br /> -Repast, a wizard’s, <a href="#page_357">357</a>.<br /> -Retirement from Paris, <a href="#page_368">368</a>.<br /> -Revenge, a conjurer’s, <a href="#page_102">102</a>.<br /> -Revolution of 1848, <a href="#page_320">320</a>.<br /> -Reysolius, his artificial man, <a href="#page_157">157</a>.<br /> -Richardson’s incombustibility, <a href="#page_431">431</a>.<br /> -Rings’ trick, <a href="#page_225">225</a>.<br /> -Ritter, Captain, <a href="#page_399">399</a>.<br /> -Rival, a dangerous, <a href="#page_066">66</a>.<br /> -Robert, the elder, father of Robert-Houdin, his skill, <a href="#page_017">17</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">death of, <a href="#page_208">208</a>.</span><br /> -Roger, M., an honest lawyer, <a href="#page_037">37</a>.<br /> -Roger, the singer, <a href="#page_337">337</a>.<br /> -Romainville, music studies in the wood of, <a href="#page_207">207</a>.<br /> -Rose-colored tickets, <a href="#page_143">143</a>.<br /> -Royal patronage, <a href="#page_344">344</a>.<br /> -Royalty, insult to, <a href="#page_101">101</a>.<br /> -Rrrrrrrrouit, the nightingale’s, <a href="#page_207">207</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="S" id="S"></a>S.</span><br /> -Sabre-swallower, the French, <a href="#page_427">427</a>.<br /> -Saint’s head, a, <a href="#page_200">200</a>.<br /> -Sand-bag and stirrup trick, <a href="#page_033">33</a>.<br /> -<i>Sauter de coupe</i>, <a href="#page_084">84</a>.<br /> -Scheme of revenge, <a href="#page_103">103</a>.<br /> -School, Houdin at, <a href="#page_021">21</a>.<br /> -Sciences, Royal Academy of, <a href="#page_158">158</a>.<a name="page_444" id="page_444"></a><br /> -Scientific amusements, <a href="#page_044">44</a>.<br /> -Scotland, Houdin in, <a href="#page_366">366</a>.<br /> -Second-sight, invention of the, <a href="#page_255">255</a>.<br /> -Seductions of a theatrical agent, <a href="#page_273">273</a>.<br /> -Selim III., the Sultan, visits Torrini, <a href="#page_122">122</a>.<br /> -Sementrici’s feats with hot metal, <a href="#page_431">431</a>.<br /> -Seven thousand francs made by filings, <a href="#page_208">208</a>.<br /> -Sharpers, hints for, <a href="#page_219">219</a>.<br /> -Skill, a duel of, <a href="#page_102">102</a>.<br /> -Skillful manager, a, <a href="#page_143">143</a>.<br /> -Sleight-of-hand, principle of, <a href="#page_048">48</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">first practice in, <a href="#page_049">49</a>.</span><br /> -SoirĂ©es Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin in London, <a href="#page_324">324</a>.<br /> -Sorcerer, how a man becomes one, <a href="#page_046">46</a>.<br /> -Spectators in the pillory, <a href="#page_348">348</a>.<br /> -St. Cloud, Houdin at Palace of, <a href="#page_303">303</a>.<br /> -St. James’s Theatre, London, <a href="#page_322">322</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Houdin at, <a href="#page_330">330</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Dormeuil at, <a href="#page_335">335</a>.</span><br /> -St. Thomas Aquinas breaks the brazen man, <a href="#page_157">157</a>.<br /> -Stirrup-trick, <a href="#page_033">33</a>.<br /> -Storm at sea, <a href="#page_419">419</a>.<br /> -Strange audience, <a href="#page_381">381</a>.<br /> -Strange banners, <a href="#page_417">417</a>.<br /> -Strasburg, tragedy at, <a href="#page_129">129</a>.<br /> -Sugar-baker, the conjuring, <a href="#page_221">221</a>.<br /> -Sultan, wives of the, <a href="#page_122">122</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="T" id="T"></a>T.</span><br /> -Taken by storm, <a href="#page_295">295</a>.<br /> -Talisman, a, <a href="#page_387">387</a>.<br /> -Talon, Philippe, the magician, <a href="#page_221">221</a>.<br /> -Tambourine-player, an automaton, <a href="#page_159">159</a>.<br /> -Tambourine, the singer, <a href="#page_337">337</a>.<br /> -Tent-life in Algiers, <a href="#page_416">416</a>.<br /> -Theatre, Houdin’s, in the Palais Royal, <a href="#page_237">237</a>.<br /> -Theatricals, <a href="#page_139">139</a>.<br /> -Theatrical agent, seductions of, <a href="#page_273">273</a>.<br /> -Theatrical bed, a, <a href="#page_324">324</a>.<br /> -Three people make an audience, <a href="#page_361">361</a>.<br /> -Time, a race for, <a href="#page_265">265</a>.<br /> -Tiou, the nightingale’s, <a href="#page_207">207</a>.<br /> -Too small a theatre, <a href="#page_295">295</a>.<br /> -Tools, Houdin’s early love of, <a href="#page_019">19</a>.<br /> -Torrini, the conjurer, <a href="#page_057">57</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">relates his history, 90 <i>et seq.</i>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">death of, <a href="#page_181">181</a>.</span><br /> -Tours, journey to, <a href="#page_053">53</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">ventriloquism at, <a href="#page_148">148</a>.</span><br /> -Toys, conjurer’s distribution of, <a href="#page_254">254</a>.<br /> -Trepèze tumbler, the, <a href="#page_312">312</a>.<br /> -Trick, a fatal, <a href="#page_129">129</a>.<br /> -Trick, Houdin’s first, <a href="#page_047">47</a>.<br /> -Tricks of the AĂŻssaoua, <a href="#page_423">423</a>.<br /> -Tuilleries, Comte at the, <a href="#page_146">146</a>.<br /> -Turks, performances to the, <a href="#page_121">121</a>.<br /> -Twelve hundred francs spent on a trick, <a href="#page_113">113</a>.<br /> -Two sous-piece, a lucky, <a href="#page_281">281</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="U" id="U"></a>U.</span><br /> -Universal Exhibition of 1855, medal from, <a href="#page_370">370</a>.<br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="V" id="V"></a>V.</span><br /> -Vatican, conjuring in the, <a href="#page_107">107</a>.<br /> -Vaucanson, Jacques de, automaton maker, <a href="#page_160">160</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">some account of, <a href="#page_161">161</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">asp of Cleopatra, <a href="#page_161">161</a>.</span><br /> -Vaudeville, Houdin at the, <a href="#page_165">165</a>.<br /> -Vermifuge balsam, <a href="#page_031">31</a>.<a name="page_445" id="page_445"></a><br /> -Ventriloquism by Comte, <a href="#page_148">148</a>.<br /> -Verdigris, a ragoĂ»t of, <a href="#page_052">52</a>.<br /> -Virgilius, his brazen fly, <a href="#page_156">156</a>.<br /> -Visitors in Africa, <a href="#page_407">407</a>.<br /> -Victoria, Queen, <a href="#page_340">340</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">patronizes Houdin, <a href="#page_344">344</a>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="W" id="W"></a>W.</span><br /> -Watchmaking, first lessons in, <a href="#page_041">41</a>.<br /> -Watch, the Cardinal’s, <a href="#page_106">106</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">broken, <a href="#page_109">109</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">melted down, <a href="#page_111">111</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">found whole, in the Pope’s pocket, <a href="#page_112">112</a>.</span><br /> -Webster, Sir Arthur, his fĂŞte at Fulham, <a href="#page_336">336</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">Houdin performs at, <a href="#page_343">343</a>.</span><br /> -Welcome rest, a, <a href="#page_367">367</a>.<br /> -Whiskey, Houdin’s glass of, <a href="#page_350">350</a>.<br /> -White magic before the Pope, <a href="#page_108">108</a>.<br /> -William Tell and his son, <a href="#page_127">127</a>.<br /> -Win, the way to, <a href="#page_217">217</a>.<br /> -Wine, a torrent of, <a href="#page_351">351</a>.<br /> -Wizard’s repast, <a href="#page_357">357</a>.<br /> -Wood-carver, the, <a href="#page_200">200</a>.<br /> -Wood-cutting, <a href="#page_201">201</a>.<br /> -Worousky, the rebel, his life saved by Dr. Osloff, <a href="#page_162">162</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">a great chess-player, <a href="#page_163">163</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">plays the automaton, <a href="#page_165">165</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">at Toula, <a href="#page_166">166</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">plays Catherine II., <a href="#page_169">169</a>;</span><br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">visits England, <a href="#page_171">171</a>.</span><br /> -Writing and drawing automaton, <a href="#page_196">196</a>;<br /> -<span style="margin-left: 1em;">its completion, <a href="#page_204">204</a>.</span><br /> -<br /> -<span class="spc"><a name="Z" id="Z"></a>Z.</span><br /> -Zilbermann, the gambler, <a href="#page_081">81</a>.<br /> -</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><p class="cb">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_A_1" id="Footnote_A_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_A_1"><span class="label">[A]</span></a> It will be remembered that in those days French towns were -lighted by a lamp suspended in the centre of the highway from a cord -attached to two poles.—(<span class="smcap">Ed.</span>)</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_B_2" id="Footnote_B_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_B_2"><span class="label">[B]</span></a> After Vaucanson’s death, his works were dispersed and lost, -with the exception of the duck, which, after remaining for a long time -in a garret at Berlin, saw light again in 1840, and was purchased by a -M. George Tiets, who spent four years in repairing it.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_C_3" id="Footnote_C_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_C_3"><span class="label">[C]</span></a> The automaton chess-player always used the left hand—a -defect falsely attributed to the carelessness of the constructor.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_D_4" id="Footnote_D_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_D_4"><span class="label">[D]</span></a> Since this period Bosco has changed his stage decorations: -his cloths have altered their colors, his candles are shorter, but the -death’s-head, the ball, the costume, and the tricks, have ever remained -the same.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_E_5" id="Footnote_E_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_E_5"><span class="label">[E]</span></a> This slight incident did not prevent the jury granting me a -silver medal for my automata. Eleven years later, at the Universal -Exhibition of 1855, I received a medal of the first class for new -applications of electricity to mechanism.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_F_6" id="Footnote_F_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_F_6"><span class="label">[F]</span></a> It is possible that M. Robert-Houdin intends to take this -revenge, owing to the unfair way in which he was treated during his -professional career. In 1850, a man who had been seven years in his -service, and in whom he placed entire confidence, allowed himself to be -seduced by the brilliant offers an amateur made him, and sold the secret -of some of his Master’s tricks at a high price. Justice was appealed to -and stopped this disgraceful traffic: the seller was awarded two years’ -imprisonment, but the buyer could not be touched, and thus many of M. -Houdin’s tricks passed into strange hands.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_G_7" id="Footnote_G_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_G_7"><span class="label">[G]</span></a> 1677, first edition, page 41, and second edition, 1680, pp. -24, 147, 252.</p></div> -</div> - -<p><a name="errors" id="errors"></a></p> -<p class="cb">Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:</p> - -<ol><li>Robert-Houdin, sa vie, ses Ĺ“uvres, son théätre=> Robert-Houdin, sa vie, ses Ĺ“uvres, son théâtre {pg 5}</li> - -<li>prestidigitatuer=> prestidigitateur {pg 9 & 136}</li> - -<li>recal my reminiscences=> recall my reminiscences {pg 55}</li> - -<li>my suprise was increased=> my surprise was increased {pg 56}</li> - -<li>A day had elasped=> A day had elapsed {pg 57}</li> - -<li>supported by trestels=> supported by trestles {pg 61}</li> - -<li>same degree of skill=> some degree of skill {pg 66}</li> - -<li>so much petulence=> so much petulance {pg 80}</li> - -<li>a jury should decided=> a jury should decide {pg 84}</li> - -<li>had concealed for any unforseen=> had concealed for any unforeseen {pg 90}</li> - -<li>I was enenchanted=> I was enchanted {pg 93}</li> - -<li>One repesentation the less=> One representation the less {pg 94}</li> - -<li>celebrated BrĂ©guet=> celebrated Brèguet {pg 106}</li> - -<li>for the occassion> for the occasion {pg 108}</li> - -<li>prove its superority=> prove its superiority {pg 109}</li> - -<li>my experiperiment=> my experiment {pg 111}</li> - -<li>A brass motar=> A brass mortar {pg 111}</li> - -<li>Do yo not recognize Antonio Torrini=> Do you not recognize Antonio Torrini {pg 118}</li> - -<li>The only precaution neccessary=> The only precaution necessary {pg 129}</li> - -<li>her mornful handmaids=> her mournful handmaids {pg 131}</li> - -<li>contented himsely with=> contented himself with {pg 141}</li> - -<li>occassion=> occasion {pg 146 & 264}</li> - -<li>In fact, the the=> In fact, the {pg 147}</li> - -<li>there was the ball-headed gentlemen=> there was the ball-headed gentleman {pg 147}</li> - -<li>such a talened sorcerer=> such a talented sorcerer {pg 147}</li> - -<li>In it will he found=> In it will be found {pg 158}</li> - -<li>convalesence=> convalescence {pg 163}</li> - -<li>the brilliancy of their dèbut=> the brilliancy of their dĂ©but {pg 166}</li> - -<li>to enable to enable=> to enable {pg 167}</li> - -<li>this flatttering explanation=> this flattering explanation {pg 169}</li> - -<li>I have forgotton=> I have forgotten {pg 173}</li> - -<li>I was quite annihileted=> I was quite annihilated {pg 174}</li> - -<li>playing ècartè=> playing Ă©cartĂ© {pg 219}</li> - -<li>on a table two sugar-loves=> on a table two sugar-loaves {pg 229}</li> - -<li>sextett=> sextet {pg 242}</li> - -<li>the next day we sucseeded=> the next day we suceeded {pg 256}</li> - -<li>I know not how your will interpret=> I know not how you will interpret {pg 259}</li> - -<li>was to elaspe between=> was to elapse between {pg 265}</li> - -<li>had elasped since the curtain=> had elapsed since the curtain {pg 266}</li> - -<li>an affair of one hundred thousand france=> an affair of one hundred thousand francs {pg 274}</li> - -<li>I had sarcely uttered the words=> I had scarcely uttered the words {pg 296}</li> - -<li>I should like too see=> I should like too see {pg 306}</li> - -<li>During this conversatian=> During this conversation {pg 342}</li> - -<li>the the other six months=> the other six months {pg 344}</li> - -<li>be scarely held in both hands=> be scarcely held in both hands {pg 356}</li> - -<li>the incarnation of opitimism=> the incarnation of optimism {pg 360}</li> - -<li>“Yes, gentlemen, yes; you can go in,” Gènet replied=> “Yes, gentlemen, yes; you can go in,” GĂ©net replied {pg 362}</li> - -<li>Your are mistaken=> You are mistaken {pg 383}</li> - -<li>weaker than a women=> weaker than a woman {pg 384}</li> - -<li>than the once preceding it=> than the ones preceding it {pg 387}</li> - -<li>surrouuded the man=> surrounded the man {pg 389}</li> - -<li>with great affiability=> with great affability {pg 399}</li> - -<li>the ground strown with magnificent Turkey carpets=> the ground strewn with magnificent Turkey carpets {pg 403}</li> - -<li>The came other dishes=> Then came other dishes {pg 406}</li> - -<li>leaving the audience under the impression had I produced=> leaving the audience under the impression I had produced {pg 412}</li> - -<li>for its serves=> for it serves {pg 418}</li> - -<li>Auriol and Dubereau=> Auriol and Debureau {index}</li> - -<li>Dubureau, Houdin’s automaton clown, 179.=> Debureau, Houdin’s automaton clown, 179. {index}</li> -</ol> - -<hr class="full" /> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Memoirs of Robert-Houdin, ambassador, -author and conjurer, by Jean Henri Robert-Houdin - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MEMOIRS OF ROBERT-HOUDIN *** - -***** This file should be named 42916-h.htm or 42916-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/9/1/42916/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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