第章

Thebasketshouldhavesidesaboutfourincheshigh，andthebottomshouldmeasureaboutsevenandone-halfbyteninches。Thesidesandendsslopeoutward，andthebasketisopenwickerwork。

Suitablebowsofribbonontheendsofthehandleandcornersofthebasketconcealthemechanism。

Inthepresentinstance，theassistantbehindthescenes，afterreadingandplacingthequestionsinduplicateenvelopeswhichthemanagerhadpreviouslynumbered，sealedthemandplacedtheminthesidesofthebasket，bentuptheflapsintoposition，andloweredthehandlelockingtheminplace。Henowpushedthisbasketintoviewonatableattherearofthestage；andwhenthemanagerwasreadytoreturntheenvelopes，hescoopedthedummyenvelopesfromthetable(wheretheylayafterthebagwasemptied)intothisbasket。Hethenliftedthehandlewhichreleasedtheflaps，coveredupthedummyenvelopesanddroppedtheoriginalsintoview。

Thesehetookdownandquicklydistributedtothewriters。Beingnumbered，thiscouldbequicklydone。

Iwillnowdescribethemethodemployedonthethirdevening。Thistimedummyenvelopeswereplacedinthesidesofthebasket，andthehandleleftinaloweredpositionwhiletheoperatorgathereduptheenvelopes。Asthemanagerreturnedtothestagehetookthebasketbythehandle。Thisreleasedthedummyenvelopes，andcovereduptheoriginalsretainingthem。Heemptiedthedummyenvelopesuponthesmalltableandthenlaidthebasketonatablenearthefliesintherear，andratheroutofview。Anassistantbehindthescenestookouttheoriginalenvelopes，openedthem，andashereadthequestionsrepeatedthemintoasmalltelephone。Thewiresfromthistelephoneranunderthestagecarpettoapairofmetalplateswithatackinthecenterofeachplatewhichpointedupward。Theseplateswerelocatedundercertainspotsinthecarpetanddirectlyinfrontofthemedium’schair。Therewerealsotwootherpairsofwiresleadingtotwootherpositionsonthestage。Themediumwasdressedasa“Mahatma“onthisevening，wearingalargeturban。Alargetasseldangledbyhisleftear，completelyconcealingasmall“watch-casereceiver“whichwasattachedtothisear。Twotinywiresledfromthisreceiver，insidehiscollar，downhisperson，andwereconnectedinsidehisshoestootherwireswhichpenetratedthesolesofhisshoes。

Theselatterwiresweresolderedtocopperplateswhichweretackedintopositiononhisshoesoles。Henowtookhispositioninthechairandplacedhisfeetoverthehiddentacks，whichnowcontactedhisshoeplates，completingthecircuit，sothatanythingwhisperedintothetelephoneonthestagewasrepeatedinhisear。

Hethengaveafewtests，tappinghisspiritbell，whichwasasignalformoreinformationfromtheassistant。

Hesoongrewnervousandwalkedawaygivingatestashewalked。

Henowpausedinacertainpositionforamoment，placinghishandtohisheadasifsomewhatdazedandtappinghisbell。Inthispositionhisfeetwereagainovertwoconcealedtacks，andheagainsecuredinformationforanothertest，whichhegaveashewalkedabout。Henowpausedinathirdpositionandgaveanothertest，afterwhichhereturnedtothechair，continuinghiswork。Thismaneuveringhekeptupuntilallthetestsweregiven；afterwhichhefelluponacouchexhausted，butwithhisfeetfromthespectators。

Themanagernowsteppedtotherearofthestageandtookthebasket，whichwasnowinplacecontainingtheoriginal(？)

envelopesbehindtheflaps；andsteppingtothesmalltablehescoopedinthedummyenvelopes；thentakingthebasketbythehandles，hesteppeddowntherunwayandrapidlyreturnedtheunopened(？)envelopestotheirwriters。Theassistanthad，ofcourse，sealedthequestionsinduplicateenvelopespreviouslynumberedbythemanager。Hehadplacedthesebehindtheflaps，andshovedthebasketintoviewonatableattherearofthestage。

Iuseavariationofthesetricksinmydoubleparlors。Ihavemadea“billetchangingbasket“asabovedescribed，andhavealsomadeasimilarbasketexceptthatitcontainsnomechanism。

Ipasscardsandenvelopestothespectatorsinthefrontparlor。

Whenthequestionsarewrittenandsealedintheenvelopes，I

gatherthemupinthemechanicalbasket；Isteptoatableintherearparlorandapparentlyemptythemuponit。Inreality，Ihavejustraisedthehandlesothattheoriginalsareretained，andthedummyenvelopesareemptiedonthetableinstead。

Inowsteptoanadjoiningroomfor