A Conjurers Confessions | Page 8

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, etc.
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, pocketbooks, etc., 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, etc. We knew, too, the names of all surgical instruments, so
that a surgical pocketbook, 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 recognize 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 chatelaines, pins, eyeglasses, fans, brooches, rings,
bouquets, etc. 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 Chaussee 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,