A pack of cards is shuffled and returned to the performer, who at once names the top card. Taking it from the pack he shows that it is the card he named. He does the same with the next card, and the next, and the next, as often as he and his audience may please, and in a very simple way.
When the shuffled pack is returned to him, he quietly turns a corner of the top card and sees what it is, by a glance at the index. As his audience have not been told what he intends to do, this is a very easy matter and does not excite suspicion. The pack is resting in the palm of his left hand, the thumb at one side, the second, third, and little fingers at the other, while the forefinger is in front at the top of the pack. This finger presses the cards a little towards the wrist, causing them to overlap just a trifle. When the performer has called out the top card, he picks it up with his right hand, his thumb at the end of the pack toward his wrist, his fingers on top of the pack. Instead of picking up the top card only, he also lifts the second card just a little so as to see its index, as shown in Fig. 77. The overlapping position of the cards makes that easy. He lets go the second card, however, and slides off the top card, showing it and throwing it on the table. The card that will now be on top, he knows, and he has only to repeat the procedure above described as often as may be necessary. The several movements are perfectly natural and can not be detected if proper care is taken.
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