Royal Road to Card Magic The

the four aces, placed in different packets, gather mysteriously in one of them.
    1. Let us say that you have just done A Poker Player's Picnic and that the four aces are lying on the table. Gather the other cards and, under cover of squaring them with the right thumb, lift the inner ends of two cards at the top and insert the tip of the left little finger under them.
    2. Pick up the four aces one by one and place them face upwards on top of the pack. Do not look at your hands; concentrate your attention on those about you. Immediately lift off the face up aces, together with the two face down cards below them. Hold the six cards neatly squared into a packet with its outer end sloping downwards.
    As though struck with a sudden thought, say, 'Here's an interesting thing you may like,' and place the pack on the table. If you have played your part well, the spectators will not realise that the aces have even approached the pack.
    3. Take the packet in the left hand by the sides, between the thumb on one side and the fingers on the other. Indicate the top ace of the packet, calling its name. Remove it, turn it face downwards and place it at the bottom of the packet. Do the same with the next two aces, but after calling the name of the last ace turn it face downwards on top. Thus you have not only shown the four aces but you have secretly arranged the two indifferent cards second and third from the top.
    4. Place the packet on top of the deck and pick up the deck. Deal the first four cards in a row from left to right, casually allowing the onlookers to get a glimpse of the faces of the first and fourth, which are aces, but being careful not to show the two indifferent cards.
    5. Announce that you will place three indifferent cards on each of the four aces. Push off the top card of the deck into your right hand, taking it between the thumb at the inner end and the fingers at the outer end, counting 'one'. In the same way push off and take the next card underneath and, overlapping the first card, count 'two'. Take a third card in exactly the same way and count 'three'. Square the three cards by pushing them against the side of your left thumb and in doing so let the third card drop back on to the pack. Carry away two cards only, as if they were still three, and place them on the ace at the extreme left of the row. These two cards, you remember, are aces, so that three aces are now together in this packet.
    6. Push off three more cards in the same way, counting them into the right hand and squaring them against the left thumb. Place the packet of three indifferent cards on the second (supposed) ace. Do exactly the same with the third and fourth cards of the row. You have thus made three packets of four cards and one packet of three (aces).
    7. Push the packet at the extreme left, the three aces, a little to one side. Pick up the next packet by cutting half the deck, dropping the cut on the packet, picking all up and replacing the cut. Cut about a third of the deck, drop it on the third packet and add all to the deck. Pick up the fourth packet and drop it on top of the deck. Execute an overhand shuffle, retaining these four cards at the top.
    8. It is necessary now to get the fourth ace, which is fourth from the top, to the top of the deck in order to palm it. To do this very simply, say, 'You remember what we did? I dealt an ace on the table, so. [Deal one card face downwards.] On it I dealt three cards, so [deal three more cards], and I did that four times. Is that right?' All agree. Pick up the packet and place it on the deck. You have the ace on top.
    9. Square the deck and, under cover of the movement and talking, palm the top card - the fourth ace. Hold the deck in your right hand as you say, 'The aces are very clannish. They hate being separated. Remember that there are three aces in the deck [take it with your left hand and place it on the table in front of a spectator] and one ace here.' Place your right hand on the packet of three aces, adding the palmed ace and picking all up by drawing the cards towards you. 'Place your hand on the deck, please. No matter how tightly you hold the cards you cannot stop the gathering of the clan, but you may feel them go.'
    10. Tap the back of his hand with your packet, then take it, still squared, in your left hand. Take the deck with the right hand and spread it face upwards on the table with a flourish. 'No aces there!' you exclaim. 'Here are all four!' Turn the packet in your