d one of the audience who had risen and was waiting to
speak, said: "I trust Messrs. Martin and Davenport will accept this
challenge, and allow the Modern Sorcery Company the opportunity here,
in this hall to-night, of displaying their skill--or their ignorance,
as the case may be. If Messrs. Martin and Davenport's tricks cannot be
performed by any outsider--the Firm in accepting this challenge will
merely be twenty thousand pounds the richer--and if--as is hardly
likely, Messrs. Martin and Davenport should be outwitted, I am sure
they themselves will be amongst the first to congratulate their
successful rivals. I, for one, am quite ready to act as referee."

"I too!" shouted a dozen other voices. "Be a sport and accept his
bet!"

"Ladies and gentlemen," John Martin replied with dignity, "you have
given me no alternative; I accept the challenge. Perhaps those who
have so kindly volunteered to act as referees will see that order is
maintained whilst I go on with my performance, at the conclusion of
which Mr. Curtis--I think that is the name of my rival--will be quite
at liberty to try his exposition of my tricks."

The performance then proceeded, and when it was over, Curtis, Hamar
and Kelson, accompanied by six of those of the audience who had
volunteered to act as referees, stepped on to the stage. Seats were
provided for the referees--three on the one side of the stage and
three on the other; and having seen that everything was fair and
square John Martin retired to the O.P. wing, behind which Gladys was
concealed.

A brief description of "The Brass Coffin" trick, which was the first
Messrs. Hamar, Curtis and Kelson proceeded to explain, will, perhaps,
suffice.

A massively constructed brass-bound coffin is handed round to the
audience, who carefully examine it, and being unable to discover
anything amiss, pronounce themselves satisfied that it is genuine.

The operator then summons an assistant, jokingly refers to him as "the
corpse"--puts him into a sack, made to represent a winding-sheet,
securely binds the sack with a piece of cord, and asks one of the
audience to seal it. The sack and its contents are then placed in the
coffin which is locked and corded. The operator then throws a sheet
over the coffin, lets it remain there for a few seconds, and on
removing it and opening the lid, the coffin, is found to be empty. A
shout from the front of the House makes every one turn round, when, to
their amazement, "