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Unit 11: The Conjurers Revenge by Stephen Leacock

If he will give me the further permission to paint green Notes
stripes on his overcoat, or to tie his suspenders in a
knot, I shall be delighted to entertain you. If not, the
performance is at an end.”

And amid a glorious burst of music from the orchestra
the curtain fell, and the audience dispersed, convinced
that there are some tricks, at any rate, that are not
done up the conjurer’s sleeve.

!
Caution Remember that here while the Conjurer makes efforts to make his magic shows
enjoyable, the Quick Man constantly tries to pull him down by adopting a fault – finding
and doubt creating approach.

11.2.1 Analysis

The Conjurer called the attention of the people and showed an empty cloth. He said, ‘Presto!’ He
took out a bowl of goldfish. All around the hall people wondered how the Conjurer did it. But
the Quick Man on the front seat said in a big whisper to the people that he had it up his sleeve.
Then everybody whispered round the hall that he had it up his sleeve. The Conjurer instantly
said that his next trick was the famous Hindostanee rings. He showed that the rings were
separate. At a blow they all joined. The Quick Man whispered that he had another lot up his
sleeve. Again everybody nodded and whispered that the rings were up his sleeve.

The conjurer despite getting worried continued to perform his tricks. The Conjurer got a hat
from the audience and he extracted seventeen eggs in thirty five seconds. The audience began to
think that he was wonderful. Then the Quick Man whispered along the front bench that he had
a hen up his sleeve and so all the people whispered it on that he had a lot of hens up his sleeve.
The egg trick was ruined. It went on like that all through. Whatever the tricks he did, he got the
same response. It seemed that the Conjurer must have concealed his sleeve. The reputation of
the conjurer was rapidly sinking below zero.
He rallied for a final effort. He said that he would present to them the famous Japanese trick
recently invented by the natives of Tipperary. He turned toward the Quick Man and requested
him to give his gold watch. It was passed to him. The Conjurer asked the Quick Man if he had his
permission to put it into that mortar and pound it to pieces. The Quick Man nodded and smiled.
The conjurer threw the watch into the mortar and grasped a sledge hammer from the table and
smashed it. The Quick Man whispered that he had slipped it up his sleeve. The conjurer asked
him whether he would allow him to take his handkerchief and punch holes in it. He made
visible holes in it. The real mystery of the thing fascinated the Quick Man.

Then the Conjurer asked for the Quick Man’s permission to dance on his silk hat. The conjurer
passed on the hat with his feet and crushed his it. Then he got his celluloid collar and burnt it
with his permission. Then he got his spectacles and smashed it with hammer. The Quick Man
puzzled and he whispered that he didn’t see through it a bit. The Conjurer concluded that he had
broken his watch, burnt his collar, smashed his spectacles and danced on his hat with his
permission. The audience dispersed with an acceptance that there were some tricks that were not
done up the Conjurer’s sleeve.

Example: When the Conjurer puts up the magic show, the audience loves it. This is
evident from the line “Oh, how wonderful! How does he do it?”

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