Royal Marriages

The plot of this trick is taken from Hofzinser's Card Conjuring, p. 127, "The Queen of Hearts." Hofzinser's routine requires the use of specially prepared cards but a similar effect can be obtained with any deck in this manner.

After the pack has been shuffled by a spectator, take it and running through it, with the faces of the cards towards yourself, take out the four Kings and the Queen of Hearts, putting them face up on the table. At the same time secretly place the other three

Queens on the bottom, the Queen of Clubs becoming the bottom
card, next above it the Queen of Diamonds and next above that the Queen of Spades.

The story runs to the effect that four of your friends, represented by the four Kings, all fell in love with the same girl, whose part is to be taken by the Queen of Hearts. "Not being able to make up her mind," you say, "As to which one she preferred and becoming rather fed up with the protestations of the love-sick swains, the lady decided to take a vacation."

Place the Kings on top of the deck in the order--Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades. The King of Hearts being the top card.

Make the pass bringing the Kings to the middle and hold the break. With the right thumb at the rear end of the deck, lift the first two Kings and cut the deck at that point. Request a spectator to put the Queen of Hearts on the lower portion, i.e. on the King of Diamonds. Replace the cut, letting the two Kings drop back on the lower portion and insert the tip of the left little finger above them. Make the pass bringing the Kings again to the top but this time with the Queen of Hearts between the King of Clubs and the King of Diamonds, that is, third from the top, the other three Queens remaining on the bottom of the deck.

"In spite of her absence," you continue, "The four friends thought of her with even greater constancy. Tired of the constant babbling of his friends the King of Hearts decided to go off by himself, anywhere to get away from them."

Push the top card over the side of the pack with the left thumb and lever it face up with the right hand, brought up from below, by striking the right hand side of the card with the upper side of the right forefinger.

Show the King of Hearts and turn it face down again in the same
way. Take it off the deck and throw it face up on the table to one side. Turn the next card, the King of Clubs, face up in the same way.

"The second friend thought of her day and night until his whole personality was identical with hers."

Push the King of Clubs and the next card, the Queen of Hearts, over the side of the pack and execute the New Top Change, Fig. 8 & 9, bringing the Queen of Hearts on top. At the word "identical" turn the top card face up and show the Queen of Hearts. In turning this card face down again, execute the sleight bringing the King of Clubs on top.

"I put the lady down over here."

Take off the top card (King of Clubs) and place it face down on the table. As far as the audience is concerned, this card is really the Queen of Hearts, so be careful not to expose its face. Make the double lift, i.e. turn the two top cards as one, and show the King of Diamonds. Then turn both as one card, face down.

"The third friend did not fare much better. He too thought of nothing else but his lady love until he completely lost his head."

Turn the top card and again show the Queen of Hearts. Push this card and the next one over the side of the deck and again execute the New Top Change bringing the King of Diamonds on top of the Queen of Hearts.

"I will place this Queen of Hearts here also."

Put the top card, (The King of Diamonds) face down beside the other supposed Queen. Make the double lift and show the King of Spades.

"The fourth friend tried to forget the lady but in vain."

Turn the two cards, as one, face down. "Her image appeared to him at every moment of the day."

Turn the top card and show the Queen of Hearts. Once more execute the New Change, take off the King of Spades and put it face downwards beside the other two supposed Queens, saying, 'I will put this Queen on the table with the other two.

"Let us give these love-torn friends a little time to come to their senses."

Execute the One Hand Top Palm, palming the Queen of Hearts in the right hand as you put the deck down. At once, place this hand squarely on the King of Hearts, draw it off the table towards yourself, adding the Queen to it and, keeping the two well covered, place them together in your left upper vest pocket. Push the rear card well down and let about one-third of the other protrude, the back being outwards.

"Time heals all wounds and before a year had gone by the intoxication of their love was gone, their heads were clear and the lady of their hearts clean forgotten."

Turn over the supposed Queens and show the three Kings.

"We read in the Bible: "It is not good for man to live alone," so after a while each of my friends seriously considered the advisability of taking a better half. This time instead of trusting to the vagaries of the Goddess of Love they decided to let chance provide a suitable companion for each. Let us create such a chance for each of these three cards."

Take up the pack and freely shuffle off about two-thirds of the cards by the overhand method, injog one card and throw the balance on top. The three Queens, originally on the bottom, will now be just above the jogged card. Insert the tip of the left little finger above the jog and hold a break there.

Hand the King of Clubs to a lady and request her to push the card into the pack, anywhere she pleases, as you riffle the ends of the cards. Riffle rather slowly so that there will be no danger of the card being inserted above the break. It must go in amongst the lower two-thirds of the deck. Fig. 21.

Push the card in about half its length, at the same time turning the pack upright. With the right thumb push the cards above the break, held by the left little finger, until the top of the packet is flush with the top of the inserted card. Draw them upward free from the pack with the right hand.

Turn the packet face down and place it between the left thumb and first and second fingers. Fig. 22.

Draw out the King of Clubs, show it and throw it face up on the table, Draw out the card next to it, the Queen of Clubs, and without showing its face, put it face down on the King of Clubs.

Replace the packet on the rest of the cards, being careful not to expose the Queen of Diamonds, now the bottom card of the packet, and again hold a break with the little finger. In exactly the same way force the Queen of Diamonds and the Queen of Spades, putting them face down on the face up Kings. Hand the pack to a spectator to be thoroughly shuffled.

Turn over the three Queens and show that chance has arranged three happy marriages. "But we have still to settle the King of Hearts, it would not be fair to leave him without a partner." Take that card from your vest pocket but in so doing draw up the other card with the thumb and hold the two cards as one in the right hand. Take the shuffled deck with your left hand, request a spectator to lift a corner at any point, insert the two cards there, as one, and pull them through the deck from the other side. Nothing appears to have happened so you hand the deck to the spectator and ask him to take out the Queen of Hearts to pair off the remaining King. He reports that the Queen of Hearts is not in the pack.

"This King evidently knew what he wanted," you say, and you separate the two cards, opening them bookwise and showing the faces of the King and Queen of Hearts.