“I might add,” said Joe, pausing a moment after Helen had taken her seat, “that in order to prevent any shock to Mademoiselle Mortonti I am going to mesmerize her.  She will then be unconscious.  I do this for two reasons.  In totally disappearing there is sometimes a shock to a person’s mentality that is unpleasant.  To avoid indicting that on Mademoiselle Mortonti I will hypnotize her.

“The other reason I do that is that she may not know how or when she disappears.  Thus she will not be able to see how I do the trick, and so cannot give away my secret.”

Of course this was all “bunk” or “patter,” to use names given to it by the performers.  It kept the attention of the audience and so enabled Joe to do certain things without attracting too much attention to them.  As a matter of fact he did not mesmerize Helen, and she knew perfectly well how the trick was done.  Those who have read previous books of this series are also in the secret.

Joe waved his hands in front of Helen’s face.  She swayed slightly in her chair.  Then her eyes closed as though against her will, and she seemed to sleep.

“She is now in the proper condition for the trick,” said Joe.  “I must beg of you not to make any sudden or unnecessary noise.  You might suddenly awaken her from the mesmeric slumber, and this might be very serious.”

As Joe said this with every indication of meaning it, there was a quick hush among the audience.  Even though many knew it was only a trick, they could not help being impressed by the solemn note in Joe’s voice.  Such is the psychology of an audience, and the power over it of a single person.

“She now sleeps!” said Joe in a low voice.  As a matter of fact, Helen was wide awake, and as Joe stood between her and the circus crowd she slowly opened one eye and winked at him.  He was glad to see this, as it showed her nervousness had left her.

“Now for the mystic veil!” cried Joe, as he took from his helper a thin clinging piece of black silk gauze.  He tossed this over Helen and the chair, completely covering both from sight.  He brought the veil around behind Helen’s head, fastening it there with a pin.

“To make sure that Mademoiselle Mortonti sleeps, I will now make the few remaining mesmeric passes,” said Joe.  “I must be positive that she slumbers.”

He waved his hands slowly over the black robed figure.  A great hush had fallen over the big crowd.  Every eye was on the black figure in the center of the raised stage in the middle of the big circus tent.  All the other acts had temporarily stopped, to make that of Joe Strong, the boy magician, more spectacular.

As Joe continued to wave one hand with an undulating motion over the silent black-covered figure in the chair, he touched, here and there, the drapery over Helen.  He seemed very solicitous that it should hang perfectly right, covering the figure of the girl and the chair completely from sight in every direction all around the stage.