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The hand is raised.  Why?  For what purpose?  The presentation of the hand upon the surfaces of the cube will decide and specify.

By this presentation the nine movements of the hand correspond with the expressive movements of the arm.

Take any cube whatever,—­a book, a snuff-box, or rather cast your eyes upon the foregoing chart, and examine it carefully.

There are three directions in the cube:  horizontal, vertical and transverse.  Hence there are six faces, anterior, superior, inferior, interno-lateral and externo-lateral.

Of what use are angles and faces?  All this is necessary for those who would know the reason of the sentiments expressed by the hand.  There are twenty-seven sorts of affirmation.  We give nine of them with the six faces of the cube.

The Digital Face.

To place the hand, whether eccentric, concentric or normal, upon the upper face of the cube, is to hold, to protect, to control; it is to say:  “I hold this under my protection.”

To place the hand upon the external side-face of the cube, signifies to belong; it says:  “All this belongs to me.”  It is the affirmation of the man who knows, who has had the thing in dispute under his own eyes, who has measured it, examined it in all its aspects.  It is the affirmation of the connoisseur.

To apply the hand to the inner side of the face is to let go.  Here is the sense of this affirmation:  “You may say whatever you will, but I affirm in spite of every observation, in spite of all objection; I affirm whether or no.”

The Back Face.

There are three ways of touching the front face of the cube with the hand.

A.—­To touch it with the end of the fingers upward and the thumb inward, is to obtain:  “I have obtained great benefits, I do not know how to express my gratitude.”  Or rather:  “I keep the object for myself; I do not care to let it be seen.”  This is the mystic face.  Or yet again:  “I contemplate.”

B.—­To place the hand horizontally on the same face of the cube, is to restrain, or bound.  “Go no farther, if you please; all this belongs to me.”

C.—­To place the hand upon the same anterior face of the cube, but with the extremities of the fingers vertically downward, means to retain.  It says:  “I reserve this for myself.”  Here, then, are three aspects for the anterior face of the cube.

The Palmar Face.

A.—­To place the lower face of the cube in the hand, is to sustain.  It is to say:  “I will sustain you in misfortune.”

B.—­To apply as much as possible the palm upon the same posterior face of the cube, with the fingers downward, is to maintain:  “I maintain what I have said.”