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still getting things ready
when Catweazle backed into the drawing-room. He had just left his ‘present’ in
the main hall and had been frightened by the uproar from the dining-room.
    ‘Mr
Catweazle!’ exclaimed Vadanti.
    Catweazle
spun round.
    ‘They
haven’t made a double booking, have they?’ said Vadanti. Catweazle had no idea
what a double booking was and shook his head nervously.
    ‘Thank
goodness,’ said Vadanti. ‘It happened to me once, you know. I had to share a
children’s party with a sword-swallower. I’ve never forgotten it. The poor man
got hiccups.’
    Catweazle
tried to creep away but Vadanti stopped him. ‘Don’t go away!’ he said, ‘I’ve
got the cabinet trick in the car. I’d cut it because my assistant’s ill but you
could easily replace him. I’ll run through the programme with you. It’s all
standard stuff.’
    So
Catweazle was forced to become Vadanti’s assistant and stood trembling beside
him when the children came pouring in from the dining-room. Cedric and his
mother were the last to come in. ‘Oh good!’ said Lady Collingford sitting down
beside her son, who was gaping a bit at Catweazle, ‘his assistant’s managed to
come after all.’
    ‘Er ..
. yes,’ stammered Cedric, wondering what on earth was going to happen.
    ‘I
found this in the hall,’ said his mother, handing him Catweazle’s ‘present’. ‘I
don’t know who it’s from. There’s no card.’
    ‘I
think I know,’ said Cedric, putting it down by his feet.
    Vadanti
stepped forward and bowed. ‘Ladies and... er... boys and girls. I should like
to demonstrate the amazing properties possessed by my magic wand.’
    A wand
appeared in his hand, and Catweazle’s mouth dropped open. Vadanti went on
talking while the wand seemed to float in space. There was a burst of applause
from the children. Catweazle looked at Vadanti with envy. Next, the conjuror
filled a glass with water from a big jug and then covered the tumbler with a
cloth. ‘Ab-racadabra,’ he cried and crumpled the cloth. The glass of water had
vanished. The children clapped again and then roared with laugher when
Catweazle, beside himself with curiosity, lifted the trick water jug to
investigate, and knocked over the glass hidden underneath.
    ‘You
idiot!’ hissed Vadanti and went quickly on to his next trick.

    ‘The
Heavenly Twins,’ said Vadanti. ‘They can never be separated!’ He held up two
small plastic dolls and Catweazle’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. It was
the Sign he sought! He watched as Vadanti put two mysterious boxes on the table
and a doll in each of them.
    ‘I will
now re-unite the twins by magic,’ said Vadanti, ‘in whichever box you choose.’
But before he could get any farther, Catweazle, inquisitive as a monkey, had
opened both boxes and taken two dolls from each of them.
    The
audience rocked with mirth and Vadanti went as red as the lining of his cloak.
‘You maniac!’ he snarled at Catweazle.
    Covered
in confusion the wretched conjuror turned once more towards his audience. ‘And
now it’s time to introduce you to Percy — the invisible rabbit.’
    Cedric
was listening to a scratching sound coming from the cardboard box at his feet.
    ‘Percy
lives in here,’ continued Vadanti, picking up his top hat, ‘but you can’t see
him because he’s — ’
    ‘Invisible!’
shouted the children.
    Catweazle
began to get very apprehensive as Vadanti put his top hat down over the hole in
his magic table.
    ‘But if
I say the magic words I can make Percy appear,’ said Vadanti.
    Catweazle
wondered what magic words would be able to do that.
    Vadanti
put his hand through the trap door in the hat and his expression changed
abruptly when, instead of Percy, he brought out a large bunch of bananas.
    Once
more the children roared with laughter and Vadanti glared at Catweazle who
suddenly looked very sheepish.
    Cedric
had undone the parcel by now and found the little rabbit. ‘Is this Percy?’ he
called and