This was the turning point of the conjurer’s life. “It is an ill wind that blows nobody good.” With this money Houdin without further delay built in the Palais Royal a little theatre. “The galleries which surround the garden of the Palais Royal are divided,” says Houdin, “into successive arches, occupied by shops. Above these arches there are, on the first floor, spacious suites of apartments, used as public assembly rooms, clubs, cafés, etc. It was in the space occupied by one of these suites, at No. 164 of the Rue de Valois, {132} that I built my theatre, which extended, in width, over three of the above-mentioned arches; and in length the distance between the garden of the Palais Royal and the Rue de Valois, or, in other words, the whole depth of the building.” The dimensions of this miniature theatre were very limited. It would not seat over two hundred people. Though the seats were few in number, their prices were tolerably high. Children were paid for as grown persons. The Palais Royal was formerly the residence of Cardinal Richelieu, the “Red Duke,” and afterwards became the home of the Orléans family. The Regent d’Orléans, in the reign of Louis XV, experimented with magic mirrors in this building. It was in the Palais Royal that the French Revolution was hatched. Could a more favorable place have been selected in which to start a revolution in conjuring? I think not. The following is the announcement of Houdin’s first performance, which appeared on the bill-boards of Paris: Aujourd’hui Jeudi, 3 Juillet 1845. Première Représentation des Soirées Fantastiques de Robert-Houdin. “On this day,” says Houdin, “by a strange coincidence, the Hippodrome and the ‘Fantastic Soirées’ of Robert-Houdin, the largest and smallest stage in Paris, were opened to the public. The 3d of July, 1845, saw two bills placarded on the walls of Paris; one enormous belonging to the Hippodrome, while the other of far more modest proportions, announced my performances. Still as in the fable of the reed and the oak, the large theatre, in spite of the skill of the managers, has undergone many changes of fortune; while the smaller one has continually enjoyed the public favor. I have sacredly kept a proof of my first bill, the form and color of which have always remained the same since that date. I copy it word for word here, both to {133} furnish an idea of its simplicity, and to display the programme of the experiments I then offered to the public:”— TO-DAY, THURSDAY, JULY 3, 1845 FIRST REPRESENTATION OF THE FANTASTIC SOIRÉES OF ROBERT-HOUDIN AUTOMATA, SLEIGHT OF HAND, MAGIC The Performance will be composed of entirely novel Experiments invented by M. ROBERT-HOUDIN AMONG THEM BEING: THE CABALISTIC CLOCK AURIOL AND DEBUREAU THE ORANGE-TREE THE MYSTERIOUS BOUQUET THE HANDKERCHIEF PIERROT IN THE EGG OBEDIENT CARDS THE MIRACULOUS FISH THE FASCINATING OWL THE PASTRYCOOK OF THE PALAIS ROYAL TO COMMENCE AT EIGHT O’CLOCK