flaming brandy, and for dessert ate the four
large candles standing on the table, both of
the hanging side lamps with their contents,
and finally the large center lamp, oil, wick and
all. This leaving the room in darkness,
Dufour's face shone out in a mask of living flames.

A dog had come in with a farmer, who was
probably a confederate, and now began to bark.
Since Dufour could not quiet him, he seized
him, bit off his head and swallowed it, throwing
the body aside. Then ensued a comic scene
between Dufour and the farmer, the latter
demanding that his dog be brought to life, which
threw the audience into paroxysms of laughter.
Then suddenly candles reappeared and seemed
to light themselves. Dufour made a series of
hocus-pocus passes over the dog's body; then
the head suddenly appeared in its proper place,
and the dog, with a joyous yelp, ran to his
master.

Notwithstanding the fact that Dufour must
have been by all odds the best performer of his
time, I do not find reference to him in any
other authority. But something of his originality
appeared in the work of a much humbler
practitioner, contemporary or very nearly
contemporary with him.