I'm Keith Morrison, and this is episode three of Wilkie Collins, The Dead Alive.

Our narrator, Attorney Philip LeFrank, is far from his London home, but he finds himself

in a familiar place, a courtroom.

He's watching his American relatives, brothers Ambrose and Silas Metacroft,

prepared to stand trial for the murder of John Jago.

The evidence is stacked against them.

It was well known that the brothers despised, Jago,

and the very day after they were seen and

heard threatening him, a pile of bones was discovered, burned in a lime pit on the family's

farm.

Along with Jago's knife, buttons from his jacket, and the apparent murder weapon, Ambrose

Meadowcroft's heavy wooden walking stick.

Now, Naomi is beside herself with worry.

Philip does what he can to help the defense

and comfort that distraught young woman.

The dead alive resumes.

Chapter 7. The Materials in the Defense

On our way to the chairs, allotted to us in the magistrate's court, we passed the platform on which the prisoners were standing together.

Silas took no notice of us. Ambrose made a friendly sign of recognition

and then rested his hand on the bar in front of him.

As she passed beneath him,

Naomi was just tall enough to reach his hand on tiptoe,

...