Transcript
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Narrator / Philip Lefranc (0:50)
I'm Keith Morrison and this is episode three of Wilkie Collins the Dead Alive Our narrator, attorney Philip Lefranc, 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 Medicroft, prepare 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 and she took it. I know you're innocent, she whispered and gave him one look of loving encouragement as she followed me to her place. Ambrose never lost his self control. I may have been wrong, but I thought this a bad sign. The case as stated for the prosecution was told strongly against the suspected men. Ambrose and Silas Meadowcroft were charged with the murder of John Jago by means of the stick or by use of some other weapon, and with the deliberate destruction of the body by throwing it into the quicklime. Witness after witness testified to deep seated hatred against the deceased, displayed by Ambrose and Silas the threatening language they habitually used toward him. Their violent quarrels with him which had become a public scandal throughout the neighborhood. The disgraceful scene which had taken place under my window and the restoration to Ambrose on the morning of the fatal quarrel of the very walking stick which had been found among the remains of the dead man. These facts pointed with terrible directness to the conclusion that to which the prosecution had already arrived. I looked at the brothers as the weight of the evidence pressed more and more heavily against them. To outward view at least, Ambrose still maintained his self possession. It was otherwise, far otherwise with Silas. Abject terror showed itself in his ghastly face, in his great knotty hands clinging convulsively to the bar at which he stood in his staring eyes fixed in vacant horror on each witness who appeared. The one point gained in cross examination by the defense related to the charred bones pressed. On this point, a majority of the medical witnesses admitted that their examination had been a hurried one and that it was just possible that the bones might yet prove to be the remains of an animal and not of a man. The presiding magistrate decided upon this that a second examination would be made here. The preliminary proceedings ended. The prisoners were remanded for three days. The collapse of Silas at the close of the inquiry was so complete that it was found necessary to have two men support him on his leaving the court. Ambrose leaned over the bar to speak to Naomi before he followed the jailer out. Wait, he whispered confidently, till they hear what I have to say. Naomi blew him a kiss and turned to me with bright tears in her eyes. Why don't they hear what he has to say at once? She asked. Anybody can see that Ambrose is innocent. It's a crying shame to send them back to prison. Don't you think so yourself? I diverted her mind from the question of her lover's innocence by proposing that we should visit him in his prison cell on the next day. Day Naomi dried her tears and gave me a little grateful squeeze of the hand. Oh my, what a good fellow you are. Cried the outspoken girl. When your time comes to be married, sir, I guess the woman won't regret saying yes to you. I obtained the order of admission to the prison the next morning. We found Ambrose still confident of a favorable result for his brother and himself. He seemed to be almost eager to tell as Naomi was to hear the true story of what had happened at the lime kiln. The authorities of the prison present of course, of the interview, warned him to remember that what he said might be taken down in writing and produced against him in court. Take it down, gentlemen, and welcome, Ambrose replied I have nothing to fear. I'm only telling the truth. With that, he turned to Naomi and began his narrative. As nearly as I can remember in these words. I may as well make a clean breast of it, my girl. After Mr. Lefranc left us that morning, I asked Silas how he came by my walking stick. Silas told me of the words that had passed between him and John Jago under Mr. Lefranc's window. I was angry and jealous, and I own it freely. Naomi, I thought the worst that could be thought about you and John here. Naomi stopped him. Was that what made you speak to me as you spoke when we found you at the wood? She asked. Yes. And was that what made you leave me when you went away to Narrowby without giving me a kiss at parting? It was. Beg my pardon for it before you say a word more. I beg your pardon. Say you're ashamed of yourself. I am ashamed of myself, ambrose answered penitently. Now you may go on, said Naomi. I'm now satisfied, ambrose went on. We were on our way to the clearing at the other side of the wood while Silas was talking to me, and as ill luck would have it, we took the path that led by the Limekiln. Turning the corner, we met John Jago on his way to Narrowby. I was too angry, I tell you, to let him pass quietly. I gave him a piece of my mind. His blood was up too, I suppose, and he spoke out on his side as freely as I did. I admit I threatened him with the walking stick, but I swear to you I meant no harm. You know, after dressing Silas hand that John Jago is ready with his knife. He comes from out west, where they're always ready with one weapon or another handy in their pockets. It's likely enough he didn't mean to harm me either, but how could I be sure of that? When he stepped up to me and showed me his weapon, I dropped the stick. With one hand I wrenched the knife away from him, and with the other I caught him by the collar of his rotten old coat and gave him a shaking that made the bones rattle in his skin. And a big piece of the cloth came away in my hand. I threw it into the quicklime close to us, and I pitched the knife after the cloth. And if Silas hadn't stopped me, I think it's likely I might have shoved John Jago himself into the line next. As it was, Silas kept hold of me, and Silas shouted out to him, be off with you, and don't come back again if you don't want to be burned in the kiln. He stood looking at us for a minute, fetching his breath and holding his torn coat around him. And then he spoke with a deadly quiet voice and a deadly quiet look. Many a true word, Mr. Silas, he says, is spoken in jest. I shall not come back again. He turned about and left us. We stood staring at each other like a couple of fools. You don't think he means it? I says. Bosh, says Silas. He's too sweet on Naomi not to come back. Naomi asked, did Silas say any more while he was about it? Yes. He looked into the kiln and he says, what made you throw away the knife, Ambrose? It's a ripping good knife, says Silas. In your place I should have kept it. I picked up the stick off the ground. Who says I've lost it yet? I answered him. And with that I got up on the side of the kiln and I began poking around with my walking stick for the knife. Give us your hand, I says to Silas. Let me stretch out a bit and I'll have it in no time. Instead of finding the knife Knife, I. I came close to falling myself into the burning lime. The vapor overpowered me, I suppose. All I know is I turned giddy and I dropped the stick into the kiln. I would have fallen in and died but for Silas. Pulling me back by the hand. He led me away by the arm and we went on together on the road to the wood. We stopped where you found us and sat down on the felled tree. We had a little more talk about John Jago. It ended in our agreeing to wait and see what happened and keep to ourselves in the meantime. You and Mr. Le Frank came upon us, Naomi, while we were talking. And you guessed right when you guessed that we had a secret from you. You know the secret now. There he stopped. I put a question to him, the first that I had asked yet had you or your brother any fear at that time of the charge which has since been brought against you? I said. No such thought entered our heads, sir, Ambrose answered. How could we foresee that the neighbors would search the kiln and say what they have said of us? All we feared was that the old man might hear of the quarrel and be bitterer against us than ever. As you believe. Then I went on, John Jago has carried out his threat of not returning to the farm. According to you, he's now alive and in hiding somewhere. Certainly, said Ambrose. Certainly, repeated Naomi. I believe it too, she said. John Jago is keeping away. Do you suppose he's afraid of Ambrose and Silas? She hesitated. He may be afraid of them, she replied, with a strong emphasis on the word may. But you don't think it likely? She hesitated again, and I pressed her again. Do you think there is any other motive for his absence? Her eyes dropped to the floor. She answered quietly. I can't say. I addressed myself to Ambrose. Have you anything more to tell us? I asked. No, he said. I've told you all I know about it. I rose to speak to the lawyer whose services I had retained. Is this the defense? I inquired in a whisper. This is the defense, Mr. Le Frank. What do you think? Between ourselves? Between ourselves, I think the magistrate will commit them for trial. On the charge of murder? Yes, on the charge of murder. And so there it is. Ambrose's version of events. Yes, he had seen Jago that day, and yes, they'd had a shoving match, but that's all it was. They didn't kill Jago. He ran away. He must be hiding somewhere, not dead at all. Sweet Naomi believes him. Her. Ambrose must be innocent. But Philip the lawyer, knows a losing story when he hears one. His cousin, he fears, is cooked.