The coachman falling from the brougham

We were living in about 188- in Hertford Street, Mayfair. One day I determined that on the morrow I would drive to Woolwich in our brougham, taking my little child and nurse, to spend the day with a relation. During the night I had a painfully clear dream or vision of the brougham turning up one of the streets north of Piccadilly ; and then of myself standing on the pavement and holding my child, our old coachman falling on his head on the road, his hat smashed in. This so much discomposed me that when in the morning I sent for the coachman to give his orders, I almost hoped that some obstacle to the drive might arise, so that I might have an excuse for going by train. The coachman was an old and valued servant. I asked him if he would have the carriage ready to drive to Woolwich at ten. He was not given to making difficulties, but he hesitated, and when I suggested eleven instead, he said that he would prefer that hour. He gave no reason for his hesitation, and said that the horse was quite well. I told him almost eagerly that I could quite well go by train ; but he said that all was right.

We went to Woolwich and spent the day. All went well until we reached Piccadilly on the return journey. Then I saw that other coachmen were looking at us ; and looking through the glass front of the brougham I saw that the coachman was leaning back in his seat, as though the horse were pulling violently, of which, however, I felt no sign. We turned up Down Street. He retained his attitude. My dream flashed back upon me. I called to him to stop, jumped out, caught hold of my child, and called to a policeman to catch the coachman. Just as he did so the coachman swayed and fell off the box. If I had been in the least less prompt, he would have fallen just as I saw him in my dream. I found afterwards that the poor man had been suffering from a serious attack of diarrhoea on the previous day, and had gradually fainted from exhaustion during the drive home. He was absolutely sober, and his only mistake had been in thinking that he was strong enough to undertake the long drive. In this case my premonitory dream differed from the reality on two points. In my dream we approached Down Street from the west ; in reality we came from the east. In my dream the coachman actually fell on his head ; the crushing of his hat on the road being the most vivid point of the dream. In reality this was just averted by the prompt action which my anxious memory of the dream inspired.