Sarah Watson was a well-known doctor who often travelled about to treat patients. One day she was leaving London to see a very sick person in Denton in the north of England. At the station she took her seat in an empty part of the train for Denton, and told the conductor she would be glad to be alone if she could.

The train was already in motion when a young lady came running down the platform with a porter carrying her luggage. The man just managed to open the carriage door, push the young lady in and throw her things in after her. Then the train was off. The young lady took the seat opposite Dr Watson.

After a while, Dr Watson asked politely, “Are you travelling far?”

“Oh yes,” said the young lady, “I am going to Denton.”

“How strange!” said Dr Watson. “That’s where I’m going myself.”

There was a moment’s pause, and then the young lady very modestly said, “I’m going to be married there tomorrow.”

They went on talking and became quite friendly. The train arrived at Rugby and they both got out for a snack. They were in the carriage again, and the train was already moving, when the young lady called out excitedly, “Stop the train! Don’t you see, he’s urging me to get out! There, that young man in the brown coat with the beard, that’s the man I’m going to marry.” Of course it was impossible to get out, and the young lady grew very upset. Dr Watson assured her there was no one standing there, but she would not believe her. Thinking the young lady must be unwell, Dr Watson persuaded her to take some medicine.

The train arrived at Stafford and exactly the same thing occurred. And again Dr Watson assured her there was no one there, and said, “I think you had better let me give you some more medicine.” After this Dr Watson felt she could not go on giving the young lady medicine at every station all the way to Denton. So she decided that if the same thing happened at Crewe, it indicated either that the young woman really had had a vision of the future, or that she was not in a state of health to be married the next day. Dr Watson determined to act accordingly.

At Crewe the same thing did happen again. “Don’t you see him? He’s urging me more than ever to get out,” cried the young lady.

“Very well,” said Dr Watson, “we will get out and go after him,” and together they pursued the imaginary figure and of course did not find him. Dr Watson had decided to do something, so she took the young lady to the station hotel. Handing over enough money for the expenses, she left her in their care until the next day, when she would be returning that way after seeing her patient.

Dr Watson settled in her seat again just as the train departed. She was feeling sorry for the young lady, who now could not be married the next day, when suddenly the train was involved in a dreadful accident. Dr Watson was fortunately unhurt, but part of the carriage, including the seat opposite her, was totally destroyed. It was a long time before the railway line was cleared, and Dr Watson arrived at Denton, many hours late, by another train. There, waiting upon the platform, stood the young man with the beard and the brown coat exactly as he had been described. He had heard that there had been a terrible crash and was prepared for his worst fears to be realized. Dr Watson confirmed that an accident had occurred, but was able to reassure him that his young lady was safe in the station hotel at Crewe.

① She looked forward to travelling with the young lady.

② She wanted to travel by herself.

③ She was surprised that no one helped the young lady with her luggage.

④ She was worried that the train might not go directly to Denton.

① She got out at each station after seeing a figure she recognised.

② She knew she was unwell, yet she couldn’t be persuaded to take any medicine.

③ She was convinced of the presence of someone whom Dr Watson could not see.

④ She was making a long journey, even though she was to be married the next day.

① She explained the meaning of what the young lady had seen.

② She gave the young lady medicine every time she behaved strangely.

③ She paid for the young lady to stay and rest in Crewe.

④ She talked with the young lady all the way to Denton.

① Dr Watson would not allow her to travel to her destination.

② She went into the hotel at Stafford and the train left without her.

③ The young man told her that he did not want to marry her after all.

④ There was a train crash soon after Crewe and she was seriously injured.

① He was alarmed that Dr Watson had arrived without the young lady.

② He was dissatisfied that Dr Watson had not stayed to look after the young lady.

③ He was pleased that the young lady had taken his advice to travel to Denton.

④ He was relieved that the young lady had left the train at Crewe.

① It was not unusual for Dr Watson to see patients away from her home.

② Dr Watson was going to Denton to attend her friend’s wedding.

③ The young lady was upset because the train had not stopped at Rugby.

④ The young lady imagined seeing the young man twice before she arrived at Crewe.

⑤ Dr Watson really believed she would catch the young man at Crewe.

⑥ Because of the crash, Dr Watson could not return to Crewe that day as planned.

⑦ The medicine did not stop the young lady from seeing visions of a familiar person.

⑧ The carriage in which Dr Watson sat was undamaged in the accident.

⑨ Passengers going to Denton were not much delayed by the crash.

⓪ The young man learned from Dr Watson that the young lady had escaped injury.