Coincidences like these more or less influence nervous persons, not by filling them with presentiments, but rather by throwing a dark shadow upon all their thoughts.  Undoubtedly mine would have travelled in that direction had I not been close upon Wildbad.  Slowly crawling up the hill I saw another carriage coming down at an unusual speed.  “There will be another collision,” I thought, as on the steep road it is very difficult for two carriages to pass each other.  But at the same moment the driver of the vehicle put on the brake with all his strength, and the horses went at a slow pace.  Suddenly, to my great astonishment, I recognized in the inmates of the carriage my aunt and Aniela.  They, too, had caught sight of me; and Aniela cried out:—­

“It is he!  Leon!  Leon!”

In an instant I was at their side.  My aunt fell upon my neck, and repeated, “God has been good to us!” and breathed as rapidly as if she had been running all the way from Wildbad.  Aniela had clutched my hand and held it fast; then all at once a terrible fear shone in her face, and she cried out:—­

“You are wounded?”

I understood at once what was the matter, and said,—­

“Not in the least.  I was not at the accident at all.  I got the blood on my hand from the carriage, which had been used for the wounded.”

“Is it true, quite true?”

“Quite true.”

“What train was it that was wrecked?” asked my aunt.

“The train coming from Zell am See.”

“Oh, good God!  A telegram came to say it was the Vienna train.  It almost killed me.  Oh, God, what happiness!  Praise be to God!”

My aunt began wiping the perspiration from her face.  Aniela was as white as a sheet.  She released my hand, and turned her head aside to hide her tears and twitching mouth.

“We were alone in the house,” continued my aunt.  “Kromitzki had gone with some Belgians to Nassfeld.  The landlord came and told us about the accident on the line, and you can well imagine what state I was in, knowing you were coming by that same line.  I sent the landlord at once for a carriage, and this dear child would not let me go alone.  What a terrible time it has been for us!  Thank God, we escaped with a mere fright.  Did you see the wounded?”

I kissed my aunt’s and Aniela’s hands, and told them what I had seen at Lend-Gastein.  It appeared that the telegram sent to the Kurhaus was thus expressed:  “Railway accident at Lend-Gastein; many killed and wounded.”  From which everybody concluded that the calamity had happened on the Vienna-Salzburg line.