So the field trip went ahead. When they came to the lane, Bradley would not let the children take a detour through the churchyard. Some of them thought this was silly, but they did what they were told. At the end of the lane, they came to a bridge across a river. The older boys came to a halt and asked, "Which way shall we go, sir? Shall we cross the river or stay on the path beside it?" Bradley stopped. He had a funny feeling about the footpath. "Cross the bridge," he told them. So the children began to walk across the bridge. Then Bradley heard the same terrible cracking sound he had heard in his dream. He looked back. On the very edge of the footpath, he saw a huge elm shake and tremble. Then it fell to the ground. His premonition had come true. The children stared at each other and then at their teacher. If they had walked along the footpath, they would have been at the very spot where the tree had fallen.