midnight
was the cry . In a dense phalanx , blocking the streets from side to side , the crowd set forth , taking the route of Regent Street , Pall Mall , St. James 's Street , and Piccadilly . The whole central traffic of London was held up , and many collisions were reported between the demonstrators upon the one side and the police and taxi-cabmen upon the other . Finally , it was not until after midnight that the four travelers were released at the entrance to Lord John Roxton 's chambers in the Albany , and that the exuberant crowd , having sung ` They are Jolly Good Fellows ' in chorus , concluded their program with ` God Save the King . ' So ended one of the most remarkable evenings that London has seen for a considerable time . '' So far my friend Macdona ; and it may be taken as a fairly accurate , if florid , account of the proceedings . As to the main incident , it was a bewildering surprise to the audience , but not , I need hardly say , to us .