about a quarter to ten
The police between Whitehall and the Abbey , looking from their high platforms strung along the route , whence they kept watch and controlled the wire palisadings , showed a certain activity , and a minute later a police-car whirled through the square between the palings , and vanished round the Abbey towers . The crowd murmured and shuffled and began to expect , and a cheer was raised when a moment later four more cars appeared , bearing the Government insignia , and disappeared in the same direction . These were the officials , they said , going to Dean 's Yard , where the procession would assemble . At about a quarter to ten the crowd at the west end of Victoria Street began to raise its voice in a song , and by the time that was over , and the bells had burst out from the Abbey towers , a rumour had somehow made its entrance that Felsenburgh was to be present at the ceremony . There was no assignable reason for this , neither then nor afterwards ; in fact , the _ Evening Star _ declared that it was one more instance of the astonishing instinct of human beings _ en masse _ ; for it was not until an hour later that even the Government were made aware of the facts . Yet the truth remained that at half-past ten one continuous roar went up , drowning even the brazen clamour of the bells , reaching round to Whitehall and the crowded pavements of Westminster Bridge , demanding Julian Felsenburgh . Yet there had been absolutely no news of the President of Europe for the last fortnight , beyond an entirely unsupported report that he was somewhere in the East .