about eight o'clock
As all had foreseen , Mr Swinton , for not appearing to the citation , was pronounced a non-conformist ; and the same night , after dusk , a party of the soldiers , that were marched from Ayr into Irvine on the day of the proclamation , came to drive him out of the manse . There was surely in this a needless and exasperating severity , for the light of day might have served as well ; but the men were not to blame , and the officer who came with them , having himself been tried in the battles of the Covenant , and being of a humane spirit , was as meek and compassionate in his tyrannical duty as could reasonably be hoped for . He allowed Mrs Swinton to take away her clothes , and the babies , that were asleep in their beds , time to be awakened and dressed , nor did he object to their old ploughman , Robin Harrow , taking sundry articles of provision for their next morning 's repast ; so that , compared with the lewd riots and rampageous insolence of the troopers in other places , we had great reason to be thankful for the tenderness with which our minister and his small family of seven children were treated on that memorable night . It was about eight o'clock when Martha , the eldest daughter , came flying to me like a demented creature , crying the persecutors were come , with naked swords and dreadful faces ; and she wept and wrung her hands , thinking they were then murdering her parents and brothers and sisters . I did , however , all that was in my power to pacify her , saying our lots were not yet laid in blood , and , leaving her to the consolatory counsellings of my wife , I put on my bonnet and hastened over to the manse . The night was troubled and gusty . The moon was in her first quarter , and wading dim and low through the clouds on the Arran hills .