noon
By early morn on their Fast Day the Tilliedrummers were straggling into Thrums , and the weavers , already at their looms , read the clattering of feet and carts aright . To convince themselves , all they had to do was to raise their eyes ; but the first triumph would have been to Tilliedrum if they had done that . The invaders -- the men in Aberdeen blue serge coats , velvet knee-breeches , and broad blue bonnets , and the wincey gowns of the women set off with hooded cloaks of red or tartan -- tapped at the windows and shouted insultingly as they passed ; but , with pursed lips , Thrums bent fiercely over its wobs , and not an Auld Licht showed outside his door . The day wore on to noon , and still ribaldry was master of the wynds . But there was a change inside the houses . The minister had pulled down his blinds ; moody men had left their looms for stools by the fire ; there were rumours of a conflict in Andra Gowrie 's close , from which Kitty McQueen had emerged with her short gown in rags ; and Lang Tammas was going from door to door . The austere precentor admonished fiery youth to beware of giving way to passion ; and it was a proud day for the Auld Lichts to find their leading elder so conversant with apt Scripture texts .