three o’clock
They used every possible exertion to extinguish the fire , and to prevent it from communicating to the dwelling-house ; but the wind was high ; it blew directly towards the house . George poured buckets of water over the thatch , to prevent its catching fire ; but all was in vain : thick flakes of fire fell upon it faster than they could be extinguished , and in an hour 's time the dwelling-house was in a blaze . The first care of the sons had been to get their father and sisters out of danger ; then , with great presence of mind , they collected every thing that was most valuable and portable , and laboured hard to save poor James 's stock of haberdashery . They were all night hard at work : towards three o'clock the fire was got under , and darkness and silence succeeded . There was one roof of the house saved , under which the whole family rested for a few hours , till the return of daylight renewed the melancholy spectacle of their ruin . Hay , oats , straw , corn-ricks , barn , every thing that the farm-yard contained , was utterly consumed : the walls and some half-burnt beams remained of the dwelling-house , but it was no longer habitable . It was calculated that six hundred pounds would not repair the loss occasioned by this unfortunate accident .