servants, deprived him of the instructions of the curate, and
insisted that he should labour out of doors instead; compelling him
to do so as hard as any other lad on the farm.

Heathcliff bore his degradation pretty well at first, because Cathy
taught him what she learnt, and worked or played with him in the
fields. They both promised fair to grow up as rude as savages; the
young master being entirely negligent how they behaved, and what
they did, so they kept clear of him. He would not even have seen
after their going to church on Sundays, only Joseph and the curate
reprimanded his carelessness when they absented themselves; and
that reminded him to order Heathcliff a flogging, and Catherine a
fast from dinner or supper. But it was one of their chief
amusements to run away to the moors in the morning and remain there
all day, and the after punishment grew a mere thing to laugh at.
The curate might set as many chapters as he pleased for Catherine
to get by heart, and Joseph might thrash Heathcliff till his arm
ached; they forgot everything the minute they were together again:
at least the minute they had contrived some naughty plan of
revenge; and many a time I've cried to myself to watch them growing
more reckless daily, and I not daring to speak a syllable, for fear
of losing the small power I still retained over the unfriended
creatures. One Sunday evening, it chanced that they were banished
from the sitting-room, for making a noise, or a light offence of
the kind; and when I went to call them to supper, I could discover
them nowhere. We searched the house, above and below, and the yard
and stables; they were invisible: and, at last, Hindley in a
passion told us to bolt the doors, and swore nobody should let them
in that night. The household went to bed; and I, too, anxious to
lie down, opened my lattice and put my head out to hearken, though