How long have you lived in this house？

How long have you lived in this house？ I waited in the kitchen until it was light enough outside for me to find my way through the deep snow back to Thrushcross Grange. The housekeeper there，Ellen Dean，rushed out to welcome me home. She thought I must have died in the previous night's snowstorm．With a warm fire，and a hot meal，I began to recover from my unpleasant experiences．

After my stay at Wuthering Heights，I thought I would never want to speak to any human being again，but by the end of the next day I was beginning to feel lonely．I decided to ask Mrs Dean to sit with me after supper.

‘How long have you lived in this house？’I asked her．‘Eighteen years，sir. I came symbolism here early in 1783 when my mistress was married，to look after her. And when she died，I stayed here as housekeeper.’