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The house was typical: split level, a master bedroom above the garage, a maid's quarters, more bedrooms, a few steps down reception rooms, some steps up a family room. The furniture was smooth and cool. The kitchen functional. By South African standards the plot wasn't large. It was green and replete with all manner of plants from subtropical palms to peach trees and violets. Whatever the season, thanks to the hidden automatic sprinklers, it was rich with colour. And of course the neat and sparkling swimming pool, kept clean by the vacuum hose that hoovered up anything that fell into the water.

Swimming pools were the norm for white suburban houses, though the area was going a little grey - non whites were now moving in.

The couple only had one full time helper who lived with them and a gardener who came twice a week. It was becoming difficult to maintain the standards that they had once taken for granted.

Nora was ready to go back to work now that Liz was going to pre-school in the morning. She was a quiet little girl, who loved spending hours playing in the garden with the family cat. A spayed Siamese cross. Liz was upset when she was parted from the cat and sent to school, but

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