Clara was absorbed in the uneasy memory of the night when Ronald brought the systems handbook on family unit formation to dinner in her home and sat down beside her with the book open to the section on the role of women.

She did not see the heavy dirty-white net until it fell around her body. The net was damp and smelled like towels drying in the cellar on cold days when the dryer wasn't working. As she struggled to free herself, a sweet smell made her suddenly drowsy. She heard the sound of running feet.