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after which I left the apartment forever. It was insignificant in itself and had I felt any remaining love for Leon, I could easily have forgiven it. But it seemed all too indicative of the extent to which the marriage had withered. 

We were at breakfast one morning, each reading a newspaper. I expressed an opinion about an editorial that interested me. Without looking up from his newspaper, Leon said, "It's a matter of complete indifference to me what you think."

He continued reading. I remained at the table for another moment, then excused myself, and went to my bedroom. I was not angry, but simply numb, realizing now that the end had come. I packed some bags and Foster, Leon's Negro valet, carried them across the street to the Fairmont where I took a room. When Leon returned to the apartment in the late afternoon and discovered that I had left him, he telephoned. In a tight, unfamiliar voice, he asked if he