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180 SÖNYA KOVALÉVSKY
Sönya had always been shy about the unnatural
relations between her husband and herself. One of
the Heidelberg professors used to tell how, when
he happened to meet Kovalévsky at his wife’s house,
she would introduce him in a vague way as a
"relation."
Her oft-quoted friend says of their life in Berlin:
" Our life there was even more monotonous and lonely
than in Heidelberg. "We lived all by ourselves. Sönya
was busy at her problems the whole day long, and was
at the laboratory till the evening, when, after
partaking together of a hasty repast, we again sat down to
work. Excepting Professor Weierstrass, who was a
constant visitor, we never saw any one within
outdoors. Sönya was always in low spirits. Nothing
seemed to give her pleasure, and she was indifferent
to everything but study. Her husband’s visits always
brightened her up; but the joy of meeting was clouded
by frequently recurring misunderstandings and
reproaches, though they seemed to be very fond of each
other, and constantly took long walks together.
" When Sönya was alone with me she never wanted
to leave the house, not even for a walk, nor for the
most necessary shopping, far less to go to the theater
or any place of amusement. At Christmas-time we
were invited to the Weierstrasses’, who had a Christmas
tree in our honor. Sönya was absolutely in need of a
dress, but could not be induced to go and buy one.
We nearly quarreled about this dress, for I would not
buy it alone. (Had her husband been there all would
have been well, for he always looked after her and
chose both the material and pattern of her dress.)
Finally she decided on allowing her hostess to choose
and order the dress, so that she need not stir out of
doors about it. Her powers of endurance when at the
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