daughter Anna had revealed to him and restrictions even as to the number students in a foreign university town, regarded only as a hard necessity. On the contrary, in the circle of sentimentalists and un-realists, who acted and reacted upon each other in the drawingrooms of St. Petersburg, they were regarded with much favor- were indeed "popular." To these young folks this "abstract relation" seemed 1 much more "ideal" than "the low and vulgar union between two human beings . . which is called a marriage of affection" and which in their vocabulary was equivalent to" selfish indulgence." The world had heard these sentiments before and had been laughing at them for about a couple of centuries, but they appear to have been adopted with much gravity as a revelation by these young Russians. also of Sophie, towards both of whom she would act the part of chaperon. They immediately set to work to discover a suitable person to assist them in their undertaking. After some consideration, they fixed upon a young professor at the university, whom they did not know personally, but hoped might prove to be in sympathy with their views. Accordingly the trio set out to interview this gentleman. They were ushered into his apartment, and found him at work. Even in Russia, and at this "ideal" period, the face of the young professor betrayed his surprise at this visit from three young The reader may judge whether the ladies, who were all strangers to him. daughters of General Kroukovsky were He rose, however, and politely relikely to remain long uninfluenced byquested them to be seated. They such surroundings as these. Anna responded to this invitation by seating seems to have become at once an un- themselves "all in a row on a long compromising partisan of the new sofa," and then a short pause ensued, theories. A young friend of hers, who about this time had married the man of her choice, was positively afraid to encounter her mingled pity and contempt." Moreover she was not long in making up her mind that she must study in a foreign university, and accordingly must be "free." Sophie greatly admired her beautiful sister, who was besides several years older than herself. She was naturally much influenced by her, and "followed her like a shadow." Anna, on the other hand, had a warm affection for this strange, reserved little Sophie, with the short, curly, chestnut hair, and the piercing, intelligent, dark eyes, admitted her fully into her confidence, and trusted her with her plans. For Anna-together with her intimate friend, Inez - had decided that, in order to obtain freedom, they would resort to the "popular tactics." One of the twofate apparently was to decide which would contract a" fictitious" marriage. She would then be in a position to effect the deliverance of the other, and 1 "Langt mer ideela än den vulgara och laga föreningen af tva manniskor, som ej sökte nägot annat än kanslans och sinnenas, med andra ord egoismens tillfredsställelse, i det man kaller gifter. mal af kärlek." - Sonja Kovalevsky. during which the professor scanned the faces of his visitors. Anna, pulling herself together, made the plunge, and, without the least trace of confusion," asked whether the professor would be good enough to assist them to carry out their wish to study in Germany or Switzerland, by " fictitiously marrying herself or Inez-Sophie was considered too young. Few professors, one would suppose, can have found themselves in a more trying situation; but this one behaved admirably, and, adopting in his turn, a perfectly matterof-fact tone, replied, "that he had not the least desire to do anything of the kind." The young ladies rose, shook hands with him, and took their leave. Abashed? Not at all. What could be more entirely business-like? and was anybody a penny the worse? Not if these fantastic girls had been contented with their first experiment, and had been willing to conclude the comedy when the first act had been played. Unhappily, they tempted fate a second time, when she was not in a mood to let them off so easily. Their next venture was not to be without results profoundly influencing the life of one of them. Anna and Inez, turning from professors to students, fixed on one with whom they had a slight acquaint. ance, and whom they knew to be him- | unknown to any one but Anna, left the room, who, rising to the situation, married. dame Kovalevsky's marriage, as related by herself, long afterwards, to her friend and biographer. Is it the frigid Anglo-Saxon temperament that disposes us to assign it rather to the category of melodrama; to melodrama of the particular school known as kindly attentions, took upon himself Transpontine? We have all the fa- most of the cares of the ménage, and miliar characteristics, the grandiose did for her various things which she sentiments, the "high falutin'," the never showed any aptitude in doing for ludicrous disproportion between ends herself. "She never,” says this stuand means, the somewhat cumbrous dent friend, "took the least trouble machinery, and the banal plot. It about her looks or her dress," and disis so difficult to take the affair seri- played much helplessness in the matter ously. We may be pardoned for of shopping. M. Kovalevsky, theredoubting whether any kind of "fic- fore, undertook her commissions, and tion" is a sound basis from which to supplied her deficiencies in these restart for the regeneration of one's spects. This division of labor told country; and whether it is really worth rather unfavorably on his studies, but while to play "such fantastic tricks be- he accepted the situation cheerfully fore High Heaven" for the sake of enough. The Russian friend who had attending lectures at any university ample opportunities for forming an upon earth. But the laughable side of opinion, admired his many good qualthe story is not the only one. It is ities. also true that these young, impressionable men and women, ignorant of life and of themselves, victims of the hysterical state of the society of which they formed a part, have a very real claim upon our pity. "Oh, Sancta simplicitas!" we exclaim, as we watch them lightly trifling with life's best and highest possibilities, and treating Nature, "that most strong-minded of strong-minded ladies," with open scorn. Naturally Madame Kovalevsky's unusual gifts and extremely rapid progress, drew on her the attention alike of professors and fellow-students. Her fame spread beyond the walls of the university into the little town, where the folks began to look after her as she passed to and fro, and to point her out as worthy of observation. "Sieh, sieh, das ist das Mädchen was so fleissig in die Schule geht." At the same time her simplicity and modesty won for her At any rate, for Sophie the die was the good opinion of teachers and comcast; she had obtained "freedom," rades. The friend who records her and, accordingly, after a few months, memories of these days was of opinion the young couple departed for Hei- that Sophie had much to make her delberg, enrolled themselves as stu- happy, she was so talented and sucdents at the university, and journeyed cessful, and united to her young husat once to England to spend the sum- band in such a "poetic relation," loved mer vacation. They obtained intro- with a wholly "ideal affection." ductions to several celebrities-to" When I think of all this it seems to Darwin, Huxley, Spencer, and George me that she had no reason to comEliot. Some years later, Madame plain; to me she appeared happy in Kovalevsky wrote an account of this such a noble way. And yet, when in visit to England in the Stockholm Dag- after years she looked back to and blad. talked of her youth, she always spoke of it bitterly and with regret.' Returned to Heidelberg, they commenced their studies, Sophie taking Anna and Inez at length joined the mathematics and physics, Vladimir party at Heidelberg, but their arrival geology and paleontology. A Russian had a distinctly disturbing effect. To girl, a friend of Sophie's, who shared begin with, M. Kovalevsky gave up his her enthusiasms, and who seems to room to the new-comers, and betook have obtained her parents' permission himself with his books to another lodgto study with her, completed the group. ing. The change was perhaps not altoThe little party lived amicably, and gether an unwelcome one to him; he worked industriously. Vladimir sur- could resume his student habits, and rounded Sophie with an atmosphere of settle to his work with less chance of her face, flushed with pleasure at his evident wonder and approval, made at that moment a friend for life in the elderly German professor; one of the truest and best friends she ever had. For the next four years Madame Kovalevsky worked in Berlin under the direction of Weierstrasse, and stimulated doubtless by his teaching and the consciousness of her powers, she devoted herself to work of the most interruption. But the arrangement | with her point by point through the could not be said to work well. On the paper. Great was his surprise to find one hand, there was Sophie paying every solution not only correct, but him frequent visits, and still demand- neatly put and telling. The eager little ing his assistance "in every trifle; "Russian girl, with her hat tossed off, resenting his withdrawal, his ability to and her short, curly hair tumbling over get on without her, and his cheerful contentment with "a book and a glass of tea." On the other hand were the uncompromising Anna and her friend, holding very decided views as to his deportment towards Sophie, and intimating that there must be "nothing confidential or familiar about it." The situation might be "poetic," but it was very uncomfortable and distracting; moreover, this sort of thing was not "in the bond," and M. Kovalevsky severe and incessant nature-work decided to remove himself out of the continued all day and often far into the reach of all these disturbing elements, night, to the neglect of all consideraand to complete the work for his de- tions of health, taking no thought gree in Jena, a decision which Ma- either for exercise, or food, or sleep. dame Edgren-Leffler frankly admits So hard was this life, that her friend seemed to her perfectly natural, but has recorded how she looked back to which, as she remarks, Sophie did not the old days at Heidelberg as to a lost see in the same light. She was "jeal-paradise. ous" of these studies which deprived her of his society; and in later years, when she spoke of this period of her life, her bitterest complaint was always this: "No one has ever really loved me." After two terms spent in Heidelberg, Madame Kovalevsky, accompanied by the same faithful girl-friend, went to Berlin. The University of Berlin was not open to women, but her strong desire to carry on her studies under the direction of Professor Weierstrasse made her resolve to employ every effort to become his private pupil. They lived an almost isolated life, Sophie showing no interest in anything but her work. "Not," says her biographer, "that she was in the least degree a blue-stocking (kvinnliga pedant), but she suffered under her peculiar social position, and was conscious of being regarded with some wonder, even by the friendly members of the Weierstrasse household. Her husband paid her a visit occasionally, but she did not introduce him, and in his absence did not speak of him. She turned to her work for distraction, and was occupied in writing the important treatises which subsequently gained her the degree of doctor in philosophy at Göttingen, when she was aroused from her absorption in abstract science by the necessity of having to deal with the concrete facts of life. The celebrated professor, "the father of modern mathematical analysis," received her and listened to her request with unconcealed mistrust and characteristic German phlegm. He, however, consented to set her a test paper, probably as the most polite way of getting The character of Anna Kroukovsky rid of her, for he took care that its diffi- was evidently much less stable than culties should be such as would try his that of her younger sister. She had most advanced students. A week later very soon grown tired of study at Heihe was surprised to see her reappear delberg, and made use of her freedom with the simple statement that she had to proceed, without the consent or solved all his questions. Still incredu- even the knowledge of her parents, to lous, he bade her sit down, and went Paris. She had decided that it was her |