居里夫人自傳 第11章 婚後生活 (4)
    Inthevacationwewentonlongeroutingsbymeansofourbicycles.InthiswaywecoveredmuchgroundinAuvergneandintheCevennesandvisitedseveralregionsattheseashore.Wetookagreatdelightintheselongall-dayexcursions,arrivingatnightalwaysinanewplace.Ifwestayedinoneplacetoolong,myhusbandbegantowishtogetbacktothelaboratory.ItisalsoinvacationtimethatwevisitedoncemyfamilyintheCarpathianmountains.MyhusbandlearnedsomePolishinviewofthisjourneytoPoland.

    Butfirstofallinourlifewasourscientificwork.Myhusbandgavemuchcaretothepreparationofhiscourses,andIgavehimsomeassistanceinthis,which,atthetime,helpedmeinmyeducation.However,mostofourtimewasdevotedtoourlaboratoryresearches.

    Myhusbanddidnotthenhaveaprivatelaboratory.Hecould,tosomeextent,usethelaboratoryoftheschoolforhisownwork,butfoundmorefreedombyinstallinghimselfinsomeunusedcornerofthePhysicsSchoolbuilding.Ithuslearnedfromhisexamplethatonecouldworkhappilyeveninveryinsufficientquarters.Atthistimemyhusbandwasoccupiedwithresearchesoncrystals,whileIundertookaninvestigationofthemagneticpropertiesofsteel.Thisworkwascompletedandpublishedin.

    Inthatsameyearthebirthofourfirstdaughterbroughtagreatchangeinourlife.Afewweekslatermyhusband'smotherdiedandhisfathercametolivewithus.WetookasmallhousewithagardenattheborderofParisandcontinuedtooccupythishouseaslongasmyhusbandlived.

    ItbecameaseriousproblemhowtotakecareofourlittleIreneandofourhomewithoutgivingupmyscientificwork.Sucharenunciationwouldhavebeenverypainfultome,andmyhusbandwouldnoteventhinkofit;heusedtosaythathehadgotawifemadeexpresslyforhimtoshareallhispreoccupations.Neitherofuswouldcontemplateabandoningwhatwassoprecioustoboth.

    Ofcoursewehadtohaveaservant,butIpersonallysawtoallthedetailsofthechild'scare.WhileIwasinthelaboratory,shewasinthecareofhergrandfather,wholovedhertenderlyandwhoseownlifewasmadebrighterbyher.Sothecloseunionofourfamilyenabledmetomeetmyobligations.Thingswereparticularlydifficultonlyincaseofmoreexceptionalevents,suchasachild'sillness,whensleeplessnightsinterruptedthenormalcourseoflife.

    Itcanbeeasilyunderstoodthattherewasnoplaceinourlifeforworldlyrelations.Wesawbutafewfriends,scientificworkers,likeourselves,withwhomwetalkedinourhomeorinourgarden,whileIdidsomesewingformylittlegirl.Wealsomaintainedaffectionaterelationswithmyhusband'sbrotherandhisfamily.ButIwasseparatedfromallmyrelatives,asmysisterhadleftPariswithherhusbandtoliveinPoland.

    Itwasunderthismodeofquietliving,organizedaccordingtoourdesires,thatweachievedthegreatworkofourlives,workbegunabouttheendofandlastingformanyyears.

    Ihaddecidedonathemeformydoctorate.MyattentionhadbeendrawntotheinterestingexperimentsofHenriBecquerelonthesaltsoftheraremetaluranium.Becquerelhadshownthatbyplacingsomeuraniumsaltonaphotographicplate,coveredwithblackpaper,theplatewouldbeaffectedasiflighthadfallenonit.Theeffectisproducedbyspecialrayswhichareemittedbytheuraniumsaltandaredifferentfromordinaryluminousraysastheycanpassthroughblackpaper.Becquerelalsoshowedthattheserayscandischargeanelectroscope.Heatfirstthoughtthattheuraniumrayswereproducedasaresultofexposingtheuraniumsalttolight,butexperimentshowedthatsaltskeptforseveralmonthsinthedarkcontinuedthepeculiarrays.

    MyhusbandandIweremuchexcitedbythisnewphenomenon,andIresolvedtoundertakethespecialstudyofit.Itseemedtomethatthefirstthingtodowastomeasurethephenomenonwithprecision.InthisIdecidedtousethatpropertyoftherayswhichenabledthemtodischargeanelectroscope.However,insteadoftheusualelectroscope,Iusedamoreperfectapparatus.OneofthemodelsoftheapparatususedbymeforthesefirstmeasurementsisnowintheCollegeofPhysiciansandSurgeonsinPhiladelphia.

    Iwasnotlonginobtaininginterestingresults.Mydeterminationsshowedthattheemissionoftheraysisanatomicpropertyoftheuranium,whateverthephysicalorchemicalconditionsofthesaltwere.Anysubstancecontaininguraniumisasmuchmoreactiveinemittingrays,asitcontainsmoreofthiselement.

    Ithenthoughttofindoutiftherewereothersubstancespossessingthisremarkablepropertyofuranium,andsoonfoundthatsubstancescontainingthoriumbehavedinasimilarway,andthatthisbehaviordependedsimilarlyonanatomicpropertyofthorium.IwasnowabouttoundertakeadetailedstudyoftheuraniumandthoriumrayswhenIdiscoveredanewinterestingfact.
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