The weather is warmer at Nice, a few days later, when he takes her to board her train.

“How can I go, how can I leave this soft air?”

“Ah, but your desk and your differential equations will be waiting. In the spring you won’t be able to tear yourself away.”

“Do you think not?”

This is the paragraph before. He calls them "differential equations". He's got it wrong. She does not correct him out loud,

@keeblerelf: Please use the forum "Sprachlabor / Language lab" below for your enquiries relating to the meaning of English expressions. This is the forum for the English translation of German terms.

@ #2: OK; yes, I see. I've clicked the info-button now for more information. You are right. Thank you very much.

To say it explicitly: "Partial" is italicized to show emphasis here.

@ #1 and #4

Thank you very much to both of you.

@ #1: Hello CM2DD, it seems to me you know the story - that's fine :). When reading the first seven pages I have got the impression that the relationship between Sophia and Maxsim Kovalevski is clouded by uncertainty and doubting. So I suspect emphasizing the word Partial by the authoress not only expresses the correction of 'differential equations' mentioned earlier but also the fact that Sophia on no account wants to touch words like partial, partly, part - in the end. She avoids those words deliberately. Maybe the following text will clarify things.

I don't know the story. I just used Google to find out what the emphasis on "partial" meant. Context was required.

Agree with #6 on "authoress" - "woman/female author" is better, and then only if you would also say "man/male author" in a similar context.

Thank you very much to all who answered. I appreciate the information 🙂.