Not expecting this he had put his arm lightly round her waist the moment after speaking, beneath her hanging tall of hair. (The younger dairymaids, including Tess, breakfasted with their hair loose on Sunday mornings before building it up extra high for attending church, a style they could not adopt when milking with their heads against the cows.) If she had said 'Yes' instead of 'No' he would have kissed her; it had evidently been his intention; but her determined negative deterred his scrupulous heart. Their condition of domiciliary comradeship put her, as the woman, to such disadvantage by its enforced intercourse, that he felt it unfair to her to exercise any pressure of brandishment which he might have honestly employed had she been better able to avoid him. He released her momentarily-imprisoned waist, and withheld the kiss.
他没有想到她会说不。他把话说完就伸出胳膊紧紧地搂住了她的腰,搂在她披散的头发下面。(年轻的挤奶女工,包括苔丝,星期天吃早饭时都披散着头发,在去教堂的时候她们才把头发高高地挽起来,她们在挤牛奶的时候要用头靠着奶牛,所以不能那样梳法。)要是她说的是肯定而不是否定,他就一定吻过她了;这显然是他的意图;可是她坚决的否定阻止了他的顾虑重重的渴望。他们同住在一幢屋子里,不能不相互来往,这样她作为一个女人就被置于一种不利的地位。他觉得,要是他向她施加压力,步步紧逼,这对她就是不公平的,假如她能够避开他,他反倒可以诚实地采用这些手段了。他把围在她腰上的手松开了,也没有去吻她。

It all turned on that release. What had given her strength to refuse him this time was solely the tale of the widow told by the dairyman; and that would have been overcome in another moment. But Angel said no more; his face was perplexed; he went away.
他一松手,情势就发生了变化。这一次她之所以有力量拒绝他,完全是由于她刚才听了奶牛场老板讲的那个寡妇的故事;要是再过一会儿,那点儿力量也就要化为乌有了。不过安琪尔没有再说话;他脸上的表情是困惑的;他只好走开了。

Day after day they met - somewhat less constantly than before; and thus two or three weeks went by. The end of September drew near, and she could see in his eye that he might ask her again.
他们还是天天见面——和过去相比,他们见面的次数有些减少了;两三个星期就这样过去了。九月末来到了,她从他的眼睛中可以看出,他也许还要向她求婚。

His plan of procedure was different now - as though he had made up his mind that her negatives were, after all, only coyness and youth startled by the novelty of the proposal. The fitful evasiveness of her manner when the subject was under discussion countenanced the idea. So he played a more coaxing game; and while never going beyond words, or attempting the renewal of caresses, he did his utmost orally.
他进行求婚的计划和过去不同了——仿佛他一心认为,她的拒绝只不过是被她没有经历过的求婚吓着了,不过因为年轻羞怯而已。每次讨论这个问题,她总是闪烁其辞,这使他越发相信自己的看法不错。因此他就采取哄和劝的方法;他从来都不超越使用语言的界限,也没有再想到拥抱抚摸,他只是想尽量用言辞去打动她。