THERE WAS NO formal betrothal¹ and no announcement was made of the engagement of Bolkonsky and Natasha; Prince Andrey insisted upon that. He said that since he was responsible for the delay of their marriage, he ought to bear the whole burden of it. He said that he was bound for ever by his word, but he did not want to bind² Natasha and would leave her perfect freedom. If in another six months she were to feel that she did not love him, she would have a perfect right to refuse him. It need hardly be said that neither Natasha nor her parents would hear of this possibility; but Prince Andrey insisted on having his own way. Prince Andrey came every day to the Rostovs', but he did not behave with Natasha as though he were engaged to her; he addressed her formally and kissed only her hand. From the day of his proposal Prince Andrey's relations with Natasha had become quite different from what had existed between them before: their relations were simple and intimate. It seemed as though till then they had not known each other. Both loved to recall how they had regarded one another when they were nothing to each other. Now they both felt utterly³ different creatures—then affected⁴, now simple and sincere. At first there had been a feeling of awkwardness in the family in regard to Prince Andrey. He seemed a man from another world, and Natasha used for a long while to try and make her people understand Prince Andrey, and declared to every one with pride that he only seemed to be so different, that he was really like every one else, and that she was not afraid of him and no one need be. After a few days, the rest of the family got accustomed to seeing him, and went on without constraint⁵ with their usual manner of life, in which he took part. He knew how to talk to the count about the management of his estates, to the countess and Natasha about dress, and to Sonya about her album and embroidery⁶. Sometimes the Rostovs among themselves, and in Prince Andrey's presence, expressed their wonder at the way it had all happened, and at the events that obviously betokened

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1 betrothal
n. 婚约, 订婚
参考例句：
Their betrothal took place with great pomp and rejoicings. 他们举行了盛大而又欢乐的订婚仪式。 "On the happy occasion of the announcement of your betrothal," he finished, bending over her hand. "在宣布你们订婚的喜庆日。" 他补充说，同时低下头来吻她的手。

2 bind
vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬
参考例句：
I will let the waiter bind up the parcel for you.我让服务生帮你把包裹包起来。 He wants a shirt that does not bind him.他要一件不使他觉得过紧的衬衫。

3 utterly
adv.完全地，绝对地
参考例句：
Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。 I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

4 affected
adj.不自然的，假装的
参考例句：
She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。 His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 constraint
n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物
参考例句：
The boy felt constraint in her presence.那男孩在她面前感到局促不安。 The lack of capital is major constraint on activities in the informal sector.资本短缺也是影响非正规部门生产经营的一个重要制约因素。

6 embroidery
n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品
参考例句：
This exquisite embroidery won people's great admiration.这件精美的绣品，使人惊叹不已。 This is Jane's first attempt at embroidery.这是简第一次试着绣花。

7 betokened
v.预示，表示( betoken的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
Nothing betokened that the man know anything of what had occurred. 显然那个人还不知道已经发生了什么事。 来自互联网 He addressed a few angry words to her that betokened hostility. 他对她说了几句预示敌意的愤怒的话。 来自互联网

8 betokening
v.预示，表示( betoken的现在分词 )
参考例句：
a clear blue sky betokening a fine day 预示着好天气的晴朗蓝天

9 poetic
adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的
参考例句：
His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。 His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

10 spoke
n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说
参考例句：
They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。 The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 pretext
n.借口，托词
参考例句：
He used his headache as a pretext for not going to school.他借口头疼而不去上学。 He didn't attend that meeting under the pretext of sickness.他以生病为借口，没参加那个会议。

12 dread
vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧
参考例句：
We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。 Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

13 drawn
v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的
参考例句：
All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。 Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

14 perfectly
adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地
参考例句：
The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。 Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

15 mere
adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过
参考例句：
That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。 It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

16 anecdotes
n.掌故，趣闻，轶事( anecdote的名词复数 )
参考例句：
amusing anecdotes about his brief career as an actor 关于他短暂演员生涯的趣闻逸事 He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman. 他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 confided
v.吐露（秘密，心事等）( confide的过去式和过去分词 )；（向某人）吐露（隐私、秘密等）
参考例句：
She confided all her secrets to her best friend. 她向她最要好的朋友倾吐了自己所有的秘密。 He confided to me that he had spent five years in prison. 他私下向我透露，他蹲过五年监狱。 来自《简明英汉词典》