But now they were freshening as when the breeze rises.as 引导“方式状语从句”，修饰?were freshening。as when the breeze rises，这是在“方式状语从句” 省略了主句成分，或者说，when 从句只是 as 从句中的一个时间状语从句。补充完整为：But now they were freshening?as (they do) when the breeze rises.以上句子中 they 指代前文的 His hope and his confidence句子意思：但现在，他的希望和信心像微风吹起时一样清新。