Context
More than once did Elizabeth in her ramble within the Park, unexpectedly meet Mr. Darcy.- She felt all the perverseness of the mischance that should bring him where no one else was brought; and to prevent its ever happening again, took care to inform him at first, that it was a favourite haunt of hers..- How it could occur a second time therefore was very odd!- Yet it did, and even a third. It seemed like wilful ill-nature, or a voluntary penance, for on these occasions it was not merely few formal inquiries and an awkward pause and then away, but he actually thought it necessary to turn back and walk with her. He never said a great deal, nor did she give herself the trouble of talking or of listening much; but it struck her in the course of their third recontre that he was asking some odd unconnected questions- about her pleasure in being at Hunsford, her love of solitary walks, and her opinion of Mr. and Mrs. Collins's happiness; and that in speaking of Rosings and her not perfectly understanding the house, he seemed to expect that whenever she came into Kent again she would be staying there too. His words seemed to imply it. Could he have Colonel Fitzwilliam in his thoughts? She supposed, if he meant any thing, he must mean an allusion to what might arise in that quarter. It distressed her a little, and she was quite glad to find herself at the gate in the pales opposite the Parsonage.
Analysis
In this passage, we can see one of the key techniques Austen uses to evoke emotion from her readers. Before the events of this passage, Darcy had accidentally upset Elizabeth with his careless criticism of her looks in their first meeting, and as such she bears little feeling towards him. However, as readers, we were also given insight ( that Elizabeth lacked ) into Darcy's conversations with others, and as such we as readers realised beforehand the feelings Darcy developed for Elizabeth. These factors play a crucial role in the way Austen builds up tension in the story before the climax.
In this passage, Elizabeth is confused as to Darcy's behaviour towards her. From her point of view, there is little or no reason for him to wish to be in her company. Unaware of his feelings for her, and with her belief that their dislike for one another was mutual, she is therefore understandably confused by his actions. As for Darcy, we as the readers understand without Austen having to say anything that Darcy's actions reflect his feelings towards Elizabeth, and that in reality he's trying to make advances on her. What is ironic about the situation is the fact that had Darcy not acted so abominally towards Elizabeth in the beginning of the story, or had Elizabeth not believed Wickham's fradulent story of Darcy's past, she might have well have seen his actions for what they were.
Dramatic irony also comes into play in this passage as we alone as the readers had been given insight into the circumstances surrounding this situation, whereas both Darcy and Elizabeth remain blissfully ignorant. As a result, we as the readers are the only ones who see the significance of Darcy's actions, and the error of Elizabeth's thoughts and beliefs. This creates a certain "eagerness" in the readers the misunderstanding between the two main characters to be resolved, which is built up as the number of similar occasions to this accumulate. This passage thus serves as a buildup to the story's climax - where Darcy "showed hand" in his letter to Elizabeth - by creating tension in the readers.
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