It might be an interesting thought to speculate how things would have been different if Darcy had simply danced with Elizabeth back in Chapter 3. Having injured her pride by refusing to dance with her, Darcy became - in Elizabeth's eyes - a man who could only hold her in contempt.
The result of Darcy's action at Meryton has informed every interaction between the two, at least as far as Elizabeth is concerned. She believes that Darcy despises her, and on account of this, Elizabeth cares very little about what Darcy thinks about her. She does not behave in such a way as to impress him or to attempt to endear herself to him. (One might observe such obvious behavior in one Caroline Bingley.) Elizabeth does not "put on any appearances" before Darcy, and all of this comes together to lead Darcy to find himself more and more "in some danger" of this woman -- "were it not for the inferiority of her connections" (Ch. 10 pt 9).
What I find amusing in all of this - as Darcy finds himself falling more and more for Elizabeth - is that, had he simply danced with her at Meryton, the entire picture would have been completely changed. From that point until now, Elizabeth would have behaved differently, would more than likely have been less intriguing to him, and Darcy would have felt himself "in no danger" of possessing feelings for Elizabeth.
Do you agree? Or do you have different thoughts on this matter?
