She was more disturbed by Mr. Knightley’s not dancing than by any thing else. – There he was, among the standers-by, where he ought not to be; he ought to be dancing…so young as he looked! – He could not have appeared to greater advantage perhaps anywhere, than where he had placed himself. His tall, firm, upright figure, among the bulky forms and stooping shoulders of the elderly men, was such as Emma felt must draw every body’s eyes; and, excepting her own partner, there was not one among the whole row of young men who could be compared with him. – He moved a few steps nearer, and those few steps were enough to prove in how gentlemanlike a manner, with what natural grace, he must have danced, would he but take the trouble. – Whenever she caught his eye, she forced him to smile; but in general he was looking grave. She wished he could love a ballroom better, and could like Frank Churchill better. – He seemed often observing her. She must not flatter herself that he thought of her dancing, but if he were criticising her behaviour, she did not feel afraid.
– Jane Austen
Emma, Chapter 38. As Emma and Mr. Knightley appear to check out one another at the Crown Inn ball, one suspects a lot more going on under the surface. She is dancing with Frank Churchill, but cannot keep her eyes off Mr. Knightley who is among the “standers-by.” She regrets that Knightley is not dancing and becomes aware of him regularly observing her. Her descriptions of him compliment his gracefulness, his handsome figure and his youthful appearance. And whenever their gazes meet, he smiles at her. The non-verbal, body language indicate a deepening bond between them. Revealed here is Emma’s evolving self-awareness of her true feelings for Mr. Knightley, foreshadowing when they will eventually declare their love for each other.
