How does Charles Dickens create a tough tension and curiousity in the readers mind in the chapter 11 book 2

The potential for romance between Louisa and James is juxtaposed with the war-like relationship between Louisa and Mrs. Sparsit. Without speaking to one another, both characters seem locked in combat and Sparsit takes it as a personal loss when Louisa's "curious reserve" delays her long-awaited fall.