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Mrs. Lackersteen
Mr. Macgregor, the Deputy Commissioner in Kyauktada, Burma, is a big man in his 40s with a “puggy” face and glasses. He tends to talk in a joking, facetious way, and he tells repetitive, boring anecdotes that the other British people in Burma usually interrupt. During U Po Kyin’s slander campaign against Dr. Veraswami, U Po Kyin plants an article in an anti-imperial newspaper insinuating that Mr. Macgregor has fathered multiple children by Burmese girls and then spreads rumors that Dr. Veraswami wrote it. Shortly after John Flory’s suicide, Mr. Macgregor proposes to Flory’s ex-sweetheart, 22-year-old Elizabeth Lackersteen, whom Mr. Macgregor likes because she doesn’t interrupt his anecdotes. Elizabeth accepts him, and they have a “very happy,” conventional, narrow-minded marriage.
Mr. Macgregor Quotes in Burmese Days
The Burmese Days quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Macgregor or refer to Mr. Macgregor. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 22 Quotes
“Order the police to open fire at once!” shouted Mr. Macgregor from the other side. “You have my authority.”
“And tell them to aim low! No firing over their heads. Shoot to kill. In the guts for choice!”
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Chapter 25 Quotes
Her servants live in terror of her, though she speaks no Burmese. She has an exhaustive knowledge of the Civil List, gives charming little dinner-parties and knows how to put the wives of subordinate officials in their places—in short, she fulfills with complete success the position for which Nature had designed her from the first, that of a burra memsahib.
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Mr. Macgregor Character Timeline in Burmese Days
The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Macgregor appears in Burmese Days. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...a nationalist paper, the Burmese Patriot, in which an anonymous article accuses Deputy Commissioner Mr. Macgregor of having fathered children on poor Burmese girls.
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...next move is to convince the British that Dr. Veraswami wrote the article about Mr. Macgregor.
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...their non-white friends, and Flory is a “coward.” The main goal is to make Mr. Macgregor suspect the doctor, and then U Po Kyin will effect “the other affair.” U Po...
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Chapter 2
Ellis, a sarcastic little man with a Cockney accent, reads aloud from a notice Mr. Macgregor has posted suggesting that the Club should discuss inducting a non-white member. Using racial slurs,...
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...with them: Westfield likes his native police subordinates, Maxwell has affairs with “Eurasian tarts,” and Macgregor wants to open the club to a non-white man. Westfield calls the butler to bring...
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Macgregor and Mrs. Lackersteen enter the club. Mrs. Lackersteen—who regularly endures many discomforts to accompany her...
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...Ellis calls him “Booker Washington.” Westfield claims Flory’s all right, just a little “Bolshie,” and Macgregor calls him a “good fellow”—something people say about every single European in India unless they...
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Chapter 3
...tried hard, but he just can’t face the fight with Ellis. He tells Veraswami that Macgregor has suggested inducting a non-white member and promises to vote for Veraswami if it comes...
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Chapter 5
...Westfield brings to the club a copy of the Burmese Patriot with the article insulting Macgregor. Ellis and Westfield are furious, while Flory pretends to be. Ellis decides that Dr. Veraswami...
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Chapter 6
The following morning, while Flory shaves and bathes, Macgregor does calisthenic exercises, and Westfield oversees the jailing of a man suspected (but not convicted)...
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Chapter 8
In the club, all the Europeans are waiting to meet Elizabeth. Macgregor introduces her to everyone, after which Ellis pulls Flory and Westfield into the card-room and...
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At the end of the evening, Macgregor walks the Lackersteens home. He believes that Elizabeth is an unusually clever girl because—unlike everyone...
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Chapter 12
...wife Ma Kin about his anonymous letters smearing Dr. Veraswami. Indeed, the letters are working: Macgregor is already wondering whether Veraswami is loyal or not—irrespective of anything Veraswami has done: “The...
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Chapter 13
...thanks Flory, Flory says he can’t promise anything—Veraswami’s election will depend on the mood of Macgregor and the others.
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Chapter 17
...Ellis, who are furious because they’ve learned the editor of the Burmese Patriot, which slandered Macgregor, only got four months in jail. Ellis picks a fight with Flory over his friendship...
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...“the exact income of every official in Burma.” She decides to look up Verrall, whom Macgregor has told her is coming to Kyauktada, only to learn that he’s an “Honourable.” Thinking...
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Chapter 18
Later, Macgregor approaches the club, anticipating telling Elizabeth—whom he thinks is “exceptionally intelligent”—a long story about a...
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Chapter 21
...behalf. Suddenly, Flory hears Elizabeth’s voice from the next room and is painfully, emotionally affected. Macgregor, Ellis, and Mr. Lackersteen arrive, and Macgregor presents the club’s accounts. Meanwhile, Flory worries about...
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Macgregor introduces the topic of electing a native member to the club. Ellis, using a racial...
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Chapter 22
...look out. A crowd of perhaps two thousand villagers has gathered outside the club. When Macgregor demands to know what’s happening, a man steps forward and says that they want to...
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The crowd begins throwing stones at the club, one of which hits Macgregor in the face. The British men rush into the club and lock the door. Macgregor...
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...to the river behind the club and swims. He announces his plan. After Ellis and Macgregor both tell him to tell the police to shoot the crowd, he removes his shoes,...
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Chapter 23
Inside the club, Flory praises Dr. Veraswami’s conduct during the riot to Macgregor. They don’t vote on Veraswami’s election to the club, though, because Flory is returning to...
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Chapter 24
...“faint grey stain,” and orders Ko S’la to bury Flo so that he can tell Macgregor that Flory shot himself by accident while cleaning his gun: “Your master was my friend....
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Chapter 25
A few months later, Elizabeth is preparing to return to England “penniless and unmarried” when Macgregor asks her to marry him—as he has been planning to do since Flory’s death. Elizabeth...
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