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Ellis
A blue-eyed, tanned British man in his mid-20s with a “rabbit-like” face, Verrall is the youngest son of an aristocrat. He lacks money and is frequently dodging debts, as he spends exorbitantly on clothes and horses. He comes to Kyauktada as a member of the Burma Military Police. On his arrival, both Elizabeth Lackersteen and her aunt-by-marriage Mrs. Lackersteen hope he will marry Elizabeth. Yet while he flirts, dances, and rides with Elizabeth, he ultimately jilts her, leaving town without saying goodbye.
Verrall Quotes in Burmese Days
The Burmese Days quotes below are all either spoken by Verrall or refer to Verrall. 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 18 Quotes
They would all have fallen at the feet of a lieutenant the Honourable if he had shown the smallest courtesy; as it was, everyone except the two women detested him from the start. It is always so with titled people, they are either adored or hated. If they accept one it is charming simplicity, if they ignore one it is loathsome snobbishness; there are no half-measures.
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Chapter 20 Quotes
U Po Kyin’s version (he had a way of being essentially right even when he was wrong in detail) was that Elizabeth had been Flory’s concubine and had deserted him for Verrall because Verrall paid her more.
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Chapter 23 Quotes
Verrall, it was quite certain, would never marry Elizabeth; young men of Verrall’s stamp do not marry penniless girls met casually at obscure Indian stations.
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Verrall Character Timeline in Burmese Days
The timeline below shows where the character Verrall appears in Burmese Days. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 16
...polo boots and riding a white horse. Flory greets the man, who introduces himself as Verrall and says he’s with the Military Police. Verrall doesn’t doesn’t ask for Flory’s name. He...
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Flory sees Elizabeth emerge from the Lackersteens’ house. He asks Verrall whether he can use one of the other horses to try tent-pegging, and Verrall agrees...
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Verrall rides up to Flory. When Flory says that the saddle slipped, Verrall blames Flory, saying...
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Chapter 17
...which contains “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...
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Chapter 18
Days pass, and despite overtures from the other Europeans, Verrall ignores them in favor of his horses. The others would have worshipped him for paying...
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A week passes without Verrall and Elizabeth meeting, much to Elizabeth and Mrs. Lackersteen’s disappointment. Then one morning, Mrs. Lackersteen...
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That evening, Verrall arrives early at the club. When Ellis enters, the butler runs to him crying and...
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...in Sagoing. He’s very disappointed when he finds Elizabeth dancing on the tennis court with Verrall while the other Europeans watch. Indeed, all the older men feel very jealous. After dancing,...
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Chapter 19
...gone alone to the jungle (where he is reportedly living in debauchery). Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Verrall have begun to ride together every evening. Elizabeth loves horses, and she loves listening to...
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...hunting again. She tells him she’s very busy in the evenings lately—for example, riding with Verrall. Flory asks whether she rides with Verrall a lot, and she says that she does—he...
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Afterward, Flory loiters outside in his garden to spy on Elizabeth and Verrall starting their ride. He sees them, very close together, riding into the jungle. About an...
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Chapter 20
...pass. Flory works hard, drinks too much, and fantasizes miserably about Elizabeth’s possible liaisons with Verrall. He now understands her to be “silly, snobbish, heartless,” but he still wants her, though...
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In fact, it’s unlikely that Verrall and Elizabeth have had sex—it’s hard to hide a sexual relationship in Kyauktada. Yet after...
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Chapter 22
...is delighted because the murder will make the Europeans take the “rebellion” more seriously. Except Verrall—who is practicing polo—all the Europeans attend Maxwell’s funeral the next morning. Everyone is giving Flory...
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That evening, all the Europeans except Westfield and Verrall come to the club. Everyone is fuming about the “unprovoked attack on Ellis,” and Elizabeth...
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Chapter 23
No houses are looted and no one else is killed. The next morning, Westfield and Verrall return with two men who will be executed for Maxwell’s murder. Meanwhile, Flory visits Dr....
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...jungle. He plans to return in 10 days for the next church service—and, hopefully, after Verrall, the one remaining obstacle in his relationship with Elizabeth, has left. Flory doesn’t believe that...
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Elizabeth and Verrall ride together every evening, but Verrall still doesn’t propose. She hears a rumor that he’s...
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...rush to the train station in a rickshaw. Throughout the ride, Elizabeth tells herself that Verrall must have written her a letter that didn’t arrive—or even if he didn’t, that surely,...
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Chapter 24
...including Flory. Earlier that evening, he met Elizabeth at the club and asked her whether Verrall had left. When she said yes, they kissed without further conversation, and Flory now anticipates...
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