Miss Polly Harrington
Chapter 1 - Miss Polly
Miss Polly / Miss Polly Harrington — aliases: mistress
Miss Polly Harrington hurriedly commands her maid to clear an attic room for her niece's arrival, then retreats to her private quarters to review the letter announcing her sister's death and the impending visit of the orphan girl. She reflects on her sister's past defiance of family wishes to marry a poor minister, asserting her own resolve to fulfill her duty despite her stern demeanor and dislike of the child's name.
Chapter 3 - The Coming of Pollyanna
Miss Polly — aliases: Aunt Polly
Miss Polly reads the telegram, inspects the sweltering attic room, kills a fly, and curtly orders Nancy to meet the niece at the station, refusing to go herself. She provides only the description 'light hair, red-checked gingham dress, and straw hat' for Nancy to identify the child.
Chapter 4 - The Little Attic Room
Miss Polly / Miss Polly Harrington — aliases: Aunt Polly, the mistress
Miss Polly meets her niece with icy indifference, curtly ordering her to stop discussing her father and directing her to a bare attic room to maintain distance. Later, she sits for supper without the child, dismissing Pollyanna's absence as a necessary lesson in punctuality and refusing to have Nancy call her down.
Chapter 5 - The Game
Miss Polly / Aunt Polly
Miss Polly sits in the sitting room reading and coldly confirms she sent Pollyanna to the kitchen. She rebukes Pollyanna for her tardiness and sets tomorrow's schedule, remaining bewildered by the child's affectionate and cheerful reaction to her strictness.
Chapter 6 - A Question of Duty
Aunt Polly / Miss Polly
Miss Polly sternly reprimands Pollyanna for her informal greeting and the flies in the house, handing her a pamphlet on health duties. She establishes a strict daily schedule for Pollyanna's education and declares her old clothes unfit for wear, ordering them discarded.
Chapter 7 - Pollyanna and Punishments
Miss Polly / Aunt Polly
Miss Polly endures a frantic shopping trip with Pollyanna, emerging exhausted by the child's exuberance. Later, terrified by what she believes is an intruder on the roof, she summons Timothy and Old Tom for help. Upon discovering Pollyanna sleeping on the roof, she sternly orders the child to sleep in her own bed with her to maintain vigilance, feeling helpless as Pollyanna embraces the punishment as a reward.
Chapter 10 - A Surprise for Mrs. Snow
Polly / Miss Polly — aliases: Aunt Polly
Miss Polly confronts Pollyanna in her attic room about her inappropriate daydreams of luxury items, then abruptly orders Nancy to move Pollyanna's belongings downstairs to a room directly beneath Miss Polly's. She leaves the encounter feeling confused and vaguely disturbed, insisting to herself that she has felt glad over things.
Chapter 11 - Introducing Jimmy
Miss Polly / Miss Polly Harrington — aliases: Aunt Polly
Miss Polly abhors the stray kitten and is shocked when Pollyanna brings home a dirty boy. She rebukes Pollyanna for the absurdity of the situation and yells at the child to stop using the word 'glad'. Later, she watches the boy leave with a sense of desolation.
Chapter 12 - Before the Ladies' Aid
Aunt Polly / Miss Polly
Miss Polly enforces a silent dinner, eventually sighing and permitting Pollyanna to speak of her game if it reduces the child's fuss. She then uses the telephone to tell the minister's wife she will not attend the Ladies' Aid meeting due to a headache.
Chapter 14 - Just a Matter of Jelly
Miss Polly — aliases: Aunt Polly
Miss Polly is absent due to a family emergency but appears briefly to discuss the jelly. She initially refuses to send jelly to John Pendleton, but after questioning Pollyanna about whether Pendleton knows her identity, she sternly permits Pollyanna to deliver the gift as her own, explicitly forbidding any implication that it comes from Miss Polly.
Chapter 15 - Dr. Chilton
Polly / Aunt Polly / Miss Polly
Miss Polly questions Pollyanna about Dr. Chilton's visit with sharpness, then turns vividly pink and vexed when Pollyanna bluntly admits to telling Mr. Pendleton that Miss Polly did not send the jelly, causing the aunt to sigh at the girl's lack of discretion.
Chapter 16 - A Red Rose and a Lace Shawl
Aunt Polly / Miss Polly
Miss Polly returns with disordered curls that Pollyanna beautifies with a lace shawl and a rose, only to flee in shame upon seeing Dr. Chilton in the driveway. She later strips off the adornments and scolds the girl before permitting her to visit Mr. Pendleton, though she implies she does not want the girl to go.
Chapter 23 - An Accident
Miss Polly / Aunt Polly
Miss Polly appears white-faced and shaken while Nancy describes her distress to Old Tom. She stands by Pollyanna's bedside, struggles to break the news of the accident, and watches helplessly as Pollyanna is put to sleep by the nurse.
Chapter 24 - John Pendleton
Miss Polly
Miss Polly sits by Pollyanna's bedside, visibly shaken and unable to explain the true severity of the spinal injury. She meets with John Pendleton, listens to his proposal to adopt Pollyanna, and is struck by the realization of her own love for the girl and her fear of a future without her. She thanks him for visiting and promises to inform him of the specialist's verdict.
Chapter 25 - A Waiting Game
Miss Polly / Aunt Polly — aliases: the mistress
Miss Polly announces the decision to consult a famous New York specialist and sternly refuses Pollyanna's request to call Dr. Chilton. She spends the following days becoming excessively attentive to Pollyanna's comfort, adopting curls and lace shawls to please the child, while growing visibly thin and pale from worry during the delay of the specialist.
Chapter 26 - A Door Ajar
Miss Polly — aliases: Aunt Polly
Miss Polly listens to the diagnosis with a vivid blush and turns away. She exclaims in agony upon hearing the confirmation that Pollyanna will never walk again, then faints dead away when she realizes the child heard, requiring Dr. Mead to catch her.
Chapter 27 - Two Visits
Miss Polly / Miss Harrington — aliases: Aunt Polly, the mistress
Miss Polly acts as an intermediary, conveying Pendleton's message about Jimmy Bean to Pollyanna. She is struck by Pollyanna's mention of Dr. Chilton's words regarding a home, becoming visibly flushed and emotional, and retreating to the window to compose herself.
Chapter 28 - The Game and Its Players
Miss Polly / Miss Harrington
Miss Polly listens to a stream of mysterious messages from various townspeople, growing increasingly puzzled and strained by the events. After Nancy explains the 'just being glad' game, she enters Pollyanna's room to confess that she now understands the game and intends to play it with her niece, while also relaying news of the town's improved spirits.
Chapter 30 - Jimmy Takes the Helm
Miss Polly
Miss Polly meets with Jimmy Bean in the sitting room, listening in shocked and then eager agitation as he reveals that Dr. Chilton can cure Pollyanna but requires her invitation to visit. Overcome with the prospect of Pollyanna walking again, she hastily finds Dr. Warren and formally requests that he call in Dr. Chilton for a consultation.