Mrs. Tom Payson
Chapter 2 - Old Tom and Nancy
Old Tom / Tom — aliases: Mr. Tom (M. Tom)
Old Tom, the long-serving gardener, listens to Nancy's news with disbelief and reverence for Miss Jennie, then gently chides Nancy for her bitterness toward Miss Polly by revealing that the mistress was once handsome and was hardened by a past heartbreak.
Chapter 4 - The Little Attic Room
Mr. Tom / Old Tom — aliases: the bent old man
Old Tom is working in the garden when Nancy frantically reports that Pollyanna has vanished. He looks up at the sunset sky, points out the child poised on the top of the distant rock, and confirms her location to the hysterical maid.
Chapter 6 - A Question of Duty
Old Tom / Mr. Tom
Old Tom se trouve dans le jardin avec Miss Polly, où il confirme timidement son ancien lien avec Jennie, la mère de Pollyanna, et touche ses cheveux avec émotion avant que Pollyanna ne soit appelée pour le petit-déjeuner.
Chapter 7 - Pollyanna and Punishments
Old Tom / Tom
Old Tom rejoint Pollyanna et Nancy pour une conversation du soir dans le jardin, se remémorant de doux souvenirs de la mère de Pollyanna. Plus tard, il répond à l'appel désespéré de Miss Polly, grimpe par la fenêtre du grenier pour aider à récupérer Pollyanna sur le toit avant de se retirer rapidement avec Timothy.
Chapter 23 - An Accident
Old Tom
Old Tom listens to Nancy's description of the accident and Miss Polly's reaction from the garden, attempting to comfort her with dry wit regarding her use of language before she returns to the kitchen.
Chapter 24 - John Pendleton
Old Tom — aliases: Mr. Tom (M. Tom)
Old Tom travaille dans la grange lorsque Nancy arrive avec la nouvelle de la visite de Pendleton. Il écoute le récit confus de Nancy sur la raison pour laquelle Pendleton est là, ainsi que sa correction concernant les sentiments passés de Miss Polly, restant sceptique et grognon tout au long de l'explication.
Chapter 25 - A Waiting Game
Old Tom / Mr. Tom — aliases: the old man
Old Tom listens to Nancy's report of Miss Polly's changes and dryly notes that the mistress is not looking worse for the new style. He shares a memory of Pollyanna finding joy in his bent posture and reveals that the family's bitterness toward Pollyanna's father explains the tension with Miss Polly, before solemnly asking after the child's condition.
Chapter 28 - The Game and Its Players
Mrs. Payson / Mrs. Tom Payson
Mrs. Payson, a woman of lower social standing with pink cheeks and yellow hair, visits the homestead to reveal that she and her husband have decided to stay together and play the 'just being glad' game rather than divorce. She admits they were on the brink of splitting up until they realized Pollyanna's influence had changed them.