Chapter 16 - A Red Rose and a Lace Shawl

Summary

Miss Polly returns from a Ladies' Aid meeting with curly hair, which Pollyanna delightfully fixes and adorns with a lace shawl and a red rose, causing her aunt to panic when she spots Dr. Chilton arriving. After Miss Polly strips off the decorations in shame, Dr. Chilton arrives to pick up Pollyanna for a visit with the recovering Mr. Pendleton. Pollyanna explains that her aunt wanted her to go 'too much,' meaning she didn't want her there, and the doctor, acknowledging Miss Polly's beauty, urges Pollyanna not to repeat the compliment to her aunt.

Characters

• 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.
• Pollyanna — Pollyanna joyfully combs her aunt's hair, dresses her in a lace shawl, and pins a rose in her curls, remaining oblivious to the distress she causes. She then rides with Dr. Chilton to fill a prescription for Mr. Pendleton, interpreting her aunt's frantic permission as genuine desire for the visit.
• Dr. Chilton (doctor) — Dr. Chilton drives to the Harrington house to pick up Pollyanna for a visit to Mr. Pendleton. He privately admits to Pollyanna that Miss Polly looked lovely in the shawl and rose, but warns her not to tell her aunt, recognizing the source of her distress.