Polly Partial

Polly Partial is a grocer and the owner of Partial Foods who lives in Stain'd-by-the-Sea. 

All the Wrong Questions

Early Life

At some point in Polly Partial's life, she attended the unveilling of the statue of Colonel Colophon.^[1] The sea used to provide her store with fresh fish, until it was drained and became the Clusterous Forest.^[2]

She owns two cats, one of which, Paperbag, has a narcissistic disorder.^[3] She also has a living mother.^[1] She isn't very good at lying.^[2]

She shows a desire to retire and devote her life to raising minks.^[1]

When Did You See Her Last?

“	Number B is the only one I recognize. I would swear on my mother's grave, if only she were dead.	”
	— Polly Partial, When Did You See Her Last?

Ellington Feint enters Partial Foods, pretending to be Cleo Knight. She buys some of Cleo's favorite cereal before talking about running away to join the circus. The next day, after finding Cleo's Dilemma outside Partial Foods, S. Theodora Markson and Lemony Snicket come inside and ask her if she'd seen Cleo. She shows them the Schoenberg Cereal, and answers their questions, before telling them to leave so she can stack canned smelt. 

Suspecting that Polly is not a reliable witness, Snicket has Moxie Mallahan cut his hair to look like Stew Mitchum and then returns to her store, stealing two honeydew melons. Polly calls the police, who arrest Snicket and bring him to the police station, where they put him in a lineup with Stew and a file cabinet. Polly identifies Stew as the thief, which infuriates the Officers. They get into an argument about who will drive he home, and Polly says she'd rather walk. 

File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents 

“	Neither of us was fond of the woman who ran Partial Foods, but lots of people nobody is fond of have sick cats.	”
	— Lemony Snicket, File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents

Pinched Creature/Dishonest Salesman

Polly brings Paperbag to the Sobol veterinary office for a checkup. Oliver Sobol writes her a perscription and escorts them out before discovering his Amaranthine Newt is missing. He suspects Polly of being the thief, but her name is cleared when Snicket finds the real criminal. 

Three Suspects

Polly Partial receives a shipment of twenty blueberry pies one night, and in the morning, she finds them all missing. The night before, she saw a man in a road coat loading pies into a van marked with a french horn, so she suspects him. She contacts the police, who arrest three suspects.

Shouldn't You Be in School?

Hangfire goes to Partial Foods just as Polly finishes locking the loading dock and organizing prunes, asking if she has any fire. He uses laudanum to drug Polly, who recognizes him from long ago, presumably the unveiling of the Colophon statue. Soon after, Snicket arrives and asks her about Hangfire. They hear the bell ring, and she asks for her mask, but he tells her that she doesn't need it. 

Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights?

After the Inhumane Society stole Polly's honeydew melons, she lost interest in the store and got hired a Stain'd Station. While there, she gave Sally Murphy the thistle that was part of her uniform in order to help her disguise Lizzie Haines as a porter.

That same night, Snicket arrives and spots her reading a book he dislikes. She doesn't recognize him due to her poor eyesight, and he asks her if he can get onto The Thistle of the Valley. She accidentally informs him that the prison car is in the back of the train, and when he reveals he doesn't have any money, she tells him to leave. He asks where her thistle is, and she fails to lie to him, and then threatens to give away the ending to her book if she doesn't give him a ticket. She stands firm, and he tells her the ending and leaves.

Physical Appearance

Polly Partial is described as looking both very angry and very bored at the same time. She wears a stained smock with a peeled nametag while working at Partial Foods.^[1]

Quotes

When Did You See Her Last?

“	Never mind. I'd rather walk back to my supermarket. Good day, Officers.	”
	— Chapter Five

Shouldn't You Be in School?

Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights?

“	They won't believe a child, a pest and a nuisance.	”
	— Chapter Two

Appearances

Books
A Series of Unfortunate Events (Books)
1. The Bad Beginning (1999):	Absent	7. The Vile Village (2001):	Absent
2. The Reptile Room (1999):	Absent	8. The Hostile Hospital (2001):	Absent
3. The Wide Window (2000):	Absent	9. The Carnivorous Carnival (2002):	Absent
4. The Miserable Mill (2000):	Absent	10. The Slippery Slope (2003):	Absent
5. The Austere Academy (2000):	Absent	11. The Grim Grotto (2004):	Absent
6. The Ersatz Elevator (2001):	Absent	12. The Penultimate Peril (2005):	Absent
13. The End (2006):		Absent
All the Wrong Questions
Who Could That Be at This Hour? (2012):	Absent	Shouldn't You Be in School? (2014):	Appears
When Did You See Her Last? (2013):	Debut	Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights? (2015):	Appears
File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents (2014):		Mentioned
Snicketverse
Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography (2002):		Absent
The Dismal Dinner (2004):		Absent
The Beatrice Letters (2006):		Absent
29 Myths on the Swinster Pharmacy (2014):		Absent
The Hero of the Story (2017):		Absent
Poison for Breakfast (20??):		Absent
Other Snicket Books
The Baby in the Manger (2002):		Absent
The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming (2007):		Absent
The Lump of Coal (2008):		Absent
The Composer Is Dead (2009):		Absent
13 Words (2010):		Absent
The Dark (2013):		Absent
Goldfish Ghost (2017):		Absent

• When Did You See Her Last?
• Shouldn't You Be in School?
• Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights?
• File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents (mentioned)

Gallery

Sources