Summary
Highlights
Matron is upset because her kippers have been stolen. It's revealed a cat is the culprit, and Ellen is found protecting it. Meanwhile, Ellen is struggling to fit in at Malory Towers, lacking the proper lacrosse kit and being singled out by others for her appearance.
The girls express worry for Ellen and decide to help her. They plan to gather spare items to give her a proper trunk. Simultaneously, Miss Gring receives an upsetting letter from a solicitor, Mr. Spires, hinting at financial trouble and leading the girls to believe she might be in trouble.
Ellen and Ron, a gardener, decide to hide the cat. Back in the dorm, other girls are impressed by mysterious caricatures of Matron and Mr. Parker. Matron, still looking for her cat, questions the girls. Ellen eventually confesses to having the cat, leading to a confrontation with Matron.
One of the girls, Sally, devises a plan to discover the secret artist by giving each dorm member a different colored pencil. Ellen has a conversation with Matron, where she reveals her struggles with fitting in, her scholarship, and her family's concerns about her being seen as the 'poor girl'.
The girls surprise Ellen with a decorated trunk filled with their old belongings, hoping to cheer her up. However, Ellen is deeply hurt and feels more like a 'charity case'. Meanwhile, it's revealed that Mary Lou is the secret artist behind the caricatures and the new drawing of Ellen, showcasing her talent for observation.
Ellen finds solace with the cat, which she names Kenny, realizing the other girls' intentions were good despite their clumsy execution. The girls apologize to Ellen. Later, a girl reveals to Sally that she accidentally read a letter to Miss Gring from Mr. Spires, uncovering that Miss Gring is in arrears and Malory Towers faces closure if the debt isn't repaid.