Thus the Princess managed to while away about half an hour, and then she noticed smoke coming out of one of the chimneys.
‘They must be up in the kitchen,’ she thought. ‘I’ll just go and knock at the door and get let in.’
Accordingly she went and knocked softly at the door, and an angry voice shouted out:
‘Come in, do! and don’t stand knocking there. I’ve got the King’s boots to black, and his eggs and bacon to cook, and I’ve only got three hours to do it in. I haven’t got time.’
So the Princess lifted the latch and walked in.
‘Is the King up, cook?’ she asked.
‘No, he’s not! lazy old man as he is,’ said the cook, looking up angrily. ‘But where are you? Come out from behind that door.’
‘Oh! I had forgotten,’ said the Princess.
She meant, of course, she had forgotten about the feather, but the cook didn’t know that.
‘You’d forgotten, had you?’ she exclaimed. ‘I’ll teach you to forget if I catch you!’