and draw water for the cook, and when he came back he brought a few
scraps of meat; but they did not go very far. One day, when he came
home from the palace, he said: 'To-morrow I will stay at home and
look after the baby, but you must get ready to go to the palace, do
you hear! for the Prince said you were to come and try your hand at
baking.'

'I bake!' said the Princess; 'I can't bake, for I never did such a
thing in my life.'

'Well, you must go', said Hacon, 'since the Prince has said it. If
you can't bake, you can learn; you have only got to look how the rest
bake; and mind, when you leave, you must steal me some bread.'

'I can't steal', said the Princess.

'You can learn that too', said Hacon; 'you know we live on short
commons. But take care that the Prince doesn't see you, for he has
eyes at the back of his head.'

So when she was well on her way, Hacon ran by a short cut and reached
the palace long before her, and threw off his rags and beard, and put
on his princely robes.

The Princess took her turn in the bakehouse, and did as Hacon bade
her, for she stole bread till her pockets were crammed full. So when
she was about to go home at even, the Prince said:

'We don't know much of this old wife of Hacon Grizzlebeard's, I think
we'd best see if she has taken anything away with her.'