` And now , my daughter , what is to be done ? ' said the old man . ` You are a great Princess , accustomed to fare daintily , and I have nothing to offer you but black bread and radishes , which will not suit you at all . Shall I go and tell the King of the Peacocks that you are here ? If he sees you he will certainly wish to marry you . ' ` Oh no ! ' cried Rosette , ` he must be wicked , since he tried to drown me . Do n't let us tell him , but if you have a little basket give it to me . ' The old man gave her a basket , and tying it round Frisk 's neck she said to him : ` Go and find out the best cooking-pot in the town and bring the contents to me . ' Away went Frisk , and as there was no better dinner cooking in all the town than the King 's , he adroitly took the cover off the pot and brought all it contained to the Princess , who said : ` Now go back to the pantry , and bring the best of everything you find there . ' So Frisk went back and filled his basket with white bread , and red wine , and every kind of sweetmeat , until it was almost too heavy for him to carry . When the King of the Peacocks wanted his dinner there was nothing in the pot and nothing in the pantry . All the courtiers looked at one another in dismay , and the King was terribly cross . ` Oh well ! ` he said , ` if there is no dinner I can not dine , but take care that plenty of things are roasted for supper . ' When evening came the Princess said to Frisk : ` Go into the town and find out the best kitchen , and bring me all the nicest morsels that are being roasted upon the spit . ' Frisk did as he was told , and as he knew of no better kitchen than the King 's , he went in softly , and when the cook 's back was turned took everything that was upon the spit , As it happened it was all done to a turn , and looked so good that it made him hungry only to see it . He carried his basket to the Princess , who at once sent him back to the pantry to bring all the tarts and sugar plums that had been prepared for the King 's supper . The King , as he had had no dinner , was very hungry and wanted his supper early , but when he asked for it , lo and behold it was all gone , and he had to go to bed half-starved and in a terrible temper . The next day the same thing happened , and the next , so that for three days the King got nothing at all to eat , because just when the dinner or the supper was ready to be served it mysteriously disappeared .
At last the Prime Minister began to be afraid that the King would be starved to death , so he resolved to hide himself in some dark corner of the kitchen , and never take his eyes XXXXX the cooking-pot .
as at for if into of off than until upon