by Debra Friedland Katz –
Princess Phoebe sighed. Her tea had grown cold and she had barely touched her crumpets. Her two sisters, Princess Irene and Princess Marion, were helping themselves to seconds.
“What’s wrong?” asked Princess Marion.
“I’m bored,” said Princess Phoebe. “I want something to do.”
“I know what we can do,” said Princess Marion. She plucked a strawberry from a bowl and popped it into her mouth. “Let’s have a costume ball.”
“That’s not what I mean,” said Princess Phoebe. “I want a job. And don’t talk with your mouth full,” she added. “It’s rude.”
“A job?” said Princess Irene. “A princess doesn’t do anything – except tell other people what to do.” She rested her feet on the table and leaned back in her chair. “I think a costume ball is a splendid idea.”
“Please take your feet off the table,” said Princess Phoebe. “That’s not a lady like way to sit.”
Princess Irene placed her feet on the floor.
“We must get busy if we’re going to have a costume ball,” said Princess Marion. “We’ll have to see to the invitations, and the costumes, and the food.”
“The ballroom needs a new coat of paint,” chimed Princess Irene. “And we need to order more chairs.”
More chairs? thought Princess Phoebe. That might be something she could do.
The next morning Princess Phoebe went to see the carpenter.
“I’ve already spoken to your sisters, and I’ve started on the chairs,” said the carpenter.
“Wonderful,” said the Princess. “I’m here to help build them.”
“But…but…of course,” sputtered the carpenter, who was not in the habit of arguing with a princess.
The carpenter showed Princess Phoebe the tools and explained how to use them.
Princess Phoebe set to work. The hammer was heavier than it looked, and she narrowly missed cutting her fingers with the saw.
When Princess Irene and Princess Marion came to check on the carpenter’s progress, they were surprised to find their sister kneeling beside a chair, a hammer in one hand and a nail in the other.
“Can I sit in it?” asked Princess Marion.
“It’s ‘May I’,” said Princess Phoebe, “and yes, you may.”
Princess Marion perched gingerly on the seat. “It wiggles.”
“I know,” sighed Princess Phoebe. She laid the hammer and nail on the work bench and thanked the carpenter for letting her help.
The next morning Princess Phoebe called on the seamstresses.
“If you’re here about the ball gowns,” said the head seamstress, “your sisters have already ordered three.”
“I’m here to help make them,” said Princess Phoebe.
“Well…I…certainly,” stammered the seamstress, who would never think to argue with a princess. She showed Princess Phoebe how to thread a needle, handed her two pieces of fabric, and showed her where to begin.
Later that day Princess Irene and Princess Marion stopped in the sewing room to see how their new gowns were coming along. They were again surprised to find their sister. She had a bunch of fabric in her lap and a needle and thread in one hand.
Princess Phoebe held up the dress she had been working on.
“I’m not wearing that one,” said Princess Irene.
“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say it at all,” said Princess Phoebe. She put the gown on the table and thanked the seamstresses for their patience.
The next morning Princess Phoebe stopped in the castle kitchen.
“It’s too soon to start on the food for the ball,” said the head cook. “But we will be making cakes for afternoon tea.
Princess Phoebe lifted an apron off the hook on the wall and tied it around her waist. “I’d like to help.”
“Help?” repeated the cook. “Well…if you insist.” The cook gave the Princess a bowl and mixing spoon.
“Where’s the recipe?” asked the Princess.
“Up here,” replied the cook, tapping her head. She recited the recipe for the Princess.
Princess Phoebe set to work. But she couldn’t remember if the cake called for two cups of flour or three. She dropped egg shells in the batter and confused the salt with the sugar.
That afternoon Princess Irene and Princess Marion paid a visit to the kitchen. They were no longer surprised to find their sister, as her search for a job was the talk of the castle. On the table in front of her was a small cake.
“May I taste it?” asked Princess Marion. She tucked a napkin under her collar and picked up a fork.
“A napkin belongs on your lap,” said Princess Phoebe, “and yes, you may.”
Princess Marion put her napkin on her lap and took a bite of the cake. She made a face.
Princess Phoebe untied the apron, laid it next to the cake, and thanked the cooks for allowing her into their kitchen.
Princess Phoebe knew there had to be something she could do.
She tried helping the scribe, but a day of writing invitations and addressing envelopes left her with a cramp in her hand.
She tried helping the royal gardener, but she couldn’t seem to remember which end was up when planting the tulip bulbs, and she cut her dress with the hedge clippers.
She even tried helping the painters paint the ballroom, but standing on the ladder made her dizzy.
“You’re not still looking for a job, are you?” asked Princess Marion one afternoon. The sisters were in the drawing room going through the day’s mail.
“I…” began Princess Phoebe.
“It’s here,” exclaimed Princess Irene. “A response from Prince Henry.” She tore open the envelope.
“It’s not polite to interrupt,” said Princess Phoebe.
“Sorry,” said Princess Irene. She looked down at the envelope in her hands. She noticed a hang nail, which she began to chew.
Princess Phoebe had an idea.
On the morning of the ball Princess Irene and Princess Marion sat in the drawing room discussing last minute preparations.
“Where have you been all week?” asked Princess Irene when Princess Phoebe appeared in the doorway.
“I’ve found a job,” replied a beaming Princess Phoebe. “Follow me. I’ll show you.”
Princess Phoebe led her sisters out of the castle and across the moat to a small building.
“Isn’t that the shed where the knights store their old armor?” asked Princess Irene. “It looks different.”
“It is different,” said Princess Phoebe. The armor was gone and replaced by tables and chairs constructed by the carpenter. The painters had given the walls a fresh coat of paint. The seamstresses had sewn curtains for the windows, and the gardeners had planted flowers next to the door.
Princess Phoebe pointed to a sign, hand lettered by the scribe, that hung above the door.
Princess Phoebe’s Charm School
Manners Taught
Behavior Refined
“You were right,” said Princess Phoebe. “A princess’s job is telling other people what to do.”
the end.
Question Time
1. What did Princess Phoebe want to do?
2. What did her sisters want to do?
3. What types of jobs did Princess Phoebe try?
4. What job did she end up with?
