Jesper was inclined to laugh at this , but he kept a grave face , said he would remember the offer , and walked on . At a turn of the road he suddenly came upon the old woman . ` Good morning , ' said she ; ` what have YOU got in your basket ? ' ` Pearls , ' said Jesper ; ` I 'm going to the palace to win the princess with them . ' And in case she might not believe him , he lifted the cover and let her see them . ` Beautiful , ' said the old woman ; ` very beautiful indeed ; but they will go a very little way towards winning the princess , unless you can also perform the tasks that are set you . However , ' she said , ' I see you have brought something with you to eat . Wo n't you give that to me : you are sure to get a good dinner at the palace . ' ` Yes , of course , ' said Jesper , ' I had n't thought of that ' ; and he handed over the whole of his lunch to the old woman . He had already taken a few steps on the way again , when the old woman called him back . ` Here , ' she said ; ` take this whistle in return for your lunch . It is n't much to look at , but if you blow it , anything that you have lost or that has been taken from you will find its way back to you in a moment . ' Jesper thanked her for the whistle , though he did not see of what use it was to be to him just then , and held on his way to the palace . When Jesper presented his pearls to the king there were exclamations of wonder and delight from everyone who saw them . It was not pleasant , however , to discover that Jesper was a mere fisher-lad ; that was n't the kind of son-in-law that the king had expected , and he said so to the queen . ` Never mind , ' said she , ` you can easily set him such tasks as he will never be able to perform : we shall soon get rid of him . ' ` Yes , of course , ' said the king ; ` really I forget things nowadays , with all the bustle we have had of late . ' That day Jesper dined with the king and queen and their nobles , and at night was put into a bedroom grander than anything of the kind he had ever seen . It was all so new to him that he could not sleep a wink , especially as he was always wondering what kind of tasks would be set him to do , and whether he would be able to perform them . In spite of the softness of the bed , he was very glad when morning came at last .
After breakfast was over , the king said to Jesper , ` Just come XXXXX me , and I 'll show you what you must do first . '
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