When the King and his followers were safely gone, the little red Fox came to Mikko and said:
“Now, my master, you have no reason to feel sad and lonely. You are lord of the most beautiful castle in the world and you have for wife a sweet and lovely Princess. You have no longer any need of me, so I am going to bid you farewell.”
Mikko thanked the little Fox for all he had done and the little Fox trotted off to the woods.
So you see that Mikko’s poor old father, although he had no wealth to leave his son, was really the cause of all Mikko’s good fortune, for it was he who told Mikko in the first place to carry home alive anything he might find caught in the snares.
THE THREE CHESTS
The Story of the Wicked Old Man of the Sea