All the mice scampered quickly away and soon returned one by one, each carrying a grain of the finest wheat. After that it was no trick at all for the Princess mouse to bake a beautiful loaf of wheaten bread.
The next day the three brothers presented their father the loaves of their sweethearts’ baking. The oldest one had a loaf of rye bread.
“Very good,” the farmer said. “For hardworking people like us rye bread is good.”
The loaf the second son had was made of barley.
“Barley bread is also good,” the farmer said.
But when Veikko presented his loaf of beautiful wheaten bread, his father cried out:
“What! White bread! Ah, Veikko now must have a sweetheart of wealth!”
“Of course!” the older brothers sneered. “Didn’t he tell us she was a Princess? Say, Veikko, when a Princess wants fine white flour, how does she get it?”
Veikko answered simply:
“She rings a little silver bell and when her servants come in she tells them to bring her grains of the finest wheat.”