“Yes, and it’s something I’m afraid you can’t give me, little mouse.”
“Perhaps I can. Tell me what it is.”
“It’s a sample of your weaving. I don’t believe you can weave. I never heard of a mouse that could weave.”
“Tut! Tut!” said the mouse. “Of course I can weave! It would be a strange thing if Veikko’s sweetheart couldn’t weave!”
She rang the little silver bell, tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, and instantly there was the faint scratch-scratch of a hundred little feet as mice came running in from all directions and sat up on their haunches awaiting their Princess’ orders.
“Go each of you,” she said, “and get me a fiber of flax, the finest there is.”
The mice went scurrying off and soon they began returning one by one each bringing a fiber of flax. When they had spun the flax and carded it, the little mouse wove a beautiful piece of fine linen. It was so sheer that she was able when she folded it to put it into an empty nutshell.
“Here, Veikko,” she said, “here in this little box is a sample of my weaving. I hope your father will like it.”
Veikko when he got home felt almost embarrassed for he was sure that his sweetheart’s weaving would shame his brothers. So at first he kept the nutshell hidden in his pocket.
The sweetheart of the oldest brother had sent as a sample of her weaving a square of coarse cotton.