“Not very fine,” the farmer said, “but good enough.”
The second brother’s sample was a square of cotton and linen mixed.
“A little better,” the farmer said, nodding his head.
Then he turned to Veikko.
“And you, Veikko, has your sweetheart not given you a sample of her weaving?”
Veikko handed his father a nutshell at sight of which his brothers burst out laughing.
“Ha! Ha! Ha!” they laughed. “Veikko’s sweetheart gives him a nut when he asks for a sample of her weaving.”
But their laughter died as the farmer opened the nutshell and began shaking out a great web of the finest linen.
“Why, Veikko, my boy!” he cried, “however did your sweetheart get threads for so fine a web?”
Veikko answered modestly: