Mary Poppins

'I can see that,' said the King. 'I still have my eyesight. But what do you want? Be quick, because I have an appointment with the Barber at ten. He won't wait for me longer than that and I must have my hair cut. And for goodness' sake stop jigging and jagging about like that!' he added irritably. 'It makes me quite giddy.'

'Quite giddy!' echoed all the Courtiers, staring.

'That's just my trouble, your Majesty. I can't stop!' said the Red Cow piteously.

'Can't stop? Nonsense!' said the King furiously. 'Stop at once I, the King, command you!'

'Stop at once! The King commands you!' cried all the Courtiers.

The Red Cow made a great effort. She tried so hard to stop dancing that every muscle and every rib stood out like mountain ranges all over her. But it was no good. She just went on dancing at the foot of the King's steps.

'I have tried, your Majesty. And I can't. I've been dancing now for seven days running. And I've had no sleep. And very little to eat. A white-thorn spray or two — that's all. So I've come to ask your advice.'

'H'm — very curious,' said the King, pushing the crown on one side and scratching his head.

'Very curious,' said the Courtiers, scratching their heads, too.

'What does it feel like?' asked the King.

'Funny,' said the Red Cow. 'And yet,' she paused, as if choosing her words, 'it's rather a pleasant feeling, too. As if laughter were running up and down inside me.'

'Extraordinary,' said the King, and he put his chin on his hand and stared at the Red Cow, pondering on what was the best thing to do.

Suddenly he sprang to his feet and said:

'Good gracious!'

'What is it?' cried all the Courtiers.

'Why, don't you see?' said the King, getting very excited and dropping his sceptre. 'What an idiot I was not to have noticed it before. And what idiots you were!' He turned furiously upon the Courtiers. 'Don't you see that there's a fallen star caught on her horn?'

'So there is!' cried the Courtiers, as they all suddenly noticed the star for the first time. And as they looked it seemed to them that the star grew brighter.

'That's what's wrong!' said the King. 'Now, you Courtiers had better pull it off so that this — er — lady can stop dancing and have some breakfast. It's the star, madam, that is making you dance,' he said to the Red Cow. 'Now, come along, you!'

And he motioned to the Chief Courtier, who presented himself smartly before the Red Cow and began to tug at the star. It would not come off. The Chief Courtier was joined by one after another of the other Courtiers, until at last there was a long chain of them, each holding the man in front of him by the waist, and a tug-of-war began between the Courtiers and the star.

'Mind my head!' entreated the Red Cow.

'Pull harder!' roared the King.

They pulled harder. They pulled until their faces were red as raspberries. They pulled till they could pull no longer and all fell back, one on top of the other. The star did not move. It remained firmly fixed to the horn.

'Tch, tch, tch!' said the King. 'Secretary, look in the Encyclopaedia and see what it says about cows with stars on their horns.'

The Secretary knelt down and began to crawl under the throne. Presently he emerged, carrying a large green book which was always kept there in case the King wanted to know anything.

He turned the pages.

'There's nothing at all, your Majesty, except the story of the Cow Who Jumped Over the Moon, and you know all about that.'

The King rubbed his chin, because that helped him to think.

He sighed irritably and looked at the Red Cow.

'All I can say,' he said, 'is that you'd better try that too.'

'Try what?' said the Red Cow.

'Jumping over the moon. It might have an effect. Worth trying, anyway.'

'Me?' said the Red Cow, with an outraged stare.

'Yes, you — who else?' said the King impatiently. He was anxious to get to the Barber's.

'Sire,' said the Red Cow, 'I beg you to remember that I am a decent, respectable animal and have been taught from my infancy that jumping was no occupation for a lady.'

The King stood up and shook his sceptre at her.

'Madam,' he said, 'you came here for my advice and I have given it to you. Do you want to go on dancing for ever? Do you want to go hungry for ever? Do you want to go sleepless for ever?'

The Red Cow thought of the lush sweet taste of dandelions. She thought of meadow grass and how soft it was to lie on. She thought of her weary capering legs and how nice it would be to rest them. And she said to herself: 'Perhaps, just for once, it wouldn't matter and nobody — except the King — need know.'

'How high do you suppose it is?' she said aloud as she danced.

The King looked up at the Moon.

'At least a mile, I should think,' said he.

The Red Cow nodded. She thought so, too. For a moment she considered, and then she made up her mind.

'I never thought that I should come to this, your Majesty. Jumping — and over the moon at that. But — I'll try it,' she said and curtseyed gracefully to the throne.

'Good,' said the King pleasantly, realising that he would be in time for the Barber, after all. 'Follow me!'

He led the way into the garden, and the Red Cow and the Courtiers followed him.

'Now,' said the King, when he reached the open lawn, 'when I blow the whistle — jump!'

He took a large golden whistle from his waistcoat pocket and blew into it lightly to make sure there was no dust in it.

The Red Cow danced at attention.

'Now — one!' said the King.

'Two!'

'Three!'

Then he blew the whistle.

The Red Cow, drawing in her breath, gave one huge tremendous jump and the earth fell away beneath her. She could see the figures of the King and the Courtiers growing smaller and smaller until they disappeared below. She herself shot upwards through the sky, with the stars spinning around her like great golden plates, and presently, in blinding light, she felt the cold rays of the moon upon her. She shut her eyes as she went over it, and as the dazzling gleam passed behind her and she bent her head towards the earth again, she felt the star slip down her horn. With a great rush it fell off and went rolling down the sky. And it seemed to her that as it disappeared into the darkness great chords of music came from it and echoed through the air.

In another minute the Red Cow had landed on the earth again. To her great surprise she found that she was not in the King's garden but in her own dandelion field.

And she had stopped dancing! Her feet were as steady as though they were made of stone and she walked as sedately as any other respectable cow. Quietly and serenely she moved across the field, beheading her golden soldiers as she went to greet the Red Calf.

'I'm so glad you're back!' said the Red Calf. 'I've been so lonely.'

The Red Cow kissed it and fell to munching the meadow. It was her first good meal for a week. And by the time her hunger was satisfied she had eaten up several regiments. After that she felt better. She soon began to live her life just exactly as she had lived it before.

At first she enjoyed her quiet regular habits very much, and was glad to be able to eat her breakfast without