Once there was a king who had a daughter, being very beautiful, and he loved her so much he wanted to marry her. Here I forget the details, but the princess was in great trouble, especially as she loved a prince who lived a long way off, and he loved her.
She had made (or forgot her father to give her) a beautiful golden cow as large as a real one. She made arrangements in some manner (details forgotten) to have the golden cow conveyed under pretence of its being a parting gift or token of remembrance to the prince. She got inside it, and went in the cow a long journey by sea.
There was a signal prearranged (details forgotten) of three knocks on the cow to show when she could come out safely. But when she had gone a long way the cow was landed (I think the captain of the ship was in the secret, and was to see to her reaching the prince), but people came to see the cow, for it was very curious, amongst them three gentlemen who wanted to be able to say they had touched it, and one poked it with his umbrella (sic), and said, “I’ve touched the golden cow,” and the next poked it with his umbrella, and said, “I’ve touched the golden cow,” and the third poked it with his umbrella, and said, “I’ve touched the golden cow.”
With that the princess opened the door and came out, for she thought those three knocks were the signal. Then the prince turned up, after some adventures that I have forgotten, and all ended happily.
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