Lyra o find t and y never  of bed and doairs, and  on ter,  to see hey were doing.

    t s, racing toeps. As t, but took o teps so  one of to ter, and tried to climb into t and tipped t over, too, and t toget before han

    most of to, and ser, alaimon as a little silver fistering beside  o talk to otting in pools of er on tone, ts drying quickly in talaimon o creep into  again, frogston.

    quot; you going to do  cat?quot;

    quot;Can you really take t;

    quot;;

    quot;Your friend, ers?quot;

    quot;ill ent afraid of anyt; Lyra said. quot;Norm I.  you scared of cats for?quot;

    quot;You dont kno cats?quot; t boy said incredulously. quot;Cats, t t. You got to kill every cat you see. te you and put too. And  big pard?quot;

    S Pantalaimon in ly.

    quot;You must ; s;t in t. But me and ill,  ers ;

    quot;If you cant see em, youre safe,quot; said a boy. quot;You see em, you kno you. ts  ;

    quot;And t;

    quot;Yea; said t a ful of air, cro;I got one no;

    quot;t  you,quot; one of t;So   t.quot;

    quot;And ters in t; said Lyra.

    quot;Yea; said one boy, but anot;No, time ago. ;

    quot;t; said third.

    quot;t?quot; said Lyra.

    quot;t; said t;My granny said t to punis;

    quot;Your granny don kno; said a boy. quot;S a beard, your granny. S, all rig;

    quot;s t; Lyra persisted.

    quot;You knoorre degU Angeli,quot; said a boy. quot;tone too t place in things.

    P ters in.quot;

    quot;t ain true,quot; said anotars.quot;

    quot;It is! t : taking some metal apart. Lead. o make it into gold. And  it and cut it smaller and smaller till o t piece  t. So small you couldn see it, even. But  t, too, and inside t little bit ters packed in, ted over and folded up so tigook up no space at all. But once  it, bam! t, and ts ;

    quot;Is to; said Lyra.

    quot;No! t; said the girl.

    quot;tos ed, t place,quot; said a boy. quot;ts . Ain no kids gonna go in ts scary.quot;

    quot;to go in t; said another.

    quot;t special magic, or somet; said t;t live t;

    quot;But t anyone in to; Lyra said. quot;No gro;

    quot;No groy at all!quot;

    quot;t.quot;

    But s. And ticed liar, s t something.

    And suddenly stle Paolo ioned t ullio, oo, and Angelica her?

    S to rescue ts and pedal back to t inside to make some coffee and see if ill  ill asleep,  curled up at , and Lyra ient to see e a note and left it on took  off to look for the window.

    took led tle square to t before. But it y no dusted t of t touries of  someillness expressing poellectual force.

    quot;Angels,quot; said Pantalaimon, no on Lyras shoulder.

    quot;Maybe Specters,quot; Lyra said.

    quot;No! t; ed. quot;Bet ts angels.quot;

    quot;S;

    t t oak door on its ornate black eps up to it self stood sligo stop Lyra from going in except her own fear.

    Siptoed to top of teps and looked tone-flagged  muc; but Pantalaimon tering anxiously on  as rick on t at Jordan College, and stle eps and out of t sunligree boulevard. And as soon as s straigo to ills Oxford.

    Forty minutes later ser; but time srump card quot;You just ask Dr. Malone,quot; sly. quot;ts all you got to do, ask ell you.quot;

    ter turned to elepcyingly as tons and spoke into it. t even give o sit in, like a real Oxford college, just a big er, as if it was a shop.

    quot;All rig; said ter, turning back. quot;S go anyw;

    quot;No, I ,quot; stle girl doing w sold.

    At top of tairs, t as sing , it opened and tly beckoning her in.

    Sered, puzzled. t tory, it ed.

    S;Lyra, they know you came

    to see me yesterday—I dont knoer, but I dont like it s going on?quot;

    quot;o see you?quot;

    quot;I dont kno kno I kne;

    quot;Oo ts easy.quot;

    quot;But w is going on?”

    A side: quot;Dr. Malone? ;

    quot;Yes,quot; Dr. Malone called. quot;I  s;

    to be so anxious, t Lyra, but per used to danger.

    tly, and sried to smile  her eyes remained hard and suspicious.

    quot;; s;Youre Lyra, are you?quot;

    quot;Yeas your name?quot;

    quot;Im Sergeant Clifford. Come along in.quot;

    Lyra t ting as if it  s   a t. S be  ter ed o do, and it  tood doubtfully in the doorway.

    In tall poe eyebrows. Lyra knew w Scwo was a Scholar.

    quot;Come in, Lyra,quot; said Sergeant Clifford again. quot;Its all rigor alters.quot;

    quot;; said t;Ive been  you from Dr. Malone o ask you a feions, if ts all rig;

    quot; sort of questions?quot; she said.

    quot;Not,quot; ;Come and sit do;

    oanding nearby. Pantalaimon, cricket-formed in Lyras breast pocket, ated; s , and remor didnt s to o keep still.

    quot;; said Inspector alters.

    If so c s say another.

    t to kno once. S of the place ill had come from.

    quot;incer,quot; she said.

    quot;Youve been in t you, Lyra?quot; said tor. quot; those bruises?

    t?quot;

    quot;No,quot; said Lyra.

    quot;Do you go to sc;

    quot;Yeaimes,quot; she added.

    quot;S you be at scoday?quot;

    S Dr. Malone,  and unhappy.

    quot;I just came o see Dr. Malone,quot; Lyra said.

    quot;Are you staying in Oxford, Lyra? aying?quot;

    quot;it; s;Just friends.quot;

    quot;s t;

    quot;I dont knoly s called. I can find it easy, but I cant remember treet.quot;

    quot;;

    quot;Just friends of my fat; she said.

    quot;O;

    quot;Cause my fat, and ;

    It o it and lie more fluently.

    quot;And s s;

    quot;Yea.quot;

    quot;Youre interested in t sort of t;

    quot;Yea;

    quot;You going to be a scientist w;

    t sort of question deserved a blank stare, .  disconcerted.  to Lyra.

    quot;And  w Dr. Malone s;

    quot;ell, sort of, but I kneo expectquot;

    quot;Because of your fat;

    quot;Yea;

    quot;Yes, quite. Do you understand it?quot;

    quot;Some of itquot;

    quot;Your fato dark matter, t;

    quot;Yes.quot;

    quot; as far as Dr. Malone?quot;

    quot;Not in tter, but t engine  got one of t;

    quot;Is ill staying ;

    quot;Yes, ;

    And sopped. S once sake.

    So did t in a moment to stop  but some tripped and fell, blocking tor. It gave Lyra time to dart out, slam t beilt for tairs.

    ts came out of a door, and so talaimon led t fligairs into t as ter put ter calling out quot;Oy! Stop t;

    But to lift  t to t and catch her.

    And be doors  so fast, so strong— And t turn! Pantalaimon s he wrong side!

    S in fear and turned tle  to turn, and got it to move just in time to avoid ter,  and a through.

    Across tires; into tall buildings, and tions. But s beening!

    Into a garden, over a fence, talaimon skimming over, calling to o go; croucsteps   came racing past, and s ing, , and so fit; and Pantalaimon said, quot;Back noo t;

    So s out of  te, into tires squealed on t tree-lined road of tall Victorian he park.

    Sopped to gain all  of one of t its foot, and s tucked closely in under t.

    quot;S; Pantalaimon said. quot;Dr. Malone got in t t;

    quot;O; s;I s  about ill. I s;

    quot;S ; he said severely.

    quot;I kno too ...quot;

    But s got time to berate alaimon fluttered to ;Look out—be; and immediately co a cricket again and dived into .

    Sood, ready to run, and saly to t beside o dart in eition, but t was a face she recognized.

    quot;Lizzie,quot; said t;o see you again. Can I give you a lift anyw;

    And o make room beside alaimon nipped  tton, but s in at once, clutc.

    quot;You look as if youre in a ; ; to go?quot;

    quot;Up Summerto; s;please.quot;

    t t and porong in t from t and moved a all.

    quot;So ; t;Did you find out more about t;

    quot;Yea; sing to see out of tten atle riumph.

    quot;I made some inquiries too,quot; ;An ant friend of mine tells me t t several otion, as hem are very old indeed.

    Neandert;

    quot;Yeas ; Lyra said,  alking about.

    quot;And ;

    quot; friend?quot; said Lyra, alarmed. old  ill too?

    quot;taying ;

    quot;O;

    quot; does s?quot;

    quot;O. Sudies dark matter,quot; said Lyra, still not quite in control. In t ell lies t. And somet   place it.

    quot;Dark matter?quot; ;ing! I sa t in times terious stuff, and nobody kno is! And your friend

    is on track of it, is s;

    quot;Yes. S about it.quot;

    quot;And o do later on, Lizzie? Are you going in for poo?quot; , quot;I mig; said Lyra. quot;It depends.quot;

    tly and slohe car down.

    quot;ell, o; said t;o be dropped?quot;

    quot;O up past t; said Lyra. quot;t;

    turn left into Sout, could you, Allan,quot; said the old man.

    quot;Very good, sir,quot; said the chauffeur.