A minute later to a silent  outside a public library. t Lyra o climb past o get out. t of space, but some  to touch him, nice as he was.

    quot;Dont forget your rucksack,quot;  to her.

    quot;t; she said.

    quot;Ill see you again, I ; ;Give my regards to your friend.quot;

    quot;Good-bye,quot; s till turned t of sig off torees. S t paleed to ask ter.

    ill ers again.  on terrace ant ss of cing on ts, trying to picture t, and looking again and again at to to himself.

    steps from some ters in  and stood up, and almost at once Lyra alaimon a snarling savage , too distraugo   c;Kill  ;

    quot;? s tter?quot;

    quot;t old man— not a loole it, ill! ole my aleter! t stinky old man  driving t;

    And sely  t s really did break, and o talaimon beside ter grief.

    Far off across ter, copped o see. ill sat down beside Lyra and shook her shoulder.

    quot;Stop! Stop crying!quot; ;tell me from t old man?  ;

    quot;Youre going to be so angry. I promised I  give you a, and t; salaimon became a young clumsy dog ail, squirming ; and ill understood t Lyra  soo aso tell , and o the daemon.

    quot;  tell me,quot; he said.

    Pantalaimon said, quot;e  to tricked us. t of questions and t you, and before op  a ;

    Lyra . Pantalaimon ion: dog, bird, cat, snow-we ermine.

    quot; did t; said ill.

    quot;Big,quot; said Lyras muffled voice, quot;and ever so strong, and pale eyes ...quot;

    quot;Did ;

    quot;No, but...quot;

    quot;ell,  know w;

    quot;But ter!quot; s up fiercely, ion, like a Greek mask.

    quot;Yea; said ill. tell me about tquot;

    Beteetold  er in topped today and sten in to escape from t side of to climb past o get out, and  ly taken ter as he rucksack....

    ated s not ;And, ill, please, I done someter told me I o stop looking for Dust—at least I t ts  said— and I o o ake you to  I  listen. I just done ed to do, and I s....quot;

    , and  could tell ruturned a o ter. to ;ill, Im so sorry—quot;

    quot;s t? I dont care if youre sorry or not You did it.quot;

    quot;But, ill,  to  anyone else!quot;

    quot;I cant see ;

    quot;Nor can I, but...quot;

    Sopped in midsentence, and a ligo her eyes.

    Surned and raced back to , and rummaged t feverishly.

    quot;I knole ;o me in t ter back!quot;

    ill took the card and read:

    SIR CROM, CBE LlMEFIELD ON OXFORD quot;; ;A knig means people omatically believe  us.  did you  me to do, anyo ter me! Or if t yesterday, t  ;

    quot;e could steal it. e could go to eal it. I knoon in my Oxford too. It ent far. e could ;

    quot;Youre stupid.quot;

    quot;lorek Byrnison raig;

    But s. ill  looking at  , because t unlike lorek in ills eyes, young as they were.

    quot;I never upid in my life,quot; ;You t go to eal it? You need to to use your bloody brain. o uff, if  go off and special locks and ligc come on automatically—quot;

    quot;I never ; Lyra said. quot;e ent got em in my  kno, ill.quot;

    quot;All rig a o my o look around, and t t  a  into  in time before t;

    S rue.

    quot; o do t; she said.

    ans it ain. o  or not.

    o ters edge, and back to terrace, and back to ter again.  oget no answer came, and he shook his head angrily.

    quot;Just... go t; ;Just go ts no good asking your sco  if to o believe t least if  into ll be a start.quot;

    it anot inside and put tters under t in. t, them.

    Lyra ing on terrace, alaimon perched on her shoulder as a sparrow. She was looking more cheerful.

    quot;ere going to get it back all rig; s;I can feel it.quot;

    off for the window.

    It took an o o on. Lyra led ty center, and ill kept c o Bolvangar, for tians and lorek Byrnison undra . y t  reac; and even if t going to kill  alaimon, t ter, s a little girl, lost Limefield s front  stood in a large, ended garden,  one side and a gravel drive so t door. t of a double garage to t.

    Everyt of informal settled superiority t some upper-class Englisill took for granted. t it t made  eet kno cloto be on  be till crying....

    Lyra sao ask w was

    someto do  ly ook a deep breath.

    quot;ell,quot; ;migry.quot;

    very exposed.

    t kno till Lyra s, the house.

    t , and t Lyra, and tle.

    quot;e  to see Sir Crom,quot; ill said.

    ting as it  nigone-to nodded.

    quot;ait ; ;Ill tell Sir C;

    op and bottom, t t no sensible burglar ry t door anyly fixed to t of tlig eaco get near it, let alone break in.

    Steady footsteps came to t opened again.

    ill looked up at t ed even more, and found ingly smoot in t guilty or ashamed.

    Sensing Lyra beside ient and angry, ill said quickly, quot;Excuse me, but Lyra t  by mistake.quot;

    quot;Lyra? I dont know a Lyra.  an unusual name. I know a c;

    Cursing ting, ill said, quot;Im ;

    quot;I see. ter come in.quot;

    ood aside. Neite expecting tepped inside uncertainly. t against tained dainty porcelain figures. ill sa standing in ting to be called.

    quot;Come into my study,quot; said Sir Che hall.

    eous, even  to  put ill on guard. tudy able in a cigar-smoke-and-leat of o be full of booksures, ing troped cabinets containing antique scientific instruments—brass microscopes, telescopes covered in green leatants, compasses; it er.

    quot;Sit do; said Sir Ced a leat at t on. quot;ell?   to say?quot;

    quot;You stole—quot; began Lyra ly, but ill looked at opped.

    quot;Lyra t somet; ;eve come to get it back.quot;

    quot;Is t you mean?quot; ook a velvet clotood up. er resting in his palm.

    quot;Yes!quot; Lyra burst out, and reac But  reacer in a glass-fronted cabinet before locking it and dropping tcoat pocket.

    quot;But it isnt yours, Lizzie,quot; ;Or Lyra, if ts your name.quot;

    quot;It is mine! Its my aleter!quot;

    o   for ;I t t t about tter,quot; he said.

    quot;But it is ; said ill. quot; to me! I knos ;

    quot;You see, I to prove t,quot; ;I dont o prove anyts in my possession. Its assumed to be mine. Like all tems in my collection. I must say, Lyra, Im surprised to find you so dis—quot;

    quot;I ent dis!quot; Lyra cried.

    quot;O you are. You told me your name s somet got a  a precious piece like to you. I tell you s call t;

    urned o call for t.

    quot;No, —quot; said ill, before Sir C Lyra ran around talaimon  t t hardly flinched.

    quot;You dont even kno is you stole,quot; Lyra stormed. quot;You seen me using it and you t youd steal it, and you did. But you—you—youre  least ss important! Youre just going to put it in a case and do not! You ougo die If I can, Ill make someone kill you. Youre not ;

    S speak. All s full in .

    ill sat still, ching was.

    Sir C a silk handkerchief and mopped himself.

    quot;rol over yourself?quot; ;Go and sit do.quot;

    Lyra felt tears s of rembling of o die sofa. Pantalaimon, s tail erect, stood on he old man.

    ill sat silent and puzzled. Sir C long before t was ?

    And t  Out of t, past te s cuff, came ts black tongue flicked t s mailed s gold-rimmed black eyes moved from Lyra to ill and back again. Soo angry to see it at all, and ill sa only for a moment before it retreated again up t it made h shock.

    Sir Co t and calmly sat dorousers.

    quot;I tter listen to me instead of berolled ; ;You really  any crument is in my possession and ay t it. Im a collector. You can spit and stamp and scream all you like, but by time youve persuaded anyone else to listen to you, I sy of documents to prove t I boug. I can do t very easily. And t it back.quot;

    t no  and making till.

    quot;;  on, quot;t even more. And I cant get it myself, so Im prepared to make a deal c I , and Ill give you back t did you call it?quot;

    quot;Aleter,quot; said Lyra hoarsely.

    quot;Aleter. eresting. Aletrut;

    quot;s t?quot; said ill. quot;And ;

    quot;Its some you can. Im perfectly  youve found a door too far from Summerto. Right so far?

    ell, you see, t door nooorre degli Angeli.

    quot;So ts  care , but I  t knife. Bring it to me, and you can er. I so lose it, but Im a man of my word.

    ts ;