“I  next to me at dinner,” said Mrs. Coulter, making room for Lyra on t used to ters lodging. Youll o so use.”

    “Are you a female Sc, poor taken more seriously ting a play. Mrs.

    Coulter, on t like any female Scainly not like ting t, for Mrs.

    Coulter  Lyra ranced. Sake her eyes off her.

    “Not really,” Mrs. Coulter said. “Im a member of Dame  most of my akes place outside Oxford....tell me about yourself, Lyra.  Jordan College?”

    ites Lyra old  e routes over tops, ttle of time s and roasted a rook, ention to capture a narro from tians and sail it to Abingdon, and so on. Sold  trick s.

    “And ts came, rigo my bedroom  t talk except for making sort of gurgling noises, but I kneed all rig do day and put theyd probably have killed me else.”

    “Youre not afraid of danger, ter admiringly. t dinner by time, and as Lyra ting next to eacely t talking to Mrs. Coulter.

    ell me, Lyra—are to send you to school?”

    Lyra looked blank. “I dun—I dont kno  to put to any trouble,” s on piously. “Or expense. Its probably better if I just go on living at Jordan and getting educated by t a bit of spare time. Being as theyre probably free.”

    “And does your uncle Lord Asriel  ther womens college.

    “Yes,” said Lyra. “I expect so. Not sco take me to t time he goes.”

    “I remember elling me,” said Mrs. Coulter.

    Lyra blinked. t eacher.

    “I met  tic Institute,” Mrs. Coulter  on. “As a matter of fact, its partly because of t meeting t Im oday.”

    “Are you an explorer too?” said Lyra.

    “In a kind of o times. Last year I spent tions of the Aurora.”

    t ; noted now for Lyra. S Mrs.

    Coulter ened rapt and silent to ales of igloo building, of seal ing, of negotiating co tell, and sat in silence until the men came in.

    Later, o leave, ter said, “Stay beo talk to you for a minute or to my study, c do for me.”

    Puzzled, tired, exed, Lyra did as old  sedly left t  so from ts. Lyra cer, but s see er came into tudy and s the door.

    do by ly as ter said:

    “So, Lyra. Youve been talking to Mrs. Coulter. Did you enjoy  she said?”

    “Yes!”

    “She is a remarkable lady.”

    “S .”

    ter sig and black tie  t one day, quite soon,  under tory, and an artist ure of e for h his.

    “I sime before noalk er a fes. “I ending to do so in any case, but it seems t time is furt. You  found it easy to obey us, but ness in your nature, and a lot of determination. Youre going to need all of t.

    to protect you from—by keeping you  ts no longer possible.”

    Sared. ere to send her away?

    “You kne sometime youd o go to scer  on. “e aug not ematically. Our kno kind. You need to kno elderly men are not able to teac t .

    Youre not a servants c put you out to be fostered by a to  your needs are different. You see, o you, Lyra, is t t of your life t belongs to Jordan College is coming to an end.”

    “No,” s  to leave Jordan. I like it  to stay here forever.”

    “ t forever. Unfortunately, t. Lyra, it  be long—a couple of years at most—before you  a co live in then.”

    “But its my home!”

    “It  nohing else.”

    “Not sc going to school.”

    “You need female company. Female guidance.”

    ted female Sco Lyra, and sarily made a face. to be exiled from ts sco a dingy brick-built boarding t dinner! ter sa eyes flash red.

    suppose it er?”

    Instantly Pantalaimons fur co downy we. Lyras eyes widened.

    “Really?”

    “Sed er  you, s once to er, by the way; she is a widow.

    some years ago; so you mig in mind before you ask.”

    Lyra nodded eagerly, and said, “And so...look after me?”

    “ould you like t?”

    “Yes!”

    S still. ter smiled.   of practice, and anyone c in a state to notice) would  was a grimace of sadness.

    “ell, er ask o talk about it,” he said.

    te later er, Lyra oo excited to sit. Mrs. Coulter smiled, and e teeto ter touc a current of o her, and blushed.

    er o ant, am I?”

    “Yes,” said Lyra simply. So anything.

    “t of work I need h.”

    “I can work!”

    “And ravel.”

    “I dont mind. Id go anywhere.”

    “But it mig o go to th.”

    Lyra was speechen she found her voice: “Soon?”

    Mrs. Coulter laug you knoics, and navigation, and celestial geography.”

    “ill you teach me?”

    “Yes. And youll o es and putting my papers in order and doing various pieces of basic calculation, and so on. And because ing some important people, ty clothes.

    t to learn, Lyra.”

    “I dont mind. I  to learn it all.”

    “Im sure you raveler. Noo leave very early in tter run along and go straigo bed. Ill see you at breakfast. Goodnight!”

    “Goodnigurned at t, Master.”

    he nodded. “Sleep well,” he said.

    “And to Mrs. Coulter.

    Salaimon  settle until s  of pique. It ill dark when someone shook her awake.

    “Lyra— start—wake up, child.”

    It ly, ill h her free hand.

    “Listen. ter s to see you before you join Mrs. Coulter for breakfast.

    Get up quickly and run across to to tap at tudy. You understand?”

    Fully a, Lyra nodded and slipped  into t down for her.

    “Never mind er. Go straigraight back.

    Ill start your packing and o wear. hurry now.”

    till full of t air. Over stars ill visible, but t from t o to tood for a moment in t tone pinnacles of te-painted lantern of t so leave ts, shem.