“t right, Lyra?”

    “Yeas it. And in ts of ty. All to  like Oxford, ts , anyed in t, I t ter and terested in Dust, like Mrs.

    Coulter and Lord Boreal and them.”

    “I see,” said Farder Coram. “ts very interesting.”

    “Noell you somets been going on  and time tas  to Oxford, or o t, t back a bit of ne you, c?”

    Lyra so be frigalaimon oo deep for anyone to  s in ips down inside his fur.

    “O back to Farder Coram here.”

    Lyra couldnt  in.

    “e didnt damage it! ! It  of mud! And  very far—”

    “ are you talking about, child?” said John Faa.

    Farder Coram laug, opped and  and young.

    But Lyra  laugrembling lips sook it out! It  a joke. e ve sunk it, never!”

    to laugoo. able so o ears from , never  ain laughing.

    “O t too, little girl! I dont suppose tas  foot any. You better leave a guard on your boat, tony, people say. Fierce little girls round  story  all over t  going to punis. No, no! Ease your mind.”

    Farder Coram, and tly.

    And Lyra felt contented, and safe.

    Finally John Faa shook his head and became serious again.

    “I  you from a cer kno guess old you at Jordan College about  knorut. Did tell you ws were?”

    Noely dazed.

    “Yes,” s me t. ts old me.”

    “Ao tell you a story, a true story. I knos true, because a gyptian old me, and tell truto Jorut yourself, Lyra. Your fat, because your father is Lord Asriel.”

    Lyra could only sit in wonder.

    “ came about,” Jo on. “ exploring all over t fortune.

    And ed man, quick to anger, a passionate man.

    “And your mote too. Not so well born as  a clever woman. A Sciful. S.

    “trouble ician.

    y, one of  advisers. A rising man.

    “Noell  s you, girl—it  you didnt favor  your true fat it best to  t youd died.

    “So you ook to Oxfordsates, and put in tian o nurse. But someone  tage  er, in a murderous passion.

    “Lord Asriel  a ing, but t o ime to find your mot t of t staircase.

    Anot and  hen, and Lord Asriel killed him.

    “tian s how we know.

    “t la. Your fat to deny or conceal trut left t,   an intruder. On toto avenge tion of   t.

    “ted for  back and forting all y and all  han a king.

    “As for your moted noto do , nor urned ian nurse told me sen been afeared of reat you, because she was a proud and scornful woman. So much for her.

    “t different, Lyra, you mig up a gyptian, because t to let  ians got little standing in t decided you o be placed in a priory, and so you ers of Obedience at atlington. You  remember.

    “But Lord Asriel  stand for t. red of priors and monks and nuns, and being a  rode in one day and carried you off. Not to look after o give to tians; ook you to Jordan College, and dared to undo it.

    “ell, t t back to ions, and you gre Jordan College. tion  your mot be let see you. If sried to do t, so be prevented, and o be told, because all ture urned against er promised faito do t; and so time passed.

    “ty about Dust. And all over try, all over too began a  it. It  of any account to us gyptians, until tarted taking our kids. ts erested. And  connections in all sorts of places you  imagine, including Jordan College. You  kno tcing to us ever since you been t an interest in you, and t gyptian woman wopped being anxious on your behalf.”

    “ c immensely important and strange, t all  of concern so far away.

    “It c. It , Ill be bound.”

    Bernie ary man, one of t  in aken. And Bernie elling tians everything! She marveled.

    “So any at a time  it. And er t  never do, and  tician Lord Asriel killed, er.”

    “Mrs. Coulter?” said Lyra, quite stupefied. “S my mother?”

    “S never o defy ill be at Jordan, not kno er ting you go is a mystery I cant explain.  she had some power over him.”

    Lyra suddenly understood ters curious be.

    “But   to...” srying to remember it exactly. “o go and see  t morning, and I mustnt tell Mrs.

    Coulter....It o protect me from opped, and looked at to tell trut tiring Room. “See, thing else.

    t evening I iring Room, I saer try to poison Lord Asriel. I saold my uncle and er off table and spilled it. So I saved and  to poison  o udy, and I o go secretly so no one ry and remember exactly  er and  o keep it secret from er. I suppose its all rigell you....”

    S in t of t and took out t package. S on table, and sy and Farder Corams brigelligence botrained on it like searcs.

    er bare, it was Farder Coram w.

    “I never t Id ever set eyes on one of ts a symbol reader.

    Did ell you anyt it, child?”

    “No. Only t Id o  o read it by myself. And  an aleter.”

    “s t mean?” said Journing to his companion.

    “ts a Greek s from aktruts a trut o use it?” o her.

    “No. Least, I can make t  to different pictures, but I cant do anyt goes all over. Except sometimes, rigimes rating, I can make t just by t.”

    “s it do, Farder Coram?” said Jo?”

    “All tures round t delicately torong gaze, “tands for a  meaning of t is  like an anc give eadfastness. tion. to ten, twelve, maybe a never-ending series of meanings.”

    “And do you knohem all?”

    “I kno to read it fully Id need t is, but I ent got it.”

    “ell come back to t,” said Jo.”

    “You got trol,” Farder Coram explained, “and you use to ask a question. By pointing to tion you can imagine, because youve got so many levels of eac your question framed, ts to more symbols t give you the answer.”

    “But  kno tion?” said John Faa.

    “Aself it dont. It only ioner  to kno, and t be a t to be able to  fretting at it or pus cs gone round its full range, youll kno  done once by a s time I ever saw one before. Do you know hese are?”

    “ter told me there was only six made,” Lyra said.

    “ever t ent large.”

    “And you kept t from Mrs. Coulter, like ter told you?” said John Faa.

    “Yes. But , o go in my room. And Im sure .”

    “I see. ell, Lyra, I dont knoand trut t. ter er you and keep you safe from your mot ers friends in t up tion Board, for  knos, botrong in tious, and ter of Jordan hem.

    “Noers got a o look after.  concern is  to t, o move agin it. And t times, Lyra, its been a getting more commanding. t; talk of reviving tion, God forbid. And ter o tread o keep Jordan College on t side of t  survive.

    “And anoter is you, c t. ter of Jordan and to keep you safe, not just because to Lord Asriel t t for your oer gave you up to Mrs. Coulter e of all appearances. And  to poison Lord Asriel,   t oo; maybe all ter as a man errible co make; tle less  to make t sort of choice.

    “And o t  you go,  safe. I ; as you couldnt read it, Im foxed as to w hinking.”

    “ed ter to Jordan College years before,” Lyra said, struggling to remember. “o say somet to stop.  I t o keep it aoo.”

    “Or even te,” said John Faa.

    “ dyou mean, John?” said Farder Coram.

    “  in mind to ask Lyra to return it to Lord Asriel, as a kind of recompense for trying to poison   t Lord Asriel could read some rument and ive no mig ter take t safe. If you kept it safe so far, I ent  leaving it h you.

    But t come a time  it, and I reckon  then.”

    over it and slid it back across table. Lyra ed to ask all kinds of questions, but suddenly s stle eyes so sheir folds and wrinkles.

    One to ask, though.

    “ian woman who nursed me ?”

    “ as mot old you, because I ent let  s alking of s all out in the open.

    “No be getting back to  plenty to be a thinking of, child.

    , , Lyra.”

    “Goodnig, Farder Coram,” sely, clutcer to  alaimon her.

    Bot side ta ing, and as if not moto  arms and kissed o bed.