John Faa spoke:

    “Lyra, cold me about your reading of t instrument.

    And Im sorry to say t poor Jacob  died. I to o take you er all, against my inclinations. Im troubled in my mind about it, but t seem to be any alternative. As soon as Jacobs buried according to custom, ake our and me, Lyra: youre a coming too, but it ent an occasion for joy or jubilation. trouble and danger ahead for all of us.

    “Im a putting you under Farder Corams  you be a trouble or a o  along and explain to Ma Costa, and o leave.”

    t time of Lyras life so far.

    Busily, but not quickly, for tedious stretcing, of s, of cumn landscape roll past t of all, of never once being allo into to run along t tes or catche lockside.

    Because, of course, so remain ony Costa told erside pubs: t t ttle fair- for anyone concealing range rumors too: people said so errible secrets in  a  all but a pair of spirits in t to to  ruin; and yet anot ars, come to spy on good Englisartar invasion.

    Lyra ales at first er ing and fearing o be out of to be nortimes so be back at Jordan College, scrambling over teolling o dinnertime and tter and sizzle and sing of tcely t not she could be Lyra of Jordan College forever and ever.

    t dreion er. S every day, sometimes imes on  so tate in ain ranges touc emerged into vision.

    Sruggled to explain to Farder Coram  felt like.

    “Its almost like talking to someone, only you cant quite upid because t get cross or any t, Farder Coram! As if t! Mrs. Coulter  t kind of knos like understanding, I suppose....”

    ions, and she would search for answers.

    “s Mrs. Coulter doing now?”  once, and ell me w youre doing.”

    “ell, ter, and I t t is busy—ts easy, ts top meaning; and t time in its meanings, and part fix my mind on it.”

    “And hese meanings are?”

    “I kind of see em. Or feel em rat nig your foot do my mind do it is. t em all togetrick in it like focusing your eyes.”

    “Do t t it says.”

    Lyra did. to s once, and stopped, moved on, stopped again in a precise series of s ion of suc Lyra, s, felt like a young bird learning to fly. Farder Coram, cable, noted topped, and ctle girl ing  a little,  first but ts pattled, looking else a game in play. An expert player seemed to see lines of force and influence on tant lines and ignored to some similar magnetic field t s.

    topped at t, t, t, t, and at a creature Lyra couldnt find a name for: a sort of lizard ail curled around t stood on. It repeated time after time, wched.

    “s t lizard mean?” said Farder Coram, breaking into ration.

    “It dont make sense....! can see  says, but I must be misreading it. t I ts me...l ting a meaning for t lizard t you talked to me, Farder Coram, and I lost it. See, its just floating any old where.”

    “Yes, I see t. Im sorry, Lyra. You tired no to stop?”

    “No, I dont,” s . Sful overexcitement, and it uffy cabin.

    of t raveling along t stretcer before reac. ide brouary extended under a dreary sky to a distant group of coal-spirit tanks, rusty and cobantly to join the clouds.

    “side just for a bit, Farder Coram?”

    “ter,” uary of toie up by t and go on foot to two....”

    But it ting dark, and in tion of t t and a distant coal barge laboring toired, and s on:

    “ell, I dont suppose itll matter just for a fees in t call it fresent fres  you can sit out on top and look around till  closer in.”

    Lyra leaped up, and Pantalaimon became a seagull at once, eager to stretc side, and altalaimon, on to t, and ed in it, feeling ally to provoke tillermans cormorant daemon into a race.

    But stled doiller near her man.

    t on tter broeady cer under t offering rain; talaimons flas of life and joy.

    As  of a dive e against tled at ruck. ter of s, feeling it stle black t; t like birds but like flying beetles, , and h a droning sound.

    As Pantalaimon fell, trying to t a and Lyras desperate arms, t driving into alaimons fear and  t past her and upward.

    It illermans daemon, and clumsy and  . —tter of black tle black to tarred roof of t Lyras feet just as Pantalaimon landed on stretched hand.

    Before s o  sure, batting it back from t ly to escape. Pantalaimon  firmly do t her.

    t glided sly back and croaked someto tillerman,  let t ot of tin mug ossed it to Lyra.

    S over ture at once. It buzzed and snarled like a little machine.

    “ still,” said Farder Coram from beo slip a piece of card under the mug.

    “ is it, Farder Coram?” she said shakily.

    “Lets go belo careful, Lyra.  tight.”

    S tillermans daemon as sending to t illerman instead.

    “You ougayed below” was all he said.

    Sook to tin mug upside do and t from bet ture fell into t up so ttle thing clearly.

    It  as long as Lyras t black. Its , like a ladybirds about to fly, and ting so furiously t ts six clah glass.

    “ is it?” she said.

    Pantalaimon, a  still, croucable six inc round and round inside the glass.

    “If you o crack it open,” said Farder Coram, “youd find no living t, at any rate. I seen one of t Id see one again to t, t s .”

    “But ?”

    “You dont even need to read the symbols, Lyra; you can guess as easy as I can.”

    “Mrs. Coulter?”

    “Course. S only explored up nortrange ty in t , it  never stop, and  free, its so monstrous angry itll kill t t gets at.”

    “But  after?”

    “Spying. I o let you up above. And I s you t interrupting.”

    “I see it noed. “It means air, t lizard t, but I couldnt see o  out and I lost it.”

    “A too. It ent a lizard, ts ands for air because t eat nor drink, t live on air.”

    “And t—”

    “Africa,” he said, and “Aha.”

    t eacion of ters po.

    “It elling us about time,” said Lyra. “e ougened. But  t or something?”

    “I dont kno o keep  up tig .   aer no  Im a fool.”

    tled about in a cupboard and found a smokeleaf tin about ter. It  ipped t and ing t ill in place over th.

    After a tricky moment  tin arengt captured and tight.

    “As soons  about to make sure of it,” Farder Coram said.

    “But dont clockwork run down?”

    “Ordinary clock like I said, t tig pinned to truggles, tigs ronger ts put t the way....”

    in in a flannel cloto stifle t buzzing and droning, and sto away under his bunk.

    It cs of Colby came closer. to mist, and by time tied up at t everyt ened and blurred. to pearly silver-gray veils laid over t stalls and te many-c er, ributing to t reek of smoked o breat of the very cobbles.

    Lyra, illerman. All t, scouting around corners acening for test footfall.

    But to be seen. tizens of Colby oves. til t man tony Costa, guarding tes.

    “t ly, letting t  and  sunk, and no oned o go.”

    to Lyra: a  derrick over a canvas-covered c agleam in te lig tly at t see.

    Sement. Pantalaimon became a monkey and clambered up t once, but sed t on board ship.

    Doairs, or a companionalking quietly ian in cily. Lyra ing for o greet   tide and pilotage before turning to the incomers.

    “Good evening, friends,” ured.”

    “e oo,” said Farder Coram, and told of ter s.

    Jo  didnt reproachem.

    “ure now?” he said.

    Farder Coram took out tin and laid it on table. Suc t tin itself moved slohe wood.

    “Ive  never seen one,” Jo no aming it and turning it back, I do kno muc any use  in td rust t to keep it by, and exercise our vigilance.”

    Lyra being t taking er muc), so  a grand cabin, to be sure; in fact, little more t tle, o lean over tco find t most of England  before s there.

    But ter belo in ts glo and fis ing enoug  long before anotion joined to roll in the German Ocean swell.

    e of supper, s, and presently s o lie doalaimons sake, because ture  ease.

    And so began o th.