Ama, ter, carried t stop t  question for a moment trut Mrs. Coulter old ed, beyond a doubt, and it oo likely t t sleeping spells, and t a moter in t fierce and tender ion amounting almost to ed daughter.

    S as often as so ttle valley, to run errands for to cter and listen, for tales to tell. Again and again s it ed t it would probably never be allowed again.

    And during time s milking to make bread, s incessantly about t must , and about w er old o imagine.

    One day sook some flat bread sened rail to Cery. By er o gain an audience  ulku, e fever only the year before, and who was immensely wise.

    Ama entered t mans cell, bo daemon sed around ening  into o  Ama tried to remain still and silent until Pagdzin tulku spoke.

    quot;Yes, c; h every word.

    In t eyes  of led on till at last, so s;Please, Pagdzin tulku, I  to gain o knos. Can you teac;

    quot;No,quot; he said.

    Sing t. quot;ell, could you tell me just one remedy?quot; she asked humbly.

    quot;Maybe. But I  tell you  is. I can give you t tell you t.quot;

    quot;All rig is a great blessing,quot; simes.

    quot; is t?quot; the old man said.

    quot;Its a sleeping sickness,quot; Ama explained. quot;Its come upon t;

    Sra clever, s in case the cave.

    quot;And ;

    quot;tulku,quot; s;so ;

    quot; s come to me? ;

    quot;Because tulku. I only erday and I came at once to seek your advice.quot;

    quot;I sient and examine o tions of ts at t be done in a ;

    quot;Is to take back?quot;

    t daemon fell off tered blackly aside before s ting silently across too quickly for Ama to follo t eyes of tly o box, apping out a spoonful of poed them.

    ipped all ts into a mortar and ground togettering a spell as apped tle on tar, dislodging took a bruse some cers on a s of paper. ipped all to tion and folded tly into a little square package.

    quot;Let to trils of ttle at a time as ; old ;and  o be done  caution. too muc once and est of brus;

    quot;tulkuquot; said Ama, taking t in t of  s. quot;I ;

    quot;One is enoug; said t;No time you come, tell me trut part of it.quot;

    to  given too much away.

    Next evening so t rice  leaf. Sing to tell t so give  of all for ted sleeper to alk to hey could be friends!

    But as surned tient ed at ty. S fe t in, and t, and everything else.

    Ama looked into t beating fast. Surely t  ter patc he curve of her sleeping daemon.

    S a little closer. t about it, t and left ted girl alone.

    A t struck Ama like a musical note: suppose surned...

    But sime to feel t idea before sside, and in a s sed be t be  was wrong.

    And no golden monkey ting in trance, sniffing and turning . Ama sa o hes, mouse-formed

    and trembling.

    quot; is it?quot; said to to trance. quot;. S come in, t arrange a spot on to leave t.quot;

    it a glance at tooped to bring to life, and set a pan of er to  o time  up and looked around tting cramped and uncomfortable in ly t sed outside and not gone in. o be trapped?

    to ting er. Ama could smell tringent flavors as ted out eam. tirring. Ama turned ed sleeper moving, tossing from side to side, throwing an arm across her eyes. She was waking!

    And took no notice!

    S, because s surned back to er. Sion into a beaker and let it stand, and only turned tention to the waking girl.

    Ama could understand none of t sh increasing wonder and suspicion:

    quot;; t;Dont ;

    quot;Roger,quot; t;Serafina! ;

    quot;No one  us,quot; ;Lift yourself and let Mama was;

    Ama cruggling into ried to puso ter and mopped at ers face and body before patting her dry.

    By time to move more quickly.

    quot;  to sleep, No, no! I ! No!quot;

    teely-firm rying to lift Lyras head.

    quot;Be still, dear, be calm, ea...”

    But t and nearly spilled the drink, and cried louder:

    quot;Leave me alone! I  to go! Let me go! ill, ill, help me, oh, help me…”

    tig h.

    quot;I ! You dare toucear your , I ...”

    t a o s-snake-rat-fox-bird-wolf-ca-

    But talaimon became a porcupine.

    t go. tuck ser snarled and  t; and before Lyra could gats, t o swallow or choke.

    Ama oo muco  little by little it died ao sleep, enced sleep? Poisoned sleep! Drugged, deceitful sleep!

    Ama sareak of erialize at t as fully co a long, sinuous, snoure  black eyes and black-tipped tail, and laid himself alongside her neck.

    And tly, crooning baby songs, smootting  face dry, o ring of nonsense syllables, la-la-la, ba-ba-boo-boo,  voice mouthing gibberish.

    Eventually t stopped, and took a pair of scissors and trimmed t to see t effect. Sook one dark blond curl and put it in a little gold locket sell . But t to ... Orange.

    t t of to to snatcing bat from ttle black t pierced Ama from one ear to t to  and out and out till it snapped and broke and e string of sines fellotle t limb by limb, and te a box of ce.

    time passed. Lighe woman and her daemon fell asleep.

    Ama, stiff and painful, crept up from iptoed out past t make a sound till sh.

    itrail,   motion of treetops, ted clouds in tars all calmed tle.

    Sopped in sigtle one .

    quot;S; Ama said. quot;So us!  can ell Dada?  can ;

    quot;Dont tell,quot; said ;More trouble. eve got take ;

    t filled t it tle paper package , and to use it.

    —

    see  me...”

    quot;O be frigened, too, Ill go mad...”

    tried to ig ty air. Lyra tried to say le pale face in the darkness:

    quot;Im just trying to  to ! I  care if it  for an  kno, even, but I will ;

    quot;But if youre dreaming, Lyra, you mig believe it  t ;