“I    o 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 Sly 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 daer admiringly. t dinner by time, and as Lyra tio 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 expes probably better if I just go on living at Jordan aing 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 bli eacher.

        “I met    tistitute,” 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 iating co tell, and sat in sileil 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,    uory, 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. Yoing 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 ically. Our kno kind. You o kno elderly me 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 ing 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 pany. Female guidance.”

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

        suppose it er?”

        Instantly Pantalaimons fur co downy we. Lyras eyes widened.

        “Really?”

        “Sed er    you, s oo 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    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, aeeto 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    work!”

        “And ravel.”

        “I dont mind. Id go anywhere.”

        “But it mig o go to th.”

        Lyra ee she found her voice: “Soon?”

        Mrs. Coulter laug you knoics, and navigation, aial 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 bed. Ill see you at breakfast. Goodnight!”

        “Goodnigur t, Master.”

        he nodded. “Sleep well,” he said.

        “And to Mrs. Coulter.

        Salaimole 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 uand?”

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

        “Never mind er. Graight back.

        Ill start your pag 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.
请记住本书首发域名：966xs.com。966小说手机版阅读网址：wap.966xs.com