Lyra and aking care to keep to one side, out of sigc tables t ran tc little lig ready for ts. Portraits of former Masters  tcepped up beside table. t silver, and teen seats  oak benc ma cushions.

    Lyra stopped beside ters c glass gently he hall.

    “Youre not taking this seriously,” whispered her daemon. “Behave yourself.”

    alaimon, and ly in t to she hall.

    “too muco chen,” Lyra whispered back.

    “And te come in till t bell. Stop fussing.”

    But s al anyalaimon fluttered aly open door of tiring Room at ter a moment he appeared again.

    “t  be quick.”

    Croucable, Lyra darted along and to tiring Room,  in  blaze of logs settled sligain of sparks up into t of  iring Room before: only Scs  clean in  lers job alone.

    Pantalaimon settled on her shoulder.

    “happy now? Can we go?” he whispered.

    “Dont be silly! I  to look around!”

    It able of polisood various decanters and glasses, and a silver smoking stand h a rack of pipes.

    On a sideboard nearby ttle c of poppy heads.

    “t th.

    S in one of t ucked o look at traits on tared out of their frames in solemn disapproval.

    “ dyou talk about?” Lyra said, or began to say, because before sion sside the door.

    “Bealaimon, and in a flas of t. It  t one for hiding behind:

    ser of t very quiet...

    t c dorousers and s .

    t?”

    It er. As Lyra s daemon (a dog, like all servants daemons) trot in and sit quietly at , and ters feet became visible too, in the shabby black shoes he always wore.

    “No, Master,” said tler. “No her.”

    “I expect raigo hall, will you?”

    “Very good, Master.”

    “And youve decanted some of tokay for him?”

    “Yes, Master. tial to t, I remember.”

    “Good. Now leave me, please.”

    “Do you need ter?”

    “Yes, leave t too. Look in during dinner to trim it, will you?”

    tler boo leave, rotting obediently after -muccer  to a large oak ook  laboriously on. ter  y noiff and sloers daemon tled in omed place on  shoulder.

    Lyra could feel Pantalaimon bristling y, tly excited.

    tor mentioned by ter, Lord Asriel,  exploration, in distant .

    s, ely.

    ter took from  a folded paper and laid it on table beside took topper out of ter containing a ricream of o ter before crumpling t into took a pencil from , stirred til topper.

    brief squaer replied in an undertone, and looked around he door hed come in by.

    Lyra w, Pan?”

    “Of course I did! Noeward comes!”

    But as he hall.

    “ts te .”

    Pantalaimon fluttered sly to tly back.

    “te get out of ther door...”

    ter ered and left by, opened onto t time of day it o leave papers or briefcases in to to leave tes before tewards bell rang.

    And if s seen ter tipping t poo t eiced in t s made ate.

    tsteps on teo make sure tiring Room er dinner. Lyra darted to t, and  just as teered. Salaimon: the room was somber colored, and he could always creep under a chair.

    See s s tand and cast a glance over ters and glasses. to , so s a superior servant, so a superior dog. In fact, ster. t around as if sruder, but didnt make for to Lyras intense relief.

    Lyra een her.

    Lyra iny walaimon had squeezed in beside her.

    “ere going to o stay  you listen to me?”

    S reply until te ing at table; so t.

    “Its a good t,” s er put poison in t okay ler about! to kill Lord Asriel!”

    “You dont knos poison.”

    “O is. Dont you remember, ler leave t? If it , it  tered tler seeing. And I knoical. ts alking about it for days. Pan,  a murder!”

    “Ive never ly. “o keep still for four  me go and look in tell you ws clear.”

    tered from tle s.

    “Its no good, Pan, Im staying,” s t on table. Ive just got to see hey do.”

    Sood up, feeling around for t to make a noise, and found t t. t faced h silk.

    “I ers?” ss s not poison in t wine?”

    “No,”  is, like you do. And I ts none of our business. And I t  time of silly to interfere. Its noto do h us.”

    “Dont be stupid,” Lyra said. “I cant sit in chem give him poison!”

    “Come somewhen.”

    “Youre a coward, Pan.”

    “Certainly I am. May I ask end to do? Are you going to leap out and snatcrembling fingers?  did you have in mind?”

    “I didnt ,” sly.

    “But noer did, I  got any co kno conscience, arent you?  go and sit in ts going to  intend to do t, I promise you.”

    “t you ed all time,” er a moment. “You ed to c I realize t before?”

    “All rig up to somet.

    tual or somet ed to kno was.”

    “Its none of your business! If t to enjoy ttle secrets you s feel superior and let t on . hiding and spying is for silly children.”

    “Exactly op nagging.”

    t in silence for a alaimon self-rigcemporary antennae on one of t a mixture of ts contending in ter to s soo. Perry to clear t his help.

    y, and it  for rouble often enougo be used to it. time s Lord Asriel, and about . It  often t ed t t time of ical tension meant t  come simply to eat and drink and smoke  boter  Council, ters special advisory body, so it migo do ; but meetings of t Council iring Room of Jordan College. t s  tartars o St. Petersburg, from e tic Sea and eventually overcome tire  of Europe. And Lord Asriel , ion to Lapland…

    “Pan,” she whispered.

    “Yes?”

    “Do you therell be a war?”