, t to look for some clotment store, syles t looked a little oldfaso ills eye, but tartan skirt and a green sleeveless blouse  for Pantalaimon. So o believe ill  girls did.

    quot;trousers,quot; s;Im a girl. Dont be stupid.quot;

    artan skirt looked unremarkable, ill beer.

    quot; you doing?quot; she said.

    quot;Paying. You o pay for t t;

    quot;t in t t paying for a t;

    quot;t not, but I do.quot;

    quot;If you start beers11 get you,quot; s s know wease  or wher she should be afraid of him.

    In t, ill could see  t of ty  been repaired; er  ty and grandeur about this place.

    tyards filled  buildings t looked like palaces, for all t teps  looked as if ratizens of Cigazze preferred to patc up indefinitely.

    At one point to a toanding on its otle square. It  building ttlemented toories  its stillness in t sun riguing, and bot drao t top of teps; but t speak of it, and t on, a bit reluctantly.

    rees, old o look for a little cafe on a corner, ed metal tables on t outside. t e. It looked smaller and s, but it opped bar, te of risotto, noo smell bad in the warm air.

    quot;Is it in ; she said.

    quot;No. Its in t;

    But took o trees, and looked around to get his bearings.

    quot;I t  ; ; about see t big e ;

    quot;s it look like? I cant see anyt;

    quot;You  mistake it. It doesnt look like anyt;

    up and do anywhere.

    And t. c as  before, on t, you could only see it at all from one side:

    like t unaccountably different.

    quot; is,quot; he said when he was sure.

    quot;A!quot;

    Sounded as o alaimon talk. o remain inside ,  to be a imes, will slig o spikes.

    quot;Keep to one side,quot; old ;If you stand in front of it peopled just see a pair of legs, and t   anyone noticing.quot;

    quot;s t noise?quot;

    quot;traffic. Its a part of ts bound to be busy. Get do it from ts time of day to go too many people about. But itd be o find some in t. At least once . Just duck t of t;

    Stle blue rucksack t s t and  in o look through.

    quot;A; S;And ts your  dont look like any part of Oxford. You sure you ;

    quot;Course Im sure.  in front of you. Go to t, and ttle fartake t goes doo t. t leads to ty center. Make sure you can see s t;

    quot;Rig; s;I  forget.quot;

    taking o see w.

    And tanding on till as a  a fe beyond, and no driver, at tion, o gaze side an odd-looking bit of air, even if t, and traffic screened the far side.

    t, a bang. o look.

    Lyra  a van ruck it from beill— ill darted ter ting out, and on ttle girl.

    quot;I couldnt ! S in front,quot; said t;You oo close,quot; surning tohe van driver.

    quot;Never mind t,quot; ;;

    t t;  to , blinking alaimon craem beside her.

    quot;You all rig; ill said. quot;Move your legs and arms.quot;

    quot;Stupid!quot; said t;Just ran out in front. Didnt look once.  am I supposed to do?quot;

    quot;You still t; said the van driver.

    quot;Yea; muttered Lyra.

    quot;Everyt;

    quot;Move your feet and ; ill insisted.

    Shing broken.

    quot;S,quot; said ill. quot;Ill look after ;

    quot;Dyou knoruck driver.

    quot;Ser,quot; said ill. quot;Its all rig live around take ;

    Lyra ting up nourned tention back to t of traffic ationary ve past, t ttle scene, as people aler. t t ougo be o limp away.

    quot;ait!quot; s;Youll be nesses. I need your name and address.quot;

    quot;Im Mark Ransom,quot; said ill, turning back, quot;and my sisters Lisa. e live at ty-six Bourne Close.quot;

    quot;Postcode?quot;

    quot;I can never remember,quot; ;Look, I  to get ;

    quot;; said t;and Ill take you round.quot;

    quot;No, its no trouble. Itd be quicker to ;

    Lyra  limping badly. Srees, and turned at t corner to.

    t on a low garden wall.

    quot;You ?quot; ill said.

    quot;Banged me leg. And w s; she said.

    But s  inside it, broug a tle bundle , and unfolded it. ills eyes o see ter; tiny symbols painted around ting needle, took h away.

    quot;s t?quot; he said.

    quot;Its my aleter. Its a truteller. A symbol reader. I  ent broken....quot;

    But it  a;I never seen so many carts and t.quot;

    quot;t ;

    quot;Not so many. Not like t used to it. But Im all rig;

    quot;ell, be careful from no lost or somet from tart looking for t;

    o be. Finally ;All rigend youre my sister, tll be a disguise for me, because t got a sister.

    And if Im o cross roads  getting killed.quot;

    quot;All rig; she said humbly.

    quot;And money. I bet you —- around and eat and so on?quot;

    quot;I  money,quot; s of her purse.

    ill looked at them incredulously.

    quot;Is t gold? It is, isnt it? ell, t  people asking questions, and no mistake. Youre just not safe. Ill give you some money. Put t of siger, and your names Lisa Ransom.quot;

    quot;Lizzie. I pretended to call myself Lizzie before. I can remember t.quot;

    quot;All rig forget.quot;

    quot;All rig; she said peaceably.

    o be painful; already it , and a dark, massive bruise ruck  before, sreated, and t worried oo—suppose some police officer should become curious?

    ried to put it out of  off toget traffic liging just one glance back at trees. t see it at all.

    It e invisible, and traffic was flowing again.

    In Summertoen minutes opped in front of a bank.

    quot; are you doing?quot; said Lyra.

    quot;Im going to get some money. I probably better not do it too often, but t register it till t t;

    o tomatic teller and tapped out o be going  a ccy-pound note.

    quot;Use t later,quot; ;Buy somet some cs find a bus into to;

    Lyra let  very quietly, cy t  off in ty center next to an old stone ce a big department store, w.

    quot;Its all c; s;Like ... t ent t? And t w;

    No migion from t, or present sirely different building in place of the Jordan College she knew as home.

    quot;t ent rig; sly, because ill old o stop pointing out so loudly t ;t Oxford.quot;

    quot;ell, ,quot; he said.

    prepared for Lyras  streets almost identical o Jordan College,  splendid of all. And no simply  t Lyra of Jordan anymore; s little girl in a strange world, belonging nowhere.

    quot;ell,quot; s;If it ent ;

    It o take longer t, t was all.