In the days that followed, Lyra went everywhere with Mrs. Coulter, almost as if she were a daemon herself. Mrs. Coulter knew a great many people, and they met in all kinds of different places: in the m there might be a meeting of geographers at the Royal Arctistitute, and Lyra would sit by and listen; and then Mrs. Coulter might meet a politi or a cleric for lun a smart restaurant, and they would be very taken with Lyra and order special dishes for her, and she would learn how to eat asparagus or what sweetbreads tasted like.
And then iernoon there might be more shopping, for Mrs. Coulter reparing her expedition, and there were furs and oilskins and roof boots to buy, as well as sleeping bags and knives and drawing instruments that delighted Lyras heart. After that they might go to tea a some ladies, as well dressed as Mrs. Coulter if not so beautiful or aplished: women so unlike female Scholars yptian boat mothers or college servants as almost to be a new sex altogether, oh dangerous powers and qualities such as elegance, charm, and grace. Lyra would be dressed up prettily for these occasions, and the ladies would pamper her and include her in their graceful delicate talk, which was all about people: this artist, or that politi, or those lovers.
And when the evening came, Mrs. Coulter might take Lyra to the theater, and again there would be lots of glamorous people to talk to and be admired by, for it seemed that Mrs. Coulter knew everyone important in London.
Iervals between all these other activities Mrs. Coulter would teach her the rudiments of geography and mathematics. Lyras knowledge had great gaps in it, like a map of the world largely eaten by mice, for at Jordan they had taught her in a piecemeal and disected way: a junior Scholar would be detailed to catch her and instruct her in sud-such, and the lessons would tinue for a sullen week or so until she 「fot」 to turn up, to the Scholars relief. Or else a Scholar would fet what he was supposed to teach her, and drill her at great length about the subject of his current research, whatever that happeo be. It was no wonder her knowledge atchy. She knew about atoms and elementary particles, and anbaromagic charges and the four fual forces and other bits and pieces of experimental theology, but nothing about the solar system. In fact, when Mrs. Coulter realized this and explained how the earth and the other five plas revolved around the sun, Lyra laughed loudly at the joke.
However, she was keen to show that she did know some things, and when Mrs.
Coulter was telling her about eles, she said expertly, 「Yes, theyre ively charged particles. Sort of like Dust, except that Dust isnt charged.」
As soon as she said that, Mrs. Coulters daemon snapped his head up to look at her, and all the golden fur on his little body stood up, bristling, as if it were charged itself. Mrs. Coulter laid a hand on his back.
「Dust?」 she said.
「Yeah. You know, from space, that Dust.」
「What do you know about Dust, Lyra?」
「Oh, that it es out of space, and it lights people up, if you have a special sort of camera to see it by. Except not children. It doesnt affect children.」
「Where did you learn that from?」
By now Lyra was aware that there owerful tension in the room, because Pantalaimon had crept ermine-like onto her lap and was trembling violently.
「Just someone in Jordan,」 Lyra said vaguely. 「I fet who. I think it was one of the Sc