She fished ily in the oilskin poud handed him the velvet package.
He unfolded it and held it up with great care, gazing at the face like a Schazing at a rare manuscript.
「How exquisite!」 he said. 「I have seeher example, but it was not so fine as this. And do you possess the books of readings?」
「No,」 Lyra began, but before she could say any more, Farder eaking.
「No, the great pity is that although Lyra possesses the alethiometer itself, theres no means of reading it whatsoever,」 he said. 「Its just as much of a mystery as the pools of ink the Hindus use for reading the future. And the book of readings I know of is in the Abbey of St. Johann at Heidelberg.」
Lyra could see why he was saying this: he didnt want Dr. Lanselius to know of Lyras power. But she could also see something Farder couldnt, which was the agitation of Dr. Lanseliuss daemon, and she k ohat it was no good to pretend.
So she said, 「Actually, I read it,」 speaking half to Dr. Lanselius and half to Farder , and it was the sul who responded.
「That is wise of you,」 he said. 「Where did you obtain this one?」
「The Master of Jordan College in ave it to me,」 she said. 「Dr.
Lanselius, do you know who made them?」
「They are said tinate iy ue,」 said the sul. 「The Scholar who ied the first alethiometer arently trying to discover a way of measuring the influences of the plas, acc to the ideas of astrology. He inteo make a device that would respond to the idea of Mars or Venus as a pass responds to the idea of North. In that he failed, but the meism he ied was clearly responding to something, even if no one knew what it was.」
「And where did they get the symbols from?」
「Oh, this was in the seveh tury. Symbols and emblems were everywhere.
Buildings and pictures were desigo be read like books. Everything stood for something else; if you had the right diary, you could read Nature itself.
It was hardly surprising to find philosophers using the symbolism of their time to interpret knowledge that came from a mysterious source. But, you know, they havent been used seriously for two turies or so.」
He hahe instrument back to Lyra, and added:
「May I ask a question? Without the books of symbols, how do you read it?」
「I just make my mind go clear and then its sort of like looking down into water. You got to let your eyes find the right level, because thats the only ohats in focus. Something like that,」 she said.
「I wonder if I might ask to see you do it?」 he said.
Lyra looked at Farder , wanting to say yes but waiting for his approval.
The old man nodded.
「What shall I ask?」 said Lyra.
「What are the iions of the Tartars with regard to Kamchatka?」
That wasnt hard. Lyra turhe hands to the camel, which meant Asia, which meant Tartars; to the ucopia, for Kamchatka, where there were gold mines; and to the ant, which meant activity, which meant purpose and iion. The still, letting her mind hold the three levels of meaning together in focus, and relaxed for the answer, which came almost at ohe long needle trembled on the dolphin, the helmet, the baby, and the anchor, dang between them and onto the crucible in a plicated pattern that Lyras eyes followed without hesitation, but which was inprehensible to the two men.
When it had pleted the movements several times, Lyra looked up. She blinked once or twice as if she were ing out of a trance.
「Theyre going t