Possibly the Tartar officer in charge of the guard could help your iigation? I merely mention that as a possibility. Where were the Tartars during the fire drill, by the way? I suppose you have sidered that?」
「Yes, we have,」 said the man wearily. 「The guard was fully occupied on patrol, every man. They keep meticulous records.」
「Im sure youre doing your very best,」 she said. 「Well, there we are. A great pity. But enough of that for now. Tell me about the new separator.」
Lyra felt a thrill of fear. There was only ohing this could mean.
「Ah,」 said the doctor, relieved to find the versation turning to another subject, 「theres a real advance. With the first model we could never entirely overe the risk of ? the patient dying of shock, but weve improved that no end.」
「The Skraelings did it better by hand,」 said a man who hadnt spoke.
「turies of practice,」 said the other man.
「But simply tearing was the only option for some time,」 said the main speaker, 「however distressing that was to the adult operators. If you remember, we had to discharge quite a number for reasons of stress-related ay. But the first big breakthrough was the use of ahesia bined with the Maystadt anbaric scalpel. We were able to reduce death from operative shock to below five pert.」
「And the new instrument?」 said Mrs. Coulter.
Lyra was trembling. The blood ounding in her ears, and Pantalaimon ressing his ermine fainst her side, and whispering, 「Hush, Lyra, they wont do it—we wohem do it—」
「Yes, it was a curious discovery by Lord Asriel himself that gave us the key to the new method. He discovered that an alloy of manganese and titanium has the property of insulating body from daemon. By the way, what is happening with Lord Asriel?」
「Perhaps you havent heard,」 said Mrs. Coulter. 「Lord Asriel is under suspended sentence of death. One of the ditions of his exile in Svalbard was that he give up his philosophical work entirely. Unfortunately, he mao obtain books and materials, and hes pushed his heretical iigations to the point where its positively dangerous to let him live. At any rate, it seems that the Vati cil has begun to debate the question of the sentence of death, and the probability is that itll be carried out. But your new instrument, Doctor.
How does it work?」
「Ah—yes—sentence of death, you say? Gracious God...Im sorry. The new instrument. Were iigating what happens wheercision is made with the patient in a scious state, and of course that couldnt be doh the Maystadt process. So weve developed a kind of guillotine, I suppose you could say. The blade is made of manganese and titanium alloy, and the child is placed in a partment—like a small — of alloy mesh, with the daemon in a similar partment eg with it. While there is a e, of course, the link remains. Then the blade is brought dowween them, severing the link at once.
They are then separate entities.」
「I should like to see it,」 she said. 「Soon, I hope. But Im tired now. I think Ill go to bed. I want to see all the children tomorrow. We shall find out who opehat door.」
There was the sound of chairs being pushed back, polite expressions, a door closing. Then Lyra heard the others sit down again, and go on talking, but more quietly.
「What is Lord Asriel up to?」
「I think hes got airely different idea of the nature of Dust. Thats the point. Its profoundly heretical, you see, and the sistorial Court of Discipline