Chapter 4 4. Alethiometer

"I hope you can sit next to me at the dinner party," Mrs. Coulter said, making room for Lyra on the sofa. "I'm not used to such a luxurious house as the Dean's. You have to teach me." Which knife and fork should I use?" "Are you a Fellow?" Lyra asked.She always looked at the Academicians with a Jordanian disdain: the Academicians do exist, but, poor thing, they're never taken seriously, they're just animals dressed up for a show.On the other hand, however, Mrs. Coulter was unlike any academician Lyra had ever seen, and certainly not like the other two ladies in the party—the two serious old ladies.In fact, when Lyra asked the question, she expected a negative answer, for Mrs. Coulter's charms had so captivated Lyra that it was difficult for her to take her eyes off her.

"No," said Mrs. Coulter, "I am a member of Lady Hanna's College. In the various colleges of Oxford and Cambridge, a "member" is also a member of the staff of the college, but does not necessarily teach, and its status is higher than that of an "fellow". Low., but most of my work is outside of Oxford... Lyra, tell me about you, have you been living at Jordan College?" In five minutes, Lyra told her exactly what life was like as a half-wild child: her preferred route on the roof, fights on clay river beds, her and Roger catching a crow and roasting it , she's going to snatch a little riverboat from the gypsies and sail it to Abingdon, and so on, she's even (looks around, then lowers her voice) to fuck herself and Roger with the skull in the catacombs The prank also told her.

"The ghosts came, really, and they came to my bed, all headless! They couldn't talk, they just made a kind of gurgling noise, but I knew what they were up to. So, I ran away the next day Go down to the basement and put their little cards back where they came from, or they might kill me." "Then you are not afraid of danger?" Mrs. Coulter said admiringly.At this time, the dinner party had already begun.The two of them sat together, as Laila had hoped.Lyra ignored the librarian sitting on the other side of her and talked to Mrs. Coulter throughout the dinner. Later, the ladies left the table to drink coffee.Then Mrs. Hannah said, "Tell me, Lyra—are they going to send you to school?"

Lyra looked absent-minded. "Don't know—I don't know," she said. "Probably not," she added, just to be on the safe side, "because I don't want to bother them," she went on devoutly, "and don't want to cost them money. I'll continue to live at Jordan College, Fellow Maybe it’s better that I can get their education here when they’re not busy. Because they’re here, maybe they still have time.” "Has your uncle, Lord Asriel, any plans for you?" asked another woman, a fellow at another women's college. "Yes," Lyra replied, "I think so, but not for school. He'll take me the next time he's up north."

"I remember him talking to me," said Mrs. Coulter. Lyra was taken aback, and the two academicians straightened up a little, but their daemons just glanced at each other—couldn't tell if it was politeness or slowness. "I met him at the Royal Arctic Institute," Mrs. Coulter went on, "and in fact I am here today partly because of that meeting." "You're an explorer too?" Lyra asked. "In a sense yes. I've been to the north a few times, and last year I was in Greenland for three months watching the aurora." That's exactly what Lyra wanted to hear!For Laila, nothing else, no one else existed.She stared intently at Mrs. Coulter with awe, and listened quietly and intently to her tales of igloos, seal hunts, and negotiations with Lappish witches.The two female academicians had nothing so exciting to do, so they sat silently.Then the men walked in.

After a while, the guests were ready to say goodbye and leave.The Headmaster said, "Stay here, Lyra, I want to talk to you for a minute or two. Go to my study and sit there waiting for me, boy." Perplexed and a little tired, Lyra was also excited, and she stayed on as he had asked.Cousins, the dean's valet, led her into the study and opened the door deliberately so that he could see Lyra's every move even though he was helping others put on their coats in the corridor.Lyra searched for Mrs. Coulter, but couldn't find it.At this time, the dean walked into the study and closed the door.

He sat with difficulty in a master chair by the fireplace.His daemon flapped its wings and flew to the back of the chair, where it sat next to the Headmaster's head, looking at Lyra with its old eyes drooping under the bags.Amidst the soft hissing of the lights, the dean said: "Look, Lyra, you've been talking to Mrs. Coulter tonight. Did you like what she said?" "like!" "She's brilliant." "She was so sweet, the nicest person I've ever met." The dean sighed.Like everyone else, in a black suit and tie, he couldn't be more like his elf.It occurred to Lyra that someday, and soon, he would be buried in the crypt below the church, and an artist would carve his elf on a brass plate and place it on his coffin. , their names will be engraved in the same place.

"I should have found time to talk to you, Laila," he said after a moment's pause. "I've always wanted to, anyway, and it never seems to be as much time as I'd like. Darling, You have been safe at Jordan Academy and I think you are happy too. You find it hard to listen to us but we like you very much and you have never been a bad boy. You have a lot of kindness and loveliness in your nature and very decisive a lot of the time. You're going to need these. There's something going on in the wide world that I don't want you to get involved in - I mean, just keep you at Jordan —but now, that's no longer possible."

Laila just stared.Are they sending her away? "You know you've got to go to school," the dean continued. "We've taught you something here, but it's not effective and it's not systematic. We have a different kind of knowledge, and what you need to know Knowledge, old people can't teach you, especially at your age. You must know that. You are not a servant's child, and we cannot foster you with a family in the city. In some On the one hand, they might care about you, but that's not what you need. Look, what I'm telling you, Lyra, is that the Jordan Academy part of your life is coming to an end."

"No," Lila said, "no, I don't want to leave Jordan. I like it here, and I'm here forever." "When people are young, they do think that there are permanent things in the world. Unfortunately, they don't stay the same. It won't be long, Laila—a few years at the most—and then you'll Will grow into a young woman, not a child anymore, but a young woman. Believe me, by then, you will find that Jordan College is far from an easy place to live." "But it's my home!" "Before that it was your home, but now, you need something different."

"That's not school either. I don't go to school." "What you need is a female companion, a female guide." The only meaning of the word female was to Lyra, and she couldn't help grimacing.Leaving noble Jordan College and its brilliant and famous fellows, exiled to the dark brick boarding-houses of a college north of Oxford, with scruffy female fellows who smelled of cabbage and mothballs—like the two at the dinner party. women - stay together! The dean noticed her expression, and also saw the red light in Pantalaimon's ermine eyes. "But what if it's Mrs. Coulter?" he asked. Instantly Pantalaimon's fur went from harsh brown to soft white.Lyra's eyes widened. "real?" "She was acquainted with Lord Asriel, and your uncle was of course very concerned about your welfare. Mrs Coulter offered to help immediately when she heard of your situation. There is no Mr Coulter, by the way; she is now a widow. Sadly her husband died in an accident a few years ago; so keep that in mind and don't ask casually." Lyra nodded eagerly and asked, "Is she really going to... take care of me?" "Do you want to?" "willing!" Laila could barely sit still.The dean smiled.He seldom smiled, so he lacked practice in it, and anyone who saw him smile (and Lyra couldn't care to notice it anymore) would say it was really a wry smile. "Well... we'd better invite her in and talk to her about it," said the Dean. He left the study, and returned with Mrs. Coulter after a while.Lyra was already on her feet, too excited to sit still.Mrs. Coulter smiled, her elf couldn't hide the joy in her heart, and she grinned, showing a mouthful of white teeth.Mrs. Coulter stepped over to a chair and stroked Lyra's hair lightly as she went.Lyra felt a rush of warmth rushing through her body.She blushed. The Abbot poured Mrs. Coulter some brandy.Mrs. Coulter said, "That means, Lyra, I'm going to have an assistant, isn't it?" "Yes," Lyra said simply.In fact, she would agree to anything. "I have a lot of work that needs help from others." "I can work!" "Also, we may have to travel." "I don't care. Go anywhere." "But there may be danger, and perhaps we must go north." Lyra was silent.Then he couldn't help but say, "Soon?" Mrs. Coulter laughed and said, "Maybe. But you know, you have to study very hard. You have to study mathematics, navigation, astronomy." "Will you teach me yourself?" "Yes. You'll have to help me with notes, files, basic calculations, etc. And, since we'll be visiting some dignitaries, we'll have to get you some nice clothes. Laila , you have a lot to learn.” "I don't care, I want to learn everything." "I'm sure you will. By the time you get back to Jordan, you'll be a famous traveler. We're leaving early tomorrow morning on the early Zeppelin, so you'd better hurry back now, Go to bed at once. See you at breakfast. Good night!" "Good night," Lyra replied.She still remembered the little etiquette she knew, turned around at the door, and said, "Good night, Dean." The dean nodded. "Sleep well," he said. "Thanks," Lyra added, addressing Mrs. Coulter. Pantalaimon was so restless that Lyra had to snap at him in the end, and he felt his pride hurt, and he turned into a hedgehog.Finally, Laila fell asleep.Before dawn, someone shook her awake. "Lyla—shh—don't be afraid—wake up, boy." It was Mrs. Lonsdale.She was holding a candle, and she was bending over and talking in a low voice, with her free arm still around Lyra. "Listen, the dean wants to see you before you have breakfast with Mrs. Coulter. Get up quickly and run to the dean's residence immediately. You go to the garden first, and then knock on the French window of his study. Got it ?" Laila was wide awake, not sure what was going on, but excited.She nodded and tucked her bare feet into the shoes Mrs. Lonsdale had left for her on the ground. "Don't worry about not washing your face—I'll talk about it later. Go straight, come right back. I'll pack your bags and find you something to wear. Hurry up." The dark four-sided courtyard was still filled with the cool night air, and the last stars in the sky were still visible, but the eastern light was beginning to seep into the sky above the hall.Lyra ran into the library garden and stood for a moment in the silence, looking up at the stone spire of the church, the pearl-green dome of Sheldonian Building, and the white-painted skylight of the library.Now that she was leaving it all, she wondered if she would miss them. Something moved slightly in the study, and a ray of light came out, which lasted for a moment.She remembered what she should do, so she knocked lightly on the glass door.Almost immediately, the door opened. "Come in, my dear boy, we have little time," said the Master.As soon as Laila came in, he drew the curtain so that the whole door was completely covered.He was neatly dressed in his usual black suit. "Are you not letting me go?" Lyra asked. "No. I can't stop it either," replied the Dean.It was such a strange remark, but Lyra didn't notice it. "Lila, I'm going to give you something, and you must promise not to let anyone know. Will you swear?" "Yes," Lyra said. He walked to the desk and took out a small bag wrapped in black velvet from a drawer.When he opened the cloth bag, Lyra saw what looked like a large watch, or rather a small clock: a thick round plate of gold and crystal.Maybe a compass or something like that. "What's this?" Lyra asked. "It's the alethiometer. It's one of only six people ever made. Lyra, I ask you again: keep it a secret, preferably from Mrs. Coulter. Your uncle—" "But what's the use of it?" "It will tell you the truth. How to read it is up to you. Go now—it's almost daylight—and get back to your room quickly, and don't let anyone see you." He wrapped the instrument in velvet and stuffed it quickly into Lyra's hands.Surprisingly this thing is heavy.Then he put his hands on the sides of Lyra's head and held her gently for a moment. Laila raised her head vigorously, looked at him, and asked, "What did you say about Uncle Asriel?" "Your uncle gifted it to Jordan College years ago, maybe he—" Before he could finish speaking, someone knocked gently and eagerly on the door.Laila noticed an involuntary tremor in the Dean's hand. "Come on, boy," he said softly, "the forces in this world are strong enough to move men and women like tides, stronger and stronger than you can imagine, and keep us all adrift. Take care, Lyra; God bless you, boy, bless you. Keep it secret." "Thank you, Dean," Lyra said meekly. Clutching the bundle tightly to her chest, Lyra left the study through the door leading to the garden. Looking back quickly, she saw the dean's elf watching her from the window sill.The sky was already brighter, and there was a fresh, slight restlessness in the air. "What have you got?" asked Mrs. Lonsdale, snapping the battered little trunk shut. "It was given to me by the dean. Can't it be put in the suitcase?" "It's too late, I don't want to open it again. You'll have to keep it in your coat pocket, whatever it is. Hurry up to the grocery store, don't keep them waiting..." Lyra did not think of Roger until she said good-bye to the rising servants and Mrs. Lonsdale.Lyra felt a little guilty that she hadn't thought of him once since meeting Mrs. Coulter.It all happened so fast!But there was no doubt that Mrs. Coulter would find Roger for herself, and she would have friends who could find him wherever he went missing.Anyway, Roger was bound to show up. At this very moment, Lyra was on her way to London: literally, she was sitting in the window seat of the Zeppelin, with Pantalaimon's small, sharp ermine hooves digging deep into her lap , with two front paws lying on the window, staring outside.On the other side of Lyra, Mrs. Coulter sat looking at the papers, but quickly put them aside and began to talk.What a wise talk!Lyra was intoxicated, but this time not because of the North, but because of London, because of London's restaurants, dance halls, receptions at embassies or legations, Whitehall and Westminster, a borough in the City of London, the seat of the British Parliament, This refers to parliament.collusion between.To Lyra, these were almost more attractive than the ever-changing scenery below the airship.Mrs. Coulter's words seem condescending, slightly off-putting, but at the same time charming: that's the taste of charm. The airship landed at Foxcher Gardens.They crossed the wide brown river by boat to the mansion on the riverside, and the portly doorman (somewhat like a medallion doorman) saluted Mrs. Coulter and looked at himself. The expressionless Lyra blinked... Then there's the apartment... Lyra could only be astonished. Lyra had seen many beautiful things in her past life, but it was the beauty of Jordan College, the beauty of Oxford—majestic, cold, majestic.There's a lot of grandeur in Jordan College, but none of it's beauty.In Mrs. Coulter's apartment everything was so pleasing to the eye.Light was abundant inside, for the wide windows all faced south; the walls were covered with delicate gold and white striped wallpaper, charming pictures in gilt frames, an antique vanity mirror, tempting scones topped with Electric lamps with frilly shades, frilly cushions, ornate draperies hanging from curtain rods, soft leafy rugs underfoot; There are small porcelain boxes, shepherdesses and clowns made of ceramics. Mrs. Coulter smiled at the astonished Lyra. "Yes, Laila," she said, "here's a lot to show you! Take off your coat and I'll show you to the bathroom. You can take a shower, and then we'll have some lunch and go shopping... " The bathroom is another amazing place.Laila used to use the battered tub and the hard yellow soap, and the water barely coming out of the faucet was barely warm at best and often laced with rust.But here, the water is hot, the soap is pale pink and fragrant, and the thick towels are as soft as white clouds.Lyra looked into the tinted mirror surrounded by tiny pink light bulbs, and saw a figure so dimly lit that she almost didn't recognize herself. Pantalaimon imitated Mrs. Coulter's elf, squatting by the bathtub and making faces at her, and Lyra shoved him into the soapy water.At this time, she suddenly remembered the alethiometer in her coat pocket.She put the coat on a chair in another room.She promised the dean that she must not let Mrs. Coulter know... Oh, this thing is really confusing.Mrs. Coulter was so kind and knowledgeable, and as for the Dean—Laila had seen him try to poison Uncle Asriel.Who should she listen to? She dried herself hastily and hurried back to the living room.Of course, her coat was still there, untouched. "Ready?" said Mrs Coulter. "I think we can go to the Royal Arctic Institution for lunch. I'm one of the few female researchers there, so I'll take advantage of my privilege." After walking for twenty minutes they came to a tall building with a stone front; they sat in a spacious dining room at a table covered with a snow-white tablecloth and set with shining silver, eating veal. Liver and bacon. "Calf liver is fine," Mrs. Coulter said, "seal liver is fine, but if you're looking for food in the arctic, don't eat bear liver because it's very poisonous and you can have it in a few minutes." your life." As they ate, Mrs. Coulter introduced the people at the other tables. "See that old gentleman with the red tie? That's Colonel Carpon, the first man to fly over the North Pole in a balloon. That tall guy by the window just stood up is Dr. Brocken Arrow." "Is he the Skrelin Ugly?" "Yes. He was the one who drew the currents of the Arctic Ocean..." Lyra looked at them, the great men, with curiosity and awe.They were academicians, no doubt about that, but they were also explorers.Dr. Brocken must have known about bear livers, but she doubted that the librarian at Jordan College did. After lunch, Mrs. Coulter took her to see some of the precious cultural relics in the Arctic region collected by the library of the Institute—the harpoon that killed the giant whale named Grimsdur; the stone, which was found in the hands of the explorer Lord Rook, who froze to death in his lonely tent; and a flint used by Captain Hudson on his famous voyage to the land of the Van Ironmen.She told the story of each exhibit to Laila, and Laila felt her heart rise and fill with admiration for these great, brave, distant heroes. Then, they went shopping.For Laila, everything on this special day was unprecedented, but shopping was the most dazzling thing.Going into huge stores full of beautiful clothes and people asking you to try them on and you look at yourself in the mirror...and the clothes are so beautiful...Leila's old clothes were all through Lang Mrs. Stiles only got it from Mrs. Stiles, and many of them are leftover clothes from others, with patches piled on top of each other.She seldom had new clothes, and when she did, they were for the purpose of covering rather than looking good; she never picked out any clothes herself.And now all of a sudden, Mrs. Coulter advised her to wear this, complimented that, and she paid for everything, and... By the time she finished shopping, Laila was flushed with exhaustion and her eyes were shining.Mrs. Coulter had most of her clothes wrapped up and delivered home, taking only one or two with her, and walked back to the apartment with Lyra. Then came the bath, using a thick, scented bath foam.Mrs. Coulter came in to wash Lyra's hair, and she didn't shave as hard as Mrs. Lonsdale did, but very gently.Pantalaimon watched these very curiously, and then Mrs. Coulter looked at him, and he understood what she meant, and turned his face away, keeping his eyes away from these women as carefully as the golden monkey of mystery.He had never done this before. After taking a bath, drink a glass of hot milk with herbs; put on brand new flannel pajamas, with flowers printed on it, and scalloped ruffles; and light blue sheepskin slippers; Then it was time to go to bed. This bed is so soft!The electric light on the bedside table is so soft!The bedroom is so cozy!There were small cupboards, a dresser, a chest of drawers for her new clothes, a carpeted floor, and pretty curtains embroidered with stars, moons, and planets.Laila lay motionless, too tired to sleep, too happy to think of any problems. After Mrs. Coulter wished her good night softly and walked out, Pantalaimon played with her hair. She pushed him aside, but Pantalaimon asked softly, "Where's that thing?" Lyra knew right away what he meant.Her battered overcoat was hanging in the closet.A few seconds later, she returned to the bed, sat cross-legged under the lamp, and opened the black velvet package to see what the dean had given her.Pantalaimon watched her from the sidelines. "What did the dean call it?" she asked in a low voice. "Alethiometer." It doesn't make any sense to ask what the name means.It was heavy in her hand, the crystal case shone brightly, and the golden body was exquisitely crafted.It resembles a clock or a compass in that it has hands pointing to scales around the dial, but instead of time or points on the compass, it is engraved with small pictures, each drawn with great detail, as if with Painted on ivory with the finest and finest sable brushes.She turned the dial back and forth to see what was on it.An anchor and an hourglass are drawn on it, and above them are a skull, a chameleon, a bull, a beehive... thirty-six things in total.What these meant, Lyra could not guess. "Look, here's a wheel," said Pantalaimon, "see if you can wind it." There are three small knurled wheels on it, each of which can actually be used to move one of three shorter hands that move smoothly around the dial with a powerful click.You can flip them over any image, and once they click into place, they point precisely to the center of each image, at which point they never move again. The fourth hand is longer and thinner, and seems to be made of a duller metal than the other three.As for its movement, Lyra had absolutely no control over it; it always returned to its own place, sort of like the needle on a compass, except that it was never fixed. "'Meter' means scale," said Pantalaimon, "like a thermometer. The priest told us." "Yes, but this one is easier," Lyra whispered back. "What do you think it's for?" Neither of them could guess.For a while, Lyra kept turning the three pointers to a certain mark (angel, helmet, dolphin, earth, lute, compasses, candle, lightning, horse), watching the long pointer endlessly , Swinging around aimlessly.Although she didn't understand anything, its complexity and subtlety made her very curious and very excited.In order to get closer, Pantalaimon turned into a mouse, with its little paws lying on the side of the alethiometer, and its two round eyes, black and bright, staring curiously at the swinging pointer. "What do you think the Dean is going to say about Uncle Asriel?" Laila asked. "Maybe we want us to keep it well, and then give this thing to him." "But the dean planned to poison him before! Maybe it's just the opposite. The dean may have said not to give it to him." "No," said Pantalaimon, "what we have to do is keep her a secret—" Just then, there was a knock on the door. Mrs. Coulter said, "If I were you, Lyra, I would turn off the lights. You're tired, and we've got a lot to do tomorrow." Lyra quickly tucked the alethiometer under the blanket. "Yes, Mrs. Coulter," she replied. "Good night then." "Good night." She got into bed and turned off the light.Before falling asleep, she tucks the alethiometer under her pillow, just in case.