Chapter 38 Thirty-eight botanical gardens

The gypsies arrived the next afternoon, and since there was no dock, they had to park their boat somewhere in the sea, John.Fa'a, Fad Kolam and the captain Serafina Pekkala, who was also the guide, went ashore on the motorboat. Mary told Mulfa all she knew, and when the gypsies came ashore on the broad beach, a host of strange creatures was waiting to meet them.Both were, of course, curious to know each other, but John Faa, who had learned many manners and developed a great deal of patience in his long life, thought that what these strangest people received from the chief of the Western Gypsies should be It is grace and friendship.

So he stood for some time in the hot sun, listening to old Zarif Satmax make a speech of welcome, which Mary translated as well as she could, and John Faa, who gave a speech of thanks and sent them greetings from the inhabitants of the swamp . As they began to march towards the village through the swamp, Murfa saw that Fard Kolam was walking very hard, and immediately offered to take him, which he gratefully accepted, and so they came to the meeting place, Will and Leigh Ra came to meet them. It had been a long time since Lyra had seen these dear ones!The last time they spoke together was on the snows of the North Pole, on their way to rescue the children from the Glutton.She was almost ashamed, and held out her hands hesitantly, but John Faa held her tightly in his arms and kissed her on both cheeks, and so did Fard Colum, Hold her close to your chest.

"She's grown up, John," he said. "Remember that little girl we took to the North? Look at her now, alas! Lyra, dear, I couldn't tell you even if I had an angel's tongue How happy I am to see you again." But he felt she looked so hurt, so vulnerable, so tired.Neither he nor John Faa could fail to see how she clung to Will's side, how the boy with the dark, straight eyebrows was always aware of where she was and made sure he was within her reach. The old people greeted Will respectfully, as Serafina Pekkala told them what Will had done.As for Will, he envied Lord Faa's demeanor for its great power, its power under the cover of politeness, and he thought it would be better to have such a demeanor when he was old, John Faa's here is a refuge and a fortified refugee camp.

"Dr. Malone," said John Faa, "we need to take some fresh water, and anything your friends can sell us for food. Besides, our men were on board for quite a while. It's time, and we've fought a few battles, and it would be a blessing if they could all go ashore and get a breath of the world, and tell their families afterward about the worlds they've traveled. " "Lord Faa," said Mary, "Murfa wants me to tell you that they will provide everything you need, and they will be honored if you can dine with them tonight." "We're more than happy to," John Faah said.

So that night, people from the three worlds sat down and shared bread, meat, fruit and wine. Gypsies gave their owners gifts from all over the world: jars from Geneva, walrus ivory carvings, silk tapestries from Turkey, silver cups from silver mines in Sweden, enamel dishes from Korea. Murfa gladly accepted these gifts, and gave back things of their own handiwork: rare boats of knotted wood, lengths of the best rope and thread, lacquered bowls, strong and light enough to live in an English bog. None of the gypsies in the strip had ever seen a fishing net. After sharing the feast, the captain thanked his masters, and left to direct his crew to bring on board the stores and water they needed, for they set sail at dawn.While they were so busy, old Zarif said: Everything has changed dramatically, there is a thing that means we have been given a responsibility, and we want you to see what this means.

So, John Fa'a, Fad.Colum, Marie, and Serafina went with them to the place where the world of the dead had been opened, and from which the ghosts were still coming endlessly.Murfa planted a grove around her, for they said it was a holy place, and they would keep it forever, and it was a source of joy. "Well, it's a mystery," said Fard Colum, "and I'm glad I lived to see this day. Entering the darkness of death is something we all fear, and whatever we like, we It's just fear, but if there's a way out of this place we have to go, it'll be a lot easier for me."

"You're right, Colum," said John Faa. "I've seen many die, and I've sent quite a few into that darkness myself, though it always happened in the heat of war. .Knowing that we're going to come back out after a while in the dark, and come to such a wonderful world, soaring like birds in the sky, well, that's the most wonderful promise anyone could hope for." "We've got to talk to Laila about this," Fard Colum said, "to find out how it came about and what it means." Mary found it difficult to say good-bye to Atal and the other Murfas, and before she went aboard they gave him a present: a varnish bottle containing some wheel tree oil, and most precious of all, a small bag of seeds.

They might not grow in your world, Atal said, but if they couldn't, you could still use the oil.Don't forget us, Mary. No, said Mary, never.Even if I live as long as the witch, and forget all else, I will never forget you and the kindness of your people. So, everyone embarked on a journey home.The wind was light and the sea was calm, and although they saw those huge, shining snow-white wings more than once, those birds were very cautious, staying far away and not daring to approach.Will and Lyla were inseparable, and the two-week voyage passed by like the blink of an eyelid for them.

Zephania once told Serafina Pekkala that when all the incisions were closed, the worlds would resume their normal relationship with each other, and Lyra's Oxford and Will's worlds would once again exist as each other , like transparent images on two film rolls, move closer and closer until they coincide, but never really touch. At this point, however, the two worlds were as far apart as she had traveled from her Oxford to Magpie City.Will's Oxford is here now, just a stone's throw away.It was evening when they arrived, and the late sun warmed the green hillsides, the terracotta roofs, the beautiful splashing waterfall, and Will and Lyra's little cafe as the anchor crashed into the water. superior.The captain searched with binoculars and found no signs of life, but John Faa brought a half dozen armed men ashore just in case.They don't get in the way, but they help if needed.

As dusk fell, they ate one last supper together.Will said good-bye to the captain and his men, as well as John Faa and Fard Colum.He didn't seem to know them well enough, and they saw him better: they saw a very strong, but deeply battered young man. Finally Will and Lila and their elves, and Mary and Serafina Pekkala set off through the empty city.There is no one in the city, the only footsteps and shadows are their own.Lyra and Will walked ahead, hand in hand, to where they had to part, and the two women walked some distance behind, talking like sisters. "Laila thought of my Oxford for a little look," said Mary. "Something came to her head, and then she came right back."

"What are your plans, Mary?" "I'm going - with Will of course. Tonight we're going to my apartment - my house - and tomorrow we'll find out where his mother is and see what we can do to help her get better. Minecraft There are so many rules and regulations here, Serafina, you have to satisfy the authorities and answer a thousand questions; Energy to take care of his mother. He's a strong kid..I'll help him. Plus, I need him. I'm out of work and I don't have much money in the bank. I wouldn't be surprised if the cops are after me He's going to be the only person in my world who I can talk about all of this." They went on through the quiet street, past a square tower with a dark foyer at the end, and a small café with tables on the pavement, to a street with a row of palm trees in the middle. on the broad boulevard. "That's where I came from," said Mary. It was here that Will had first seen the window open on the quiet suburban boulevard in Oxford, guarded by the police—or had been guarded by the police when Mary had contrived to coax them into letting her through. She saw Will go to the spot, moving his hands deftly through the air, and the window disappeared. "They'll be surprised the next time they come to see it," she said. Lyra wanted to go into Mary's Oxford, show Will something, and then come back with Serafina, and obviously they had to be very careful to find a place to cut through, so the ladies followed, through the moonlit nights of Magpie City. street.To their right, a large and beautiful common ground led to a large house with a classic colonnade that shone like rock sugar in the moonlight. "When you told me what shape my genie was," said Mary, "you said you could teach me how to see him if we had time... I wish we had time." "Well, we have time," said Serafina, "haven't we been talking all the time? I taught you some wizard ballads, which are forbidden in the old ways in Minecraft, but you're going back It's your world, and the old ways have changed. I've learned a lot from you too. Listen to me: You have to be in a special state of mind when you're talking to shadows on your computer, right?" "Yeah, just like Lyra used the alethiometer, do you mean I'll try to look at my elf with that mindset?" "Not only that, but you also have to look at it as usual, try it now." In Mary's world, there is a painting that at first looks like random dots of color, but when you look at it in a certain way, it seems to enter three-dimensional space: on the paper it will be a tree, or a face, or Something that wasn't there before but is now real and visible. Now Serafina is teaching Mary similar to this, she has to stick to her normal way of seeing things, while at the same time going into that dream like comatose state where she can see shadows.She now had to combine the two, maintaining a normal state of the day while being in a sleep state, just as to see the 3D painting in the idea, you had to look in two directions at the same time. Like looking at an idea painting, she suddenly saw it. "Ah!" she exclaimed, grabbing Serafina's arm to steady herself: on the iron fence surrounding the common grounds sat a bird: black, with red legs and a crooked yellow beak , it was an Alpine chough, just as Serafina described it.It—he—was only a foot or two away, looking at her with its head slightly erect, as if amused. But she was so taken aback that she got distracted and he disappeared. "You've done it once, and it will be easier next time," said Serafina. "When you return to your world, you'll learn to see other people's elves in the same way. They won't see yours, though." Or the elves of Will, unless you teach them as I have taught you." "Yes... oh, this is amazing. Yes!" Mary thought: Lyra can talk to her daemon, can't she?Could she both see and hear the bird?She walked on, her face glowing with anticipation. Will was making a slit in front of them, and he and Lila waited for them to close the window again. "Do you know where we are?" Will said. Mary looked around. They were now in a quiet tree-lined avenue in her world, lined with large Victorian houses with bush gardens. "Somewhere in North Oxford," said Mary, "not far from my apartment, actually, though I don't know which way." "I want to go to the Arboretum," Lyra said. "Well, I think that's about 15 minutes away, this way..." Mary tried that double vision again, and found it easier this time, the chough was with her in a world of her own, perched on a branch that hung low on the sidewalk.She stretched out her hand to see what would happen, he stepped on her hand without hesitation, she felt a slight weight, the paw gripped her fingers tightly, she gently moved him to her shoulder, He settled down firmly, as if he had been there all her life. Well, he is, she thought, moving on. There was not much traffic on High Street (the street with the most early colleges in Oxford), and they were the only ones on the way as they turned down the steps opposite Magdalen College and walked towards the gate of the Botanic Gardens.The Arboretum had an ornate entrance with stone benches where Mary and Serafina sat while Will and Lyra climbed over the iron fence into the garden, their elves slid between the bars and Entered the garden in front. "This way," Lyra said, shaking Will's hand. She led him past a pond with a fountain under a tree with a broad canopy; then turned left through a seedbed to a giant pine with many trunks.There is a tall stone wall with an entrance in the wall.Further down the garden, where the trees were smaller and less formally planted, Laila led him almost to the end of the garden, over a small bridge, and to a low, spreading tree. A wooden bench under a tree. "Yes!" she said, "I had such high hopes that here it was, as always... Will, whenever I wanted to be alone, I used to come to this place in my Oxford and sit It's just me and Pam on the same bench. What I'm thinking is if you—maybe just once a year—if we can come here at the same time, for an hour or so, then we can imagine that we're close It's close—because we'll be close, if you're sitting here and I'm sitting here in my world—" "Yes," he said, "as long as I'm alive, I'll be back, wherever I am in the world, I'll be here—" "On John the Baptist's day," she said, "at noon. As long as I live, as long as I live..." He felt that he couldn't see her expression at all, but he let his tears flow down and just hugged her tightly. "If we—later—" she whispered tremblingly—"if we meet someone we like, if we marry them, then we must be good to them, not always comparing and fantasizing about the union It's none other than the two of us... but insist on coming here once a year, just for an hour, just with each other..." They hugged each other tightly, and time passed by. A water bird on the nearby river was startled and called, and occasionally a vehicle drove across the Magdalen Bridge. Finally, they pulled away. "That's it," Lyra said softly. At this moment, her whole body was as soft as nothing, and that was one of his favorite memories later—the tension in her elegance was soft because of the haze, her eyes and hands, especially her lips were extremely soft, he once Kissing her again and again, each kiss getting closer to the last kiss. With the tenderness and heavyness of love they walked back to the gate, where Mary and Serafina were waiting. "Lila—" Will said, and she said, "Will." He cut a window into Magpie City, which was deep in the common ground around the big house, not far from the edge of the forest.They stepped forward one last time and looked down at the silent city, its tiled roofs gleaming in the moonlight, the tower above them, and the brightly lit ship waiting on the calm sea. Will turned to Serafina and said as smoothly as he could, "Thank you, Serafina Pekkala, for saving us in the Belvedere, and for everything else you've done. Please stay in Lyra's lifetime." Treat her well, my love for her is unmatched." In answer, the Witch kissed him on both cheeks.Lyra had been whispering to Mary, and then they both embraced.First Mary, then Will stepped through that last window, back into their own world, back in the shadow of the trees in the Arboretum. Be happy from now on, Will thought, but it would be as hard as trying to hold a wolf in his arms that wanted to scratch his face and rip his throat, and yet, he did. , he thought no one would be able to see how much effort he had put in. He knew Lyla was doing the same thing, the tension and exhaustion in her smile said it all. Yet she smiled. A final kiss, so eager and awkward that their cheekbones met, a tear from her eye fell onto his face, and their two elves kissed goodbye as Pantalaimon climbed over the steps into the Lyra's arms, and Will started closing the windows.Then the window closed, the passage was closed, and Lyra was gone. "Now—" he said, trying to be realistic, but still having to turn his back on Mary—"I must break this knife." He scoured the air in the familiar way until he found a crack, trying to remember what had happened before. He was in the hole trying to cut a way out when Mrs. Coulter suddenly reminded him of his mother for no reason, and the knife broke, and he thought it had finally touched something it couldn't cut, and that was him. love for mother. So he was trying to do the same now, recalling in his mind the last time he had seen his mother in Mrs. Cooper's little hall, in a state of panic and absent-mindedness. But it was no use, the knife cut through the air with ease, opening a world that was in the middle of a storm: heavy raindrops came, startled them both, he quickly closed it, stood there for a while stay. His daemon knew what he was supposed to do, and said simply, "Laila." certainly.He nodded, then held the knife in his right hand and held down the tear still on his cheek with his left. This time, with a snap, the knife shattered, and the blades fell to the ground, gleaming on stones drenched by rain from another universe. Will knelt down to pick them up carefully, and Kiriava used her cat's eyes to help find them all. Mary slung the canvas bag over her shoulder. "Well," she said, "listen to me now, Will. We've barely spoken, you and I...so we're still strangers in many ways, but Serafina Pekkala And I made a promise to each other, I just swore to Lyra, and if I hadn't made any other promises, I'd make the same promise to you, that if you let me, I'd be your friend for the rest of my life , we're both on our own, I think we can both handle that... I mean, we have no one else to talk about all of this but you and me... and we both have to Getting used to being with our elves . . . we both have trouble, and if that doesn't bring us some common language, I don't know what will." "Are you in trouble?" Will said, looking at her, her open, friendly, intelligent face looking straight back at him. "Well, I smashed some equipment in the lab before I left, and forged an ID card...that's not something we can't deal with, and your troubles—we can. We can find your mother Get her some proper treatment. If you need somewhere to live, well, if you don't mind living with me, if we can arrange that, then you don't have to go to one of those orphanages they call. I I mean, we have to make up a story and be on the same page, but we can do that, right?" Mary was a friend, he had a friend, it was true, it never occurred to him. "Yes!" he said. "Well, let's do this. My apartment is half a mile from here, and you know what I want most in the world? I want a cup of tea. Come on, let's go put the teapot on the fire superior." Three weeks after Lyra had watched Will's hand shut his world forever, she found herself sitting again at the table at Jordan College where she had first come under Mrs. Coulter's spell. It was a smaller gathering: just her, the dean, and Mrs. Hannah Relf, ​​the dean of St. Sophia.Mrs. Hannah was also present at the first dinner party. Even though Lyra was surprised to see her now, she greeted her politely, and then felt that there was something wrong with her memory: because this Mrs. Hannah was better than her memory. The goofy old-fashioned guy in is far smarter, and funnier, and kinder. All sorts of things happened at Jordan College, in England, in the whole world while Laila was away. The power of the church seemed to have grown enormously, and many cruel laws were promulgated, but this power faded as fast as it grew: the great changes in the church overthrew the fanatics, and brought more free forces to the world. Entering the circle of power, the General Sacrifice Committee was dissolved, and the disciplinary courts were in disarray. Oxford University is reviving academic atmosphere and decorum after a short period of turmoil.Something was missing: the dean's collection of precious silver was stolen, some of the university servants disappeared, though Cousins, the dean's valet, was still there; Lyra was ready to meet his hostility with provocation, as long as she could remember. , they have always been enemies.But when he greeted her very warmly and shook her hand with both hands, she was startled: was there affection in his voice?Well, he has changed. Lyra listened with dismay, sadness, or surprise as the Dean and Mrs. Hannah talked about what had happened in their absence.As they retreated to the living room for coffee, the Dean said, "Now, Laila, we've hardly heard from you, but I know you've seen a lot. Can you tell us a little bit about your experience?" "Yes," she said, "but not all at once. There are some things I don't understand yet, and some that still make me shudder and cry, but I'll tell you, I swear, as much as I can, but you also You have to promise me one thing." The dean looked at the gray-haired lady with a marmoset lying on her lap, and a smile flashed between them. "What's that?" said Mrs. Hannah. "You have to promise to believe me," Lyra said earnestly, "I know I don't always tell the truth, there are places where I survive only by telling lies and making up stories, so I know what I've been , I know you know this, but if you half believe it, then my true story is too important for me to tell. So I will only tell the truth if you promise to believe it." "Well, I promise," said Mrs. Hannah, and the Abbot said, "I promise, too." "But you know what I most--most desire? I hope I haven't lost my way of reading the alethiometer. Oh, how strange, Dean, that it first became my skill, and then it goes away like this! I used to know it so well—I could move freely between the meanings of the symbols, step from one symbol to the next, and connect all the meanings—it was like..." She continued with a laugh: " Well, it's like a monkey in a tree, moving so fast, and then suddenly - there's nothing, none of it makes sense, I don't even remember anything, just the basics like anchors for hope and skulls for death mean." "They're not lost, though, Lyra," said Mrs. Hannah. "The books are still in the Bodleian Library, and scholarships to study them are still available and good." Mrs. Hannah was sitting in one of the two armchairs by the fireplace, facing the Dean. The lamp beside the Dean's chair was the only source of light, but it showed clearly the expressions of the two old men, and Lyra found herself It was Lady Hannah's face that was being studied.Lyra thought her face was benevolent and alert and wise, but beyond that, as she read the alethiometer, she could see no more in that face. "Well, now," the Dean continued, "we must consider your future, Laila." His words made her shudder, and she pulled herself together and sat up. "In the time I've been away," Laila said, "I've never thought about it. All I think about is the present, just the present. A lot of times I don't think I have a future at all, and now...well, suddenly I have a life to live and don't know... but don't know how to live it, well, it's like having an alethiometer and not knowing how to read it. I guess I have to try, but I don't know what to do . My parents are probably rich but I bet they never bothered to save some money for me anyway I think they must have used up all their money in one way or another by now so even though I have If the rights are inherited, they will not be worth a penny.I don't know what my future holds, Dean.I went back to Jordan College because it used to be my home and I had nowhere else to go.I think Iorek Bernison will let me live in Svalbard, and Serafina Pekkala will let me live with her tribe of witches, but I'm not a bear and I'm not a witch, so although I Love them so much, but I wouldn't really fit in there. Maybe the gypsies will take me in...but I really don't know what to do anymore.Now I am really confused. " They watched her: her eyes were brighter than usual, her jaw was set high in a way she had unconsciously picked up from Will.She looked lost and challenged, Mrs. Hannah thought, and envied her for it; and the dean saw something else—he noticed that the child's subconscious childishness was gone, and she thought for herself that she was Embarrassed by a growing body.But he loved the girl dearly, and was half proud and half afraid of Laila, who was about to turn into a beautiful big girl. He said, "As long as this university is around, you'll never be lost, Laila. This will always be your home as long as you need it. As for the money—your father has passed on an endowment that will cover all your needs." needs, and entrusted me as the executor, so you don't have to worry about this." In fact, Lord Asriel hadn't done it at all, but Jordan College was rich and the Headmaster himself was rich, even after the recent turmoil. "No," he went on, "I'm thinking about studies. You're still very young, and up to now your education has depended on...well, quite frankly, on the academics you've least threatened here. ," He said, but he was laughing. "And there has been no plan. Now is the time to take the right course and let you develop in line with your gifts - exactly what that will be, we have no way of predicting, but if you plan to use the alethiometer as your life's study lessons, and consciously learn what you once did instinctively—” "Yes." Lyra said firmly. "—Then it would be best to entrust you to my good friend Mrs. Hannah. Her academic achievements in this field are unmatched." "Let me make a suggestion," said the lady. "You don't have to answer now. Think about it for a moment. Now my college is not as old as Jordan College. You are too young to be a graduate student after all. But a few years ago We want a big house in North Oxford and we've decided to start a boarding school. I want you to meet the headmistress and see if you'd like to be a student with us. You know, Lyra, you're going to need it soon It's friendships with other girls your age, there are things we learn from each other when we're young, and I don't think it's possible for Jordan College to offer you everything. The headmistress is a bright young woman, full of energy and imagination, Kindness and kindness. We are lucky to have her, you can talk to her, and if you like the arrangement, come and make Saint Sophia your school and Jordan your home. If you want to study the alethiometer systematically, you and I can take some courses separately.But there is time, my dear, and you have plenty of time.Don't answer me now, save it until you're ready. " "Thank you," Lyra said, "thank you, Mrs. Hannah, I will." The dean gave Laila the key to the garden gate, so she could come and go as she pleased.Later that night, while the porter was locking the door, she and Pantalaimon slipped out and walked through the dark streets, listening to the midnight clocks of Oxford. As soon as they entered the Arboretum, Pan ran across the grass and chased a mouse toward the fence, then let it go and jumped into a nearby giant pine.Lyra was happy to see him jumping from branch to branch at a distance. But when someone is watching, they have to be careful not to do so. The witch's ability to separate people from elves must not be known to outsiders.Before, she would have happily shown off to her urchin friends, leaving them wide-eyed with terror, but Will had taught her the value of silence and discretion. She sat on the bench and waited for Pan to come to her. He liked to surprise her, but she could usually see him before he came, his looming shadow moving along the bank.She looked the other way, pretended not to see him, and grabbed him suddenly as he jumped onto the bench. "I almost made it," he said. "You gotta be better, I heard you coming through the gate." He sat on the back of the chair with his front paws on her shoulders. "What do we tell her?" he said. "We said yes," she said. "It's just to meet the principal anyway, not to go to school." "But we'll go, won't we?" "Yes," she said, "it is possible." "Maybe a good thing." Laila wondered what happened to the other students.They may be smarter or more worldly than she is, and they must know a lot more than she does about all that is important to girls her age, and she cannot tell them all she knows, they will surely Think she is simple and ignorant. "Do you think Lady Hannah can really read an alethiometer?" said Pantalaimon. "There are those books, I'm sure she will. I wonder how many books are there? I bet we can learn them all and ditch the books and read the alethiometer. Think about running around with a bunch of books...Pan ?” "what?" "Will you tell me what you and Will's elf did when we were apart?" "One day it will," he said, "one day she'll tell Will too, and we've agreed that when that time comes, we'll know, but we won't tell any of you until then. .” "Okay." She said calmly. She told Pantalaimon everything, but it was not wrong for him to keep some secrets from her, after all, she had abandoned him. It was comforting to think that she and Will had one more thing in common, and she wondered if there would ever be a moment in her life when she wasn't missing him, talking to him in her head, reliving every moment they had together. Moments without longing for his voice, his hand, and his love.She had never dreamed what it was like to be deeply in love with someone, and of all the things that had shocked her during the adventure, that had shocked her the most.She thinks that the warmth she left in its heart is like a wound that will never disappear, but she will cherish it forever. Pan slipped into a chair and curled up in her lap.In the dark they were safe together, she, her elf, and their secrets.在这个沉睡的城市的某个地方，有那些会告诉她怎样重新阅读真理仪的书，和那个即将教授她的学识渊博的慈祥女人，还有学校里那些比她知道得多得多的女孩子们。 她想：她们还不知道这事，但她们即将成为我的朋友。 潘特莱蒙喃喃地说：“威尔说的那事……” "when?" “在海滩上，就在你试真理仪之前，他说没有别的地方可去了，那是他父亲告诉你们的，但是还有一个。” “我记得，他指的是王国完了，天堂的王国，全都完了。我们不应该认为它比当前的生活、当前的世界更重要，因为我们所在的地方总是最重要的地方。” “他说我们必须建设一个……” “那就是我们为什么需要好好活下去的原因，潘。我本来会跟威尔和基里亚娃走的，不是吗？” “是的，当然！他们本来会跟我们来这儿，但是——” “但是那样的话我们就建设不了它，谁也建设不了，如果他们把自己放在首位的话。我们必须经历所有那些艰难的事情，如开心、仁慈、好奇、勇敢和耐心，我们得学习和思考，并且努力工作，我们所有人，在所有不同的世界里，到那时我们将建设……” 她的手歇在他光滑的毛发上，在花园的某个地方，一只夜莺在歌唱，一丝微风轻抚着她的头发，吹动头顶上方的树叶。城里各种各样的钟敲响了。每个钟都敲一下，这个高那个低，有些近有些远，一个嘶哑暴躁，另一个庄重浑厚，但是全都以不同的声音告知着同一时间，即使有些敲得比其他的稍微慢一点。在她和威尔吻别的那另一个牛津里，钟也会在敲响，夜莺也会在歌唱，微风也会吹动植物园里的树叶。 “到那时，”她的精灵睡意蒙咙地说，“建设什么？” “天堂共和国。”莱拉说。