Sing questions about   only imagination t y as s of London, and c ime, for all terest Sister Clara seemed to s neat little daemon trotted along at  as brisk and blank as she was.

    In tered table and took Lyras outer coat off and dropped it on the shiny floor.

    “Off , dear,” stle look to see youre nice and bite or sniffles, and too,” s c .

    Pantalaimon fluttered in protest, but Lyra quelled tled on to ment and s sill o conceal it and act dull-ted and compliant.

    “And t, Lizzie,” said tied it rong fingers. S to drop it on t stopped, feeling ter.

    “s ttoned th.

    “Just a sort of toy,” said Lyra. “Its mine.”

    “Yes,  take it aer Clara, unfolding t. “ts pretty, isnt it, like a compass. Into t on, putting ter dohe corner.

    Lyra reluctantly slipped under ter and soaped alaimon percain rail. t nt be too lively, for took emperature and looked into , and t and put ing a note on a clipboard. ty, like tony Makarioss anorak, but again t t very uneasy.

    “t mine,” she said.

    “No, dear. Your clothes need a good wash.”

    “Am I going to get my own ones back?”

    “I expect so. Yes, of course.”

    “ is this place?”

    “Its called tal Station.”

    t  an ans out and asked for more information, s ted dumbly in the dressing and said no more.

    “I  my toy back,” subbornly when she was dressed.

    “take it, dear,” said t you ratty doll?”

    S toys lay like dead tand and pretend to consider for several seconds before picking out a rag doll  eyes. S s to do, and pressed it absently to .

    “ about my money belt?” so keep my toy in there.”

    “Go on, ter Clara, who was filling in a form on pink paper.

    Lyra c and tied t.

    “ about my coat and boots?” stens and things?”

    “ell omatically.

    telep, Lyra stooped quickly to recover tin, taining t it in ter.

    “Come along, Lizzie,” said tting to eat. I expect youre hungry.”

    Ser Clara to teen, ables icky rings y plates and cutlery acked on a steel trolley. to give an illusion of ligogram sropical beac blue sky and  palms.

    t ing a tray from a serving ch.

    “Eat up,” he said.

    to starve, so se teoes inned peaco folloalked quietly at anotable, and ray away.

    to sit doe. ,  blank and incurious as t sat politely on cening.

    “Now, Lizzie,” en enough?”

    “Yes, thank you.”

    “Id like you to tell me w?”

    “London,” she said.

    “And h?”

    “it , and trying to look as if sears.

    “its  of the world?”

    “trading. e come h a load of New Danish smokeleaf and we was buying furs.”

    “And her by himself?”

    “No. t knoer old him.

    “his, Lizzie?”

    “ Cause two years ago , only  asking hen he did.”

    “And how old are you?”

    “Eleven.”

    “Good, good. ell, Lizzie, youre a lucky little girl. tsmen o t place you could be.”

    “tfully. “t. ts of em and they had arrows....”

    “O t y and got lost. tsmen found you on your own and brougraigs w happened, Lizzie.”

    “I sa....I  my dad,”

    s o cry.

    “ell, youre quite safe il or.

    “But I saing arrows!”

    “A you did. t often ense cold, Lizzie. You fall asleep and  remember rue and . t  a fig  a surprise o find you safe and sound! Noer Clara ake you along to tory tle girls and boys  in t like you. Off you go. ell tle talk in the morning.”

    Lyra stood up, clutcalaimon o o lead t.

    More corridors, and Lyra ired by noalaimon tle inside . Lyra hen she was asleep.

    Someone o feel at , and botins ill till safe; so sried to open  o was  so sleepy.

    “ake up! ake up!”

    It was a w, as if so wake up.

    In t from a very loered around   easy to see, because o focus, but t hey were speaking English.

    “Shes awake.”

    “tve...”

    “s your name?”

    “Lizzie,” Lyra mumbled.

    “Is the girls.

    “Dunno. Just me.”

    “ you then?”

    Lyra struggled to sit up. S remember taking a sleeping pill, but t  pain throbbing behind her eyes.

    “his place?”

    “Middle of noell us.”

    “t a time....”

    “ do to ask, gats as Pantalaimon stirred into h her.

    “e dunno,” said t of talking. Sall, red-cs and a strong London accent. “t of measure us and do tests and t—”

    “t,” said another girl, friendly and plump and dark-haired.

    “You dont kno girl.

    “t daemon.

    “I alking.”

    “take us as all we know. No one comes back,”

    said the redhead.

    “t,” said the plump girl, “he reckons—”

    “Dont tell !” said t yet.”

    “Is there boys here as well?” said Lyra.

    “Yeas of us. t ty, I reckon.”

    “Moren t,” said ty.”

    “Except taking us aart off  of us, and one by one they all disappear.”

    “till ....”

    Lyra  from t, ening at t kno apart for most of time. t treated badly.

    “Its all rig muco do, except tests and make us do exercises and take our temperature and stuff. Its just boring really.”

    “Except wer comes,” said Annie.

    Lyra o stop , and Pantalaimon fluttered  ticed.

    “ve gave us some sleeping pills, like you said, cause were all dozy. er?”

    “Srapped us, most of us, anyalk about o be kids disappearing.”

    “Scake us ao us. ter ches.”

    “they kill us?” said Lyra, shuddering.

    “Must do. Cause no one comes back.”

    “t daemons too,” said Bella. “eighem and all...”

    “touch your daemons?”

    “No! God! t scales to get on tes and take pictures. And t you in t and measure Dust, all time, top measuring Dust.”

    “ dust?” said Lyra.

    “e dunno,” said Annie. “Just somet real dust. If you ent got any Dust, ts good. But everyone gets Dust in the end.”

    “You knoartars make o let t in.”

    “Yeaer when she comes.”

    “You  dare!” said Martha admiringly.

    “I would.”

    “hens she coming?” said Lyra.

    “ter tomorrow,” said Annie.

    A cold drencerror  doalaimon crept very close. So find Roger and discover ians ay alive in the icy wilderness?

    t on talking, but Lyra and Pantalaimon nestled doried to get  for tle bed t fear.