The Book of Dust: The Secret Commonwealth (Book of Dust, Volume 2) Read Online Free

only one thing to do in a case like this.”
    “What’s that?” said Miriam.
    “George’s.”
    “But I’ve got a lecture—”
    “No. The lecturer’s got a lecture, but you haven’t and I haven’t. And I want fried eggs and bacon. Come along, step out. Were you a Girl Guide?”
    “No.”
    “Neither was I. I don’t know why I asked.”
    “I’ve got an essay to do—”
    “Do you know anyone who hasn’t got an essay to do? There are thousands of young ladies and gentlemen all behind with their essays. It would be bad form to be anything else. And George’s is waiting. The Cadena’s not open yet or we could go there. Come on, it’s chilly. D’you want to get a coat?”
    “Yes—just quickly then…”
    They ran up to get their coats. Lyra’s was a shabby green thing that was a little too small. Miriam’s coat was of navy cashmere and fitted her perfectly.
    “And if anyone says why weren’t you at the lecture or the seminar or whatever, you can say that you were upset and nice Lyra took you for a walk,” Lyra said as they went out through the lodge.
    “I’ve never been to George’s,” said Miriam.
    “Oh, go on. You must have.”
    “I know where it is, but…I don’t know. I just thought it wasn’t for us.”
    George’s was a café in the Covered Market, much used by market traders and workers from round about.
    “I’ve been going there since I was young,” said Lyra. “I mean, really young. I used to hang around outside till they gave me a bun to go away.”
    “Did you? Really?”
    “A bun or a clout. I even worked there for a bit, washing dishes, making tea and coffee. I was about nine, I think.”
    “Did your parents let— Oh God. Sorry. Sorry.”
    The only thing Lyra’s friends knew about her background was that her parents were people of great family on both sides who had died when she was young. It was understood that this was a source of great sorrow to Lyra and that she never talked about it, so naturally their speculation flourished. Now Miriam was mortified.
    “No, I was in the care of Jordan by then,” Lyra said cheerfully. “If they’d known, I mean if the Jordan people had known, they’d have been surprised, I suppose, but then they’d have forgotten about it and I’d have kept on going there anyway. I sort of did what I wanted.”
    “Didn’t anyone know what you were doing?”
    “The housekeeper, Mrs. Lonsdale. She was pretty fierce. I was always getting told off, but she knew it wouldn’t do any good. I could be quite well behaved when I needed to be.”
    “How long were you— I mean, how old were you when— Sorry. I don’t mean to pry.”
    “The first thing I remember is when I was taken to Jordan for the first time. I don’t know how old I was—probably just a baby. I was being carried by a big man. It was midnight and stormy, with lightning and thunder and pouring rain. He was on a horse, and I was wrapped up inside his cloak. Then he was banging on a door with a pistol, and the door opened and it was all warm and light inside, and then he handed me over to someone else and I think he kissed me and got on his horse and rode away. He was probably my father.”
    Miriam was very impressed. In truth, Lyra wasn’t sure about the horse, but she liked it.
    “That’s so romantic,” Miriam said. “And that’s the first thing you remember?”
    “The very first. After that, I was just…living in Jordan. Have been ever since. What’s the first thing you remember?”
    “The smell of roses,” said Miriam at once.
    “What, a garden somewhere?”
    “No. My father’s factory. Where they make soap and things. I was sitting on his shoulders, and we were in the bottling plant. Such an intense sweet smell…The men’s clothes used to smell of it, and their wives had to wash them to get it out.”
    Lyra was aware that Miriam’s family was rich, and that soaps and perfumes and such things were behind their wealth; Miriam had a vast collection of scents and