“Master,” said Lord Asriel. “Yes, Im back. Do bring in your guests; Ive got someteresting to show you.”

    “Lord Asriel,” said ter o scers eyes, and indeed, toable for a second, wokay had been.

    “Master,” said Lord Asriel. “I came too late to disturb your dinner, so I made myself at or. Glad to see you looking so well.

    Excuse my roug landed. Yes, Master, tokays gone. I tanding in it. ter knocked it off table, but it . est paper  interest.”

    ers face. It  tlessly from foot to foot. Lord Asriel ing to be courteous to ter in ters oerritory, it was clear whe power lay.

    ted tor and moved into tting around table, some in tion filled t trigued by tern. Sor, t; taugised tle presents, c trees in t even  like a family if s a family o feel t about ts. tant to do ttend to tions of a  among them by chance.

    ter lit t lamp under ttle silver ced some butter before cutting ossing them in.

    Poppy er a feast: it clarified timulated tongue, and made for ricion. It raditional for ter to cook it himself.

    Under tter and talk, Lyra sed around to find a more comfortable position for ook one of ts  on the wardrobe.

    “You scalaimon. “If you get too comfortable, youll go to sleep.”

    “If I do, its your job to wake me up,” she replied.

    S and listened to talk. Migalk it oo; almost all of it politics, and London politics at t, noting about tartars. ted pleasantly in t finally sable. t, and ter spoke.

    “Gentlemen,” s are rare but