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第66部分

pp.thegoldencompass-第66部分

小说: pp.thegoldencompass 字数: 每页4000字

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n silence over rocks and snowdrifts; and although Lyra peered wide…eyed into the enfolding grayness; and strained her ears for the sound of her friends; she might have been the only human on Svalbard; and Iorek might have been dead。
  The bear sergeant said nothing to her until they were on level ground。 There they stopped。 From the sound of the waves; Lyra judged them to have reached the top of the cliffs; and she dared not run away in case she fell over the edge。
  〃Look up;〃 said the bear; as a waft of breeze moved aside the heavy curtain of the fog。
  There was little daylight in any case; but Lyra did look; and found herself standing in front of a vast building of stone。 It was as tall at least as the highest part of Jordan College; but much more massive; and carved all over with representations of warfare; showing bears victorious and Skraelings surrendering; showing Tartars chained and slaving in the fire mines; showing zeppelins flying from all parts of the world bearing gifts and tributes to the king of the bears; lofur Raknison。
  At least; that was what the bear sergeant told her the carvings showed。 She had to take his word for it; because every projection and ledge on the deeply sculpted facade was occu…pied by gannets and skuas; which cawed and shrieked and wheeled constantly around overhead; and whose droppings had coated every part of the building with thick smears of dirty white。
  The bears seemed not to see the mess; however; and they led the way in through the huge arch; over the icy ground that was filthy with the spatter of the birds。 There was a courtyard; and high steps; and gateways; and at every point bears in armor challenged the iners and were given a password。 Their armor was polished and gleaming; and they all wore plumes in their helmets。 Lyra couldn't help paring every bear she saw with Iorek Byrnison; and always to his advantage; he was more powerful; more graceful; and his armor was real armor; rust…colored; bloodstained; dented with bat; not elegant; enameled; and decorative like most of what she saw around her now。
  As they went further in; the temperature rose; and so did something else。 The smell in lofur's palace was repulsive: rancid seal fat; dung; blood; refuse of every sort。 Lyra pushed back her hood to be cooler; but she couldn't help wrinkling her nose。 She hoped bears couldn't read human expressions。 There were iron brackets every few yards; holding blubber lamps; and in their flaring shadows it wasn't always easy to see where she was treading; either。
  Finally they stopped outside a heavy door of iron。 A guard bear pulled back a massive bolt; and the sergeant suddenly swung his paw at Lyra; knocking her head over heels through the doorway。 Before she could scramble up; she heard the door being bolted behind her。
  It was profoundly dark; but Pantalaimon became a firefly; and shed a tiny glow around them。 They were in a narrow cell where the walls dripped with damp; and there was one stone bench for furniture。 In the farthest corner there was a heap of rags she took for bedding; and that was all she could see。
  Lyra sat down; with Pantalaimon on her shoulder; and felt in her clothes for the alethiometer。
  〃It's certainly had a lot of banging about; Pan;〃 she whispered。 〃I hope it still works。〃
  Pantalaimon flew down to her wrist; and sat there glowing while Lyra posed her mind。 With a part of her; she found it remarkable that she could sit here in terrible danger and yet sink into the calm she needed to read the alethiometer; and yet it was so much a part of her now that the most plicated questions sorted themselves out into their constituent symbols as naturally as her muscles moved her limbs: she hardly had to think about them。
  She turned the hands and thought the question: 〃Where is Iorek?〃
  The answer came at once: 〃A day's journey away; carried there by the balloon after your crash; but hurrying this way。〃
  〃And Roger?〃
  〃With Iorek。〃
  〃What will Iorek do?〃
  〃He intends to break into the palace and rescue you; in the face of all the difficulties。〃
  She put the alethiometer away; even more anxious than before。
  〃They won't let him; will they?〃 she said to Pantalaimon。 〃There's too many of 'em。 I wish I was a witch; Pan; then you could go off and find him and take messages and all; and we could make a proper plan 。 。 。 。〃
  Then she had the fright of her life。
  A man's voice spoke in the darkness a few feet away; and said; 〃Who are you?〃
  She leaped up with a cry of alarm。 Pantalaimon became a bat at once; shrieking; and flew around her head as she backed against the wall。
  〃Eh? Eh?〃 said the man again。 〃Who is that? Speak up! Speak up!〃
  〃Be a firefly again; Pan;〃 she said shakily。 〃But don't go too close。〃

  The little wavering point of light danced through the air and fluttered around the head of the speaker。 And it hadn't been a heap of rags after all; it was a gray…bearded man; chained to the wall; whose eyes glittered in Pantalaimon's luminance; and whose tattered hair hung over his shoulders。 His daemon; a weary…looking serpent; lay in his lap; flicking out her tongue occasionally as Pantalaimon flew near。
  〃What's your name?〃 she said。
  〃Jotham Santelia;〃 he replied。 〃I am the Regius Professor of Cosmology at the University of Gloucester。 Who are you?〃
  〃Lyra Belacqua。 What have they locked you up for?〃
  〃Malice and jealousy 。 。 。 Where do you e from? Eh?〃
  〃From Jordan College;〃 she said。
  〃What? Oxford?〃
  〃Yes。〃
  〃Is that scoundrel Trelawney still there? Eh?〃
  〃The Palmerian Professor? Yes;〃 she said。
  〃Is he; by God! Eh? They should have forced his resignation long ago。 Duplicitous plagiarist! Coxb!〃
  Lyra made a neutral sound。
  〃Has he published his paper on gamma…ray photons yet?〃 the Professor said; thrusting his face up toward Lyra's。
  She moved back。
  〃I don't know;〃 she said; and then; making it up out of pure habit; 〃no;〃 she went on。 〃I remember now。 He said he still needed to check some figures。 And 。 。 。 He said he was going to write about Dust as well。 That's it。〃
  〃Scoundrel! Thief! Blackguard! Rogue!〃 shouted the old man; and he shook so violently that Lyra was afraid he'd have a fit。 His daemon slithered lethargically off his lap as the Professor beat his fists against his shanks。 Drops of saliva flew out of his mouth。
  〃Yeah;〃 said Lyra; 〃I always thought he was a thief。 And a rogue and all that。〃
  If it was unlikely for a scruffy little girl to turn up in his cell knowing the very man who figured in his obsessions; the Regius Professor didn't notice。 He was mad; and no wonder; poor old man; but he might have some scraps of information that Lyra could use。
  She sat carefully near him; not near enough for him to touch; but near enough for Pantalaimon's tiny light to show him clearly。
  〃One thing Professor Trelawney used to boast about;〃 she said; 〃was how well he knew the king of the bears…〃
  〃Boast! Eh? Eh? I should say he boasts! He's nothing but a popinjay! And a pirate! Not a scrap of original research to his name! Everything filched from better men!〃
  〃Yeah; that's right;〃 said Lyra earnestly。 〃And when he does do something of his own; he gets it wrong。〃
  〃Yes! Yes! Absolutely! No talent; no imagination; a fraud from top to bottom!〃
  〃I mean; for example;〃 said Lyra; 〃I bet you know more about the bears than he does; for a start。〃
  〃Bears;〃 said the old man; 〃ha! I could write a treatise on them! That's why they shut me away; you know。〃
  〃Why's that?〃
  〃I know too much about them; and they daren't kill me。 They daren't do it; much as they'd like to。 I know; you see。 I have friends。 Yes! Powerful friends。〃
  〃Yeah;〃 said Lyra。 〃And I bet you'd be a wonderful teacher;〃 she went on。 〃Being as you got so much knowledge and experience。〃
  Even in the depths of his madness a little mon sense still flickered; and he looked at her sharply; almost as if he suspected her of sarcasm。 But she had been dealing with suspicious and cranky Scholars all her life; and she gazed back with such bland admiration that he was soothed。
  〃Teacher;〃 he said; 〃teacher 。 。 。 Yes;

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