Part 1, Chapter 3 Summary

The chapter begins with a description of Jordan College, "grandest and richest of all the colleges of Oxford." The college owns land all over England, and is unrivaled in its claim to the center of experimental theology. Lyra and Roger, a kitchen boy who is Lyra's closest friend, spend their days engaging in mock warfare. This warfare occurs between the twenty-four colleges, and also between the college children and the townies, and other groups such as the brick burners' children or the Gytpian families. This first section of the chapter describes Lyra's life before she "first heard about Dust."

There is a rumor about a recent string of disappearing children. One such disappearance is that of Tony Makarios, a boy who is unknown to Lyra. Tony is a poor boy who must steal his food in order to eat. While strolling...