“You’re not supposed to do that,” says Donner accusingly. “They’ll all want something now.”

“I don’t see any ‘all,'” says Lyra. “He’s the only person who’s asked me for change all day.”

“Still,” Donner mutters. “He probably wasn’t even homeless. He probably doesn’t even need it.”

“When another human being is begging you for something, he needs it.” Lyra’s tone is mild but her eyes have gone hard. “Remember that, Donner. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to beg.”

They keep walking in silence.

“And before you say it,” she says, “who am I to deny a man a drink?”