Carelli was nowhere to be seen the next morning when Stanley eventually woke up and dragged himself down to the kitchen. He’d found it difficult to get out of bed and had lain there till quite late, mesmerized by the view of the sea. When he did get downstairs it was nearer to lunchtime than to breakfast, and there was a note from Mrs. Carelli on the table, saying that she had gone into town and would be back before it was dark. Of course she would, he thought. Darkness put a stop to everything on Crampton Rock, or so it seemed. The previous day he had noticed a corridor that ran under the back of the staircase. At the time he hadn’t explored it. Now, he saw that it led to a part of the house he had not yet seen. The walls were paneled with wood and the way was dark and narrow. At the end, next to a doorway, was something mounted on the wall in a long glass case. He went closer. It was a very large fish. Its body was long and slender and it had sharp needlelike teeth. It was not like any other fish he had seen.
