The handle turned, the door unclosed, and passing through and curtseying low, I looked up at--a black pillar!--such, at least, appeared to me, at first sight, the straight, narrow, sable-clad shape standing erect on the rug: the grim face at the top was like a carved mask, placed above the shaft by way of capital.
La maniglia cedè; la porta si aprì; io m'inoltrai salutando profondamente e guardando intorno. I miei occhi si fermarono su qualcosa di lungo e di scuro, come una colonna nera.