"How much he resembled a poet,
When he sat in the corner alone,
And the fire burned in the fireplace in front of him,
And he hummed, 'Benedetta',
Or 'Idol mio' and dropped into the fire
His slipper or his magazine, in turn."
"Idol mio, piu расе non ho," Onegin drawled, rather off-key.
He was in a vile mood. Dropping his magazine onto his lap and stretched his feet towards the fire.
"If it weren't for that fateful meeting, I could be entirely peaceful and happy now. And the image of dear Tatiana would not linger in front of my eyes every moment, not letting me seek oblivion in either wine, or merriment, or sleep. Why has fate punished me so," he sighed, crossing his legs. "That accursed ball!"
His house-slipper slid off his foot and fell into the fireplace. Eugene reached for the poker, to retrieve the slipper with it, and his magazine slid into the fireplace down the smooth silk hem of his dressing-gown. Both the slipper and the magazine immediately vanished in the fire. Surprised, Eugene swayed, and just as he was, in an awkward half-crouch, still holding the poker, fell into the fireplace head first.
Strangely, the fireplace turned out to be enormous and very cold. While Onegin was getting up and straightening up his dressing-gown, he heard two men talking nearby.
"It seems to me that Messire will be questioning us."
"He definitely will, you may take it as a given, and we will be compelled to answer."
"And what will we tell him? Why did this fellow appear here, and in this disheveled state, to boot? That is simply outrageous."
"Absolutely indefensible," echoed the other voice. "Carrying a poker and with one foot bare! That takes the biscuit, it does!"
Onegin leaned his poker against the wall, groped for his missing slipper, jammed it onto his foot and turned towards the staircase, upon which dozens of naked ladies were ascending, along with the gentlemen.
"Oh, these ladies' feet," thought Onegin, and, drawing his dressing-gown more tightly around himself, hastened to ascend behind them.
"Flighty rascal," someone stated behind him.
"He can go to the devil, for all I care," replied the other.
True enough.