Saint Petersburg.
In the midst of Neva Street, the laughter and somewhat boisterous music inside Anichkov Palace disrupted the tranquil twilight.
Alexei raised his glass to the young noble who was standing on the balcony railing, shouting loudly, "Jump already! I bet 100 rubles he can make it through the piece. Does anyone dare to bet against me?"
A slightly plump noble leaned over and whispered, "Count Bobrinsky, Primakov has already drunk a whole bottle; he's going to fall..."
"No, you haven't seen his capacity for liquor," Alexei said as he patted the black bear next to him that was holding a mug with its paws and guzzling voraciously, "Ivan, Sergei has never gotten drunk, right?"
The bear nodded quite humanely before discarding the mug, turning round to push the pianist aside, and clumsily climbed onto a chair. It raised its bear paws to strike the piano keys, producing a chaotic noise.
"Sergei, Ivan is urging you on, dance already!!"
