mister holmes?
i am nicolai rogozhin, director-general of the imperial russian ballet. so glad you accept invitation.
pleased to meet you. you are enjoying?
tell me, mr. holmes, how is your health?
any insanity in your family? diabetes? asthma?
certainly. madame petrova, she has problem.
certainly not.
after performance, there will be little celebration backstage -- and madame requests your presence.
you are invited, also.
there you are, mr. holmes. madame is expecting you in her dressing room. dr. watson, you will amuse yourself meanwhile -- we have vodka, caviar, girls.
no girls?
dievushki. siude, siuda, dievushki. posnakomtes s docktorum watsonom.
mr. holmes, i must prepare you -- this is no ordinary case.
good. because you will find this extra- extraordinary.
madame petrova prinimaet?
ja priviol vam mistera sherlock holmesa, doragaia.
short, tall, who cares? it is the brains that count.
madame is great admirer of yours. she has read every story -- her favorite is big dog from baskerville.
mr. holmes, you know about fiddles. what is your opinion of this?
you like?
here -- take it. madame says it is yours.
for services you will render.
i am not. but madame is.
all right. i will pour vodka and explain. mr. holmes, what you have seen tonight is last and positively final performance of madame petrova. she is retiring.
she has been dancing since she was three years old. and after all, she is now thirty-eight.
that is because she is forty-nine. so madame has decided to leave ballet and spend life bringing up her child.
problem now is to find father.
correct.
also correct. we must have father, because without father, how can there be child?
correct again. madame would like child to be brilliant and beautiful. since she is beautiful -- she now needs man who is brilliant.
za zdorovie.
what does it taste like?
that's what's in it.
madame wants to know how soon you can be ready.
to leave for venice. all arrangements have been made. you will spend one week there with madame.
to tell you truth, you were not first choice. we considered russian writer, tolstoi --
too old.  then we considered the philosopher, nietzsche --
too german.  and we considered tschaikowski --
we could -- and we did. it was catastrophe.
you don't know? because tschaikowski -- how shall put it? women not his glass of tea.
madame is very happy with final choice.
so?
perfect. we don't want sentimental idiots -- falling in love, committing suicide. one week in venice -- she goes back to st. petersburg with baby -- you go back to london with fiddle.
on govorit, chto v jevo semie stradajut ghemofilijei.
madame says not to worry. she will not scratch you.
madame says you talk too much. you find her attractive or no?
it means 'you little devil.'
i repeat question. you find madame attractive or no?
then no problem.
not free? you are a bachelor.
what is it you are trying to tell me?
get to point.
you mean, you and dr. watson -- ? he is your glass of tea?
on pederast.
why? do you not prefer it this way?
you don't have to pretend. mr. holmes told us everything -- about you and him --
come now, no need to be bashful. we are not bourgeois. maybe with doctors and detectives is unusual -- but in ballet, is very usual.
caprice of mother nature. look at pavel and mischa and boris and dmitri --
-- and ilya and sergei -- sergei -- half and half.