"you'll have a cocktail, mr. rainsford," he suggested. the cocktail was surpassingly good; and, rainsford noted, the table appointments were of the finest—the linen, the crystal, the silver, the china. they were eating borsch, the rich, red soup with whipped cream so dear to russian palates. half apologetically general zaroff said, "we do our best to preserve the amenities of civilization here. forgive any lapses. we are well off the beaten track, you know. do you think the champagne has suffered from its long ocean trip? " the details of this excerpt show that zaroff wants to appear civilized. educated. trustworthy.