It was very pleasant to Mrs. Block to sit in a comfortable arm-chair
and gaze thus into the future. Sometimes she looked up into the
water above, and sometimes out into the water ahead, but she
could see nothing. But in the alluring expanse of her fancied
future she could see anything which she chose to put there.

Sammy, however, did not increase in flesh; in fact, he grew
thinner. Nothing important in regard to the Pole, Rovinski, had
occurred, but of course something would occur; otherwise why did
the Pole come on board the Dipsey? Endless conjectures as to
what Rovinski would do when he did anything, and when he would
begin to do it, kept the good Samuel awake during many hours when
he should have been soundly sleeping. He had said nothing yet to
Mr. Gibbs in regard to the matter. Every day he made a report to
Roland Clewe about Rovinski, but Clewe's instructions were that
so long as the Pole behaved himself properly there was no reason
to trouble the minds of the party on board with fears of
rascality on his part. They had enough to occupy their minds
without any disturbing influence of that sort.

Clewe's own opinion on the subject was that Rovinski could do
nothing but act as a spy, and afterwards make dishonest use of
the knowledge he should acquire; but the man had put himself into
Clewe's power, and he could not possibly get away from him until
he should return to Cape Tariff, and even there it would be
difficult. The proper and only thing to do was to keep him in
custody as long as possible. When he should be brought back to a
region of law and justice, it might be that the Pole could be
prevented, for a time, at least, from using the results of his
knavish observations.