"It ruined my life. And it has ruined Winfield's."
"And the girl," said Carolina, in a tense voice, "Flower!"
"It has ruined hers. They are the most unhappy couple I ever saw. And more so since the baby came."
"It will all come right," declared Carolina, straightening herself. "You will discover that Flower is entitled to a name, and that your worst fears are incorrect."
"My worst fears--" began Moultrie. Then he stopped abruptly. "I cannot explain them to you," he said.
"I know what you mean. But remember that I, too, have seen Flower. I saw her that day, and I say to you that not one drop of negro blood flows in that girl's veins, and your brother's child is safe."
"You think so?" he exclaimed, moved by the earnestness of her voice and the calm conviction of her manner. Then he shook his head.
"It seems too good to be true."
"I can understand," she said, "the terrible strain you are all under, but, believe me, it will all come out right."
"They think the baby is bewitched,--that he has been voodooed,--if you know what that means. The negroes declare that an evil spirit can be seen moving around whatever spot the child inhabits."