"’Polyte, do you know who you are? You are the son of my father’s nurse! Your mother was my father’s black mammy!" The assurance, even the confidence, left the man’s manner. His shoulders drooped perceptibly. He took a backward step. Surely she did not know what he was or she would not speak to him except to scream for help. "Do you know who I am?" "Yas, missis." "You don’t know how you frightened me, until I saw who you were. Then I knew that you would catch Scintilla for me. Mr. Moultrie has told me what a way you have with animals." In an instant the man was her servant, the son of her grandfather’s slave. His fear of detection and punishment left him, and he was quick enough to know that her supposed ignorance of his intentions had saved him from a horrible death. He was a bad negro partly because he was so intelligent. "I’ll git her for you. Jes’ watch me!" He turned eagerly toward the horse and snapped his fingers. Scintilla raised her head and began to step gingerly toward the man. ’Polyte’s power over animals may have been hypnotism, but to Carolina it was like magic to see Scintilla’s bridle in ’Polyte’s hand. The man proudly led the mare to her. "Help me to mount," said Carolina, her shaking knees threatening every minute to give way beneath her. "No, hold your hand, and when I put my foot in it, you lift me. There!" Once on her horse’s back, Carolina felt her heart begin to beat with less noise. It seemed as if he could see how it pounded against her side. "’Polyte," she said, "you are what people call a bad man. You have been bleeding my trees, and I don’t know what all. Why don’t you behave?" The man kicked at a tuft of moss. "Nobody won’t hire me, Miss Calline. Ise done been in de chain-gang too often. Nobody won’ trus’ me!" "Well, if I will trust you, for the sake of your dead mother, will you be good and faithful to me?" The man’s face lighted up. He took a step toward her. "Will I? Miss Calline, on’y jes’ try me! I kin do anyt’in’!" "I believe you. Well, I’m going to try you. I want you to be my--well, my body-servant. To go everywhere I go and take care of me--so--I--won’t--be--frightened--again. Will you?" The man’s eyes wavered in momentary terror. But he kept his head. "On’y jes’ try me!" "I’m going to. But you must have a horse to ride. Look out for a good one, and one for me, too. You must get me, ’Polyte, the best saddle-horse in South Carolina!" "Yas’m. I’ll do my bes’. I kin git you a hawse." "I’ll pay you good wages, ’Polyte. But you mustn’t drink. If a lady hires you, you can never get drunk, you know." "I’ll tek de pledge." "Take any pledge that you can keep," said Carolina. She gathered up the reins and turned her horse. The man took a step nearer. "Well, ’Polyte?" "Miss Calline--" "Well?" "Nobody ain’t ever trusted me befo’!" "Well?"