[Freetype] Kerning

[Wallace Chigona]

I have some problems with kerning.  In the code below I am loading a
face and an ".afm" file.  The test FT_HAS_KERNING(face) returns "false"
however, the kerning has a value "-128, 0".

How should I understand this?

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void GLBox::initializeGL()
{
  qglClearColor( white );
  glClear(GL_COLOR_BUFFER_BIT);
  error = FT_Init_FreeType( &library );
  if ( error )
    cerr << "error on library";
  error = FT_New_Face( library, "/usr/lib/DPS/outline/base/Helvetica",
                       0, &face );
  if ( error == FT_Err_Unknown_File_Format )
    cerr << "can be open but not read\n";
  else if ( error )
    cerr << "could not be opened\n";
  if (FT_Attach_File(face, "/usr/lib/DPS/AFM/Helvetica"))
    cerr << "error attaching\n";
  FT_Set_Pixel_Sizes(face, _size, 0);  
  cerr << FT_HAS_KERNING(face) <<  " has kerning\n";
  FT_Vector akerning;
  error =   FT_Get_Kerning(face, 
                           FT_Get_Char_Index( face, 'V' ),
                           FT_Get_Char_Index( face, 'A' ), 
                           ft_kerning_default , 
                           &akerning);
  cerr << akerning.x << "@" <<  akerning.y << "\n";
  (*this).redraw();
  glShadeModel( GL_FLAT );
}