The minutes passed. Lady Eva bit her lips in thought. Cunningham looked alternately from her to Betelgeuse and the moon. The peer stared stolidly into space.
"Look here," said Cunningham suddenly. "Aren't we wasting time? Why wait for assistance? I think I can put on a new tyre, if you will allow me. Where are your spare tubes and covers, and your jack?"
His lordship accepted the offer with alacrity, and the two men were soon busy round the wheel.
Cunningham ceased work for a moment to take Lady Eva her furs, and assist her into them. She sat down on a tree stump, holding the remaining lamp, and turning its light on the work.
She did this mechanically. All the while she was thinking gravely. Suddenly a smile passed over her face, and she nodded approvingly.
The men were so busy that they did not pause at the sound of the returning car. Sammy's friend was better than his word. They had barely been gone fifteen minutes.
"That's the highwayman—that young feller. Arrest him for robbery!" shouted the motorist, as he brought his car to a standstill, and a policeman sprang down.
"Is that the charge, sir?" said the policeman to Lord Tadcaster.
What the Earl would have replied is uncertain, for before he could answer Lady Eva had intervened.
"Robbery! What in the world do you mean?" she cried, standing up, and flashing the light on the policeman.