"Yes, that’ll be something," said Koko; "all right, go and get dressed." The Long ’Un disappeared into the bedroom, and presently emerged in proper attire. "You’d better wear your tail coat and top-hat, or I may cut you out," suggested Koko. With a bellow of laughter, the Long ’Un hurried into his bedroom again, issuing therefrom a minute later clad in the kind of coat and the kind of hat affected by Koko. "Now," said Koko, as they left Jim’s sitting-room, "we start level." *CHAPTER IV.* *A HANDMAID TO MERCURY.* Mortimer was in such haste to reach Milverton Street, that it was all Koko could do, with his short legs, to keep pace with him. "I shall send one to myself to start with," explained Jim, "and then I shall go in at intervals and send wires to you, and the fellows at the hospital." "Won’t you find it rather expensive?" "My boy, what is money _for_?" exclaimed the Long ’Un with enthusiasm. "Could I employ it better than in----" "Yes, a good deal better," retorted Koko; "couldn’t you go in and buy halfpenny stamps, and just _glance_ over in her direction?" "The stamp girl wouldn’t like that," returned Mortimer with frank vanity; "but, I say, old man, isn’t all this reckoning up of the cost rather sordid?" "Well, perhaps it is," agreed Koko; "but apart from that, I don’t quite see how you can effect anything. She doesn’t look the sort of girl you can even discuss the weather with, unless you have been properly introduced to her." "Never mind that for the present," said Jim. "Try and suggest a suitable telegram for me to send to myself." "Do you wish to impress her with the fact that you have means?" "Just as well," said Jim; "I shall have a tidy amount some day, you know." "Then wire and tell me to put a pot of money for you on a horse." "And then?" "Make the next something about shares--’_Buy me ten thousand Canadian Pacifics_,’ let us say." "Well, and what’s the third wire to be about? I can’t put money on gees or buy shares every time." "Make her jealous. Send a wire to ’_Maggie Mortimer_’ at your Pimlico address, and put ’_Best love, darling_,’ at the end of it," suggested Koko, demurely. The Long ’Un stopped dead, and faced round on his small companion. "Look here, Koko," he exclaimed, "I’ve taken your advice in several--er--affairs of this sort, and they’ve all turned out badly." "In each case it was your own fault," said Koko. "In each case you really managed the business, and it came to nothing. The fact is, you don’t know anything about women. You may be all very well at a trotting match----" "All right," said Koko, shortly, as he turned on his heel, "you can manage this by yourself." "I apologise," cried Jim. "In that case," said Koko, relenting, "I’ll come. But I don’t want you to round on me if it’s a failure."