[Cover Illustration] _ANTENNAE_ BY HULBERT FOOTNER [Illustration] NEW YORK GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1926, BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY [Illustration] ANTENNAE —A— PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA TO MY FIRST CRITIC CONTENTS PAGE Part One: Boys. . . . . 11 Part Two: Youths. . . . 77 Part Three: Young Men. . . . 133 Part Four: Lovers. . . . 195 Part Five: Husbands. . . . 297 PART ONE: BOYS ANTENNAE PART ONE I Wilfred Pell stole down-stairs carrying his shoes. With infinite care he turned the handle of the front door, his heart in his mouth. When one pressed down a catch in the lock, it permitted the outside handle to turn; and one could come in again. He sat down in the vestibule to put on his shoes. There was also an outer door, closed when the family went to bed. This had an ordinary lock, and the key was in it. It had been Wilfred’s intention to lock this door, and carry the key with him; but in the act of doing so the thought struck him: Suppose there was a fire? How would his Aunts get out? He had not much of an opinion of the presence of mind of those ladies. They might very well stand there rattling the door, and burn up before they recollected the basement door. Or the way to the basement might be cut off. He pictured flames billowing up the basement stairs. No! let them take the chance of robbery in preference to incineration. He left both doors unlocked behind him. Sometimes the policeman on beat tried the basement gates as he passed through the block; but Wilfred had never seen him mount the stoops to try the front doors. On the sidewalk there was a horrible moment as he passed within range of Aunt May’s windows over the drawing-room, then safety.