This collection of short stories by T. F. Powys, titled “The White Paternoster,” explores the lives and moral struggles of rural villagers through a lens of dark folklore and social irony. The title story follows a group of malicious men plotting to ruin a young woman named Betty Moggs, only to be thwarted by a mystical protective charm and her father’s vigilance. In another tale, “A Box of Sweets,” a romantic grocery assistant named Henry Simpson finds his poetic ideals crushed by the harsh realities of farm life and a cold marriage, ultimately leading to a tragic end. The third excerpt introduces “Old Men,” focusing on the retired John Mowlem and his quiet, observational relationship with his local minister amidst the pressures of a controlling domestic life. Throughout these narratives, the author juxtaposes pastoral beauty with the crude behaviors and psychological burdens of his characters.