This is an odd little book full of odd characters. Father Angwin of the village Fetherhoughton has lost his religion and is dealing with a bishop who wants him to modernize. The bishop orders Angwin to remove a majority of the saint statues in the church in spite of protests that his very superstitious flock won't like it. The order is obeyed and Angwin has the statues buried in shallow graves in the churchyard. Enter Fludd, a curate that arrives on a rainy night. Everyone assumes he was sent by the bishop. Add to the story the nuns at the school, the evil tempered Mother Perpetua (called Purpiture by everyone), Sister Philomena, who is having difficulty dealing with her life in the convent, the rest of the nuns at the convent, and Agnes Dempsey, the priest's housekeeper. Superstitions abound in the village, and all believe they have met the devil in various guises, including the tobacconist. But who is the mysterious Fludd? He celebrates mass like a priest and hears confessions. He conspires to return the statues to their rightful place in the church. He also "helps" Sister Philomena with her "problem." Is he a priest, an angel, or a demon?
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