The Intelligence Office (From "Mosses from an Old Manse")

"The Intelligence Office (From 'Mosses from an Old Manse')" by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a short story published in 1844. Part of Hawthorne's collection *Mosses from an Old Manse*, this allegorical tale explores the darker aspects of human nature that characterize much of his work. Like other stories in the collection, it reflects Hawthorne's trademark style—what Herman Melville called "the blackness of darkness" beneath bright surfaces. The story emerged during Hawthorne's years at the Old Manse, a productive period that yielded some of his most enigmatic and morally complex fiction.

The Intelligence Office (From "Mosses from an Old Manse"), by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #9229.