Sufficient to say that Claudia's native intelligence was considerable.

At the age of twenty she had managed--through her connections with the son of a shoe manufacturer and with a rich jeweler--to amass a little cash and an extended wardrobe.

It was then that a handsome young Western Congressman, newly elected, invited her to Washington to take a position in a government bureau.

This necessitated a knowledge of stenography and typewriting, which she soon acquired.

Later she was introduced by a Western Senator into that form of secret service which has no connection with legitimate government, but which is profitable.