Impressive

So I'm sitting next to a fellow who's working the daily crossword. He's doing it in ink, which generally irritates me, since they're the ones who usually leave it unfinished (and ruined) when they've made enough mistakes.

Suddenly he dives into his backpack, comes out with a worn paperback, quickly thumbs to a page, and just as quickly copies an answer into the puzzle. I had to ask: You just happened to be carrying the book that had the answer to the crossword clue?

The answer: The Aeneid. The clue: Poem by Virgil. The paperback: Dante's The Inferno, in which Virgil appears and The Aeneid is mentioned.

All is forgiven.