"Never miss a chance of learning," says Montague Egg.

Many people know Dorothy L. Sayers' detective Lord Peter Wimsey; but have you ever read any stories featuring her other sleuth, a travelling wine salesman named Mr. Montague Egg?

“You seem to be something of a detective, Mr. Egg," said Dr. Lovell Wilverton...“Do you mind telling me what first put this idea into your head?”

“Well, sir,” replied Mr. Egg, modestly, “...the thing that really bothered me was the books in that library. I’m no reader, unless it’s a crook yarn or something of that kind, but I visit a good many learned gentlemen, and I’ve now and again cast my eye on their shelves, always liking to improve myself. Now, there were three things in that library that weren’t like the library of any gentlemen that uses his books. First, the books were all mixed up, with different subjects alongside one another, instead of all the same subject together. Then, the books were too neat, all big books in one place and all small ones in another. And then they were too snug in the shelves. No gentleman that likes books or needs to consult them quickly keeps them as tight as that—they won’t come out when you want them and besides, it breaks the bindings. That’s true, I know, because I asked a friend of mine in the second-hand book business. So you see,” said Mr. Egg, persuasively, “Greek or no Greek, I couldn’t believe that gentleman ever read any of his books. I expect he just bought up somebody’s library—or you can have ’em delivered by the yard; it’s often done by rich gentlemen who get their libraries done by furnishing firms.”

“Bless my soul,” said Dr. Lovell Wilverton, “is Saul also among the Prophets? You seem to be an observant man, Mr. Egg.”

“I try to be,” replied Mr. Egg. “Never miss a chance of learning for that word spells ‘£’ plus ‘earning.’—You’ll find that in The Salesman’s Handbook. Very neat, sir, don’t you think?”

--"The Professor's Manuscript," by Dorothy L. Sayers, in The Complete Stories