inkstand

1765, Laurence Sterne, letter published in Original Letters of the Late Reverend Mr. Laurence Sterne, never before published, London: 1788, pp. 89-90, […] if I thought any thing I…

I beg your pardon for being here. I come to look for you, and after waiting a little while in hope of your coming in, was making use of your inkstand to explain my errand.