emolument
/ɪˈmɒl yə mənt/
Tips are an emolument in addition to wages.
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There was a timid knock on the door. Renald bade the person on the other side to
enter. He was somehow not surprised to
see the slight form of one of his servants, Erren. Renald allowed the teenage boy to speak.
“Sir, I
would like to talk to you about my work.” Erren said while wringing his hands.
“Yes? What about it?”
“Are
you pleased with my work? Do I do a good
job in your eyes?”
“You
do, yes. I dare say you are proving to
be one of my best serving boys. What of
it?”
“In…in
that case, I would like to request additional payment.” Erren cringed and
looked away from his master.
“Additional
payment? What’s this all about? You’ve always been satisfied with nothing but
food and shelter as payment. What else
could you ask for?”
“Well,
money, sir. Not much. Only a few small coppers a week. One or two will suffice.”
Renald
looked intently at his nerve wracked servant.
He steepled his fingers under his chin and considered the request. This was a very sudden change, and a very
dangerous one. True, a small copper or
two a week was not much; it was not even enough to buy a small loaf of
bread. But it could lead to requests for
ever increasing amounts. And, if his
other servants found out, they could make the same demand, which could hurt his
finances quite badly.
“Why do
you want money at all? I provide all
your needs, don’t I?”
“Yes,
sir, you do. Quite well. But there is something I am trying to do.”
“Which
is?”
“I am
building something. It is not something
big. Just a little something in my spare
time. I have made do with what I could
salvage off the streets until now. But
the last few parts I cannot make on my own.
I must get them from a store, and I would never even dream of ruining
your good name by stealing. And so I
need money. A few coppers, when properly
saved, can buy much with enough time, sir.”
“True
enough, true enough. How much do you
need to buy everything?”
Erren
shifted his weight, and Renald could see sweat starting to bead on the boy’s
brow. “Two ringed silver for everything.”
“That’s
no small amount.” Renald said slowly. It
was enough for an adult to live comfortably for a week. Workers at his stores made around that much,
but Erren was not a store worker.
“Yes,
sir. I know, sir. But I am not asking for that amount. A copper a week will do. It does not even need to be a large one. A small copper will suffice.”
“What
exactly are you making that needs two ringed silver’s worth of goods?”
“N-nothing
important, sir. Just a little toy.”
“Show
me.”
Erren
bowed slightly and ran off. He was gone
for a good half of an hour before reentering Renald’s office. The boy carefully placed a small wrapped
bundle on the large, wooden desk. Inside
the rough cloth was a figure of a man made of a patchwork of metals. It was obvious it had been made out of old,
worn out materials, but had been cleaned off well.
Renald
took out a small eye lens and examined the partially exposed interior. It consisted of gears and rods of metal that
had been finely constructed out of the poor quality materials. There were master tinkerers and smiths that
could only dream of making something so intricate. Still, there was empty space inside of
it. Space that practically demanded to
be filled by something.
“It is
supposed to be able to move on its own.” Erren said. “It does nothing right now. Not without the correct parts.”
“I see.”
Renald could see much to gain from something like that. If it could indeed move on its own, then
there were hundreds of uses for such a thing.
“And you say you made this on your own?”
“Yes,
sir.”
“How
did you learn to make something like this?”
“I
watch people. Whenever I am able
to. I watch the tinkerers and the smiths
and the glassblowers and the sculptors.
Whenever I have a spare moment that I am not on a job for you, sir, I
watch them. I do not think my skills up
to par with a true master, but it is sufficient for me.”
The boy
clearly underestimated his skills. In
some ways it was better that way. Renald
could make use of the tinkering prodigy that Erren was shaping up to be. Still, it would not do to give the boy too
much leeway. He might begin to suspect
what such skills were truly worth.
“Very
well. Two small coppers a week.” Renald
said. “But this is not to spread, do you
understand? None of my other servants
are to know about this.”
“Yes,
sir. I understand. And thank you, sir.”
“Now,
unless you have anything else to ask, you may leave. And take your little toy
with you.”
Erren
complied with the order quickly, leaving Renald to his thoughts. Two small copper coins a week. Such a small amount. Beggars on the street made more. But the possibilities of what two tiny coins
could bring in that boy’s hands were endless.
And that was a price Renald was more than willing to pay.
************************************************
Always do your part to support a future artist. You never know where a person's talents may bring them.
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