'That is the very point that is not troublesome，'exclaimed Fauchelevent.'If you are sure of coming out of the coffin all right，I am sure of getting you out of the grave.
The grave-digger is a drunkard，and a friend of mine.
He is Father Mestienne.
An old fellow of the old school.
The grave-digger puts the corpses in the grave，and I put the grave-digger in my pocket.
I will tell you what will take place.
They will arrive a little before dusk，three-quarters of an hour before the gates of the cemetery are closed.The hearse will drive directly up to the grave.
I shall follow；that is my business.
I shall have a hammer，a chisel，and some pincers in my pocket.
The hearse halts，the undertaker's men knot a rope around your coffin and lower you down.
The priest says the prayers，makes the sign of the cross，sprinkles the holy water，and takes his departure.
I am left alone with Father Mestienne.He is my friend，I tell you.
One of two things will happen，he will either be sober，or he will not be sober.
If he is not drunk，I shall say to him：
Come and drink a bout while the Bon Coing[the Good Quince]is open.'
I carry him off，I get him drunk，——it does not take long to make Father Mestienne drunk，he always has the beginning of it about him，——I lay him under the table，I take his card，so that I can get into the cemetery again，and I return without him.
Then you have no longer any one but me to deal with.
If he is drunk，I shall say to him：
Be off；I will do your work for you.'
Off he goes，and I drag you out of the hole.'
Jean Valjean held out his hand，and Fauchelevent precipitated himself upon it with the touching effusion of a peasant.
'That is settled，Father Fauchelevent.
All will go well.'
'Provided nothing goes wrong，'thought Fauchelevent.
'In that case，it would be terrible.'
BOOK EIGHTH.——CEMETERIES TAKE THAT WHICH IS COMMITTED THEM
Ⅴ IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO BE DRUNK IN ORDER TO BE IMMORTAL
On the following day，as the sun was declining，the very rare passers-by on the Boulevard du Maine pulled off their hats to an old-fashioned hearse，ornamented with skulls，cross-bones，and tears.This hearse contained a coffin covered with a white cloth over which spread a large black cross，like a huge corpse with drooping arms.A mourning-coach，in which could be seen a priest in his surplice，and a choir boy in his red cap，followed.
Two undertaker's men in gray uniforms trimmed with black walked on the right and the left of the hearse.
Behind it came an old man in the garments of a laborer，who limped along.
The procession was going in the direction of the Vaugirard cemetery.
The handle of a hammer，the blade of a cold chisel，and the antennae of a pair of pincers were visible，protruding from the man's pocket.
The Vaugirard cemetery formed an exception among the cemeteries of Paris.
It had its peculiar usages，just as it had its carriage entrance and its house door，which old people in the quarter，who clung tenaciously to ancient words，still called the porte cavaliere and the porte pietonne.[16]The Bernardines-Benedictines of the Rue Petit-Picpus had obtained permission，as we have already stated，to be buried there in a corner apart，and at night，the plot of land having formerly belonged to their community.
The grave-diggers being thus bound to service in the evening in summer and at night in winter，in this cemetery，they were subjected to a special discipline.The gates of the Paris cemeteries closed，at that epoch，at sundown，and this being a municipal regulation，the Vaugirard cemetery was bound by it like the rest.
The carriage gate and the house door were two contiguous grated gates，adjoining a pavilion built by the architect Perronet，and inhabited by the door-keeper of the cemetery.
These gates，therefore，swung inexorably on their hinges at the instant when the sun disappeared behind the dome of the Invalides.
If any grave-digger were delayed after that moment in the cemetery，there was but one way for him to get out——his grave-digger's card furnished by the department of public funerals.A sort of letter-box was constructed in the porter's window.The grave-digger dropped his card into this box，the porter heard it fall，pulled the rope，and the small door opened.
If the man had not his card，he mentioned his name，the porter，who was sometimes in bed and asleep，rose，came out and identified the man，and opened the gate with his key；the grave-digger stepped out，but had to pay a fine of fifteen francs.
[16]Instead of porte cochere and porte batarde.
This cemetery，with its peculiarities outside the regulations，embarrassed the symmetry of the administration.
It was suppressed a little later than 1830.
The cemetery of Mont-Parnasse，called the Eastern cemetery，succeeded to it，and inherited that famous dram-shop next to the Vaugirard cemetery，which was surmounted by a quince painted on a board，and which formed an angle，one side on the drinkers'tables，and the other on the tombs，with this sign：Au Bon Coing.
The Vaugirard cemetery was what may be called a faded cemetery.It was falling into disuse.
Dampness was invading it，the flowers were deserting it.
The bourgeois did not care much about being buried in the Vaugirard；it hinted at poverty.
Pere-Lachaise if you please！to be buried in Pere-Lachaise is equivalent to having furniture of mahogany.
It is recognized as elegant.
The Vaugirard cemetery was a venerable enclosure，planted like an old-fashioned French garden.
Straight alleys，box，thuya-trees，holly，ancient tombs beneath aged cypress-trees，and very tall grass.In the evening it was tragic there.
There were very lugubrious lines about it.
The sun had not yet set when the hearse with the white pall and the black cross entered the avenue of the Vaugirard cemetery.The lame man who followed it was no other than Fauchelevent.
