Then Fauchelevent took a supreme resolve.
He placed himself between the grave and the grave-digger，crossed his arms and said：——
'I am the one to pay！'
The grave-digger stared at him in amazement，and replied：——
'What's that，peasant？'
Fauchelevent repeated：——
'I am the one who pays！'
'What？'
'For the wine.'
'What wine？'
'That Argenteuil wine.'
'Where is the Argenteuil？'
'At the Bon Coing.'
'Go to the devil！'said the grave-digger.
And he flung a shovelful of earth on the coffin.
The coffin gave back a hollow sound.
Fauchelevent felt himself stagger and on the point of falling headlong into the grave himself.He shouted in a voice in which the strangling sound of the death rattle began to mingle：——
'Comrade！
Before the Bon Coing is shut！'
The grave-digger took some more earth on his shovel.Fauchelevent continued.
'I will pay.'
And he seized the man's arm.
'Listen to me，comrade.
I am the convent grave-digger，I have come to help you.
It is a business which can be performed at night.Let us begin，then，by going for a drink.'
And as he spoke，and clung to this desperate insistence，this melancholy reflection occurred to him：
'And if he drinks，will he get drunk？'
'Provincial，'said the man，'if you positively insist upon it，I consent.
We will drink.
After work，never before.'
And he flourished his shovel briskly.
Fauchelevent held him back.
'It is Argenteuil wine，at six.'
'Oh，come，'said the grave-digger，'you are a bell-ringer.Ding dong，ding dong，that's all you know how to say.
Go hang yourself.'
And he threw in a second shovelful.
Fauchelevent had reached a point where he no longer knew what he was saying.
'Come along and drink，'he cried，'since it is I who pays the bill.'
'When we have put the child to bed，'said the grave-digger.
He flung in a third shovelful.
Then he thrust his shovel into the earth and added：——
'It's cold to-night，you see，and the corpse would shriek out after us if we were to plant her there without a coverlet.'
At that moment，as he loaded his shovel，the grave-digger bent over，and the pocket of his waistcoat gaped.
Fauchelevent's wild gaze fell mechanically into that pocket，and there it stopped.
The sun was not yet hidden behind the horizon；there was still light enough to enable him to distinguish something white at the bottom of that yawning pocket.
The sum total of lightning that the eye of a Picard peasant can contain，traversed Fauchelevent's pupils.
An idea had just occurred to him.
He thrust his hand into the pocket from behind，without the grave-digger，who was wholly absorbed in his shovelful of earth，observing it，and pulled out the white object which lay at the bottom of it.
The man sent a fourth shovelful tumbling into the grave.
Just as he turned round to get the fifth，Fauchelevent looked calmly at him and said：——
'By the way，you new man，have you your card？'
The grave-digger paused.
'What card？'
'The sun is on the point of setting.'
'That's good，it is going to put on its nightcap.'
'The gate of the cemetery will close immediately.'
'Well，what then？'
'Have you your card？'
'Ah！my card？'said the grave-digger.
And he fumbled in his pocket.
Having searched one pocket，he proceeded to search the other.He passed on to his fobs，explored the first，returned to the second.
'Why，no，'said he，'I have not my card.
I must have forgotten it.'
'Fifteen francs fine，'said Fauchelevent.
The grave-digger turned green.
Green is the pallor of livid people.
'Ah！
Jesus-mon-Dieu-bancroche-a-bas-la-lune！'[17]he exclaimed.'Fifteen francs fine！'
[17]Jesus-my-God-bandy-leg——down with the moon！
'Three pieces of a hundred sous，'said Fauchelevent.
The grave-digger dropped his shovel.
Fauchelevent's turn had come.
'Ah，come now，conscript，'said Fauchelevent，'none of this despair.There is no question of committing suicide and benefiting the grave.Fifteen francs is fifteen francs，and besides，you may not be able to pay it.
I am an old hand，you are a new one.
I know all the ropes and the devices.
I will give you some friendly advice.One thing is clear，the sun is on the point of setting，it is touching the dome now，the cemetery will be closed in five minutes more.'
'That is true，'replied the man.
'Five minutes more and you will not have time to fill the grave，it is as hollow as the devil，this grave，and to reach the gate in season to pass it before it is shut.'
'That is true.'
'In that case，a fine of fifteen francs.'
'Fifteen francs.'
'But you have time.
Where do you live？'
'A couple of steps from the barrier，a quarter of an hour from here.No.87 Rue de Vaugirard.'
'You have just time to get out by taking to your heels at your best speed.'
'That is exactly so.'
'Once outside the gate，you gallop home，you get your card，you return，the cemetery porter admits you.
As you have your card，there will be nothing to pay.
And you will bury your corpse.I'll watch it for you in the meantime，so that it shall not run away.'
'I am indebted to you for my life，peasant.'
'Decamp！'said Fauchelevent.
The grave-digger，overwhelmed with gratitude，shook his hand and set off on a run.
When the man had disappeared in the thicket，Fauchelevent listened until he heard his footsteps die away in the distance，then he leaned over the grave，and said in a low tone：——
'Father Madeleine！'
There was no reply.
Fauchelevent was seized with a shudder.
He tumbled rather than climbed into the grave，flung himself on the head of the coffin and cried：——
'Are you there？'
Silence in the coffin.
Fauchelevent，hardly able to draw his breath for trembling，seized his cold chisel and his hammer，and pried up the coffin lid.
Jean Valjean's face appeared in the twilight；it was pale and his eyes were closed.
Fauchelevent's hair rose upright on his head，he sprang to his feet，then fell back against the side of the grave，ready to swoon on the coffin.
He stared at Jean Valjean.
Jean Valjean lay there pallid and motionless.
Fauchelevent murmured in a voice as faint as a sigh：——
'He is dead！'
