23 JUNE 1990, Page 33

At Five the Train.. .

At five the train left Hendaye and trundled inland, across the foothills of the Pyrenees, bound for Marseilles.

At dusk it drew up somewhere, earth dark, horizon high, a greenness in the air, and stars over the hills.

Half the passengers dismounted, and doors slammed on crowds. That's how we knew it was Lourdes, that and the little fires carried up under the stars.

We sat in the dark carriage, broke bread and drank wine, until we couldn't see what was flame and what star, and the train took us off to Marseilles in secret, as before. Mairi Maclnnes