And now one word before I close this.

Lovers as you all dear souls are of Beloved Baba — you will naturally feel for this — this sudden departure for India. But remember — you all His dear ones — that He goes there for His great work there and for very special reasons known only to Him. You should therefore not feel or worry for this — His temporary absence. He is never absent anywhere. For has He not said over and over again do you not know that "He is always with you, within you." And is He not coming soon to you again? So then, why worry? Think of Him and love Him all the more. Grow in love more and more till at last you never feel His absence — even physically.

Meher Baba in Paris — December 12th thru 17th, 1931.

Meher Baba, with Chanji, Ali and Meredith left New York on December 6th, 1931 on the S.S. Bremen. They arrived at Havre on the 11th and Paris on the 12th where they stayed five days at the Hotel Powers, Rue de Francois, situated between La Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe.

Called to Paris on the 12th were Margaret Craske, Delia De Leon, Kim Tolhurst, Margaret Starr, Quentin Tod, John Cousins, myself and my niece Zilla. There is more often than not some hurdle to be overcome when Baba calls you. For instance, John Cousins, age 12½, had no difficulty getting to Paris on the 12th as the head of the grammar school gave permission right away for his being away for end of term exams. However, with Zilla it was different. The head mistress at her school in Oxford flatly refused and said Zilla could not leave until December 18th. Baba had repeatedly written that this was too late as he was sailing December 17th for India. In desperation, I cabled this situation to Baba in New York. His reply was, "Go on doing your best." I again wrote to the school and the unexpected happened! The head mistress wrote, "I have never given permission for a girl to leave before end of term and I do not approve, but Zilla may leave at 4:30 P.M. on Friday the 12th." Baba had his way. We lost no time and arrived in Paris on the 13th ― only one day late.

Quentin Tod, another called to Paris, was unable to make it because of Christmas rehearsals in London. However, he had instructed his friend Margaret Craske, before she left for Paris, each day to buy three fresh white gardenias. She was to give them to Baba on each of the five days