"How was I to know the power would be cut off?"
"It is a common enough occurrence here. If you don't know that, what do you know? You should be more careful about such things. I often go out for mast work, and if you are not alert in my absence, what will become of the women? They lead a secluded life, and you should be mindful of outside things such as this."
Rano had learned by now that the best thing to do at such times was to keep quiet. By this incident Baba showed her that he wished her to develop foresight.
Practically the moment Baba reached Lahore, he started doing his mast work. He would walk miles on foot in search of masts in the town and surrounding places. Because of the intense July heat, walking for miles on end was exhausting. When the local populace would take refuge in their houses in the afternoons for a nap, Baba would be outside in the streets. The Divine Beloved would be wandering about in the hot midday sun in search of his lost lovers!
Baba would cover his head with a wet cloth and start off on foot with Baidul to contact masts. Baidul would carry a canteen filled with water, but the water would get warm within minutes. The heat was so strong, Baidul would often soak his shoes in water before going off to hunt the masts. But Baba never slackened his pace, nor shirked his duty, even under such harsh conditions.
One by one, the members of both the men and women's group fell ill on account of the heat. Although Vishnu had a fever, he continued to do the marketing for the women. Except for Baba and Baidul, all the men and women got sick in Lahore, and Baidul was only spared because Baba wished him to be available for his mast work.
Naja and Katie would cook in the other bungalow and send the food to Baba's bungalow. One day, with Baba's permission, bhujias were ordered from outside. After eating them, no one had any appetite left. The food as usual came from the other bungalow, but none touched it. Kitty was managing the kitchen and, according to Baba's order, would not waste anything. So she sat down in the kitchen, and once again started consuming the food all by herself.
Mehera observed her and asked, "For heaven's sake Kitty, what are you doing? You will die."