But Baba, in an innocent manner, now assured him, "I love you more than Sheela," which naturally pleased the boy. Baba asked, "Do you love your mother or me more?"
Mehernath replied, "I love Baba more!" Baba embraced him twice.
Baba remarked to Sheela, "You love your mother more, isn't it so?"
Sheela replied, "No, Baba, I love you more!"
After the villagers had embraced Baba, he instructed Philippe Dupuis and Vilayat Khan to leave Meherabad with Nariman, who was driving back to Bombay that day. Both Dupuis and Vilayat had a farewell embrace from Baba, and Baba reminded Vilayat to read God Speaks and Dupuis to return to Europe as soon as possible after a short stay in Ajmer. Both left Ahmednagar happily; Dupuis went straight to Bombay, and Vilayat Khan was dropped off at the Poona train station to travel to Hyderabad for a short visit.
After he embraced all the villagers who came to Meherabad, Baba returned to Meherazad at about noon.
While returning in the car, he expressed his concern for Philippe Dupuis, remarking to Francis: "It is so easy to fall and, with the fall, to get entangled. On the other hand, it is so difficult to get free from entanglements and to rise unfettered."
The next day, Baba sent a telegram to Nariman in Bombay to meet Dupuis at his hotel and remind him, on behalf of Baba, to stick to the instructions given by Baba in Meherabad. The day after, Baba instructed Francis to write a long letter to Dupuis with additional reminders, and even advising Dupuis to leave India if he felt like doing so without going to Ajmer with Vilayat Khan.
Nariman was again sent a message to contact Dupuis and tell him to return to Europe before it was too late. However, Nariman was unable to meet Dupuis as he had already taken a train for Ajmer with Vilayat Khan. Thereupon, Nariman was told to contact Dupuis upon his return to Bombay and remind him of Baba's instructions. But this, too, he was not able to do, since Dupuis stayed in Bombay for only a day and left with no forwarding address. A telegram was sent to him, via his address in France, but it was returned with a note that the recipient had moved. Baba spent much time and energy concerning Dupuis, because he was trying to protect him and keep him in his fold. But Dupuis followed his own impulses instead. The unfortunate result was that Philippe Dupuis was never heard from again.