What happened when the narrator arrived at the Masjid during the noon Aarti, and how did he get to sit before Baba?

According to the account in Chapter 19, the narrator arrived at the Masjid to find the noon Aarti in full progress. The area was very crowded with men surrounding the steps, leaving no apparent way to go up. The narrator resigned himself to waiting below until the Aarti was finished. However, at that moment, Madhavrao, also called Shama, took him by the hand, pulled him up through the crowd, and seated him directly in front of Sai Baba. Baba, who was calmly smoking his chillum, then acknowledged their arrival by asking Shama what 'Dakshina' (offering) he had brought, referring to the narrator.