He was used to being made fun of.
We know this by him taking this reply in ‘with a sort of humble patience’. This means that he has experienced this kind of teasing - or even bullying before and he is used to it.
Answer:
“regarded himself as especial mastiff-in-waiting to protect the two young artists in the studio above.” ( Paragraph 30)
Explanation: My friend completed it and showed me the answers
