d them.

Having said so much, it is hardly necessary to add that Finn
suffered greatly during the next few weeks of his life; for had not
the Professor sworn to make the Giant Wolf his obedient creature,
and a docile performer in the circus? That he never did. His boast
was never made good, though with a real wolf it might have been;
and again it almost certainly would have been, had he ever guessed
that Finn was not a wolf at all, but one of the most aristocratic
hounds and friends of man ever bred. But his failure cost Finn
dear, in pain, humiliation, fear, and suffering of diverse kinds.

The boss jeered at the Professor when the failure to tame Finn had
extended over a week; and that added greatly to the severity of
Finn's ordeal. The Professor was on his mettle; and now, while he
made no further spoken boasts, he swore to himself that he would
break the Giant Wolf's spirit or kill him. He never guessed that
his whole failure rested upon one initial mistake. To the wild
beast the red-hot iron bar was merely the terrible insignia of the
Professor's indubitable might and mastery; a very compelling
invitation to docility and respectful obedience. To Finn it
was not that at all; but merely terrible and unmistakable evidence
of basest treachery and malevolent madness. And it was largely with
the red-hot iron that the Professor sought to tame Finn, believing,
as he did, that this was necessary to his own, the Professor's,
preservation.

Upon one occasion--one brilliantly sunny morning of Finn's
martyrdom--it did dimly occur to the Professor that it might be the
hot iron which somehow stood between himself and the mastery of
Finn. Accordingly, he twisted some wire round the end of his quilt,
or cutting whip, and entered the cage without the iron, while Sam
stood outside with the brazier, ready to pass in the iron if that
should prove necessary. Finn absolutely mistrusted the man, of
course--he had suffered what he believed to be the man's insane
lust of cruelty for a fortnight now--but yet he saw that the iron
was not in the cage, and so he made no hostile demonstration; and
that was a notable concession on his part, for, of late, the
Professor's tactics, so far from taming him, had taught the
naturally gracious and kindly Wolfhound to fly at the man with
snapping jaws the instant he came within reach. Now the man moved
slowly, very slowly, nearer and nearer to Finn's corner, using
ingratiating words. When it seemed t