The Story of the Stone, Volume IV

Table Of Contents

The Story of the Stone: Volume 4Note on Spelling
Preface

Chapter 81:
Four young ladies go fishing and divine the future; Bao-yu receives a homily and is re-enrolled in the Family School

Chapter 82:
An old pedant tries to instil some Moral Philosophy into his incorrigible pupil; And the ailing Naiad, in a nightmare, confronts the spectres of her fevered mind.

Chapter 83:
An Indisposition in the Imperial Bedchamber calls for a Family Visitation; While insubordination in the inner apartments reveals Bao-chai’s long-suffering nature

Chapter 84:
Bao-yu is given an impromptu examination, and his betrothal is discussed for the first time; Jia Huan visits a convulsive child, and old hostilites are resumed

Chapter 85:
It is announced that Jia Zheng has been promoted to the rank of Permanent Secretary; And it is discovered that Xue Pan has once more brought upon himself the threat of exile

Chapter 86:
Bribery induces an old mandarin to tamper with the course of justice; And a discourse on the Qin provides a young lady with a vehicle for romantic feelings

Chapter 87:
Autumnal sounds combine with sad remembrances to inspire a composition on the Qin; And a flood of passion allows evil spirits to disturb the serenity of Zen

Chapter 88:
Bao-yu gratifies his grandmother by praising a fatherless child; Cousin Zhen rectifies family discipline by chastising two unruly servants

Chapter 89:
Our hero sees the handiwork of a departed love, and is moved to write and ode; Frowner falls prey to hysterical fear and resolves to starve to death

Chapter 90:
A poor girl loses a padded jacket and puts up with some obstreperous behaviour; A young man accepts a tray of sweetmeats and is put out by some devious goings-on

Chapter 91:
In the pursuance of lust, Moonbeam evolves an artful strategem; In a flight of Zen, Bao-yu makes an enigmatic confession

Chapter 92:
Qiao-jie studies the Lives of Noble Women and shows a precocious enthusiasm for Virtue; Jia Zheng admires a Mother Pearl and reflect on the vicissitudes of Life

Chapter 93:
A Zhen retainer seeks shelter in the Jia household; And shady activities are revealed behind the Iron Threshold

Chapter 94:
Grandmother Jia gives a crab-blossom party – a celebration of the ominous; Bao-yu loses his Magic Jade – a strange disappearance of the numinous

Chapter 95:
A rumour comes true and the Imperial Consort passes away; A counterfeit is deceptively like the real thing, and Bao-yu loses his wits

Chapter 96:
Xi-feng conceives an ingenious plan of deception; And Frowner is deranged by an inadvertent disclosure

Chapter 97:
Lin Dai-yu burns her poems to signal the end of her heart’s folly; And Xue Bao-chai leaves home to take part in a solemn rite

Chapter 98:
Crimson Pearl’s suffering spirit returns to the Realm of Separation; And the convalescent Stone-in-waiting weeps at the scene of past affection

Appendix I:
Prefaces to the first Cheng-Gao edition Joint Foreword to the subsequent Cheng-Gao edition

Appendix II:
The Octopartite Composition or ‘bagu wenzhang’

Appendix III:
The Qin or Chinese Lute, and Knowing the Sound

Appendix IV:
Iron Threshold Temple and Water-moon Priory

Characters in Volume 4
Genealogical Tables