Quote Originally Posted by Curtis
Excuse me, but what suicide? That's not in my edition. And she couldn't've appeared in the sequel (Return To The Chateau) if she'd died in the first one.
My copy (Grove Press, purchased about 1970, now yellowed and fallen apart) ends on page 199. Page 201 (if it were numbered) offers two possible continuations. The text on that page is in italics, suggesting to me that an editor added it:

" In a final chapter, which has been suppressed, O returned to Roissy, where she was abandoned by Sir Stephen.

" There exists a second ending to the story of O, according to which O, seeing that Sir Stephen was about to leave her, said she would prefer to die. Sir Stephen gave her his consent."

I think the first paragraph points to "Return to the Chateau" and, eventually, New O. The second suggests suicide and also provides a hook for a nicely done recent story on this site; unfortunately I do not have its title or author at hand.

I doubt that Reage/Aury authorized the suicide suggestion, making it an editorial sop to romantics and moralists.