originally seems to end with the heroine ridiculously wealthy··············.

No, surely not ~ the story used to end with her on the bridge at midnight, singing farewell blighted love; a scream, a splash, good 'eavens, what is she a doing of! So they dragged her from the river, water from her clothes they wrung; and they thought that she was drownded, but the corpse got up and sung ~~~ OOOOhhhh I't the syme....

(I too admire The Ruined Maid ~~ fine sardonic, ambivalent piece of work.)

~M~