Serge Panine. Volume II by Georges Ohnet
Serge Panine's fate is decided when Jeanne de Cernay confronts him, having learned that he has asked for Micheline Desvarennes's hand instead of hers, despite their romance begun in England. Serge admits the marriage is settled, explaining that his poverty forces him to choose between wealth, a soldier's uniform, or the priesthood, and urges Jeanne to marry the devoted banker Cayrol instead. After a bitter exchange in which Jeanne offers to share his poverty and he refuses, she bitterly accepts his cynical logic, calls Cayrol in from the garden, and accepts his proposal on the spot, telling him honestly that only her hand, not yet her heart, is his. Madame Desvarennes promises Jeanne a dowry. Pierre, who loved Micheline, refuses Madame Desvarennes's offer to manage the Jouy mills, unwilling to seem a fortune-seeker, and leaves for a mining post in Savoy, resolving to bury himself in work. Marechal comforts him, comparing Serge's promise to Madame Desvarennes to Shylock's bond in "The Merchant of Venice." As wedding preparations proceed at the Rue Saint-Dominique mansion, Micheline blooms with love for Serge while Jeanne grows thin and melancholy, which Cayrol and Madame Desvarennes attribute to ordinary bridal nerves. Madame Desvarennes confronts Serge about rumors concerning his past (an alleged humble Russian origin, debts, a former mistress) but says she has disproven them; she then negotiates that the couple will live in her house, and Serge charms her completely, professing devotion and gratitude, so that she resolves to love him as a son. The double wedding (Serge to Micheline, Cayrol to Jeanne) takes place at the Château de Cernay, described in detail, with a lavish fete on July 14th attended by aristocrats, financiers, and villagers. Serge introduces Micheline to his cousin Lady Harton, a wealthy Englishwoman with whom he had an earlier liaison; when she gives Micheline a bracelet inscribed "Semper," Serge throws it into the lake. The financier Herzog needles Serge about having signed a marriage contract leaving him no control over Micheline's fortune. Overhearing club gossip, Pierre and Marechal learn Serge was "in the market" for a rich wife and could not marry Lady Harton because she was already married. Cayrol plans to take Jeanne away that night to join Serge and Micheline on a shared honeymoon in Switzerland and Italy; Jeanne, horrified at the prospect of being thrown constantly into Serge's company, persuades him to cancel the trip and stay near Madame Desvarennes instead. When Cayrol presses his bride to leave immediately, Jeanne stalls, revealing enough distress that Cayrol suspects she loves another man and demands his name; she refuses, and he seizes her roughly until Madame Desvarennes intervenes. Alone with Jeanne, Madame Desvarennes coaxes out the truth that Jeanne loves a man now married to someone else, and guesses correctly that it is Serge, Micheline's husband. Appalled, she forces Jeanne to confirm that Serge courted her and used her to justify marrying Micheline for money. Torn between horror at Serge's deceit and fierce protectiveness of her daughter's happiness, Madame Desvarennes suppresses her fury, refuses to expose Serge for Micheline's sake, and persuades Jeanne to return to Cayrol and accept her lot as a faithful wife. Jeanne submits. Madame Desvarennes reconciles the couple without revealing Serge's identity, though she promises to name him to Cayrol if he ever threatens their happiness again. Left alone, Madame Desvarennes reflects bitterly on having been outmaneuvered by Serge and resolves to secretly undermine him — considering strategies such as feeding his gambling habit to gain financial leverage over him and eventually to win back her daughter's exclusive devotion. She then joins Serge and Micheline, radiantly happy, at the estate's peasant ball, masking her new hostility. Returning to the house, moved by the couple's obvious happiness and gratitude, she briefly doubts her suspicions of Serge but ends the scene resolving, "We shall see."
By Georges Ohnet · First published 1881 · Genre: Romance, Drama, Social Commentary · 6 chapters · 21,377 words
First lines
In the drawing-room Jeanne and Serge remained standing, facing each other. The mask had fallen from their faces; the forced smile had disappeared. They looked at each other attentively, like two duellists seeking to read each other's game, so that they may ward off the fatal stroke and prepare the decisive parry.
"Why did you leave for England three weeks ago, without seeing me and without speaking to me?"
What this Textopian page supports
Serge Panine. Volume II is listed on Textopian as a novel by Georges Ohnet, dated 1881 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Georges Ohnet
- Date: 1881 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Romance, Drama, Social Commentary, Psychological Fiction, Historical Fiction
- Length: 21,377 words
- Structure: 6 chapters, 509 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Serge Panine. Volume II by Georges Ohnet
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Similar titles
- Serge Panine Volume Iv by Georges Ohnet
- Serge Panine Volume Iii by Georges Ohnet
- Serge Panine Volume I by Georges Ohnet
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- A Prologue by Gertrude Atherton
- The Captive Dove Acton Bell by Charlotte Bronte
Genres
- Romance — The central plot revolves around romantic relationships and emotional entanglements.
- Drama — The narrative is driven by intense emotional conflicts and dramatic events.
- Social Commentary — The story explores themes of social class and societal expectations.
- Psychological Fiction — The novel delves into the psychological motivations and inner lives of its characters.
Tags
romance · drama · 19th century · French literature · social class · family dynamics · love triangle · betrayal · identity · personal growth · societal expectations · emotional conflict