He was supposed to have been killed, or to have made away with himself.

Saracinesea himself acknowledges that his grandson is alive, and possesses all the family papers.

Saracinesca himself has discovered, seen, and conversed with the lawful head of his race, who, by the blessing of heaven and the assistance of the courts, will before long turn him out of house and home, and reign in his stead in all the glories of the Palazzo Saracinesca, Prince of Rome, of the Holy Roman Empire, grandee of Spain of the first class, and all the rest of it.

Do you wonder I rejoice, now that I am sure of putting an innkeeper over my enemy's head?
Fancy the humiliation of old Saracinesca, of Giovanni, who will have to take his wife's title for the sake of respectability, of the Astrardente herself, when she finds she has married the penniless son of a penniless pretender!" Del Ferice knew enough of the Saracinesca's family history to know that something like what he had so fluently detailed to Donna Tullia had actually occurred, and he knew well enough that she would not remember every detail of his rapidly told tale.

Hating the family as he did, he had diligently sought out all information about them which he could obtain without gaining access to their private archives.