He knew.

The woman's eyes told him, the almost mothering eagerness in them when he came through the door.

She had coffee and food ready for him, and he forced himself to eat.

Sandy gave a report of what he had done, and Olaf smoked his pipe and tried to speak cheerfully of the splendid weather that was coming tomorrow.

Not one of them spoke of Mary Standish.
Alan felt the strain they were under and knew his presence was the cause of it, so he lighted his own pipe after eating and talked to Ellen McCormick about the splendor of the mountains back of Eyak River, and how fortunate she was to have her home in this little corner of paradise.