Mary Cavendish was standing where the staircase branched, staring down into the hall in the direction in which he had disappeared. 
Mary Cavendish stared down the hallway and cried.
mnli hypothesis: Mary Cavendish stared down the hallway and cried. premise: Mary Cavendish was standing where the staircase branched, staring down into the hall in the direction in which he had disappeared. 