After a brief pause, one of the men turned to the other.

There was a brief pause during which time seemed to stand still.

There was a brief pause; and her voice came again.

After a brief pause, he came back on the line.

"Running with a pretty girl's not hard to do," he told her when they took one brief pause.

After a brief pause, a new voice came from the other end of the line.

There was a brief pause, and another voice came over the air.

There was a brief pause while everyone considered the idea.

A brief pause, and the computer screen came to life.

There was another brief pause, almost long enough for Jack to think about running again.