For a brief second, the old man seemed at a loss.

NEWYORKER: Sweetheart Sorrow

For a brief second, she imagined her body warmed by the sun and her head pillowed by the sand, while out in the distance he waved to her between surging whitecaps.

NEWYORKER: The Valetudinarian

When she pulled away, his eyes were open, and she saw, for a brief second, the arrow of his hatred for her and for everything that had happened to him bending back on itself and aiming straight into his own heart.

NEWYORKER: The Visitor

Mr Abe is serving as Japan's top leader for a second time, after a brief period in power in 2006-7.

BBC: Obama and Shinzo Abe affirm US-Japan security alliance

It was a brief reprieve for Slovakia, as Rooney and Beckham combined to give England a deserved second goal after 70 minutes.

BBC: England 4-0 Slovakia

Second, customer satisfaction was never an issue with Netflix except for a brief phase in 2011 when the company introduced price increases.

FORBES: Netflix's Shares Soar This Week But Concerns Still Exist

He served for two years in the American army in the second world war and, after graduating (with a brief spell at Oxford), was recruited into the Central Intelligence Agency, apparently because of his knowledge of guns.

ECONOMIST: Samuel Cummings

The visitors, the first Cypriot team to reach the last eight of the Champions League, had brief cause for celebration through a Gustavo Manduca goal just after the hour mark, but Ronaldo grabbed his second with a stunning free kick to re-open a two-goal advantage on the night.

CNN: April 4, 2012 -- Updated 2127 GMT (0527 HKT)