The two men halted at a heavy wooden door leading into the next room, <u>hesitated for the space of a heartbeat</u>, then Snape turned the bronze handle.<br/><br/>**********************<br/><br/>Above is from Harry Potter, Book 7. <br/><br/>It's hard to understand the underlined part, "hesitated for the space of a heartbeat".<br/><br/>What does that mean?<br/><br/>Many thanks ahead......