The result was, that, after a few struggles, Oliver breathed, sneezed, and proceeded to advertise to the inmates of the workhouse the fact of a new burden having been imposed upon the parish, by setting up as loud a cry as could reasonably have been expected from a male infant who had not been possessed of that very useful appendage, a voice, for a much longer space of time than three minutes and a quarter.

from chapter one

it's simply a duration, here.
___

and..

..and although the recognition was only for an instant - for the briefest space of time that can possibly be conceived - it was enough to show the old man that he had been observed.

a moment?
___

and now, the OED entry (found under space, rather than time)

space of time n. a period of time.

c1500 Melusine (1895) 335 He came to Nerbonne where he rested hym a lytel space of tyme.
1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus at Intercapedo, After a space of time.
1657 A. Sparrow Rationale Bk. Common Prayer (1661) 244 A good space of time to do it in.
1796 F. Burney Camilla I. ii. xiv. 371 To avoid them and their communications, for however short a space of time, was now her sole aim.
1880 A. H. Sayce Introd. Sci. of Lang. I. 230 The number of the vibrations in any given space of time.
1926 People's Home Jrnl. Feb. 18/1 We want to accomplish as much as possible in the shortest space of time.
2004 Jockey Slut Feb. 92/2 I've never learnt so much in such a short space of time.

Last edited by tsuwm; 08/07/2011 7:03 PM.