Sentence:  Renewed hope followed renewed effort: it shone like the former for some weeks, then, like it, it faded, flickered: not a line, not a word reached me.  When half a year wasted in vain <WSD>expectancy</WSD>, my hope died out, and then I felt dark indeed. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Expectation or anticipation; the state of expecting something.