Faltering

He stared at him intensely, the gaze not faltering for a moment as the words were gracefully thrown at him.

As when a wounded bull / shakes from his neck the faltering axe and, fain / to fly the cruel altars, roars in pain.

Distracted with amaze / she marked me, as the Trojan arms shone plain. / Heat leaves her frame; she stiffens with the gaze, / she swoons – and scarce at length these faltering words essays:

Arts institutions in the United States are experiencing difficult times due to the faltering U.S. economy.

They walk without faltering.

But it is the doubt thrown on the prospect of arrival, the falterings of purpose and belief, the renewals of hope that give the novel its drive and energy.