Truth explain’d is to suspicion
  Evermore the best physician. 
  Soon her visits had the effect;
  All that Margaret did suspect,
  From her fancy vanish’d clean;
  She was soon what she had been,
  And the colour she did lack
  To her faded cheek came back. 
  Wounds which love had made her feel,
  Love alone had power to heal.

    Martha, who the frequent visit
  Now had lost, and sore did miss it,
  With impatience waxed cross,
  Counted Margaret’s gain her loss: 
  All that Mary did confer
  On her friend, thought due to her. 
  In her girlish bosom rise
  Little foolish jealousies,
  Which into such rancour wrought,
  She one day for Margaret sought;
  Finding her by chance alone,
  She began, with reasons shown,
  To insinuate a fear
  Whether Mary was sincere;
  Wish’d that Margaret would take heed
  Whence her actions did proceed. 
  For herself, she’d long been minded
  Not with outsides to be blinded;
  All that pity and compassion,
  She believ’d was affectation;
  In her heart she doubted whether
  Mary car’d a pin for either. 
  She could keep whole weeks at distance,
  And not know of their existence,
  While all things remain’d the same;
  But, when some misfortune came,
  Then she made a great parade
  Of her sympathy and aid,—­
  Not that she did really grieve,
  It was only make-believe,
  And she car’d for nothing, so
  She might her fine feelings shew,
  And get credit, on her part,
  For a soft and tender heart.

    With such speeches, smoothly made,
  She found methods to persuade
  Margaret (who, being sore
  From the doubts she’d felt before,
  Was prepared for mistrust)
  To believe her reasons just;
  Quite destroy’d that comfort glad,
  Which in Mary late she had;
  Made her, in experience’ spite,
  Think her friend a hypocrite,
  And resolve, with cruel scoff,
  To renounce and cast her off.

    See how good turns are rewarded! 
  She of both is now discarded,
  Who to both had been so late
  Their support in low estate,
  All their comfort, and their stay—­
  Now of both is cast away. 
  But the league her presence cherish’d,
  Losing its best prop, soon perish’d;
  She, that was a link to either,
  To keep them and it together,
  Being gone, the two (no wonder)
  That were left, soon fell asunder;—­
  Some civilities were kept,
  But the heart of friendship slept;
  Love with hollow forms was fed,
  But the life of love lay dead:—­
  A cold intercourse they held
  After Mary was expell’d.