It is difficult to say whether it was Sophie's likeness to Elizabeth which had awakened his feelings for the Duchess, or whether a half-unconscious longing for his former betrothed knit the tie firmer between the Empress and himself. It is remarkable, in any case, that the King, who was otherwise so reserved towards women, should have formed a lasting friendship with her. The outward likeness between the two sisters was very great; the inward harmony, however, was not in the same proportion. Despite her beauty and her carefully developed talents, Sophie was an ordinary woman, whereas Elizabeth's mind was rich, though her soul was crushed. Hardly judged by many, understood by few, and yet admired by most, she was the woman, if anybody could have done so, to have fitted into the King of Bavaria's life. Both had the same restlessness in their blood, at the same time as they had both a need for solitude. The "horror of the crowd" which dominated him in so great a degree was also a characteristic of her. They were burdened with the same morbid tendencies. Even in their exterior there was similarity between the two cousins, who were gifted with such unusual and spiritual beauty. Neither of them had known the joys of youth; the sceptre had been placed in their hands while they were yet undeveloped children. The power which too early both had become possessed of had in both developed an unwillingness to sacrifice a tittle of their convenience. Ludwig never opened the door to the deep and unusual qualities of his personality; Elizabeth, too, kept her inmost thoughts in conscious shade. However eagerly the crowd might seek, among the hum of reports which were ever afloat, it never knew for certain what it was that inwardly moved them. But they found mutual healing in opening their hearts to one another on the unfulfilled wishes and hidden disappointments which the world did not see.