To give presents was a positive mania with Ludwig. It was his delight at Christmas to surprise everybody, from princes and princesses to every single servant of his household, with gifts. Nor did he forget old teachers whom he had been fond of, or those whom he had met on his way and liked. Long before Christmas he would cause inquiries to be made for articles of the most varied description, and these were sent to Hohenschwangau or Neuschwanstein, where his rooms were transformed into a bazaar. Masterpieces in industrial art ordered by King Ludwig were executed at Munich, in Paris, and in Switzerland. As the motifs of the gifts he distributed were often taken from the poetical tournament of the thirteenth century, and at other times were in the fashion of the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, those who worked for Ludwig became conversant with the most varied styles. He was so impatient to see the works of art that he demanded their immediate completion. Many heads and hands were fully occupied in executing his orders, and he contributed much to the development of art industries. The sums with which he rewarded insignificant services were, like his other expenses, little in proportion to the Bavarian King's income. In the case of accidents and charitable purposes he was seldom appealed to in vain; but far greater was his generosity performed in secret. Out of his own purse he moreover paid as long as he lived all the pensions and assistance which his father had granted. CHAPTER XXVI Ludwig and Richard Wagner--The King's Visit to Bayreuth As long as Richard Wagner had lived in Munich it had only been necessary for him to express a wish with regard to the performance of his works, for the King at once to fulfil it. After his departure he had at first in Hans von Bülow a substitute whom he could safely trust. But when he too left Bavaria the matter grew more difficult. Baron von Perfall became the manager of the Hof Theater. Although he made a positive culte of Wagner's works, and during his tenure of the office, which lasted for twenty-five years, performed his operas 742 times, the old order of things was changed during his leadership. On the 25th of June 1868, the day after the dress rehearsal of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Perfall received a letter from Wagner in which he announced his intention of "retiring from all connection with the Hof Theater." Almost simultaneously Ludwig and Wagner were seen side by side for the last time in Munich. It was at the first performance of the Meistersinger. The representation was brilliant, Hans von Bülow conducting with energy, and entirely in the master's spirit. The King sat in his great box. He caused Wagner to be summoned to it.