Nighttown

Walking down State Street I had a brief experience that seemed as if it came right out of the "Circe" episode of Ulysses, which is a rather long series of nighttime encounters and hallucinations in "Nighttown," the red light district of Dublin more commonly known as Monto.

BUM
Can you spare any change?

JAMES
Sorry.

BUM
(in an entirely serious tone) Don't apologize!