Index: Modules/readline.c
===================================================================
--- Modules/readline.c	(revision 78631)
+++ Modules/readline.c	(working copy)
@@ -508,9 +508,6 @@
 		 * code doesn't have to worry about the
 		 * difference.
 		 */
-		HISTORY_STATE *hist_st;
-		hist_st = history_get_history_state();
-
 		idx --;
 
 		/*
@@ -518,7 +515,7 @@
 		 * the index is out of range, therefore 
 		 * test for that and fail gracefully.
 		 */
-		if (idx < 0 || idx >= hist_st->length) {
+		if (idx < 0 || idx >= history_length) {
 			Py_RETURN_NONE;
 		}
 	}
@@ -540,10 +537,7 @@
 static PyObject *
 get_current_history_length(PyObject *self, PyObject *noarg)
 {
-	HISTORY_STATE *hist_st;
-
-	hist_st = history_get_history_state();
-	return PyInt_FromLong(hist_st ? (long) hist_st->length : (long) 0);
+       return PyInt_FromLong(history_length);
 }
 
 PyDoc_STRVAR(doc_get_current_history_length,
@@ -1024,29 +1018,21 @@
 	n = strlen(p);
 	if (n > 0) {
 		char *line;
-		HISTORY_STATE *state = history_get_history_state();
-		if (state->length > 0)
+		if (history_length > 0)
 #ifdef __APPLE__
 			if (using_libedit_emulation) {
 				/* 
 				 * Libedit's emulation uses 0-based indexes,
 				 * the real readline uses 1-based indexes.
 				 */
-				line = history_get(state->length - 1)->line;
+				line = history_get(history_length - 1)->line;
 			} else 
 #endif /* __APPLE__ */
-			line = history_get(state->length)->line;
+			line = history_get(history_length)->line;
 		else
 			line = "";
 		if (strcmp(p, line))
 			add_history(p);
-		/* the history docs don't say so, but the address of state
-		   changes each time history_get_history_state is called
-		   which makes me think it's freshly malloc'd memory...
-		   on the other hand, the address of the last line stays the
-		   same as long as history isn't extended, so it appears to
-		   be malloc'd but managed by the history package... */
-		free(state);
 	}
 	/* Copy the malloc'ed buffer into a PyMem_Malloc'ed one and
 	   release the original. */