diff --git a/parse/parse.go b/parse/parse.go
index 7bde510..95e6710 100644
--- a/parse/parse.go
+++ b/parse/parse.go
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package parse
 
 import (
 	"bufio"
-	"io"
 	"strconv"
 
 	"github.com/mediocregopher/ginger/types"
@@ -19,11 +18,10 @@ import (
 // double-quote has already been read off. Ginger strings are wrapped with " and
 // are allowed to have newlines literal in them. In all other respects they are
 // the same as go strings.
-func ReadString(r io.Reader) (types.Str, error) {
-	buf := bufio.NewReader(r)
+func ReadString(r *bufio.Reader) (types.Str, error) {
 	str := types.Str("\"")
 	for {
-		piece, err := buf.ReadBytes('"')
+		piece, err := r.ReadBytes('"')
 		if err != nil {
 			return "", err
 		}
diff --git a/parse/parse.test b/parse/parse.test
index d59e3a5..f2d96ed 100755
Binary files a/parse/parse.test and b/parse/parse.test differ
diff --git a/parse/parse_test.go b/parse/parse_test.go
index 1eef42d..4a0efe6 100644
--- a/parse/parse_test.go
+++ b/parse/parse_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package parse
 
 import (
 	"bytes"
+	"bufio"
 	. "testing"
 
 	"github.com/mediocregopher/ginger/types"
@@ -18,8 +19,9 @@ func TestReadString(t *T) {
 	for input, output := range m {
 		buf := bytes.NewBufferString(input)
 		buf.ReadByte()
+		buf2 := bufio.NewReader(buf)
 
-		parseOut, err := ReadString(buf)
+		parseOut, err := ReadString(buf2)
 		if err != nil {
 			t.Fatal(err)
 		}