Index: boost/property_tree/detail/rapidxml.hpp
===================================================================
--- boost/property_tree/detail/rapidxml.hpp	(revision 75709)
+++ boost/property_tree/detail/rapidxml.hpp	(working copy)
@@ -1632,39 +1632,41 @@
 
                         // &#...; - assumes ASCII
                         case Ch('#'): 
-                            if (src[2] == Ch('x'))
                             {
+                                Ch* src_ascii = src;
                                 unsigned long code = 0;
-                                src += 3;   // Skip &#x
-                                while (1)
+                                if (src_ascii[2] == Ch('x'))
                                 {
-                                    unsigned char digit = internal::lookup_tables<0>::lookup_digits[static_cast<unsigned char>(*src)];
-                                    if (digit == 0xFF)
-                                        break;
-                                    code = code * 16 + digit;
-                                    ++src;
+                                    src_ascii += 3;   // Skip &#x
+                                    while (1)
+                                    {
+                                        unsigned char digit = internal::lookup_tables<0>::lookup_digits[static_cast<unsigned char>(*src_ascii)];
+                                        if (digit == 0xFF)
+                                            break;
+                                        code = code * 16 + digit;
+                                        ++src_ascii;
+                                    }
                                 }
-                                insert_coded_character<Flags>(dest, code);    // Put character in output
-                            }
-                            else
-                            {
-                                unsigned long code = 0;
-                                src += 2;   // Skip &#
-                                while (1)
+                                else
                                 {
-                                    unsigned char digit = internal::lookup_tables<0>::lookup_digits[static_cast<unsigned char>(*src)];
-                                    if (digit == 0xFF)
-                                        break;
-                                    code = code * 10 + digit;
-                                    ++src;
+                                    src_ascii += 2;   // Skip &#
+                                    while (1)
+                                    {
+                                        unsigned char digit = internal::lookup_tables<0>::lookup_digits[static_cast<unsigned char>(*src_ascii)];
+                                        if (digit == 0xFF)
+                                            break;
+                                        code = code * 10 + digit;
+                                        ++src_ascii;
+                                    }
                                 }
-                                insert_coded_character<Flags>(dest, code);    // Put character in output
+                                if (*src_ascii == Ch(';'))
+                                {
+                                    src = src_ascii + 1;
+                                    insert_coded_character<Flags>(dest, code);    // Put character in output
+                                    continue;
+                                }
+	                            break;
                             }
-                            if (*src == Ch(';'))
-                                ++src;
-                            else
-                                BOOST_PROPERTY_TREE_RAPIDXML_PARSE_ERROR("expected ;", src);
-                            continue;
 
                         // Something else
                         default: