diff --git a/lib/modules/Stdio.pmod/Readline.pike b/lib/modules/Stdio.pmod/Readline.pike
index 9c7a9159b537a9052664e030cc4609524ebb246a..a2fd664eb877e0e38424bfbdd88b23e941171101 100644
--- a/lib/modules/Stdio.pmod/Readline.pike
+++ b/lib/modules/Stdio.pmod/Readline.pike
@@ -620,17 +620,13 @@ class InputController
     case 1:
       if (mappingp(bindings[str[0]]))
       {
-	oldf = bindings[str[0]][str];
+	oldf = m_delete(bindings[str[0]], str);
 	if (f)
 	  bindings[str[0]][str] = f;
-	else
-	  m_delete(bindings[str[0]], str);
       } else {
-	oldf = bindings[str[0]];
+	oldf = m_delete(bindings, str[0]);
 	if (f)
 	  bindings[str[0]] = f;
-	else
-	  m_delete(bindings, str[0]);
       }
       break;
     default: