diff --git a/include/xo/reader/exprseq_xs.hpp b/include/xo/reader/exprseq_xs.hpp
index 6ea8ff21..d6afffe8 100644
--- a/include/xo/reader/exprseq_xs.hpp
+++ b/include/xo/reader/exprseq_xs.hpp
@@ -31,9 +31,12 @@ namespace xo {
 
             // ----- victory methods -----
 
-            virtual void on_typedescr(TypeDescr /*td*/,
-                                      exprstatestack * /*p_stack*/,
-                                      rp<Expression> * /*p_emit_expr*/) override;
+            virtual void on_typedescr(TypeDescr td,
+                                      exprstatestack * p_stack,
+                                      rp<Expression> * p_emit_expr) override;
+            virtual void on_expr(ref::brw<Expression> expr,
+                                 exprstatestack * p_stack,
+                                 rp<Expression> * p_emit_expr) override;
 
         };
     } /*namespace scm*/
diff --git a/src/reader/exprseq_xs.cpp b/src/reader/exprseq_xs.cpp
index 48c69fbd..502f129f 100644
--- a/src/reader/exprseq_xs.cpp
+++ b/src/reader/exprseq_xs.cpp
@@ -57,6 +57,21 @@ namespace xo {
             assert(false);
             return;
         }
+
+        void
+        exprseq_xs::on_expr(ref::brw<Expression> expr,
+                            exprstatestack * /*p_stack*/,
+                            rp<Expression> * p_emit_expr)
+        {
+            /* toplevel expression sequence accepts an
+             * arbitrary number of expressions.
+             *
+             * parser::include_token() returns
+             */
+
+            *p_emit_expr = expr.promote();
+        } /*on_expr*/
+
     } /*namespace scm*/
 } /*namespace xo*/
 
diff --git a/src/reader/exprstate.cpp b/src/reader/exprstate.cpp
index 7fa30923..052488bf 100644
--- a/src/reader/exprstate.cpp
+++ b/src/reader/exprstate.cpp
@@ -680,14 +680,6 @@ namespace xo {
 
             switch (this->exs_type_) {
             case exprstatetype::expect_toplevel_expression_sequence:
-                /* toplevel expression sequence accepts an
-                 * arbitrary number of expressions.
-                 *
-                 * parser::include_token() returns
-                 */
-
-                *p_emit_expr = expr.promote();
-                return;
             case exprstatetype::defexpr:
             case exprstatetype::parenexpr:
                 /* unreachable.  redirects to define_xs::on_expr() etc */