diff --git a/src/gapstate.h b/src/gapstate.h
index 240f041736..16db84bf39 100644
--- a/src/gapstate.h
+++ b/src/gapstate.h
@@ -63,7 +63,6 @@ typedef struct GAPState {
     /* From scanner.c */
     Obj    ValueObj;
     Char   Value[MAX_VALUE_LEN];
-    UInt   ValueLen;
     UInt   NrError;
     UInt   NrErrLine;
     UInt   Symbol;
diff --git a/src/read.c b/src/read.c
index f1d2b23616..45afb5c9eb 100644
--- a/src/read.c
+++ b/src/read.c
@@ -2569,10 +2569,8 @@ void ReadTryNext (
 
 void ReadHelp(TypSymbolSet follow)
 {
-    Obj topic;
-
-    C_NEW_STRING(topic, STATE(ValueLen), (void *)STATE(Value));
-    TRY_READ { IntrHelp(topic); };
+    TRY_READ { IntrHelp(STATE(ValueObj)); }
+    STATE(ValueObj) = 0;
 }
 
 /****************************************************************************
diff --git a/src/scanner.c b/src/scanner.c
index 9dbc4ea143..669ed6ae65 100644
--- a/src/scanner.c
+++ b/src/scanner.c
@@ -887,20 +887,30 @@ static void GetChar(void)
 
 static void GetHelp(void)
 {
-    Int i = 0;
+    Obj  string = 0;
+    Char buf[1024];
+    UInt i;
 
-    /* Skip the first ? */
+    // Skip the leading '?'
     Char c = GET_NEXT_CHAR();
-    while (i < SAFE_VALUE_SIZE-1 &&
-           c != '\n' &&
-           c != '\r' &&
-           c != '\377') {
-        STATE(Value)[i] = c;
-        i++;
+
+    for (i = 0; c != '\n' && c != '\r' && c != '\377'; i++) {
+        // if 'buf' is full, copy it into 'string' and then reset it
+        if (i >= sizeof(buf)) {
+            string = AppendBufToString(string, buf, i);
+            i = 0;
+        }
+        buf[i] = c;
         c = GET_NEXT_CHAR();
     }
-    STATE(Value)[i] = '\0';
-    STATE(ValueLen) = i;
+    string = AppendBufToString(string, buf, i);
+
+    // ensure that the string has a terminator
+    const UInt len = GET_LEN_STRING(string);
+    CSTR_STRING(string)[len] = '\0';
+
+    STATE(ValueObj) = string;
+    STATE(Symbol) = S_HELP;
 }
 
 /****************************************************************************
@@ -996,7 +1006,7 @@ static void NextSymbol(void)
   case '^':         STATE(Symbol) = S_POW;           GET_NEXT_CHAR(); break;
 
   case '~':         STATE(Symbol) = S_TILDE;         GET_NEXT_CHAR(); break;
-  case '?':         STATE(Symbol) = S_HELP;          GetHelp(); break;
+  case '?':                                          GetHelp(); break;
   case '"':                                          GetMaybeTripStr(); break;
   case '\'':                                         GetChar(); break;
   case '\\':                                         GetIdent(0); break;
diff --git a/src/scanner.h b/src/scanner.h
index 3d2c7939fe..0996b8fc96 100644
--- a/src/scanner.h
+++ b/src/scanner.h
@@ -231,7 +231,6 @@ typedef UInt            TypSymbolSet;
 **  it hard for the scanner to carry on correctly.
 */
 /* TL: extern  Char            Value [1030]; */
-/* TL: extern  UInt            ValueLen; */
 
 #define         SAFE_VALUE_SIZE 1024