 negative.
        i += 2;
        &#47;&#47; We know that %25 isn&#39;t valid, but our table considers it
        &#47;&#47; a potential padding start, so skip the checks.
        if (char == percent) char = -1;
      } else {
        &#47;&#47; An invalid HEX escape (too short).
        &#47;&#47; Just skip past the handling and reach the throw below.
        char = -1;
      }
    }
    &#47;&#47; If char is negative here, hex-decoding failed in some way.
    if (0 &lt;= char &amp;&amp; char &lt;= 127) {