diff -Pur mutt-1.4-base/muttlib.c mutt-1.4/muttlib.c
--- mutt-1.4-base/muttlib.c	Mon Mar 25 05:28:58 2002
+++ mutt-1.4/muttlib.c	Fri Jun 14 10:59:54 2002
@@ -961,6 +961,12 @@
 	count = 0;
         while (count < sizeof (ifstring) && *src && *src != '?' && *src != '&')
 	{
+	  if (*src == '\\')
+	  {
+	    src++;
+	    if (!*src)
+	      break;
+	  }
           *cp++ = *src++;
 	  count++;
 	}
@@ -973,7 +979,13 @@
 	count = 0;
 	while (count < sizeof (elsestring) && *src && *src != '?')
 	{
-	  *cp++ = *src++;
+	  if (*src == '\\')
+	  {
+	    src++;
+	    if (!*src)
+	      break;
+	  }
+          *cp++ = *src++;
 	  count++;
 	}
 	*cp = 0;