diff --git a/lib/ejs.js b/lib/ejs.js
index f36944fb..0b58d985 100644
--- a/lib/ejs.js
+++ b/lib/ejs.js
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ function rethrow(err, str, filename, lineno){
     + lineno + '\n'
     + context + '\n\n'
     + err.message;
-  
+
   throw err;
 }
 
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ var parse = exports.parse = function(str, options){
     var stri = str[i];
     if (str.slice(i, open.length + i) == open) {
       i += open.length
-  
+
       var prefix, postfix, line = (compileDebug ? '__stack.lineno=' : '') + lineno;
       switch (str[i]) {
         case '=':
@@ -141,8 +141,13 @@ var parse = exports.parse = function(str, options){
           postfix = "; buf.push('";
       }
 
-      var end = str.indexOf(close, i)
-        , js = str.substring(i, end)
+      var end = str.indexOf(close, i);
+
+      if (end < 0){
+        end = str.length;
+      }
+
+      var js = str.substring(i, end)
         , start = i
         , include = null
         , n = 0;
@@ -207,14 +212,14 @@ var parse = exports.parse = function(str, options){
 var compile = exports.compile = function(str, options){
   options = options || {};
   var escape = options.escape || utils.escape;
-  
+
   var input = JSON.stringify(str)
     , compileDebug = options.compileDebug !== false
     , client = options.client
     , filename = options.filename
         ? JSON.stringify(options.filename)
         : 'undefined';
-  
+
   if (compileDebug) {
     // Adds the fancy stack trace meta info
     str = [
@@ -229,7 +234,7 @@ var compile = exports.compile = function(str, options){
   } else {
     str = exports.parse(str, options);
   }
-  
+
   if (options.debug) console.log(str);
   if (client) str = 'escape = escape || ' + escape.toString() + ';\n' + str;