LD	(HL),+FF	The second byte is set to FF.
		DEC	HL	HL again points to the first
				byte.
		LD	A,+18	The last 24 bits are to be zero.
		JR	3272,NIL-BYTES	The jump to NIL-BYTES
				completes the number 00 FF
				00 00 00.
If the exponent byte of x is between 81 and 90 hex (129 and 144 decimal) inclusive, I(x) is a 'small integer', and will be compressed into one or two bytes. But first a test is made to see whether x is, after all, large.
323F	T-SMALL	JR	NC,326D,X-LARGE	Jump with exponent byte 92
				or more (it would be better to
				jump with 91 too).
		PUSH	DE	Save STKEND in DE.
		CPL		Range 129 <= A <= 144 becomes
				126 >= A >= 111.
		ADD	A,+91	Range is now 15 dec >= A >= 0.
		INC	HL	Point HL at second byte.
		LD	D,(HL)	Second byte to D.
		INC	HL	Point HL at third byte.
		LD	E,(HL)	Third byte to E.
		DEC	HL	Point HL at first byte again.
		DEC	HL
		LD	C,+00	Assume a positive number.
		BIT	7,D	Now test for negative (bit 7
				set).
		JR	Z,3252,T-NUMERIC	Jump if positive after all.
		DEC	C	Change the sign.
3252	T-NUMERIC	SET	7,D	Insert true numeric bit, 1, in D.
		LD	B,+08	Now test whether A >= 8 (one
		SUB	B	byte only) or two bytes needed.
		ADD	A,B	Leave A unchanged.
		JR	C,325E,T-TEST	Jump if two bytes needed.
		LD	E,D	Put the one byte into E.
		LD	D,+00	And set D to zero.
		SUB	B	Now 1 <= A <= 7 to count the
				shifts needed.
325E	T-TEST	JR	Z,3267,T-STORE	Jump if no shift needed.
		LD	B,A	B will count the shifts.
3261	T-SHIFT	SRL	D	Shift D and E right B times to
		RR	E	produce the correct number.
		DJNZ	3261,T-SHIFT	Loop until B is zero.
3267	T-STORE	CALL	2D8E,INT-STORE	Store the result on the stack.
		POP	DE	Restore STKEND to DE.
		RET		Finished.
Large values of x remains to be considered.
326C	T-EXPNENT	LD	A,(HL)	Get the exponent byte of x into
				A.
326D	X-LARGE	SUB	+A0	Subtract 160 decimal, A0 hex,
				from e.
		RET	P	Return on plus - x has no
				significant non-integral part. (If
				the true exponent were reduced
				to zero, the 'binary point'
				would come at or after the end
				of the four bytes of the man-
				tissa).
		NEG		Else, negate the remainder; this
				gives the number of bits to
				become zero (the number of
				bits after the 'binary point').