diff --git a/libqpdf/QPDF_Array.cc b/libqpdf/QPDF_Array.cc
index 3077b11..c70e158 100644
--- a/libqpdf/QPDF_Array.cc
+++ b/libqpdf/QPDF_Array.cc
@@ -206,18 +206,27 @@ Array::operator[](int n) const
     return (*this)[static_cast<size_t>(n)];
 }
 
-std::pair<bool, QPDFObjectHandle>
-Array::at(int n) const
+QPDFObjectHandle
+Array::get(size_t n) const
 {
-    auto a = array();
-    if (n < 0 || std::cmp_greater_equal(n, size())) {
-        return {false, {}};
+    if (n >= size()) {
+        return {};
     }
+    auto a = array();
     if (!a->sp) {
-        return {true, a->elements[to_s(n)]};
+        return a->elements[n];
+    }
+    auto const& iter = a->sp->elements.find(n);
+    return iter == a->sp->elements.end() ? null() : iter->second;
+}
+
+QPDFObjectHandle
+Array::get(int n) const
+{
+    if (n < 0) {
+        return {};
     }
-    auto const& iter = a->sp->elements.find(to_s(n));
-    return {true, iter == a->sp->elements.end() ? null() : iter->second};
+    return get(to_s(n));
 }
 
 std::vector<QPDFObjectHandle>
diff --git a/libqpdf/QPDF_Stream.cc b/libqpdf/QPDF_Stream.cc
index e6dd873..992cc84 100644
--- a/libqpdf/QPDF_Stream.cc
+++ b/libqpdf/QPDF_Stream.cc
@@ -442,7 +442,7 @@ Stream::filterable(
 
         int i = -1;
         for (auto& filter: filters) {
-            auto d_obj = decode_array.at(++i).second;
+            auto d_obj = decode_array.get(++i);
             if (!can_filter(decode_level, *filter, d_obj)) {
                 return false;
             }
diff --git a/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFObjectHandle_private.hh b/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFObjectHandle_private.hh
index 161534c..5a8a348 100644
--- a/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFObjectHandle_private.hh
+++ b/libqpdf/qpdf/QPDFObjectHandle_private.hh
@@ -92,7 +92,8 @@ namespace qpdf
 
         // Return the number of elements in the array. Return 0 if the object is not an array.
         size_t size() const;
-        std::pair<bool, QPDFObjectHandle> at(int n) const;
+        QPDFObjectHandle get(size_t n) const;
+        QPDFObjectHandle get(int n) const;
         bool setAt(int at, QPDFObjectHandle const& oh);
         bool insert(int at, QPDFObjectHandle const& item);
         void push_back(QPDFObjectHandle const& item);
diff --git a/libtests/sparse_array.cc b/libtests/sparse_array.cc
index d0fee40..9dffd7f 100644
--- a/libtests/sparse_array.cc
+++ b/libtests/sparse_array.cc
@@ -26,69 +26,69 @@ main()
     a.push_back(QPDFObjectHandle::parse("null"));
     a.push_back(QPDFObjectHandle::parse("/Quack"));
     assert(a.size() == 5);
-    assert(a.at(0).second.isInteger() && (a.at(0).second.getIntValue() == 1));
-    assert(a.at(1).second.isString() && (a.at(1).second.getStringValue() == "potato"));
-    assert(a.at(2).second.isNull());
-    assert(a.at(3).second.isNull());
-    assert(a.at(4).second.isName() && (a.at(4).second.getName() == "/Quack"));
+    assert(a[0].isInteger() && (a[0].getIntValue() == 1));
+    assert(a[1].isString() && (a[1].getStringValue() == "potato"));
+    assert(a[2].isNull());
+    assert(a[3].isNull());
+    assert(a[4].isName() && (a[4].getName() == "/Quack"));
 
     a.insert(4, QPDFObjectHandle::parse("/BeforeQuack"));
     assert(a.size() == 6);
-    assert(a.at(0).second.isInteger() && (a.at(0).second.getIntValue() == 1));
-    assert(a.at(4).second.isName() && (a.at(4).second.getName() == "/BeforeQuack"));
-    assert(a.at(5).second.isName() && (a.at(5).second.getName() == "/Quack"));
+    assert(a[0].isInteger() && (a[0].getIntValue() == 1));
+    assert(a[4].isName() && (a[4].getName() == "/BeforeQuack"));
+    assert(a[5].isName() && (a[5].getName() == "/Quack"));
 
     a.insert(2, QPDFObjectHandle::parse("/Third"));
     assert(a.size() == 7);
-    assert(a.at(1).second.isString() && (a.at(1).second.getStringValue() == "potato"));
-    assert(a.at(2).second.isName() && (a.at(2).second.getName() == "/Third"));
-    assert(a.at(3).second.isNull());
-    assert(a.at(6).second.isName() && (a.at(6).second.getName() == "/Quack"));
+    assert(a[1].isString() && (a[1].getStringValue() == "potato"));
+    assert(a[2].isName() && (a[2].getName() == "/Third"));
+    assert(a[3].isNull());
+    assert(a[6].isName() && (a[6].getName() == "/Quack"));
 
     a.insert(0, QPDFObjectHandle::parse("/First"));
     assert(a.size() == 8);
-    assert(a.at(0).second.isName() && (a.at(0).second.getName() == "/First"));
-    assert(a.at(1).second.isInteger() && (a.at(1).second.getIntValue() == 1));
-    assert(a.at(7).second.isName() && (a.at(7).second.getName() == "/Quack"));
+    assert(a[0].isName() && (a[0].getName() == "/First"));
+    assert(a[1].isInteger() && (a[1].getIntValue() == 1));
+    assert(a[7].isName() && (a[7].getName() == "/Quack"));
 
     a.erase(6);
     assert(a.size() == 7);
-    assert(a.at(0).second.isName() && (a.at(0).second.getName() == "/First"));
-    assert(a.at(1).second.isInteger() && (a.at(1).second.getIntValue() == 1));
-    assert(a.at(5).second.isNull());
-    assert(a.at(6).second.isName() && (a.at(6).second.getName() == "/Quack"));
+    assert(a[0].isName() && (a[0].getName() == "/First"));
+    assert(a[1].isInteger() && (a[1].getIntValue() == 1));
+    assert(a[5].isNull());
+    assert(a[6].isName() && (a[6].getName() == "/Quack"));
 
     a.erase(6);
     assert(a.size() == 6);
-    assert(a.at(0).second.isName() && (a.at(0).second.getName() == "/First"));
-    assert(a.at(1).second.isInteger() && (a.at(1).second.getIntValue() == 1));
-    assert(a.at(3).second.isName() && (a.at(3).second.getName() == "/Third"));
-    assert(a.at(4).second.isNull());
-    assert(a.at(5).second.isNull());
+    assert(a[0].isName() && (a[0].getName() == "/First"));
+    assert(a[1].isInteger() && (a[1].getIntValue() == 1));
+    assert(a[3].isName() && (a[3].getName() == "/Third"));
+    assert(a[4].isNull());
+    assert(a[5].isNull());
 
     a.setAt(4, QPDFObjectHandle::parse("12"));
-    assert(a.at(4).second.isInteger() && (a.at(4).second.getIntValue() == 12));
+    assert(a[4].isInteger() && (a[4].getIntValue() == 12));
     a.setAt(4, QPDFObjectHandle::newNull());
-    assert(a.at(4).second.isNull());
+    assert(a[4].isNull());
 
     a.erase(to_i(a.size()) - 1);
     assert(a.size() == 5);
-    assert(a.at(0).second.isName() && (a.at(0).second.getName() == "/First"));
-    assert(a.at(1).second.isInteger() && (a.at(1).second.getIntValue() == 1));
-    assert(a.at(3).second.isName() && (a.at(3).second.getName() == "/Third"));
-    assert(a.at(4).second.isNull());
+    assert(a[0].isName() && (a[0].getName() == "/First"));
+    assert(a[1].isInteger() && (a[1].getIntValue() == 1));
+    assert(a[3].isName() && (a[3].getName() == "/Third"));
+    assert(a[4].isNull());
 
     a.erase(to_i(a.size()) - 1);
     assert(a.size() == 4);
-    assert(a.at(0).second.isName() && (a.at(0).second.getName() == "/First"));
-    assert(a.at(1).second.isInteger() && (a.at(1).second.getIntValue() == 1));
-    assert(a.at(3).second.isName() && (a.at(3).second.getName() == "/Third"));
+    assert(a[0].isName() && (a[0].getName() == "/First"));
+    assert(a[1].isInteger() && (a[1].getIntValue() == 1));
+    assert(a[3].isName() && (a[3].getName() == "/Third"));
 
     a.erase(to_i(a.size()) - 1);
     assert(a.size() == 3);
-    assert(a.at(0).second.isName() && (a.at(0).second.getName() == "/First"));
-    assert(a.at(1).second.isInteger() && (a.at(1).second.getIntValue() == 1));
-    assert(a.at(2).second.isString() && (a.at(2).second.getStringValue() == "potato"));
+    assert(a[0].isName() && (a[0].getName() == "/First"));
+    assert(a[1].isInteger() && (a[1].getIntValue() == 1));
+    assert(a[2].isString() && (a[2].getStringValue() == "potato"));
 
     QPDF pdf;
     pdf.emptyPDF();
@@ -98,15 +98,15 @@ main()
     auto b = qpdf::Array(obj);
     b.setAt(5, pdf.newIndirectNull());
     b.setAt(7, "[0 1 2 3]"_qpdf);
-    assert(b.at(3).second.isNull());
-    assert(b.at(8).second.isNull());
-    assert(b.at(5).second.isIndirect());
+    assert(b[3].null());
+    assert(b[8].null());
+    assert(b[5].indirect());
     assert(
         QPDFObjectHandle(obj).unparse() ==
         "[ null null null null null 3 0 R null [ 0 1 2 3 ] null null ]");
     auto c = QPDFObjectHandle(obj).unsafeShallowCopy();
     auto d = QPDFObjectHandle(obj).shallowCopy();
-    b.at(7).second.setArrayItem(2, "42"_qpdf);
+    b.get(7).setArrayItem(2, "42"_qpdf);
     assert(c.unparse() == "[ null null null null null 3 0 R null [ 0 1 42 3 ] null null ]");
     assert(d.unparse() == "[ null null null null null 3 0 R null [ 0 1 2 3 ] null null ]");