save_tuple(): So long as the charter is rewriting for clarity, the snaky

control flow had to be simplified.

Lib/pickle.py

@@ -458,17 +458,16 @@ class Pickler:
 
     def save_tuple(self, object):
         write = self.write
-        save  = self.save
-        memo  = self.memo
         proto = self.proto
 
-        if proto >= 1:
         n = len(object)
-            if n <= 3:
-                if not object:
+        if n == 0 and proto:
             write(EMPTY_TUPLE)
             return
-                if proto >= 2:
+
+        save = self.save
+        memo = self.memo
+        if n <= 3 and proto >= 2:
             for element in object:
                 save(element)
             # Subtle.  Same as in the big comment below.
@@ -486,7 +485,7 @@ class Pickler:
         for element in object:
             save(element)
 
-        if object and id(object) in memo:
+        if n and id(object) in memo:
             # Subtle.  d was not in memo when we entered save_tuple(), so
             # the process of saving the tuple's elements must have saved
             # the tuple itself:  the tuple is recursive.  The proper action
@@ -498,7 +497,7 @@ class Pickler:
             if proto:
                 write(POP_MARK + get)
             else:   # proto 0 -- POP_MARK not available
-                write(POP * (len(object) + 1) + get)
+                write(POP * (n+1) + get)
             return
 
         # No recursion (including the empty-tuple case for protocol 0).