diff --git a/Source/NSXMLDocument.m b/Source/NSXMLDocument.m
index 72f087b77..4d342fc5b 100644
--- a/Source/NSXMLDocument.m
+++ b/Source/NSXMLDocument.m
@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@ extern void clearPrivatePointers(xmlNodePtr aNode);
 @interface NSXMLNode (Private)
 - (void *) _node;
 - (void) _setNode: (void *)_anode;
++ (NSXMLNode *) _objectForNode: (xmlNodePtr)node;
+- (void) _addSubNode:(NSXMLNode *)subNode;
+- (void) _removeSubNode:(NSXMLNode *)subNode;
 @end
 
 @implementation	NSXMLDocument
@@ -180,8 +183,8 @@ extern void clearPrivatePointers(xmlNodePtr aNode);
 
 - (NSXMLElement*) rootElement
 {
-  xmlNodePtr node = xmlDocGetRootElement(MY_DOC);
-  return (NSXMLElement *)(node->_private);
+  xmlNodePtr rootElem = xmlDocGetRootElement(MY_DOC);
+  return (NSXMLElement *)[NSXMLNode _objectForNode:rootElem];
 }
 
 - (void) setCharacterEncoding: (NSString*)encoding
diff --git a/Source/NSXMLNode.m b/Source/NSXMLNode.m
index ca517edd3..b5a56208f 100644
--- a/Source/NSXMLNode.m
+++ b/Source/NSXMLNode.m
@@ -78,10 +78,10 @@ void clearPrivatePointers(xmlNodePtr aNode)
 	  switch(type)
 	    {
 	    case(XML_DOCUMENT_NODE):
-	      result = [[self alloc] initWithKind: NSXMLDocumentKind];
+	      result = [[NSXMLDocument alloc] initWithKind: NSXMLDocumentKind];
 	      break;
 	    case(XML_ELEMENT_NODE):
-	      result = [[self alloc] initWithKind: NSXMLElementKind];
+	      result = [[NSXMLElement alloc] initWithKind: NSXMLElementKind];
 	      break;
 	    case(XML_TEXT_NODE):
 	      result = [[self alloc] initWithKind: NSXMLTextKind];