paderr = len(encoded_string) % 4   # Postel's law: add missing padding
            if paderr:
                encoded_string += '==='[:4 - paderr]
            try:
                word = email.base64mime.decode(encoded_string)
            except binascii.Error:
                raise HeaderParseError('Base64 decoding error')
            else:
                decoded_words.append((word, charset))
        else:
            raise AssertionError('Unexpected encoding: ' + encoding)
    # Now convert all words to bytes and collapse consecutive runs of
    # similarly encoded words.
    collapsed = []
    last_word = last_charset = None
    for word, charset in decoded_words:
        if isinstance(word, str):
            word = bytes(word, 'raw-unicode-escape')
        if last_word is None:
            last_word = word
            last_charset = charset
        elif charset != last_charset:
            collapsed.append((last_word, last_charset))
            last_word = word
            last_charset = charset
        elif last_charset is None:
            last_word += BSPACE + word
        else:
            last_word += word
    collapsed.append((last_word, last_charset))
    return collapsed