Will translated to us sentence by sentence, the doctor standing on the top step behind us smiling approval.

He seemed to think we would be benefited by the lecture just as much as the natives.
It was awful humbug that the commandant reeled off to his silent audience--hypocrisy garbed in paternal phrases, and interlarded with buncombe about Germany's mission to bring happiness to subject peoples.
"Above all," he repeated again and again, "the law must be enforced impartially--the good, sound, German law that knows no fear or favor, but governs all alike!" When he had finished he turned to the culprit.
"Now," he demanded, "do you know why you are to be hanged ?" There was a moment's utter silence.

The crowd drew in its breath, seeming to know in advance that some brave answer was forthcoming.

The man on the table with his hands behind him surveyed the crowd again with the gaze of simple dignity, looked down on the commandant, and raised his voice.

It was an unexpected, high, almost falsetto note, that in the silence carried all across the square.
"I am to die," he said, "because I did right! My enemy did what German officers do.