"The Death of the Dauphin." Alphonse Daudet.

Review: The little Dauphin is dying. He expects that he will be a Dauphin in the hereafter, living a life of privilege, as on earth. The Chaplain tries to explain that he will not still be a Dauphin in the afterlife. The little Dauphin begins to understand. What good is it to be a Dauphin if you have to die like everyone else? And if you won’t retain your rank in after life? He turns toward the wall and weeps bitterly.

Fifty Great European Short Stories. Ed. Edward and Elizabeth Huberman. New York: Bantam Books. 1971.