Of course , with all these advantages , her parents expected her to make a brilliant marriage , and , as she grew up , they began to look round for a suitable husband . But here a difficulty arose . The father was a rat from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail , outside as well as in , and desired that his daughter should wed among her own people . She had no lack of lovers , but her father 's secret hopes rested on a fine young rat , with moustaches which almost swept the ground , whose family was still nobler and more ancient than his own . Unluckily , the mother had other views for her precious child . She was one of those people who always despise their own family and surroundings , and take pleasure in thinking that they themselves are made of finer material than the rest of the world . ` HER daughter should never marry a mere rat , ' she declared , holding her head high . ` With her beauty and talents she had a right to look for someone a little better than THAT . ' So she talked , as mothers will , to anyone that would listen to her . What the girl thought about the matter nobody knew or cared -- it was not the fashion in the rat world . Many were the quarrels which the old rat and his wife had upon the subject , and sometimes they bore on their faces certain marks which looked as if they had not kept to words only . ` Reach up to the stars is MY motto , ' cried the lady one day , when she was in a greater passion than usual . ` My daughter 's beauty places her higher than anything upon earth , ' she cried ; ` and I am certainly not going to accept a son-in-law who is beneath her . ' ` Better offer her in marriage to the sun , ' answered her husband impatiently . ` As far as I know there is nothing greater than he . ' ` Well , I WAS thinking of it , ' replied the wife , ` and as you are of the same mind , we will pay him a visit to-morrow . ' So the next morning , the two rats , having spent hours in making themselves smart , set out to see the sun , leading their daughter between them . The journey took some time , but at length they came to the golden palace where the sun lived . ` Noble king , ' began the mother , ` behold our daughter ! She is so beautiful that she is above everything in the whole world .
Naturally , we wish for a son-in-law who , on his side , is greater XXXXX all .
As about at for of on outside than to upon