what a forbidding young blackguard he would be compelled to present himself

[Walt Whitman]

From Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, chapter 7

Context: After five weeks at Thrushcross Grange, Catherine recovers from her ankle injury and returns to Wuthering Heights. She’s now dignified and well-dressed (“quite a beauty!” as Hindley proclaims). Heathcliff, instead, is still rough and dirty and Hindley takes pleasure in humiliating him when he says,

— Heathcliff you may come forward, — cried Mr. Hindley enjoying his discomfiture and gratified to see what a forbidding young blackguard he would be compelled to present himself. — You may come and wish Miss Catherine welcome, like the other servants.

Could you please help me rephrase the underlined part? Is its wording a bit unusual or is it used to emphasise Heathcliff’s threatening appearance in comparison with Catherine’s refined manners?
The idea should be something like this, “Heathcliff would be compelled to show everybody how filthy and unkempt he was, thus appearing like a repulsive blackguard.

Thanks a lot
WW

 

[Annabel Lee]

— Heathcliff you may come forward, — cried Mr. Hindley enjoying his discomfiture and gratified to see what a forbidding young blackguard he would be compelled to present himself. — You may come and wish Miss Catherine welcome, like the other servants.

Could you please help me rephrase the underlined part?

Mr. Hindley was gratified to see what a forbidding young blackguard Heathcliff would be compelled to present himself [as].

Heathcliff would be compelled to present himself [as] a forbidding young blackguard. It gratified Mr. Hindley to see this.

 

[Walt Whitman]

The idea should be something like this, “Heathcliff would be compelled to show everybody how filthy and unkempt he was, thus appearing like a repulsive blackguard.

Thanks a lot. Do you think my re-wording is correct?

 

[Annabel Lee]

Do you think my re-wording is correct?

Yes, you've captured the main idea. In the very next paragraph, we see how surprised Catherine is at Heathcliff's appearance when she exclaims, "Why, how very black and cross you look! and how—how funny and grim!"