What does the term "fagot" mean in the novel Johnny Tremain?

The book Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes was published in 1943. Due to the fact that it is a historical fiction novel and that it was published over seventy years ago, there is language contained in it that is rarely used in modern speech. An example of this is the word "fagot," which means "a bundle of sticks, twigs, or branches bound together and used as fuel." 

The word "fagot" is used several times in the novel. One of those times is when the word is used as a simile. A character is described as throwing "up his bony arms," but they "went down down like a bunch of fagots." Later in the story, "Cilla had built up a little fire of fagots to heat water." In this instance, the term is used literally to describe a bundle of twigs, which are used to create a fire. Another time in the story, two characters, who are twins, gather fagots as a chore. This is another example of the word being used literally to describe kindling.